Houston International Quilt Festival 2018: The Exhibitions Part Two

So as promised here is part two of the quilts that caught my eye whilst at the International Quilt Festival in Houston.  All of these quilts were finalists in the Quilts: A World of Beauty 2018 judged show.

Not all of the categories caught my attention. Seven of the categories (Abstract Small, Applique Large, Applique Small, Group, Merit Quilting - Hand, Naturescape, Pieced Small) were completely missing from my photographs. It clearly shows I have a penchant for the large quilts apart from the Miniature category which always amazes me with its skill and detail.

Be warned there are thirty-nine quilts featured in this post so a packed lunch may be needed whilst you read this. Although if you aren't interested in the artist statements flicking through the pictures should be pretty quick.

It takes quite a while to transcribe all of the artist statements from my average (and sometimes quite out of focus) photographs of the exhibition labels onto the quilt photograph and then into this blog post so I hope these are of interest to you. I do this because I find it personally disappointing when you can't learn more about the art you are viewing. Even the International Quilt Association don't provide the artist statements for the prize winning quilts featured on their website.

There were many quilts in the 2018 show that were extremely blingy. Some quilts had a complete over abundance of them which actually made me feel slightly sick. The best of show (Eternal Beauty by Sherry Reynolds) and Fractal by Claudia Pfeil (abstract large) were for me on the border of good taste.

For this trip the quilts that attracted me the most were the ones with a story but I didn't find one absolute favourite like I did in 2016 where The Unknown Man by Marina Landi and Maria Lucia Azara of Sao Paulo, Brazil drew me back every time I ventured near the exhibition hall.

My favourites were Silent Canary by Patricia Kennedy-Zafred of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, USA (award winning quilt) and After the Last Sky by Jennifer Bowker of Garran, ACT, Australia (People, Portrait and Figures).

I also found the technique mastery of two other award winning quilts (Blue Anemone by Andrea Brokenshire of Round Rock, Texas, USA and Hope by Ximo Navarro Sirera of Canals, Valencia, Spain) to be superb and the quilts absolutely exquisite.

The standard of exhibits at International Quilt Festival is extremely high and just scrolling through these pictures reminds me of the numerous quilts that were inspiring for one reason or another - anything with machine quilting just love it (The Jump by Cristina Arcenegul Bono was quirky too), Roaming Free by Sophie Standing for the stand out machine embroidery and Keith and Mick by Carol Morrissey for the creative use of circles to create a picture (both in the Animal Kingdom section) and then there was.... so the list goes on.

The Award Winning Quilts

Eternal Beauty by Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, Wyoming, USA
The Handi Quilter Best of Show Award $12,500
Category: Pieced Large
Techniques: Machine quilting and piecing, hand applique.
Design source: Original design, drafted on graph paper
Artist statement: Dedicated to my mom who's beauty in life I carry forever in my heart. During her 40-year struggle with Multiple Sclerosis she taught me always to have hope and to laugh in the face of adversity. To exhibit courage, kindness and compassion and to possess tenacity and pride. Most of all to understand that life is what we make it, regardless of the circumstances.

A sparkly Sherry by her sparkly quilt on opening night

A close-up view

The detail on the back complete with quilt label

Over The Waves by Setsuko Matsushima of Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan
The Founders Award $7,500 sponsored by International Quilt Festival
Category: Pieced Large
Technique: Hand quilting, piecing, applique and embroidery.
Materials: Cotton clothes, batting, polyester thread.
Artist statement: A huge tsunami occurred in Japan in March 2011. I made this quilt to honour the people who sacrificed. I hope all people receive this light as a ray of hope from a lighthouse.

An Old Woman with Joyous Face by Marina Landi with Natasha de Souza Bugarin of Sao Paulo, Brazil
The World of Beauty Award $7,500 sponsored by Baby Lock
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, fused applique, hand dyeing, painting.
Materials: Silk, cotton, polyester threads.
Design source: Photograph by Rarindra Prakarsa (used with permission).
Artist statement: I was enchanted with the photo of this beautiful lady and reproduced it in silk using the contemporary mosaic technique, adapting it so that I could do it using fabrics instead of marble.

Blue Anemone by Andrea Brokenshire of Round Rock, Texas, USA
The Superior Threads Master Award for Thread Artistry $5,000
Category: Painted Surface
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, painting.
Materials: Silk charmeuse, Kona cotton, ProFAB textile paint, Dream Cotton and Wool batting, Superior Magnifico polyester, Sulky rayon, Gutterman rayon, Isocord polyester and Hemmingsworth polyester threads.
Artist statement: I am constantly amazed by the perfection of the natural world. I was with my mom when we came across these beautiful blue anemone poppies. I was attracted to the vibrancy of the multiple colours of blue within the flower, and especially how the petals cupped the centre corona.

