QuiltCon - The Quilts

The quilts in the show at QuiltCon were amazing. There were so many great quilts, and quite honestly, any and every single one of them could have received a ribbon for one reason or another. I feel like a lot of people are hesitant to submit quilts to shows, especially juried shows for fear of being rejected and not juried into the show, or not winning.

I thought I'd share my two cents on the topic. I submitted two quilts into QuiltCon and one was accepted into the show.  I felt honored to have my quilt in the show with so many other great quilts.  It was fun to have people talk to me about my quilt and the other quilts.  I even got a big hug from Mary Fons when she found out I made the Dazzling Diamonds quilt in the show.

I didn't submit my quilts expecting to win.  And guess what? I didn't place in my category and I'm still extremely proud of my quilt.  I had several people tell me that they thought my quilt should have won, and my response was that I was flattered, but the winning quilts were also very beautiful and very much deserved to win.  The beauty of quilting is that we all have a variety of styles and ideas.  For some people orange is their favorite color.  It's my least favorite color.  I quilt what I like, and that's the most important thing to me.  I can only imagine how difficult judging a quilt show is and I have a deep respect for those that have to do it and a deep respect for the decisions they make. You may not agree with their decisions, but often times you have a chance to cast your vote in a viewers choice category.

So, as I get off my soapbox and show you the quilts, I just want to encourage everyone to submit quilts to shows if they want.  Don't be afraid of rejection or not winning.  If you love something, chances are someone else will.  But remember that there are things that might not be your style, just as what you create might not be someone else's.  Just don't take it personally. And, as you're walking around viewing quilts at shows, remember that there's a person out there that made and love each quilt in the show.

Here were the 1st and 2nd place Modern in Miniature quilts by Catherine A. Redford and Charlotte Newland.

This quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe won best in show.

I was so happy to see this quilt in person.  I've admired it online and it's my inspiration for a bee quilt I'm making.  This quilt by Karen Anderson-Abraham won the quilting excellence award.

I love HST quilts and this one by my new friend Jessica Pierre'auguste was beautiful.

I love lime green, which meant it was no surprise that I loved this houndstooth quilt by Leslie Lamb.

As a paper piecing fanatic, it's no surprise that I love this quilt by Susan Strong.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the colors Katie Bickesley used in this HST quilt.  Don't be surprised if you see me make something in these colors some day.

My love of color means I obviously love this quilt, which was pieced by Jim Smith and Andy Bunhammer.  When I first saw it, I thought it was a stack and whack quilt.

This was a great quilt by Thomas Knauer.  The quilting was awesome too!

I love the low volume and mix of prints in this quilt by Latifah Saafir.

I love both the colors and design in this quilt by Katie Pedersen.

I really like the pattern of this quilt by Lee Heinrich.

This is such a happy quilt by Janet McWorkman.

And finally, this quilt by Alison Glass won viewers choice at QuiltCon.

There are a bunch of other blog posts with other quilts from the show, so be sure to check them out.

Oh, and stay tuned for a giveaway with some loot I snagged at QuiltCon.