Last month, I had the chance to spend almost a week immersed in quilts in Quilt City, USA, also known as Paducah, Kentucky. Out of the hundreds of quilts I saw that week, I’ve selected five (plus a bonus quilt) to share with you today.
Most shows are centralized to a single event, but QuiltWeek in Paducah extends well beyond the convention center. For this post, I decided to pull quilts from four different venues to help give a wider overview of what you can experience in a single show week in Paducah.
How I Choose the Quilts
All of the quilts in this post caught my eye and drew me in. Typically, this means that I liked the quilt from far away, and there was more to love as I got closer. My aesthetic leans towards Modern Quilts, so most of the time, the quilts I select fall into this category.
The quilts I choose to feature have strong designs and frequently feature unique techniques or subject matter.
Finally, I avoid selecting quilts that have received an award. These quilts get a lot of attention for all the right reasons, but I like to feature quilts you may not have the chance to see elsewhere. For this post, I included a sixth bonus quilt that won an honorable mention award because it stopped me in my tracks each time I walked by.
Now, Let’s look at the quilts!
Growing Into the Light
Artist: Louise Harris
Venue: The National Quilt Museum
Exhibit: Selections From the Permanent Collection
What I Like About the Quilt:
- The mid-tones become increasingly vibrant as the gradient dissolves from light to dark before moving to a more muted palette at the top and bottom of the quilt.
- The quilt comprises blocks that give a pixelated effect, and the piecing within each block furthers the feeling of disintegration.
- Using improv for the individual blocks and mixing straight lines and curved piecing adds energy to the design that keeps the viewer engaged with the design.
Envy
Artist: Sara Bradshaw
Venue: The Paducah Quilt Show
Exhibit: SAQA- Color in Context: Red
What I Like About the Quilt:
- Traditional patchwork is reimagined when the artist layers and stitches fabrics over the pieced layer and cuts portions away to create the dominant motifs.
- Quilting stitches are used to hold the layers in place, making the stitching designs a key element to the flow of the quilt.
- The raw edges around the overlapping layers add tremendous texture and depth.
Set Off to Explore
Artist: Hsin-Chen Lin
Venue: Yeiser Arts Center
Exhibit: Fantastic Fiber
What I Like About the Quilt:
- Upcycled fabrics allow the quilting stitches to echo the organic shapes visible on each fabric.
- Different threads and several stitch types and sizes create depth in the overall design.
- Bold prints are used effectively to develop the overall image with a wide value range.
Migration
Artist: Sara Bradshaw
Venue: AQS QuiltWeek Contest
Category: Small Wall Quilts- Fiber Art/Mixed Media
What I Like About the Quilt:
- Individual triangles combine to imply a triangular-shaped composition.
- Mixing solid black with not-so-solid black fabric subtly breaks up the background, allowing the viewer to engage with the negative space without having it overpower the focal image.
- Large stitch hand quilting in a heavier thread enhances the colorful accents, and the exposed knots highlight the organic nature of the handwork.
Disco Dance Floor
Artist: Debra Milkovich
Venue: AQS QuiltWeek Contest
Category: Small Wall Quilt- Fiber Art/Mixed Media
What I Like About the Quilt:
- The squares surrounding the central image echo the square mirrored tiles that create the disco ball.
- Transparent material is layered to create light beam effects radiating from specific tiles in the central disco ball.
- The quilting in each square block radiates outward, echoing the effect of bouncing light.
My Red Circles #2
Artist: Deb Schultz Grimes
Venue: AQS QuiltWeek Contest
Category: Small Wall Quilts- Stationary Machine Quilted
What I Like About the Quilt:
- n first glance, this composition may appear symmetrical, but subtle shifts in arc placement, particularly in the lower right corner, break up the composition in an unexpected and engaging way.
- Subtle shifts in color and texture within the colors add depth and visual interest to a design that initially feels simple and graphic.
- The overlay of star quilting in a heavier contrasting thread draws the eye outward from the central motif to the arcs along the edge of the quilt.
Which Quilts Stand Out to You?
When you can see hundreds of quilts over a few days, looking closely at every quilt is challenging. Do you think you would stop at these quilts? Or would you be drawn to quilts in other styles?
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