Houston International Quilt Festival 2018: The Exhibitions Part One

International Quilt Festival was a very relaxed event for us this year. Our progress around the vendors was slow and we didn't think we had seen many of the quilts this trip. When I came to create a blog post and transcribed all of the artist statements from my very wonky photographs there were a lot more quilts than I imagined. So I have split the eye candy blog into two. This first one, of 28 photographs, is all about the quilts that caught my eye in the other exhibitions that run alongside the International Quilt Association juried show.

Some of these exhibitions didn't allow photography which was a shame as having a lasting image of some of them would have been wonderful. The two notable exhibitions for me that didn't allow photography were the Kaffe Fassett's Heritage Quilts in America and eQuilter's Love Your Mother quilt challenge.

A Celebration of Colour

"Whatever your style...quilt colourfully. This annual judged competition and exhibit features works created in a variety of styles and techniques with vibrant and colourful designs."

Princess Warrior's Forrest by Cheryl Olson of Draper, South Dakota, USA
Technique: Machine appliqued and quilted, painted.
Design source: The unknown path through the dark forest, guided by the light.
Artist statement: Trees symbolise life, wisdom, protection, strength, and growth. I begin each piece with hand-dyed cotton, silk and organza. The dye process includes thickened dye, batik, resist, mono-printing and screen printing.

Remembering Sochi by Claire Haillot of Laval, Quebec, Canada
Quilted by Colleen Paul 
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted
Design source; Different logos seen during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Artist statement: I was really inspired by the logos seen during the 2014 Winter Olympics and I started to wonder if they could actually be combined into a real quilt. I began playing with all my scraps sorting them by colour and hue and truly enjoyed the journey. I used a wide array of strips, ranging from 1" to 21/2" to make the quilt.

Midnight Fantasy #10 by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry of Port Townsend, Washington, USA
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted, painted, hand-dyed.
Design source: A new variation on a series of sketches I drew in the middle of a sleepless night in 1999.
Artist statement: Shapes that begin as negative spaces often become focal points. Hand-dyed gradations were used in the spikey templates. The multi-coloured background fabric was painted with dye. Spaces between the lines are quilted with six different colours of thread.

City Side Lights by Melody Randol of Loveland, Colorado, USA
Techniques: Machine appliqued and quilted, fused, raw-edge fabric collaged.
Design source: Photograph of urban buildings taken by the artist.
Artist statement: High-rise building windows accept and reflect city lights, creating a festive feel. Colours of unexpected hues glimmer on glass. The fleeting dance of light and colour offers a spontaneous and exclusive exhibition of urban art.

La Passacaglia Unravels by Randa Mulford of Mountain View, California, USA
Techniques: Hand-pieced and appliqued, machine appliqued and quilted.
Design source: Willyne Hammerstein's design La Passacaglia with Mr. Penrose in Millefiore Quilts (entered with the designer's permission)
Artist statement: I loved using a full palette of colour and pattern to create kaleidoscopic effects. The original border design maintains the rectangular outline that Willyne Hammerstein prescribes. La Passacaglia unravels around the edges before our very eyes!

An Explosion of Happiness by Eva Arellano Martin of Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain
Techniques: Hand applique.
Design source: A photograph by Steve McCurry
Artist statement: The original photo gave me an instantaneous feeling of joy and well-being. My challenge was to transfer this feeling, given by a single moment, to another form of art: quilt. Is there any need for words to describe happiness, i.e. the real meaning of life? Probably not.

Made in Texas

"The 25 quilts included in this exhibit celebrate the pioneering spirit, natural beauty, and artistic talents of the Lone Star State. From a first time quilter to prize winning artists, the makers reside in all regions of Texas."

Raised on Bluebonnets by Suzan Engler of Panorama Village, Texas, USA
Techniques: Machine quilted, digitally manipulated.
Design source: Inspired by a photo by Joe Michl (used with permission).
Artists statement: I have an affinity for wildflowers, I love the "bloom where you are planted" mentality. This quilt is the result of imagining a creature raised only on wildflowers.

Quilted Leather Art Saddles: Cathy Wiggins

"This exhibit features artist Cathy Wiggins' unique one-of-a-kind art saddles. Each saddle is constructed from quilted leather panels, that are shaded for added dimension.  The saddles are embellished with traditional western-styled hardware, unusual charms, fringe, 3-D flowers and more. Each saddle is a work of art and opens up a whole new world of saddle design."

Cathy Wiggins talking about the creation of her saddles

Mercedes by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"When I saw this cute little horse on eBay, I knew Bentley needed a little sister.
When she arrived, I cleaned her up, patched a couple of worn areas
and created a special saddle just for her."

