It's been a week since we drove back from our trip down south to LA so that I could attend my first ever QuiltCon in Pasadena, CA. Wow, was it overwhelming, but in an oh so good way. The actual size of the show is smaller than PIQF here in Santa Clara. Usually I'd go to that show 3 1/2 of the 4 days it was open but I was only able to attend two QuiltCon days. Oddly enough I was more worn out by those two days than the ones spent at PIQF. I wonder if it had to do with the intense emotional involvement at QuiltCon?
The first day started out right when I ran into the lovely Chelsea from one of my guilds, SBAMQG. She helped me get my registration (and a swag bag!) so that I wouldn't be late to my class with Krista Withers, Compositional Quilting. That deserves its own post so let me just say that I was very happy.
On Friday my mom picked me up so that we could have breakfast and go to the show together. (At this point I really hadn't gone walking through the show hall because Thursday's class was a six-hour one.) There were so many quilts that I ooh'd and ahh'd over. And most of them were quite original and refreshing to see. Of course it was thrilling to see my two quilts in the show, Putting on the Glitz and Songs of a Distant Lancaster.
But I was also incredibly happy to see that my client and guild member from the SBAMQG, Mickey Beebe, had earned a first place ribbon for the EZ Triangle Challenge for her quilt entitled Eichler Homes. When I quilted it for her she requested that all the rectangles surrounding the mid-century houses be left unquilted so that she could add her own touch. What she added just made the quilt in my opinion. Two of the houses have TV antennae and the rest are silhouetted in a thick black quilting stitch. Congratulations Mickey!!!
And Mickey's quilt was one of the featured quilts in the banners outside of the Pasadena Convention Center where this year's QuiltCon was held. Sweet!
My mom and I stopped at Sew Modern's cute booth with vintage trailer. We also stopped at APQS so that we could quilt hands on to one of their charity quilts. My mom did really well. Perhaps we can convince her to try out quilting again?
These are just a few of the quilts that caught my eye.
From top to bottom: A Kiss for Paul by Tricia Royal quilted by Frank Palmer, Pine Burr Quilt by Tara Faughnan, Scrappy Side Trip by Leslie Tucker Jenison, Under the Radar by Corrine Savey, Mountain Sunrise by Anne Sullivan quilted by Tami Levin
The other big thing about the show is that it's equally about the social connections. I was running into guild members from the Bay Area from the three different guilds that I belong to, both modern and traditional. The camaraderie shown by modern quilters is something to behold. Perhaps it's because we tend to be more connected on social media so we are especially pleased to see people in person? At any rate it was a wonderful feeling. Even my mom remarked on how different the vibe was at QuiltCon than when she accompanied me to Road 2 California in Ontario, CA just a month before.
Speaking of connections, I finally met Kathy Mack in real life. She and I started our blogs within a month of each other because we wanted to join online swaps. We were in one together, Back Tack III, and she was my partner so she sent me a cute stuffed cat plus a few emails traded back and forth over the next couple years. It was really fantastic to meet her because she's just as sweet as can be.
And a special shout out to a very kind Christina Cameli, who kept my mom company while I was in Anne Sullivan's Friday noon lecture. My mom was also being a fantastic sport about the show since she's not a quilter. At one point she commented that all the quilts seemed very modern and not like the ones her grandmothers had. I guess that I forgot to explain that it was a show by the Modern Quilt Guild but I think that speaks to how well they curated the quilts that it immediately shouted "modern."
I loved the entire experience and hope to attend another QuiltCon in the future. I wonder where the 2018 west coast venue will be? Is it Pasadena again or will they find somewhere in the Pacific Northwest?