Andrea with her exquisite quilt, showing the back detail

Velvet Flowers by Linda Anderson of La Mesa, California, USA
The Gammill Master Award for Contemporary Artistry $5,000
Category: Painted Surface
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, machine qpplique, painting, raw-edge applique.
Materials: Cotton fabric, bamboo batting, polyester thread, textile paints.
Design source: Eric Mindling photograph (used with permission)
Artist statement: In the quiet village of Santa Rosa in Oaxaca, Mexico, all the women, and some men, embroider blouses and skirts of velvet with hand-stitched flowers. They gather around tables, chatting, back and forth, as they create a style of dress also used by artist, Frida Kahlo. Flowers continue today to dance across the rich clothing on the solid women of this land.

Hope by Ximo Navarro Sirera of Canals, Valencia, Spain
The Pfaff Master Award for Machine Artistry $5,000
Category: Merit Quilting - Machine Stationary
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion.
Materials: Cotton fabric, cotton batting, polyester thread
Design source: Image purchased on Fotosearch and adapted for quilting.
Artist statement: The design is a Turkish Tazhib. I tried to make the background quilting very dense, using very small stitches so that it would look like woven cloth and the design itself would stand out.
Ximo spent 1½ years on the quilt as he went through chemo and radiation therapy for cancer.

Ximo and his truly amazing wholecloth quilt on opening night

Silent Canary by Patricia Kennedy-Zafred of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, USA
The Koala Studios Master Award for Innovative Artistry $5,000
Category: Surface Design
Techniques: Machine quilting and piecing, fused applique, hand-dyeing, photo transfer for text, artist's hand-pulled silk screened images.
Materials: Hand-dyed cotton, procion dyes, textile inks, cotton batting, fusible web, transfer materials, rayon and cotton threads.
Design source: Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Collection
Artist statement: Based on images taken during the 1940's, this quilt is a tribute to America's coal miners, who work hard, long hours in dangerous conditions to provide for their families and ensure a better future for their children.

Patricia and her quilt on opening night

Reminiscence by Mariko Takeda of Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
The Robert S. Cohan Master Award for Traditional Artistry $5,000 sponsored by RJR Fabrics
Category: Balanced Piecing and Applique
Technique: Hand quilting, piecing and applique.
Materials: Cotton cloth.
Artist statement: I created this work while remembering an antique quilt I saw with my mother. I arranged basic patterns to express pleasure and beauty.

Abstract Large

A Self-Portrait in an Ancient Bronze Mirror by Eunjoo An of Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
First place, sponsored by Elna
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, hand and machine piecing, hand-dyeing, professional fabric printing, weaving
Materials: Hand-dyed and commercial cotton.
Artist statement: The first time I faced the ancient bronze mirror, in a small museum, I asked myself, "Who am I?" But the bronze mirror didn't show anything. When I changed my question to "Who will I be?", I could see a dim self-portrait in the bronze mirror.

Fractal by Claudia Pfeil of Krefeld, Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Second place, sponsored by Elna
Techniques: Machine quilting (track mounted machine), free-motion, machine piecing, applique and embellishment, fused applique, painting, couching, thread sketching, hand embellishments and dyeing.
Materials: Dupioni silk, hand-dyed chiffon and organza, couching threads, 30,000 Swarovski crystals.
Artist statement: Fractal is a term coined by the mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot, in 1975 and refers to certain natural or artificial structured patterns. Due to their wealth of forms and the associated aesthetic appeal, the fractal elements play a role in art. The circles are painted and appliqued onto a colour graduated pieced background.

Alternative Technique

Who Let the Dogs In? by Sandra Branjord of Sun City, Arizona, USA
Honourable Mention sponsored by Madeira Threads
Techniques: Machine quilting, hand and machine applique, hand embellishment, digital printing, stamping, collage.
Materials: Cotton fabric, paper, ink, paint, found objects, magnets, recycled felt for batting.
Artist statement: My own altered book was the inspiration, as was the media blitz on the last presidential election. I used humour and imagination to show my take on the past elections of our times. Using quotes and my own collages, I tried to make fun of both Democrats and Republicans, hoping that my personal politics remain a mystery to the viewer. My quilt is an altered book on steroids.