Sebastian's Dragon Saddle by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"Back when knights were slaying dragons to win the hand of a princess, Sebastian refused.
 He loved dragons and single handedly convinced the princess that dragons were good and
would help protect the kingdom.
On their wedding day, Sebastian presented his princess bride with a baby dragon,
and the princess had this dragon saddle made for Sebastian.
This saddle has been in the royal family ever since to represent
 the good the dragon brought to the kingdom."

 The Ride of the Mountain Medicine Man by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"It was believed that up in the Appalachian Mountains, lived a healer and shaman
who knew the gifts of the animals, Mother Earth and Spirit.
After many years of offering healing powers, he gifted his horse and saddle
to a young boy and walked away. That young boy soon sold the horse
and saddle to help feed his family. It is said the saddle holds the secrets
of the shaman ways, waiting for its rightful owner to unlock them."

Harley by Cathy Wiggins of Macon, North Carolina USA
"Sometimes biker dudes like to trade their two wheels in for four legs.
They still want to represent the bad boy biker lifestyle, so this saddle has studs,
skulls, chains and even a grim reaper.  Everything needed to maintain that biker image
while on horseback is represented in this hardcore saddle."

Rising Stars

"This annual exhibit features the works of specially selected quilt artists who have developed and demonstrated substantial creative growth over recent time. This exhibit highlights the works of "rising stars: Jill Kerttula and Cecilia Koppmann."  Sponsored by Aurifil.

Jill Kerttula

Jill makes original design quilts using hand-embroidery and embellishment, machine piecing, embroidery and embellishment with digitally printing.

Fleeting by Jill Kertulla of Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
"Time passes quickly and the bloom starts to fade. But the beauty
can remain in a more mysterious and thoughtful ways.
Make your own story to go with this one, for me it is both sadness and hope in one image.
The rocks are couched into place and the stitching creates movement throughout the piece."

Sidewalk 2 by Jill Kertulla of Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
"An artist should be inspired by whatever is in the eight feet that surrounds them"
is sage advice from a former professor of mine.
The sidewalk gave me the inspiration and the photos that are the basis of this piece.
The contrasts of textures and the remnants of those who walked
 before me...all shown in an abstraction."

Cecilia Koppmann

Cecilia was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is part of the first generation of quilters in her native country. After studying interior design, she began taking lessons in patchwork and quilting with Patricia Caffrey in 1998. In Koppmann's own words, "From that moment on, I simply could not take my hands off my fabrics and my sewing machine. For me, patchwork was love at first sight!"

She spent the following years studying different techniques by taking online classes as well as attending festivals abroad. It was Koppmann's enthusiasm that ultimately led her to teach patchwork and quilting on a TV show from 2002 to 2014. This proved to be an introduction to patchowrk and quilting for many in Argentina. Soon, a community started to grow. Another turning point for Koppmann was when she learned how to dye her own fabrics.

Today what interests Koppmann the most is the use of colour and its values - and what the interaction between both can generate.  She has gone on to take several seminars on the use of colour with different visual artists. These experiences have proven to be a wonderful complement to her previous studies in interior design.

Regarding her work, Koppmann explains, "When starting a new quilt, I like to establish some criteria so as to set up a frame in which to work. In general, the first stage is fast, improvised, and with an almost frenetic pace. Then the pace becomes slower and thought out. This stage of composition is, for me, like painting with fabric; I put the pieces in the design wall panel, I then observe, compose, order, establish rules, remove and add parts until the final design emerges."

Birds by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine appliqued and quilted.
Artist statement: Every December we wrap up the year with a celebratory breakfast that I host for all my students. It's a really fun party. To have a memento of that wonderful day, I asked the students to bring with them a piece of fabric for me from which I would build a quilt. Now I have them "singing" in my studio all year round!

Colour in Action by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine pieced, appliqued and quilted.
Design source: Curves.
Artist statement: How colours and values behave always fascinated me, especially when I'm dyeing the fabrics. This time I wanted to show the subtle transformations of complimentary colours when they flow from one to the opposite.

Transformation's Times by Cecilia Koppmann of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Techniques: Machine quilted and embroidered, collaged.
Artist statement: The starting point of this quilt was the leftovers of a miniature quilt. The coloured squares with circles were so attractive to me that I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. I used them to make a collage instead. The transit through certain circumstances can make us come out totally transformed in unexpected ways.

Hands All Around

"Artists from all around the world incorporate influences from their own cultures into the design and technique of their quilts. This prestigious long-running international showcase includes recent quilts by international artists."

Counsel by Hope Wilmarth of Spring, Texas, USA
Techniques: Painted.
Design source: Calligraphy
Artist statement: Famous phrases spoken by world leaders make up the "counsel" found within the design of this art quilt. It is fourth in a series in which words are brushed onto the surface without regard to spacing or legibility. Texture and design are achieved by using colour randomly in the negative spaces.

