QuiltCon 2015: Piecing category, Part 1

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Plaid Portico

We will cover the Piecing category, sponsored by Aurifil, in two parts since there are so many quilts. Remember that quilts for the QuiltCon competitions are accepted into the show first and then put into categories by the judges as part of the judging process. This group has so many interesting original compositions. The category winners will be shown at the end of Part 2 later this week.

Enjoy!

Capsule by Jen Carlton Bailly. Portland, Oregon. Quilted by Nancy Stovall.

Huckleberry by Rebecca Bryan. Wildwood, Missouri.

Tessellation 3 by Nydia Kehnle. Monroe, New York. Quilted by Karlee Porter.

Indie by Phoebe Harrell. Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Quilted by Emily Sessions.

gRadient by Elizabeth Balderrama. Annapolis, Maryland. Quilted by Alison Brown of Alison’s Quilting.

Connect the Stars by Barbara Cline. Bridgewater, Virginia.

Phased Circles by Michelle Wilkie. Cary, North Carolina.

Profits & Losses by Gina Pina. Austin, Texas.

Road to Pasadena by Kendra Nitta. Pasadena, California.

Blue Circle Quilt by Kim Eichler-Messmer. Kansas City, Kansas.

Carnival by Melody Baker. Lenexa, Kansas.

Happy by Carrie Wikander. Fredericksburg, Texas.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado by Katie Larson. Kansas City, Kansas.

Aura Blue by Jaime David. Roeland Park, Kansas

And the Moon at Night by Colleen Molen. Brentwood, California.

Fish Tails by Kristen Ballou. Kent, Washington.

Vega by Cynthia Whitten. Ladera Ranch, California. Quilted by Helen Baczynski.

Texas Forever by Corinne Sovey. Austin, Texas.

Starry Eyed by Caroline Fairbanks-Critchfield. Palm Bay, Florida.

Icy Waters by Amy Garro. Indianapolis, Indiana. Quilted by Angela Walters.

Disruption by Barbara Lockwood. Erie, Pennsylvania.

Iceberg by Crystal McGann. Kambah, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Whirling Dervish by Elizabeth Dackson. Land O Lakes, Florida.

Vega by Cynthia Whitten. Ladera Ranch, California. Quilted by Helen Baczynski.

The Mona Lisa by Rowena Bayliss. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.

Peace by Leanne Chahley. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Cascade Quilt by Kristi Schroeder. Dallas, Texas.

Knit Snippet by Lotje Meijknecht. Leiden, Netherlands.

Sam and Suzy by Megan Callahan. Bakersfield, California. Quilted by Elizabeth Hartman

The Power of Three by Kristin Shields. Bend, Oregon.

48 by Christa Watson. Las Vegas, Nevada.

QuiltCon 2015: Improvisation category quilts Part 2!

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Plaid Portico

Here we have the second installment of the improvisation category of quilts from QuiltCon 2015, including the award winners in this category. Scroll down!

Juicy by Charlotte Newland. London, England, UK.

Northwest by Stacey Sharman. Berkeley, CA.

Tuning Fork #13 by Heather Pregger. Fort Worth, TX.

Fade into Gray by Stephanie Ruyle. Denver, Colorado.

Yin Yang by Serena Brooks. Los Angeles, CA.

Intersection by Neva Asinari. Hillsborough, NJ.

Improvisation by Patricia Lutteral. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Infinite Whispers by Jennifer Chon. Shadow Hills, CA.

In Anniston by Chawne Kimber. Easton, PA.

Abby’s Abstract II by Amanda Jean Nyberg. Clearwater, MN.

Untitled (Improv Half-Log Cabin) by Heather Jones. Springboro, Ohio.

Fade into Black by Sarah Lowry. Carrborro, North Carolina.

Kelly Quilt by Maritza Soto. Cambridge, MA.

A Dance for Emily by Rossie Hutchinson. Manchester, Michigan.

From This Day Forward by Tina Michalik. Santa Cruz, CA.

Mosaic by Pamela Rocco. Santa Cruz, CA. Quilted by Susan Spencer.

Full Bloom by Latifah Saafir. Los Angeles, CA.

