Quiltcon 2015 has come and gone. So much goes in to planning a convention like this and to all those involved: THANKS for the MEMORIES!
Delays forced me to miss out on opening day festivities. Alas, this was also the only day I would have had to leisurely explore the show…
Over scheduling can ruin a convention.. for me, it lead to much frustration. Rushing to full day workshops left little time to actually view the quilts on display or vendors present. On brief lunch breaks, I would rush through the show trying to take in bits and pieces. I missed out on so much that made up Quiltcon.
What I did view & experience left me with many questions about modern quilting...
What truly defines a quilt as modern?
Who decides what is a Quiltcon worthy quilt?
What directions will it lead us in the future?
What new techniques will come along to inspire us? &
What, if any, might be my contribution to it?
In my initial excitement & eagerness to register for workshops- I failed to think through my over scheduling. I promise myself after every quilt convention I will not over plan. But then I do anyway :( This time it nearly made the weekend a place I was too tired and frustrated to be— I will NOT allow myself to do that again. (So if you are reading this now and I post an absurd workshop list for an upcoming convention- please remind me of this declaration!)
My first workshop was "Bias Strip Curves with Sherri Lynn Wood". It was my first experience improvising with both curved & bias strip piecing. Joining these fabrics required just the right pull on the bias & against the bias for the correct seam. We were to give a shout out of Wooohooo each time we hit a wall using her techniques. Alas, I needed this shout out far too often. Before I knew it, my bias puckers were taking over & Sherri was cutting through my distortions with her rotary cutter for me to sew back together to flatten them. It was listed as a “beginner’s technique”… but many of us shouting Wooohooo would not agree. (This would be further discussed the remainder of weekend by chatting with other frustrated fellow participants). The more I tried to press my seams flat- the worse they got. Perhaps it was the pressing and not just the stretching and stitching? Honestly… I will never know… this one won’t even make it to the WIP pile
Mine are the two small multicolored, multi pieced ones on the bottom...
But at least I shared the workshop with some new friends!
Saturday was a very full day & I was still frustrated from Friday. I participated in the workshop "Strings of Florid Blooms- A Big MAMA of a double wedding ring quilt". Victoria Wolfe is a very good teacher & this quilt allowed a good opportunity to once again try to get over my fear of curves. I had some problems cutting fabric from the start because of cutting mat limits… so I had trouble with shapes & matching seams. She was very thorough and made sure I could follow through though without wasting further fabric. I plan to put to use the techniques and fixes I learned ASAP. I really like the quilt pattern and opportunity for the bold & brightly colored curves it provides.
That evening was the Keynote: The Quilter’s of Gee’s Bend. These Alabama woman are filled with southern inspiration & spirituality that left me eager to further improvise.
My final workshop was with Lee Heinrich. Her prep work to teach "Off the Grid: Creating Alternative layouts" seemed nearly as involved as my own! It was fantastic and I learned how to design creative layouts that would not look like “everyone else's”. Her handouts and demo’s allowed our own layout creations alternating repeatedly on the design walls. We took turns laying out our own blocks, as well as wandering around room encouraging each other. I have 4 different sets of pics of my blocks in different layouts!
Weather threats required I head home before the actual afternoon of sewing… but it won’t take long to piece & I left inspired to do so.
I am glad we left when we did & made it home before the ice storm hit East Texas. I know to East coasters that a few inches of snow and ice are no big deal… but in the south, it can be deadly. We lack the supplies & most also lack the skills to deal with it.
As I unpacked today, I hung my Quiltcon badge up & admired all the pins shared. The pins are a fun way to remember new friends.
