Last week, I attended
PNQE, a Mancuso quilt show in Oaks, PA. It was about 1.5 hours from my house but it was well worth the trip for three reasons:
1. Modern quilt inspiration!
2. The Mr. attended his first quilt show!
3. My quilt won a ribbon!
More on all of these below.
1. Mancuso shows traditionally exhibit traditional and art quilts - though their shows have a modern category this year! Well done, Mancuso. Modern quilting is a huge part of the quilting world now! That being said, I wish there had been more entries into the modern quilt category - but I found lots of modern quilting inspiration all over (especially in the gigantic international quilts exhibit).
Top left: "Purples in Africa" by Christine Vlietstra (UK); bottom left: "Sunrise, Sunset" by Heather Bitner (PA, USA); middle: "Ribbon Dance" by Rosemarie Palmer-Sungail (PA, USA), quilted by Cindy Cary; right: "Dream of All" by Harumi Iida (Japan)
Just to be clear: I have never met a quilt I didn't like (because I love quilts), and while I can appreciate traditional quilts, I'm more of a modern traditional/modern gal. So I was pleasantly surprised by the bold colors and modern elements in the exhibit.
Top left: "Colorful Trees and Streets" by Petra van den Daele (Germany); bottom left: "Life Cycle" by Jo Gallaway (UK); middle: "The Chisel Master" by Alison Laurence (NZ); right: "David" by Gilli Theokritoff (UK)
Here were some of my favorites, but it was really impossible to take pictures of them all (that's why quilt shows exist - so we can see everything in person!). I'm particularly fond of well-done
quilting (and especially that done by domestic machine) so I tended to
go in for up close shots.
The Philly Modern Quilt Guild had a huge exhibit (below), and that was the source of much oohing and aahing from us! I posted larger versions of some of these quilts last week on
my Instagram account. It was an amazing show, and I wish we had the time to see it all.
Top left: "Rainbow Quilt" by Anna Levengood; bottom left: "Trees" by Jill Stafford (who I had the pleasure of meeting at the show!); middle: "Ribbon Quilt" by Sarah Bond; right: "Change from Baseline" by Deborah Woodworth
2. Though Mike and I have been together for ten years (say what, has it really been ten years?) and I've been quilting for six, he's never actually been to a quilt show. This is a real shame, since not only did I want to show off my quilt to him, but he's quite the artist himself (he draws amazingly).
He's also developed quite the expertise about quilts and free motion quilting, so we walked through, making comments on stitch length (something he's jokingly particular about
since I'm not so much), color combinations, panels that were quilted vs. quilts that were completely pieced, and that sort of thing. He especially ogled over "The Chisel Master" quilt (in the second mosaic featuring the hand). The detail was absolutely stunning!
"The Chisel Master" by Alison Laurence (NZ)
We also asked someone to take our picture in front of my quilt (the first pic in this post) because the quilt is about our marriage (you can read the story
here). All in all, it was a successful day (and we had pizza, so, you know, all was even more excellent).
3. This was my second time entering a juried exhibit. Last time was QuiltCon 2015, when this quilt was automatically accepted in after it was part of the Modern Quilt exhibit at International Quilt Festival. I received some great constructive feedback from QuiltCon: color balance good, work on starts and stops with quilting + stitch length. This time around, my constructive feedback was only about squaring my quilt before binding (which I still haven't found a full proof way to do - anyone have advice on that?).
I found it interesting that the judges didn't make any comment on my stitch length and obvious stops/starts. It goes to show how much feedback can vary from show to show. That being said, I'm determined to enter my more recent works into shows because I've improved so much (still not striving for perfection though! Because it's a quilt. And I'm not perfect. And I'm not a show quilter. :)).
Otherwise, "Home" was praised for having a "mid-century modern" vibe, which is what I won the ribbon (and some prize money!) for. I originally entered it because it was my only quilt that was completely show-ready (the right label and hanging sleeve attached), and because it seemed to fit the theme of "Evolving." Overall, I'm thrilled with the experience and to see it hanging there with so many other gorgeous quilts was a joy.
Strange light in my sewing room this morning, but this is my current mini quilt wall! And yes, I've moved the blog logo quilt over because I need to figure out a better way to hang it on my door.
I'm not a show quilter (I'll say that again and again forever) but I will try to improve my craft. I know I've already improved by miles since I made this quilt in 2014.
In other news, I've just learned that "
Soar" and "
Deconstructed Churn Dash" (two more recent makes) will be heading to the Modern Quilt exhibit at the
Ontario Museum of History and Art in California this winter! All the quilts are based on a modernized traditional block. Now that three of my quilts will have traveled to California (further west than I've been), maybe I should go someday soon? Also, lots of hand-sewing and
Poldark are in my future (gotta get those quilt sleeves attached).
Did you attend PNQE? If not, what is your favorite quilt show you've ever attended? I'd have to say QuiltCon 2015 because of the sheer number of modern quilts in 1 room. Inquiring minds would like to know!
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts (blog post)