The Royal Huntress by Karlee Porter of Cliniton, Utah, USA
3rd Place sponsored by Madeira Threads
Techniques: Machine quilting (track mounted machine), hand and machine embellishment, digital printing, professional fabric printing, drawing, digitising, digital colouring, machine couching, hand beading, hand bound edges.
Materials: Flat sheet, custom printed polyester fabric, Warm and Plush batting, wool batting, Sulky rayon, metallic and Holoshimmer thread, imported metallic yarn, Swarovski hot-fix crystals and beads.
Design source: Original design inspired by the aesthetic of Alphonse Mucha.
Artist statement: This quilt challenged me and stretched my skills more than any quilt I have ever done. I wanted it to gush radiance and elegance, while pushing myself to further my skills as a fibre artist. With over a million stitches, more than 2,000 crystals and beads and over 450 hours from conception to completion, this quilt is my most advanced work to date.

Animal Kingdom

Roaming Free by Sophie Standing of Nanyuki, East Africa, Kenya, with Michelle Pearson
Second place, sponsored by eQuilter.com
Techniques: Machine quilting (track-mounted machine), free-motion, machine piecing, applique and embellishment.
Materials: 100% cotton fabric, 100% cotton thread, cotton/wool/poly batting, wool batting.
Design source: Inspired by a photo taken by Renaud Fukonis of a black rhinoceros on the Massai Mara Reserve in Kenya (with written permission).
Artist statement: Black rhinos are browsers and prefer to stay within the bushes to keep safe, particularly from poachers. Our quilt represents what we want for all animals-to safely roam free in their natural habitat.

Two Socks by Natalie Mosher of London, Arkansas, USA
Techniques: Machine quilting, machine applique, fused applique.
Materials: 100% cotton Australian Aboriginal fabrics, Kona cotton, Hobbs cotton/wool batting.
Artist statement: I love making animal quilts, and this wolf was an endeavour with fabric collage and Australian Aboriginal fabrics.

Keith and Mick by Carol Morrissey of Double Oak, Texas, USA
Techniques: Machine quilting (track-mounted machine), free-motion, fused applique , hand-dyeing.
Materials: Hand dyed cottons.
Artist statement: Keith and Mick aka the bad boys of Double Oak aka #dumpsterkittens are the two cats we adopted in 2016 after they were rescued from a sealed box inside a trash dumpster. They were tiny kittens when they were found and the only survivors from a litter of eight that were in the box. The quilt is based on a photo I took. I created the image using die-cut, fused circles of my hand-dyed fabrics.

Balanced Piecing and Applique

When Everyone's Heart Blooms by Masako Sanada of Minamiboso City, Chiba, Japan
First place, sponsored by Quilters Select
Techniques: Hand quilting, piecing and applique, machine piecing, beading.
Materials: Silk, cotton, glass beads.
Artist statement: This colourful flower mandala quilt was made with my wish that flowers of peace will bloom in everyone's heart. The colouring and design were done with rhythm and flow in mind. Kimono and futon fabrics were used, along with modestly sparkling beads.

Paradise of Flowers and Fountains by Naomi Ootomo of Toda-shi, Saitama, Japan
Third place, sponsored by Quilters Select
Techniques: Hand quilting, piecing, applique and embroidery, reverse applique, trapunto.
Material: Cotton
Artist statement: I can't forget the wonderful fountain I saw in the garden of the Palace of Versailles a few years ago. I made this quilt with the image of paradise so that I can see beautiful flowers and fountains at any time.

Fantasy / Whimsy

Bringing Down the House by Jan Hutchison of Sedgwick, Kansas, USA
First place, sponsored by The International Quilt Association
Techniques: Machine quilting (track mounted machine), free-motion, machine piecing and applique, painting, thread painting.
Materials: Commercial cottons, silk and woven fabrics, beads.
Artist statement: I found a drawing I did in high school and thought it would make a fun quilt. I added details with Inktense pencils and quilted it freehand on a longarm machine.

Handmade

Flower Rondo by Chinami Terai of Abiko, Chiba, Japan
First place, sponsored by Martingale & Company

Attracted to Kalocsa Embroidery by Sechiko Suzuki of Iwaki City, Fukushima, Japan
Third place, sponsored by Martingale & Company
Techniques: Hand quilting, piecing, applique and embroidery, trapunto.
Materials: Cotton, Kalocsa embroidery thread.
Design source: (couldn't read this part of label)
Artist statement: I was introduced to Kalocsa embroidery in Hungary when I travelled to central Europe with my family. It inspired this quilt, which became one of my... pieces with great memories of family travel.