Face #1 by Melissa Averinos. West Barnstable, MA. Judge’s Choice, QuiltCon 2015.

For Tanya by Emily Coffey. Lane Junaluska, NC. Judge’s Choice, QuiltCon 2015

This Way by Tricia Royal. Chicago, IL. 3rd Place, Improvisation category, QuiltCon 2015

Aleph Bet by Serena Brooks. Los Angeles, CA. 2nd Place Improvisation category, QuiltCon 2015.

The Rabbit Hole by Nydia Kehnle. Monroe, NY. 1st Place Improvisation Category, QuiltCon 2015

QuiltCon Charity Quilts Part 2

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Plaid Portico

Here we are with the second batch of shots of all the charity quilts at QuiltCon, presented by The Modern Quilt Guild. In case you missed it, Part 1 can be found here with an explanation of the show. Next up, let’s see… quilts from The Modern Traditionalism category? Minimalism? Negative Space? Tune in to find out. We have about 1300 quilts to show!

Again, if your guild had a quilt in the show, shoot me an e-mail or make a comment with the information for the credits. I would be glad to add it to the image. Don’t forgot to tell us where your quilt will be going!

QuiltCon Charity Quilt

QuiltCon Charity Quilt, “West Coast Migration” by individual MQG members from the west coast

QuiltCon Charity Quilt

QuiltCon charity quilt, “Temporal Shift” by Essex County Modern Quilt Guild in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Original design and quilting by Adrian Hansen-Kelly, collaboratively pieced by the guild.

QuiltCon Charity Quilt

QuiltCon Charity Quilts Part 1

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Plaid Portico

Well, I am back from QuiltCon with enough shots of quilts to last for weeks, and weeks it will take to process them and load them up. So hang on for a fun and inspiring ride. QuiltCon was great–REALLY enjoyed it personally and thought it was very well done and well organized. The excitement was palpable. This IS a movement.

If you don’t know what QuiltCon is, this was the second conference put on by the national Modern Quilt Guild, which included workshops, lectures, a huge exhibition and events, all for the modern quilter. The first two, this year and 2013, years ago were in Austin, Texas. Next year it will be in Pasadena, California, and 2017 will be in Savannah, Georgia.

Normally I curate exhibitions and only take photos of the quilts that really speak to me. In this case I took photos of all the quilts, partly because the majority of them I did like, and partly because I really think the modern quilt movement needs to be documented.

The first thing we all saw were the QuiltCon Charity quilts which were lining the ballrooms that were the site of all the keynotes and lectures throughout the conference. The charity quilt challenge required “Modern Quilt Guilds to work collaboratively to create quilts using a pre-determined color palette and alternate grid design work.” The quilts were twin size and were sewn entirely by each guild from design through finish quilting, and will be donated by each guild to a children’s shelter in their area. The challenge was sponsored and fabric provided by Cherrywood, Pink Castle Fabrics, Rock Paper Scissors, Sew Modern and The Intrepid Thread.

The quilts were hanging uncredited which I do think is in the spirit of a charity challenge, but for this venue I am glad to credit the guild who created them. So if anyone contacts me or comments with the guild info, I would be glad to add the credit information. Inquiring minds might want to know! And please forgive some of the photos. It was hard to get an unobstructed view of some quilts to take a whole quilt shot and some photos turn out better than others. But rest assured all the quilts could be viewed quite well in person!

Over the next 4-6 weeks I will be posting all the rest of the quilts in the exhibition by category, so stay tuned!

QuiltCon charity quilt

QuiltCon charity quilt by Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild. To be donated to the annual fundraising for SAVE, a local animal shelter.

QuiltCon charity quilt

“Silly Goose, Catch Me if You Can” a QuiltCon charity quilt and collaborative effort by the Jacksonville Modern Quilt Guild. Will be donated to a children’s charity to be auctioned off to raise the most money possible for the charity.

QuiltCon charity quilt

QuiltCon charity quilt by the South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild in California.

QuiltCon charity quilt

QuiltCon charity quilt by The Lake Superior Modern Quilt Guild in Duluth, Minnesota. Bridge motif inspired by Duluth’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge, and is also a replica of the guild’s logo designed by their president Deb Westerberg.

