International Quilt Festival 2014 was fantastic... So many special moments, new experiences, new friends & new accomplishments.
I caught up with my roommate Tricia at our hotel on Monday. The pre-festival excitement could be felt everywhere! Signs in the lobby, giddy quilters chatting, reuniting, meeting, preparing! I was so excited for it all to begin I could barely sleep that night.
Tuesday was my first all day workshop:
COLLAGE CONFETTI HORSE with LAURA HEINE
We spent the day cutting out flowers and turning them in to a multi flower covered horse!
I spent Wednesday in a mixed media montage workshop with
MY TEXTURED GARDEN with CECILE WHATMAN.
We painted, dyed, sizzixed, arranged, embellished, and so on.
I love the way this project turned out & after quilting and adding some beading, I think I may use it as the centerpiece for a room remodel I have planned!
BUT,
What followed left me emotional beyond all words!
As I walked with great anticipation towards the exhibit my quilt was to be a part of-
I felt overcome with emotion.
I simply could not believe I had a quilt on the same "walls" as some of the most amazing artists I have ever seen.
This exhibit was created as a part of the
Turning 40 celebration & I still could not believe my quilt had been chosen to share its space.
And then... up ahead- facing forward... I spotted the exhibit!!!
I was so excited, I forgot to look at much else!
It wasn't until well after that, when I decided to search for my "star block" and "headshot".
Initially, I could not find my star block as I wandered quilt to quilt in the astronomical challenge. They had received over 2000! I decided to stop searching for mine and check out astronaut Karen Nyberg's block that she made while on the space station.
OMG... My block made it in to THE quilt with hers!
Hers being the center of course,
mine is in the top row, block number 8!
They never did receive enough head shots for the banners they had wanted to display of "the faces of quilters", but they created some display posters and I was a part of one of them!
All this excitement...
and it was only Wednesday night!!!
On Thursday, I participated in
RENEGADE THREAD PLAY with MELINDA BULA.
We learned ways to add life to art quilts though directional and varied designs in our quilting.
That night was a 1970's costume party & boy was I feeling groovy! I actually took second place!!!
and was awarded a Martelli rotary cutting mat setup!
By Friday I was exhausted and relieved to have a workshop free morning to explore the shopping!
There was definitely a purchase to be found for everyone!
In the afternoon was my only real let down all week.
I LOVE quilting.... but I am lazy & have a very bad habit of using whatever needle & bobbin thread is already in machine. I knew it was time to stop that and use the correct needle for the correct thread for the correct fabric.
I signed up for the workshop
THREAD TOPPINGS with MELODY CRUST.
Unfortunately- it was a total waste of my time as we spent the afternoon exploring the sewing machine provided and not using the collection of thread specifics and needles I had stressed out to collect.
Frustrated, I tried to grab a quick dinner before the evening workshop beginning in 1 hour. WTF! All the vendors closed at 5. I don't get it! The convention room was welcoming guests through 7PM and there were Friday night workshops 6-9!
Hungry, I forged on to my next workshop...
and I am really glad I did! It was
DAISY DELIGHT—MANIPULATED MAGIC with JENNIE RAYMENT.
She was charming and her technique held my attention in spite of my stomachs growling. Eventually it will make a great pillow!
Saturday was the workshop I had most looked forward to.
THREAD STORIES with JENNIFER DAY.
I had met Jennifer the year before in my "eyeball" workshop. She created a new style of fabric photo painting I was eager to try.
Meet "Sam"
Long lines gave way to Saturday nights Champaign and cake to celebrate the quilt show's 40th, followed by more lines, dinner and fireworks in the park!
I also attended a modern quilt guild gathering at one of the nearby hotels. Lot's of chatter & enthusiasm. I love quilting excitement in so many younger quilters!
And before I knew it- it was Sunday!
Final workshop of the week.
DYE PAINTED SILK SCARVES with HEATHER THOMAS
Such a pleasant morning dying and painting and hammering wire to make a scarf pin!
So little time left... so much more we had wanted to do.
Full exhibits I had never had time to explore.
So many vendors I had never found again to pick up that item I never saw again...
The show seems to grow every year. It occupies all 3 floors of the convention center with festivities overflowing into the park & nearby hotels!
So, with one final pose in front of my quilt:
and a bit of bonding with an astronaut standee:
It was time to head for the airport.
hmmmmmm,
we suddenly has a lot more stuff than we started out with.
A LOT MORE!
as demonstrated by me, sitting on the floor of the airport repeatedly rotating stuff between suitcases, before finally giving up, checking my carry on as another suitcase and using a different overly stuffed carry on. (Heaven only knows how many youtube videos I may be starring in as we laughed hysterically moving things bag to bag!)
Not nearly as dramatic, but still needed, here is Tricia's repack.
A wonderful festival. All I can say is
2015: Let the countdown begin!
As for my goal of the month...
There is a November deadline for all Quiltcon entries...
so that will be my sole focus for November.
