My Favourite Quilts at QuiltCon and some Slow Stitching.

The week got away from me and I did not show my favourite quilts from QuiltCon so I will show them to you in this post along with my stitching efforts from this past week.  I'll start with my stitching...

I have finished the flowers to the right of the rabbit in my Spring cross stitch picture and I'm now working on the carrots and beets under the rabbit and the flowers on the left side. I'm surprised all these flowers and vegetables have not been eaten by the bunny--that's what happened in our backyard when we had a vegetable garden.  The rabbits still nibble on some of the flowers...

Christine and I have decided to try to get together once a week to sew for a few hours.  This week, I showed her how to make a rope bowl.  I made the top one and Christine made the bottom one. 

 

Next, I tried an oval bowl. This shape is a little more challenging to keep the bottom of the bowl flat as you add the sides. 

Finn loves this squeaky carrot toy--I think it is his favourite--it had to be replaced once because it quit squeaking!

This is Finn telling me it was time for me to get his lunch ready.  He lets his wishes be known!

By now, you have all probably seen pictures of the prize winning quilts at QuiltCon.  They were spectacular and inspiring to see in person! I wanted to show you a few of my favourites that did not win prizes but by their very presence at QuiltCon, they were all winners!

When I was growing up, my aunt and uncle had a lava lamp.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever and could watch it for hours on end! Fast forward to when my daughter was a teenager...she won a lava lamp at a sports competition which she had in her room for the longest time. 

My husband came with me to QuiltCon and we spent a day and a half looking at all the quilts together.  This one was his favourite. I like looking at quilts with a non-quilter--gives a fresh perspective and he often sees something different than what I see. 

Atlanta QuiltCon marked the 10th anniversary of QuiltCon so there was a special challenge to make quilts with X, the Roman numeral for 10. This was my favourite X quilt.  I liked all of the scrappy fabrics she used to make the quilt and the 3-D X.  I'm also a big fan of orange!

My husband and I have done a number of architecture tours of mid-century modern buildings.  I think that's why this quilt appealed to me. (also the orange...)

The Banana Pickle quilt just made me smile!  

Chawne Kimber was the keynote speaker and had a special exhibit of some of her very thought provoking quilts at QuiltCon.  The video footage that inspired this quilt just haunts me. 

Chawne Kimber hand quilts her quilts.  This one was done with pearl cotton X's in various colours, often with two different coloured strands in each X.  Amazing to look at these pieces of art up close. 

I went to several lectures at QuiltCon including the keynote by Chawne Kimber. I am already looking forward to attending the 2024 QuiltCon in Raleigh, North Carolina next year.  

I will link up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers in the morning. 

Sewing to and from QuiltCon in Atlanta

My husband and I drove to Atlanta last week so I could go to QuiltCon.  This was my second time attending this great gathering of modern quilters from around the world.  My friend, Christine and I went to the 2019 conference in Nashville, but unfortunately, she was unable to come this time.  As you know, I like to sew in the car to stay awake on long car trips and this trip was no exception.  I did quite a bit of stitching on my Spring picture. I forgot a couple of floss colours at home so the holes will be filled in soon. The rabbit is almost done and I have started working on the flowers.  I love the bright colours in this piece. 

Speaking of Spring, it had arrived in Atlanta before we got there for QuiltCon!  We spent an afternoon at the Atlanta History Museum and wandered around the grounds where there were lots of flowers in bloom. It was warm, 23 degrees Celsius, and the sun was shining.  

What better way to celebrate Spring than ice cream from Jeni's?  This is by far the best ice cream I have ever had.  We went to Jeni's when we were in Nashville too.  It seems to be a QuiltCon tradition...  I had Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Darkest Chocolate ice cream.  Yum!

Of course, I did a little shopping at QuiltCon.  

My orange fabric drawer was quite depleted so I added some more fat quarters to my stash as well as some dots and some fun neutrals.  I'm looking forward to trying out this new ruler and I've wanted to try making some rope baskets for a while too. 

While at QuiltCon, I noticed several people were sporting Quilty fashion items--jackets and bags.  Here are a few that caught my eye. 

I have a jean jacket in my closet that I don't wear very often...perhaps I will add embellish it with quilting and I can wear it to quilt shows...  

Of course, there were lots of wonderful quilts at the show too and I will show my favourites in a future post. Christine and I are off to a Guild Quilt Retreat this weekend. It may take a few posts to get caught up on all of the quilting news!  I will link up with Kathy on Sunday morning for Slow Sunday stitching.  I have packed my cross stitch to work on at the retreat. 

Take care.