Be Happy by Megumi Mizuno of Shiki, Saitama, Japan
Techniques: Hand quilting, piecing, applique and embroidery.
Materials: Cotton, beads, spangles
Artist statement: The inspiration for the blue flowers was from Dutch antique tiles. I mainly used a deeper indigo blue cloth. Its colour is said to be Japan blue, a traditional Japanese colour. It is very beautiful. The little bird, a symbol of happiness, is singing "Be Happy".

Borderless by Sachiko Takahashi of Yonezawa-shi, Yamagata, Japan
Techniques: Hand quilting, piecing, applique, embellishment, embroidery and dyeing.
Materials: Cotton
Artist statement: I have three lovely cats, so while travelling I am interested in cats. I am now over 75 years old, and it is getting hard to go abroad. What I remember about my trips is that people of various countries come and go to the streets and cats are there with the people, regardless of national borders.

Moana Lani by Yachiyo Katsuno of Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Techniques: Hand quilting and applique.
Materials: Cotton
Moana means sea and Lani means heaven in the Hawaiian language. I created the beautiful ocean using blue fabrics, Don't the dolphins, sea turtles and sea shells look happy amongst the beautiful white corals?

Merit Quilting - Machine Frame

The Jump by Cristina Arcenegul Bono of Alcala de Guadaira, Seville, Spain
Techniques: Machine quilting (track mounted machine), free motion.
Materials: Cotton fabric
Design source: Inspired by illustrations from the book My Childhood by Sveta Dorosheva
Artists statement: I love children's books, and a year ago, I discovered the extraordinary illustrations from Sveta Dorosheva. I believe she portrays children like very few people do. Her children are real. This girl reminds me of the girl I was in the summer. I had plenty of energy and was always looking forward to the days of swimming. I would like people to think about their own childhood when they see this quilt.

Merit Quilting - Machine Stationary

Barcelona by Anna Orduna Pons of Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
First place, sponsored by BERNINA of America
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, machine embroidery.
Materials: Cotton fabric, batting and thread.
Design source: Original design, typography is based on Art Nouveau style

My Tangled Garden by Jennifer Bowker of Garran, ACT, Australia
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, machine piecing.
Materials: Commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabrics, wool and polyester batting.
Artist statement: At the 2010 International Quilt Festival in Houston, I taught a class to encourage students to use cut off designs in printed fabric, completing those shapes with free-motion quilting. The idea grew and became a magazine article, then other teachers taught it. Like this concept and my own garden, the quilting spreads and tangles.

Inside My Bubbles by Carolina Asmussen of Wilton, Connecticut, USA
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, machine embroidery, couching, micro-quilting, thread painting
Materials: Cotton fabrics, 2 layers of Hobbs 80/20 batting, Aurifil cotton threads in different weights, metallic threads, cotton yarn, wool with metallic detail.
Artists statement: This is an original wholecloth quilt inspired by happy moments in my life. I see my childhood in Brazil and my family's relocation to Europe. I started to quilt in Switzerland and now I live in the United States. I wish I could save all those precious moments inside bubbles, including my time waiting for my daughter's ballet class. As each day dawns. there is a lot of life inside the bubbles!

Miniature

Measure for Measure by Philippa Naylor of Beverley, East Yorkshire, UK
Third place sponsored by Truecut
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, machine applique, hand embroidery, turned edge applique.
Materials: Cotton fabrics, white cotton batting, 100 wt silk thread, 60 wt polyester bobbin thread, cotton hand embroidery threads.
Artist statement: Writing an applique quilting book back in 2014 really honed my applique skills, and I was keen to try them out in the smallest scale I thought I could manage. The entire quilt was a challenge, but one which I enjoyed and in which I learned a lot. The key was to work very slowly in a quiet room without disruptions!

Secret in the Garden by Kumiko Frydl of Houston, Texas, USA
Second place sponsored by Truecut
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, machine embellishment, whole cloth.
Materials: Cotton fabric, poly batting, silk, cotton and Sulky threads.
Artist statement: This is a variation on the Peony Mandala theme. Using achromatic colour, the medallion in the centre is an aggregation of peony flowers and expresses the secret garden surrounded by arabesque designs.

Miniature Art

Eastern Blue Bird by Barbara McKie of Lyme, Connecticut, USA
First place, sponsored by Janome America
Techniques: Machine quilting, machine applique, fused applique, digital printing, trapunto, thread painting.
Materials: Digital print, wool batting, hand-dyed cotton fabrics.
Artist statement: In the spring, I saw a beautiful Eastern Bluebird in my backyard and photographed it. I digitally printed the image on polyester crept. After using trapunto on the bird with two to four layers of wool batting, I used free-motion sewing to thread paint the bird, applique it and quilt it. The border is my own hand-dyed cotton fabric.

