line and texture - QuiltCon 2019, Part 1

My best friend quilts (she also sews other things, dyes yarn, spins yarn, knits, and lots of other beautiful things). I do not sew, and certainly don’t quilt. But I grew up with a true appreciation for handmade quilts created by my grandmother. I've loved them all my life. So, I was happy to tag along when my friend headed to Nashville, TN this past weekend for the annual QuiltCon in the downtown Music City Center. The event was presented by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG). Hundreds of quilts on display had been juried and judged in specific categories, plus many others selected for display as part of the Charity Quilt Challenge.

I expected beautiful quilts. I was aware of and fascinated by the storytelling traditions in quilting and the personally artistic nature of creating quilts. What I underestimated was the impact of reading the stories in conjunction with viewing the quilts. (Detailed information sheets were posted beside each quilt.) I experienced chills in more than one instance. I was also not prepared to see the fantastic modern interpretations of this traditionally domestic art form. This experience was akin to visiting a modern art museum.

The conference's website confirmed that photographs of the quilts were allowed. (QuiltCon 2019 Pricing, Policies & Rules) These are certainly not the best "photographic" images, but I hope they convey the skill, texture, and beauty of the quilts. I'm getting to know my new camera, and a giant conference hall doesn't have the best lighting to make it any easier to produce good photographs. 

Multiple posts will show quilts as I have personally grouped them. As a non-quilter with only bare bones art and textile knowledge, my groupings may certainly be based more upon personal connections or external connections (regional, topical, etc.). The captions, on the other hand, share details from the information sheets that accompanied each quilt, which include the collection in which the conference organizers placed the piece. It is most definitely worth reading these for the quilter(s)'s stories of their process or inspiration.

In this post, I have selected pieces that satisfied my love for quilted lines. Especially combinations of straight, crooked, or curved; stitches doing geometric gymnastics; repetition; converging and diverging rays; swirls confronting straight edges. These are not lines drawn on paper, though. There is texture created with each stitch, each time a needle pulls thread through layers of fabric, but some of these have taken texture further. Oh, how I wanted to touch these quilts.

Super Donut, Stephanie Skardal, @stephskardal (North Carolina, USA). American Patchwork & QuiltingTwo-Color Quilt Challenge.  "This original design was inspired by my personal challenge of creating curves from my typical linear, geometric aesthetic. A graphic two-color palette bring focus to the piecing, and domestic machine quilting continues the theme of using lines to add curved quilty texture. A bright, coral, solid back (two tones) compliments the aqua. This quilt was designed in Photoshop, cut and pieced based on a paper template, and machine quilted with a walking foot." 

(Techniques: hand appliquéd, machine pieced, machine quilted without a frame - the quilt moved under the stationary needle)

Klem, Daisy Aschehoug, @warmfolk (Nesodden, Norway). American Patchwork & QuiltingTwo-Color Quilt Challenge. "There's no specific intent behind the shapes in this design. I experimented with the placement of lines and curves until I found something that seemed balanced enough to feel good but just enough "off" to be interesting. I'm drawn to patterns that are just shy of being completely consistent, and in this particular piece, I enjoyed the small bit of chaos in the relationship between the background and the foreground." 

(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted on a frame - the needle moved over the stationary quilt, such as a long-arm machine) 

Note: "Klem" is Norwegian for "hug"!

Number 21, Miguel Huidor, @mh_x_q (California, USA). Appliqué. "This quilt plays with the tension of precision and rawness. I began with the precision of printed and yarn dye stripes and contrasted it with the rawness of frayed layered cut fabrics. The base of the quilt cover is made of two different striped fabrics improv pieced together. I then quilted all the layers together. Then I machine appliquéd the strips of 3 different stripes to create new geometry and patterns. This quilt is about the process of layering and creating new patterns." 

(Techniques: machine pieced, machine appliquéd, improvisational piecing)

Refraction, Megan M. Ellinger (Tennessee, USA). American Patchwork & QuiltingTwo-Color Quilt Challenge. "Inspired by the traditional Drunkard's Path block. I chose to play with scale and secondary designs to create this two-color quilt. The shapes are emphasized by the quilting lines which travel from some shapes into others, changing density as they bend." 