QuiltCon charity quilt by The Lake Superior Modern Quilt Guild

QuiltCon charity quilt

QuiltCon charity quilt by the Silicon Valley Modern Quilt Guild

QuiltCon charity quilt

Quilts from Unconventional and Unexpected at The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Plaid Portico

What a wonderful way to take in a quilt exhibition, by following an excursion with visitors into Sonoma Valley. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, right off the Sonoma town square is hosting an exhibition of quilts from Roderick Kirocofe’s book Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000, through May 17, 2015.

True to curator and quilt collector Roderick Kiracofe‘s eye for maverick quilts, this show is unconventional. Hung not only on walls, there are also quilts hanging from the ceiling and draped over pedestals and the exhibition includes not only finished quilts, but quilt tops and backs of quilts.

A small subset of the many quilts included in the book, it is a refreshing view of these quilts made by “primarily anonymous, often self-taught women working below the radar of the art world….articulate many of the same issues that have been at the core of the development of modern art during the second half of the twentieth century”.

One day I saw this exhibit and soon after I found myself at Quiltcon viewing the special exhibition of quilts from Gee’s Bend and also quilts from the 70’s. And then on to see the very large exhibition of new modern quilts in the main exhibition…it’s amazing. We’ll be covering all the exhibitions of Quiltcon here in the next several weeks, but if you have a chance to see this show in person, please take advantage of it! With the intense momentum of the “modern” quilting, the collections, books and exhibitions of quilt experts and curators such as Roderick Kiracofe are timely and have an immense value as part of the discussion of the modern quilt movement.

Nine Patch (double-sided) c..1975-2000 Found in Texas from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Nine Patch (reverse side) c..1975-2000 Found in Texas from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Fan c. 1975-2000 Found in Wood County, Texas. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Unconventional and Unexpected Exhibition at The Sonoma Museum of Art

String Diamond c. 1950-1970. Found in South Carolina, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Unique Yo Yo 1964, by Laura Otto (b. 1881 d. 1971) Fairview Park, Ohio, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Mosaic Rose (based on One Patch) c. 1950-2000, found in Arkansas, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Star, variation, c. 1925-1950, found in southwest Ohio, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

String (unfinished top) reverse side, c. 1940-1960. Found in Ohio. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe.

String (unfinished top) c. 1960-1990. found in Alabama, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Grandmother’s Flower Garden, variation. c. 1950-1975 attributed to Donna Settles, Cook County, IL. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe.

Double Wedding Ring, found in Altadena, CA., c. 1975-2000, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Original Design. c. 1950-1975, attributed to a Mrs. Sparks, found in Anderson, Indiana, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Courthouse Steps (Log Cabin), variation, c. 1950-1975, Found in San Francisco,from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Original Design, c. 1975-2000. Found in Alabama. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Flag. 1960-1990. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Brick Wall, 1950-2000, found in Akron, Ohio, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Brick Wall, c. 1950-2000. Found in Akron Ohio. From the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Strips, c. 1975-2000, found in Southern Louisiana, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

X (unfinished top) c. 1950-1970, found in West Tennesee,from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

House c. 1960-1990 Found in Alabama, from the collection of Roderick Kiracofe

Amish: The Modern Muse Part II

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Plaid Portico

So excited to see the second installment of the Amish: The Modern Muse at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. It did not disappoint! It struck me as quite dramatic as I entered the gallery room. The exhibition goes until March 1st so if you are in the area, head down there! There is nothing like seeing quilts in person, plus the larger exhibition of Antique Ohio Amish Quilts from the Darwin D. Bearley Collection is NOT to be missed.

The show was curated by San Francisco Artist Joe Cunningham, and includes quilts submitted by East Bay Modern Quilters, the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild and the South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild.

Enjoy!