Libby's Leaves #2 by Laura Wasilowski of Elgin, Illinois, USA
Third place, sponsored by Janome America
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, fused applique, hand dyeing.
Materials: Hand dyed cotton, cotton batting.
Artist statement: This quilt is composed of variations on leaves in my garden in honour of Libby Lehman.

Name that Tune! by Carla Triemer of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
Techniques: Machine quilting (track mounted machine), free-motion, machine applique, thread painting.
Materials: Cotton fabric, Aurifil, Masterpiece, Signature and Coats and Clark threads
Design source: A photograph taken by Neuson11, licensed and downloaded from iphoto.com.
Artist statement: The theme of my local guild's annual challenge was Name that Tune! After reviewing top songs from the last 50 years, I chose Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. During early stages of the creation of this quilt, friends guessed that it was a skunk or a bird, which was certainly demoralising. I persevered and once I had it on the frame and started the thread painting, the tiger began to come to life.

Painted Surface

VIVid by Helen Godden of Canberra, ACT, Australia
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, painting.
Materials: Cotton top and backing, dacron batting, Lumiere acrylic fabric paint and cotton thread.
Artist statement: This quilt captures the colour and carnival atmosphere of Sydney's Festival of Lights, called VIVid, around Sydney Harbour. It is a hand-painted original composition.

People, Portrait and Figures

After the Last Sky by Jennifer Bowker of Garran, ACT, Australia
Second place sponsored by The Grace Company, Fine Quilting Frames
Design source: photograph by Mosa’ab Elshamy

For some reason I didn't capture the artists statement for this quilt, possibly because I listened to Jenny talk about her quilt. The story of the quilt is very affecting. You can read about the quilt, its inspiration and making in Jenny's own words in her journal.

Twins with Friends - Do you Feel a Breeze? by Henry Donges of Blairsville, Georgia, USA
Techniques: Machine quilting, machine embellishment, thread painting.
Materials: Cotton quilting fabric and yarn.
This my first attempt at an art quilt, was inspired by a photo, taken by my wife's first cousin, of her twins after their bath. She placed them on a window seat with some of their stuffed toys and took their picture.

Pictorial

On Reflection: Cape Town, Harbour Fenders by Susan de Vanny of Greenvale, Victoria, Australia
Second place, sponsored by AccuQuilt
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, machine applique and embellishment, collage, thread sketching.
Materials: Cotton fabrics, cotton and polyester threads, wool / polyester batting.
Artist statement: My photo, taken from our hotel room window in Cape Town, South Africa, inspired this quilt. My husband succumbed to a very bad cold and was resting. I sat at the window and watched the boats come and go, but I just couldn't take my eyes off these fenders.

Ipsum by Sandra Ruano Navarro of Madrid, Spain
Honourable Mention, sponsored by AccuQuilt
Techniques: Machine quilting, free motion, hand piecing and applique, machine piecing, applique and embroidery, picture piecing, paper piecing, vertical panel design.
Materials: Cotton fabrics, 70% cotton 30% polyester batting, cotton and polyester threads.
Artist statement: The quilt was inspired by the Modernist movement, specifically in the pictorial movement of Cubism. It is based on the geometric deconstruction of a landscape, applying different patchwork techniques for its assembly. The quilt represents a scene of daily life in the Playa de Las Canteras (Gran Canaria), with its fishing boats and its surroundings within the city.

Piece Large

Flowering Star by Catherine Butterworth of Lindfield, NSW, Australia
Techniques: Machine quilting, machine piecing.
Materials: Cotton fabrics, wool/polyester batting.
Design source: Traditional Broken Star layout
Artist statement: For me, design inspiration starts with the fabric. This started with a fussy-cut floral star and grew into the traditional Broken Star quilt. The traditional repetitive small diamonds have been replaced with different sizes of diamonds and strips for a twist on the traditional, while still drawing the eye from the centre of the quilt outwards.

Surface Design

Playing in the Waterfall by Valeria Cervetto of Sao Paulo, Brazil with Aline Stefane de Souza Bugarin
Second place, sponsored by Sew Steady
Techniques: Machine quilting, free-motion, machine embellishment, digital printing, felting.
Materials: Organza, wool and cotton fabric, metallic and polyester threads.
Design source: Original photograph by Rarindra Prakarsa (used with permission)
Artist statement: When I was looking at the pictures of this Indian photographer, I was enchanted with the joy of the boys and the movement of the water. I decided to portray them in fabric.