Every year I enter at least seven juried shows, and QuiltCon is probably the one I fret over the most. It is definitely the show that I have received the most rejections from! Thankfully, the jury results come in very quickly for this show- just 17 days this year. There were only 400 accepted quilts out of over 1750 entries. With less than 23% of quilts accepted, it’s like going through the college admissions process each year! I am ecstatic that this year three of my quilts will be in Nashville! Below are all four of my entries with the description I submitted with each. The first three were accepted, and the last was not, but more on that later.
Ebb and Flow (51″x64″) is my entry into the Two Color Challenge.
“This quilt stemmed from a desire to create a design that contained equal amounts of two colors while allowing each color to take turns holding a dominant position. The choice of high contrast black and white fabrics enhance the overall effect of the composition. The pieced strips in this quilt start at 1/8” wide and increase incrementally across the quilt.”
Complementary Convergence (66″x78″) is in the Use of Negative Space Category.
“Complementary Convergence is based on two separate diamond shaped motifs containing small pieced sections of complementary colors, one bright pink and green, the second turquoise and orange. Each colorful section of fabric has matchstick quilting running through it that is done with a matching 12wt thread. This extends the design across the quilt and activates the surrounding negative space. The magic of the design happens when the quilting lines from the separate motifs converge at either side to create a new, dynamic, and entirely quilted plaid pattern.”
Synthesized Slivers (22″x19″) is in the small quilt category. I have entered a small quilt almost every year, and this is the first time my entry in that area has been successful!
“Irregular, broken blocks merge together to create a cohesive whole in this improvisational quilt. Breaks in each block are mended with the addition of a contrasting sliver of fabric. These unexpected shots of color, metallic flashes, and shiny silk bring a sense of luxury to the utilitarian aesthetic of the dominant fabrics.”
“Resonance uses colorful quilting thread to create a sense of outward movement and reverberation from central points. Thread that coordinates with each fabric creates a blending sensation as the quilting merges the appliquéd circles with each other and the background. This quilt was my first 100 day project that ran from New Year’s Day 2018 to my birthday, which fell on the 100th day of the year.”
Resonance (79″x79″) was not accepted into the appliqué category, and I’m fine with that. This quilt was completed in April, and was the result of my first 100 days project. In the eight months since its completion, Resonance has been to Spring Quilt Market with the Aurifil booth, and it was in all three fall American Quilter’s Society Shows. Between these four events, it has been seen by thousands of people already, and I hope some of them were inspired by it!
Ultimately, my main hope is that my quilts can inspire others as much as I am inspired every day by the work I see on Instagram, blogs, and in person at my guild meetings. I am so excited for February to roll around so I can see and meet all of the amazing quilters at QuiltCon-whether or not they have quilts on display there!