Squared Repeat by Terri Carpenter

Striped Amish by Pamela Rocco

A Shot of Amish by Margaret Glendening

Songs of a Distant Lancaster by Tami Levin

Triple X by Terri Carpenter

Amish Modern I by Mickey Beebe, quilted by Toni McAuliffe

Bar Fly by Rhonda Ludwico

Amish Stripes by Linda Hlady, quilted by Terry Carpenter

Amish Stripes by Linda Hlady, quilted by Terri Carpenter

Diamonds and Jewels by Tina Michalik

Churned by Linda Sinclair

Mistakes Were Made by Stacey Sharman

Joseph’s Stars by Claire Sherman

Complementary Reflection by Karen Maple

Dad’s Amish Pants by Michelle Sullivan

Ben’s Quilt by Wendeanne Ke’aka Stitt

East bay Mini Composition by (L-R, top to bottom) Terry Carpenter, Kristen Takakuwa, Chancy Fessler, Linda Hlady, Stacey Sharman, Margaret Glendening, Terri Carpenter, Claire Sherman, Linda Hlady

East Bay Mini Composition by (L-R, top to bottom) Terri Carpenter, Kristen Takakuwa, Chancy Fessler, Linda Hlady, Stacey Sharman, Margaret Glendening, Terri Carpenter, Claire Sherman, Linda Hlady

Mini Quilt 12″x12″ by Stacey Sharman

Amish: The Modern Muse

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Plaid Portico

Amish: The Modern Muse at The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles runs in two parts. The first part goes through January 10th, then the second part through March 1st 2015.

The museum asked local modern quilt guilds to submit quilts inspired by Amish quilts but with a modern take. The East Bay Modern Quilters, the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild and the South Bay Modern Quilt Guild gladly participated, and after being curated by San Francisco artist Joe Cunningham, it was decided to run the show in two groups. Good news, as there will be more marvelous quilts to post in January!

Alas this is my last post of the year, but the Plaid Portico will be back mid January with coverage of the second round of Amish: The Modern Muse, coverage of some up and coming designers doing cool things,and then some pretty comprehensive coverage of QuiltCon.

Happy New Year in advance!

Striped Amish by Pam Rocco, 2014

Tribute by Pati Fried, 2014, machine quilting by Kerry Reed, both machine and hand quilted

We Are by Anne Sullivan, 2014

House Top Quilts by Tara Faughnan, 2013

X by Stacey Sharman, 2014. Cotton, linen, wool, denim, and upholstery samples. Machine and hand quilted.

What I Had by Kim Andersson, 2014. Quilted by Terry Carpenter

Zyklen by Vanessa de Fabrega, 2014

Amish-ish by Ruth Beeby, 2014

Look Who’s Walking by Karen Foster, 2014.

Center Diamond, Up Close by Michelle Boyd, 2014

Tic-Tac-Oh by Erin Metzler, 2014

Capitola Crossing by Karen Foster, 2014

Amish Electricity by Claire Sherman 2014

Almost Amish by Lyndalee Korn, 2014

1500 by Vanessa de Fabrega 2014, quilted by Angie Woolman

Feeling Blue by Linda Hlady 2014

MacAmish by Carole Rossi, 2014

Circus Improv by Carol Van Zandt 2014, using Andover textured solids

Antique Ohio Amish Quilts from the Darwin D. Bearley Collection, Part 1

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Plaid Portico

Fantastic exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles of antique Ohio Amish quilts from the Darwin D. Bearley collection. I’m going to let the beautiful quilts do the talking here, but first you must know that the exhibition is on until March 1st, 2015, and is comprised of over 40 bed, crib and doll sized quilts made between 1880 and 1940. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

We will cover the quilts in the Antique Ohio Amish Quilts exhibition from the Darwin D. Bearley Collection in two postings and then will cover the accompanying exhibition, Amish: The Modern Muse, comprised of with modern quilts inspired by the Amish tradition.

Enjoy!

Log Cabin, Light & Dark Variation, c. 1880-90, unknown maker, Holmes County, Wool

Ocean Waves, c. 1920. Purchased from Roman E. Miller, made by his mother. Sugarcreek, Holmes County. Cotton

Nine Patch Variation “Winter Quilt”, 1884. Unknown maker. Initialed and dated in the quilting “R.T. 1884”. Know County. Heavy Wool.

Sampler, c. 1890-1900, Unknown maker, Holmes County. Cotton.

