This is Part 3 of 3 of my QuiltCon 2017 Recap.

Read "Part 1: People and Places" here.

Read "Part 2: Lectures" here.

So, let's talk about this quilt show, shall we? QuiltCon hosts the largest modern quilt show in the world (to my knowledge), with over 400 quilts and several special exhibits. I already shared my main takeaways from the show in the March 1 issue of The Wonky Press newsletter, so I'll keep these comments brief.

Attending a quilt show in person is a lot like reading a quilting blog, or listening to show and tell at a guild meeting. By reading the cards that accompany each quilt, you take a walk in the creators' shoes.

In this age of the internet and social media, people from all around the world can see the quilt show! If you love the modern aesthetic and you get the opportunity, though, I encourage you to attend QuiltCon in person. It's different. I found myself being very introspective and looking for moments that I could go examine quilts by myself. There were details that popped out at me only the second time through all the quilts, and it was especially fun to see how certain quilts helped enhance others around them.

Everyone attends quilt shows to look at something different. Personally, I enjoy looking for innovative quilting and those quilts that use the quilting itself to enhance their message. Here are some of the quilts that have stuck with me 3 weeks after the event.

"Madonna" - pieced by Brittany Bowen Burton

Quilted by Natalia Bonner on a longarm (I had the pleasure of meeting Natalia, too).

This quilt, to me, shows the many, many options that solid fabrics provide for quilting (plus, yay to big stitch hand quilting!) It also won Best Machine Quilting on a longarm.

"Transparency Quilt 1" by Melissa Everett

This one was quilted using the design as inspiration. It looked like watercolors in person - stunning.

"Murmuration Minued" by Janice Marquardt.

This was probably my favorite quilt in the whole show. It was in the "Use of Negative Space" category; I'm assuming the quilting was the reason. Check out the sun and moon - they are subtle but they add to the picture so beautifully. I love the modern traditional look of this quilt (taking the plus block and morphing it into something wholly different). This quilt was on a side aisle; in my quilt show, it would have been front and center. ;) (this is not to say the quilts were placed according to the show organizers' liking). :P

"Wild Abandon" by Kristin Shields
The quilting and colorwork on this piece were so well done. I've been following Kristin's work for a while and it was a thrill to see some of it in person. She's fearless.

"#CUquilt" by Ginevra Martin
Hand quilting (and yay imperfection!) made a statement on this unique quilt (also, there was a lot of purple. Love!).

"Fireworks" by Jeannie Jenkins
This unusual, bold color scheme was truly a showstopper in person. It won 2nd place in Modern Traditionalism.

"Still With Her" by Liz Harvatine

This quilt, which won a Judge's Choice ribbon, was placed on the middle aisle. Also a showstopper, especially from across the room. The piecer had created a large Hillary block right before the U.S. election and cut it up afterwards, only to sew it back together. I saw a lot of people taking pictures of this quilt. It gave me a healthy dose of hope.

"Light and Shadow" by Rebecca Loren
The color scheme and quilting on this quilt were astounding. It's a modern version of a traditional star block that the piecer found on the Quilt Index.

"Lincoln" by Kim Soper

Lincoln's eyes. This quilt won first place in Improvisation and also the Viewer's Choice Award. I'd watched Kim create this quilt via her blog and Instagram; to see it in person was such a pleasure.

I could honestly write another 2 posts about quilts from QuiltCon, but these were my all-time favorites. What did you get to see at QuiltCon (whether in-person or online) that inspired you?

One little piece of me was at QuiltCon - our guild's charity quilt! When our guild couldn't decide on angles or curves, we combined them to make star and moon blocks. Thanks to Janet and Laura for helming this huge project. I quilted the whole thing with wavy walking foot quilting and handquilting, and I also made the bottom left corner green star. Teamwork at its finest.

Summer Sampler 2017: Millcreek Star — Lee Heinrich Designs modern quilt patterns