Saturday, December 14, 2019

QuiltCon 2020: Here I come!

QuiltCon 2020: Here I come!

I am so excited that QuiltCon 2020 will be in Austin this year! I haven't been to QuiltCon since the last time it was in Austin, and it is one of my very favorite quilting events.  The work is so inspirational and motivating!

And, I am super pleased to have the following 3 quilts juried into QuiltCon.  This show has grown substantially since it began.  And, as such, has become increasingly difficult to get quilts juried in. Many, many, many quilts are rejected to make room for a carefully crafted set of quilts for the very best exhibit. So many quilts are rejected that makers have taken to the hashtag #quiltconreject.  If you search for #quiltcon or #quiltcon2020 and #quiltconreject you will find a feast of very beautiful quilts.  You may even find yourself questioning why one quilt got in and another was rejected.  I admit to having raised an eyebrow or two myself, but I also know how difficult the job is.  And, typically the jurors work as a team, so it can be even harder to come to a consensus. 

I also wanted to mention this note.  As tempting as it is to want to try to determine what the jurors for a particular exhibit are drawn to, there simply is no way to second guess what the next set of jurors will want or like.  I don't worry too much about my rejected quilts and that's because when I was making them, they needed to be made.  There was something in the project that spoke loudly enough to me that I was motivated to do it.  And because quilts are so much work and take so much time that voice has to be pretty loud for me to listen.  In the grand scheme of things I have found that I learn something for each quilt I make.  I frequently make the same mistake more than once.  I also push myself to try new things.  I don't always know where the work will lead me, but I trust that I need to go there.  Growth is not always a straight path.

Okay, here are my quilts that are going to the show!
Unfinished

Two Halves

Beach Colors

Hope to see you at the show!  If you can't go, you can see glimpses on Instagram, which is what I have done the last few years. Cheers!

4 comments:

Linda Evans said...

Beautiful I love your 3rd paragraph comments.

Kathy York said...

Thanks Linda!

Stacy Hurt said...

your words are so true and inspiring. Thank you far making gorgeous quilts and for making all the not so gorgeous ones as well! I couldn't agree more about the amount of effort it takes and a lot of mistakes along the way.
Your work has become such a benchmark of skilled use of color and exceptional craftsmanship. Congratulations on getting them done! and entered! and accepted! LOL!

Kathy York said...

Hi Stacy,
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support. And, I love that your description of my work includes the word "color". Excellent!!