Log Cabin, Straight Furrow Variation, dated 1914. Made by Marian Yoder. Holmes County. Wool.

Tumbling Blocks, c. 1900-10. Ann K. Yoder, formerly from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Purchased from Sam E. Hershberger. Holmes County. Wool.

Broken Star, c. 1925-30. Made by Katie M. Yoder, mother of Mrs. Henry A. Raber Baltic, Holmes County. Cotton.

Zig Zag Nine Patch Variation, c. 1890-1930 (top made c. 1890, incorporated into the quilt, c. 1930). Unknown Maker. Geauga County. Cotton.

Diagonal 16-Patch, c. 1880-90. Unknown maker. Mt. Hope, Holmes County. Purchased at auction of Burkholder Family. Cotton.

Log Cabin Crib Quilt, Light & Dark Variation, c. 1910-15 (top). Unknown maker. Holmes County. Wool.

Courthouse Steps Center Medallion Crib Quilt, c. 1910-20 (bottom) Unknown maker. Bunker Hill, Holmes County. Wool.

Chinese Coins, c. 1930-40. Unknown maker. Plain City, Ohio. Cotton.

Log Cabin, Courthouse Steps Variation, c. 1880-90. Unknown maker. Holmes County. Wool.

Ocean Waves Variation, c. 1930-35. Unknown maker, Holmes County. Cotton.

Railroad Crossing with Zig Zag Border, dated 1928. Made by Mrs. Albert V. Schlabach (Christina Yoder Schlabach) Benton, Ohio. Cotton.

Split Bars, c. 1920. Unknown Maker, Initialed M on the back. Holmes County. Cotton.

Plain Quilt with Double Inner Border, dated March 5, 1904 and 1925. Made by Susan J. Miller for her son Alfred D. Miller in 1925. Initialed A.D.M. in center. Purchased from Alfred D. Miller. Holmes County. Cotton.

Split Bars, c. 1920. Unknown Maker, Initialed M on the back. Holmes County. Cotton.

Plain Quilt with Inner Border, c. 1915. Unknown maker. Origin unknown. Cotton.

Plain Quilt with Double Inner Birder, dated March 4, 1915. Made by Katie M. Erb. Signed and dated. Holmes County. Cotton.

Four Patch with Zig Zag Border, c. 1890-1910 Unknown maker. Cotton.

Bars Variation, c. 1890-1900 (top) Unknown maker. West Salem, Wayne County. Wool.

Peppermint Pinwheels and The Carnival Quilt

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Plaid Portico

Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels did the most amazing Carnival Quilt with Pop Rox, though I am not surprised and you will see why when you see some of her other quilts here!

Founder of East Bay Modern Quilters (Formerly The East bay Modern Quilt Guild) and their annual show Stitch Modern, Stacey also teaches around Northern California and the San Francisco Bay area. She can most often be found teaching at the fabulous A Verb for Keeping Warm, which is kind enough to host the last Tuesday of the month meetings of East Bay Modern Quilters.

She has a lovely and active Etsy shop Peppermint Pinwheels with baby play mats, digital patterns, baby blankets and more. And if you’re in the area, watch for her lecture and trunk show at The Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild April 18th meeting.

Hope you enjoy her Carnival Pop Rox quilt and views of some of her other yummy quilts!

The Carnival Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Back of The Carnival Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

The X Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Silk Arithmetic by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Blue and White Split Log Cabin Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Detail of Blue and White Split Log Cabin Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

The Embers Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

For Stitch Modern by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Black Circles by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Turquoise Circles Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Blue and White Diamond Crib Quilt by Stacey Sharman

The Confetti Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Scrappy Wagon Wheels for Max by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Code by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Linen and Denim Stripe Block Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Blue Flowers Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Colorblock Quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

New York Beauty by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Red & Turqoise quilt by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Impovisational Split Log Cabin by Stacey Sharman of Peppermint Pinwheels

Pacific International Quilt Festival 2014, Part 6, the final installment

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Plaid Portico

Sort of sad to finalize coverage of the exhibitions at PIQF 2014. The final quilts come from a number of categories, including the special exhibition on Maps, and Mountain Art Quilters. Have a few more exhibitors on the docket to cover over the next few months so stay tuned.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!