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

Fireball, by Candice Phelan
Art-Pictoral
Art-Miniature
Art-Naturescapes
Art-People, Portraits, and Figures
Embellished
The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase

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
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!