On Halloween, I took the day off work, and drove myself down to Houston so I could check out the International Quilt Festival!
I spent about 6 hours at the festival, and quickly learned that only one day spent there is not nearly enough time to see everything!
I spent most of my time just walking around and seeing the beautiful quilts, and checking out the many, many (as in, over 1,000) vendors selling all sorts of quilty things.
I couldn’t resist buying some fabric:
Fat quarters from Web Fabrics.
Half yard cuts from Heartway International.
And this cute owl stamp from Country Keepsakes.
I had also heard some great things on Molli Sparkle’s blog about Bloc Loc rulers, so I was excited to come across their booth…but unfortunately they were all sold out of the two sizes I was considering! I think I may have to order one online. I often find myself needing to square up blocks, and this seems like the perfect tool!
Now, let’s move on to the amazing quilts! I’ll just jump right into it with the photos. I picked a few of my favorites, and listed them under their specific categories.
Ruby Jubilee: A 40-Year Celebration
This is a special exhibit to celebrate the festival’s 40th year. The photo at the top of this post shows how they were beautifully displayed. I couldn’t see the quilt labels for these, so I’m not able to credit the artists.
Art-Abstract, Large
Gratitude, by Pat Budge
Art-Abstract, Small
Canola Fields, by Leah Gravells
Fireball, by Candice Phelan
Yellow Sky, by Shirley Gisi
Art-Pictoral
Three Brains, by Laura Espenscheid
Art-Miniature
Making Waves, by Pat Hilderbrand
Identity, by Linda Postlethwait
Art-Naturescapes
Cherry Blossoms at Night, by Makiko Aoki
The Frozen Waterfall, by Yoshiko Miyamoto
Fuji and Sakura, by Masako Sakagami
Art-People, Portraits, and Figures
I Want to Ride my Bicycle, by Melissa Burdon
Embellished
After Hadrian, by Sue McCarty
The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase
Funky Junk, by Renee Tallman
Disruption, by Barbara Lockwood
Broken Bars, by Rebecca Roach
Pick up Sticks, by Becky Goldsmith
Grand Canal, by Casey York
Celebrating Farm to Fabric: American Made Challenge
Star Spangled, by Toby Lischko
The Fifty Color Kaleidoscope, by June Nyvall
Retrospective: Work by Jewel Patterson Scholarship Winners
Tessellating Wings, by Wendy Butler Berns
Reflections, Presented by Dinner at Eight Artists
Waning Crescent Meditation, by Deborah Boschert
Innovative Pieced
Communion, by Martha Kinman
And that’s it! These were just a tiny sample of the quilts on display.
I know this post is photo-overload, but I loved these quilts so much, I had to share. Hope you found a little inspiration like I did!
Beautiful…..how fun to get an opportunity to see all that.
Yes, it was awesome. And a good opportunity to have dinner with Katie while I was around!