(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted on a frame - the needled moved over the stationary quilt)

Give and Take, Kari Vojtechovsky, @quiltsforthemaking (Colorado, USA). Minimalist. "I mimicked my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul design, but streamlined to one large block. The curves broke up the right angles of that quilt, so I chose to incorporate circles into this quilt. The quilting was designed to enhance the minimalism of the piece. Christine Perrigo and I worked together to create this design and she did all the quilting. The quilted feathers are a nod to traditional quilting and an unexpected addition to the otherwise linear quilting. The quilt may be minimalist, but has its own quirky personality." Quilted by Christine Perrigo. 

(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted on a frame - the needled moved over the stationary quilt)

Splat, Billi Rakov, @BilliRakov (California, USA). Minimalist. "This quilt is inspired by the back of a chair's ornamental middle rung and splattering of paint. The colors are meant to be seen as only as a few colors from afar but a variety up closes. The middle section has narrow piecing that is not quilted. The front quilting starts at the edges as orange thread and changes to pink and yellow towards the middle. The back quilting thread is white with a middle section of light green. This blends optically into the light pink metallic linen. A handquilted turquoise thread is included as a bold accent." 

(Techniques: hand quilted, machine pieced, machine quilted on a frame - the needle moved over the stationary quilt)

Walking Hand, Sheryl Sheppard, @itsSewScottsdale (Arizona, USA). Handwork. "A three dimensional take on the Tumbling Block featuring a hand quilting method I call "Walking Hand" which resembles the walking foot machine quilting method modern quilters have become known for. Directional hand quilting spaced 3/8" apart enhances the 3D effect of the blocks. The background is hand stitched at 1/2" intervals with glow in the dark thread that illuminates the center blocks. There are approximately 10,700 inches of running stitches."
(Techniques: hand quilted, machine pieced, paper pieced, foundation paper piece design using EQ8)

Single Helix, Julie Doy, @birdiken. Small Quilts. “Single Helix started as an experiment in half circles, bias applique, and walking foot quilting. I was interested in the Drunkard’s Path type designs used by @pappersaxton and Jacquie Gering’s walking foot designs in ‘Walk’ along with the use of solid fabrics.” 

(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted without a frame – the quilt moved under the stationary needle, bias applique)

Mayan Sun, Stephanie Ruyle, @spontaneousthreads (Colorado, USA). Small Quilts. "Mayan Sun is a study in bold shape defined by curves and details. Purposely working in a restricted color palette makes the details more evident. The use of complimentary thread for the quilting allows the hand embellished details  in the quilt and in the binding to make a bold, yet complimentary impact. The binding is a coequal design element and completes the overall composition instead of just framing it."
(Techniques: hand quilted, hand embroidered, machine pieced, machine quilted without a frame - the quilt moved under the stationary needle, piecing, free hand drawn curves and circles)

Louver, Jayne Willis, @twiggyandopal (Tennessee, USA). "Texture and illusion are a big part of this quilt. I used my "Textured Twist" technique to create a visual sunset called 'Louver'. It reminds me of the slats of a venetian blind. By changing the angle of the slats it changes the amount of light that gets in. The design changes depending on the angle you are looking from, creating an intriguing illusion. The unique texture created from the twists makes you want to reach out and run your hand across it!"
(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted without a frame - the quilt moved under the stationary needle)

Ctrl Alt Delete, Dena Mehling, @chuckstar158 (Colorado, USA). Modern Traditionalism. "I love trying to create the illusion of depth and tessellation using fabric. Inspired by traditional log cabin block construction, I sketched a triangle shaped block and shades of colors to give direction to the light source and resulting shadow effect. I chose three tessellations to stand out and give you a place to rest, restart, and ground the image. Christine's quilting highlights the shapes of the "stars" and treats the orange stars individually."
Quilted by Christine Perrigo.
(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted on a frame - the needle moved over the stationary quilt, paper pieced, hand bound)

Prickly Path, Sarah Sharp, @nohatsquilts (Indiana, USA). Modern Traditionalism. "It was on one of my family's annual treks out east that I discovered Grandma's Fan--a block that, although unassuming at first glance, turns into something spectacular when repeated on point and evidently, with the addition of some spikes!"
Quilted by Angela Walters.
(Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilting on a frame - the needle moved over the stationary quilt, paper pieced)