Staccato IV by Hope Wilmarth of Spring, Texas, USA
Techniques: Painted, dyed, machine quilted.
Design source: Stacked writing technique
Artist statement: Staccato IV evokes a sense of rhythm as inspired by listening to lively music. The interrupted colour and variation of line keeps the eye moving around the art as if colour could be visualised dancing through the air.

I have to confess to not knowing which exhibition this forms part of so I have included it here with Hope's other quilt. Hope also has a quilt (Encrypted) in the Quilts: A World of Beauty juried exhibition which for some reason I didn't photograph.

Dancing Bopomofo by Tsui Hua Chen of Taipai, Taiwan
Techniques: Hand-embroidered, machine pieces and quilted.
Design source: Bopomofo, the Mandarin phonetic symbols used only in Taiwan.
Artist statement: Bopomofo is an official Chinese transliteration system for the Taiwanese Mandarin language. It is widely used as an educational tool and for electronic input methods such as computer keyboards and cell phones.

Tactile Architecture™

"Buildings have a long history of inspiring the creative designs of quilt makers. In the 19th century American quilters developed classic architectural patterns such as Log Cabin, School House and Brick Wall. This annual juried exhibit challenges quilt makers to create works based on architectural themes and inspiration."

Crumbling Facade by Ginnie Herbert of Puyallup, Washington, USA.
Techniques: Machine applique and quilted.
Design source: Photos of cracked and crumbling concrete.
Artist statement: Beauty can be found in an old stained wall, a crack in the road, or a fallen down building. We also build facades to hide our true selves. Loveliness is found when they crumble away.

See Taiwan ~ Taipai 101 by Hsi-Chen Hsu of New Taipei City, Taiwan
Techniques: Hand-pieced, machine pieced, quilted and embellished.
Design source: Taipai 101 is a super tall skyscraper.
Artist statement: Taipei 101 is the pride of the Taiwanese people. It is also a landmark. I love photography, I love patchwork, and I hope to show my beautiful quilt and let the world see Taiwan.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase

"Members of the Modern Quilt Guild chapters around the world submitted their creations for this exhibit which showcase traditional quilting techniques that also incorporate modern design aesthetic." Sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild.

Infinite Magnification by Christine Perrigo of Erie, Colorado, USA
Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted.
Design source: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul block.
Artist statement: when our guild chose antique quilts as inspiration for a modern challenge I was immediately attracted to the Robbing Peter to Pay Paul block. The detail that I was intrigued with the most was that the petals did not meet at the centre of the blocks. In order to emphasise this detail I decided to play with scale and focus on just one of those intersections. This allowed me plenty of space where I could play with a wonky version of the traditional petal pattern in the quilting.

SAQA: Dusk to Dawn

"When the sun dips below the horizon, the world changes. The trees are lit by the silvery light of the moon, and warm lamps glow in a child's room as they listen to a bedtime story. Sleep can bring beautiful and powerful dreams, but also night terrors. Artists in this exhibit created works that interpret what the night means to them."  Sponsored by Innova.

Moon Dance by Helena Scheffer of Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada
Techniques: Free-form collage, hand-dyed, machine quilted.
Materials: Cotton, silk, synthetic fibres.
Artist statement: The whole world shimmers under the light of the moon.

Judy Murrah: From the Heart

This exhibit was a memorial tribute to Judy Murrah and featured a special selection of her quilts and garments. I captured a couple of photos from this exhibition because I too have used Judy's books to make quilted jackets (not sure I ever finished any but there are a couple still in progress taking up space in a storage tub). IQF wrote the following tribute:

"A lover of quilts and quilt makers who built Festival's education division into the equivalent of a college curriculum...a talented designer of remarkable clothing and author of the books to make them...a beloved quilting teacher...a collector of antique fabrics, trims, ribbons and quilts...a pattern and fabric designer whose speciality was a soft romantic palette...those talents came packaged into the beautiful woman who was Judy Olafson Murrah...our long-time Vice President of Education and Administration.

She will be greatly missed by many people all over the world who have enjoyed the classes she organised with our teachers, but for us, her family of friends and colleagues at Quilt Inc, Judy will always be in our hearts.

Her door was always open for us, her smile was warm and inviting, and her advice was welcome. She was a treasured, talented friend who loved us dearly, but who loved her family and her role as mother and grandmother even more. How we will all miss her."

The Cherrywood Fabrics Prince Challenge

Cherrywood Fabrics hosted an art quilt challenge to create a unique quilt honouring Prince's legacy using hand-dyed fabrics in purples.  Participants were asked to use Prince's music as inspiration to push themselves creatively, think outside the box and create new fibre art. The contest was open to anyone and entries were received from several countries. All the quilts were the same colour, fabric, size and theme.

Prince in Paisley with Fireworks by Cindy Myers of Ontario, California, USA

The Prince of Purple by Penny Hurst of Fresno, Texas