Houston 2014

Houston 2014

Wow, what a great time!  I saw many, many quilts.  I visited with many old friends and new ones!  The experience was inspiring, exciting, and rejuvenating!  It was also a bit overwhelming, as you can imagine.  Despite my best efforts, I did not get to see all the quilts, and I tried really hard!!  And, I did not get photos of all the ones I liked, there are too many, and I was too distracted.  My favorite exhibit was the Red and White quilts, which I did not even take one photo of?  How is that possible? It was a stunning display that was 3 stories high in concentric circles, like a giant quilt chandelier.  So, I will encourage you to check out some quilts from others who have posted about Houston.
Try this one from Linda Teddie Minton.  (here)  Be sure to scroll down, she has 3 different posts about Houston.

So, and in no particular order, here are a few of my snapshots.  I used my iphone for all of these, and some were a bit blurry.  Guess I had a hard time standing still?  Also, I put the artists name on the photograph of their work, as I think is best for attributing credit.

This amazing quilt with all the buttons caught my eye in this wonderful solo exhibit.  The story line was about healing.  It was fascinating to see the series and read her story.

Sue's wonderful use of color, design, and form really popped!

Always a fan, need I say more?

I absolutely LOVED this one!  And, I got to meet Ferret who was standing by her quilt.  I told her I was surprised this wonderful quilt did not win an award.  And, such was the case for many other wonderful quilts.

Sharing the quilt festival for the first time with by friend (from over 40 years ago) and her family.  Possibly the best part of my 2 day weekend trip to Quilt Festival!

Running into Cheryl Sleboda!

Oops!  This is the only photo I took in a place where I was not supposed to.  Embarrassing! So, I will take this opportunity first to say that I LOVE this take on the double wedding ring pattern.  The colors grab me.  Second, this was from an exhibit of quilts for the new book 500 Traditional Quilts, and you can buy one here.

favorite group quilt

This is a close up of the quilt below.  I love seeing how Betty plays with color.  I think this one is paint on fabric and then stitched. 

This one is really large!  I love the composition and the shadows.  Stunning!

If you decide to wait to get your quilt back, you will see Kaye's lovely face awaiting you.  What a lovely surprise to find out that Kaye has placed an image of one of my quilts (that she purchased from the IQA auction years ago) as the backdrop on her phone. Cool!

I was surprised (though I don't know why) at how many of the Dinner@Eight quilts from previous years were juried into Houston's judged show.  I meant to take photos of all of them, but didn't quite make it.  Here is one that I love from Susan Fletcher King.  It is beautiful!

Texture and line.  So simple and so beautiful.  This one is by Sherri Davis Kleinman.  I love the way she used machine quilting, and large stitch hand quilting, and perhaps markers? to achieve this affect.  Mesmerizing!

Loved all the attention to all the forms of wildlife in this one.  Beautiful!

Love this playful postcard from Pokey.  One of the few purchases I made at the quilt show, and certainly the first!  Money went to Friends for Life, an animal shelter in Houston, TX.

I was excited and honored to see my quilt hanging next to Pam Rupert's.  Always a fan!  This one does not disappoint.  The colors in real life are so so so much prettier than my photo.

Rolled towels at the swimming pool.  Love the lines and colors and fuzzy texture!

One of my favorites from the exhibit, 12 Voices from One.

This beautiful quilt by Mary Ann has an incredible number of beads in the center.  It is effective and beautiful!

The Hilton....looks like the windows are woven.  Nice job!

The winner of Innovative Artistry, $5000.  It is really beautiful!

Standing with my quilt, Out of the Box.

Last, my daughter came with me on this trip.  It was fun to hang out with her, show her off to my friends, and generally enjoy her presence....even when she was bored.  I appreciate her patience because quilting isn't really her thing. We had a blast leaving the quilt show for spontaneous and brief foray's into Houston for food, and the swimming on the top floor of the Hilton.  The kids grow up too fast, and it didn't feel that way when they were little, but it does now.  I appreciate the time I get to spend with her. LOVE grows your heart bigger.  :)