One huge perk of living in Houston is that the International Quilt Festival is held here every year! The hubs and I thought we'd pack up the kids, meander our way into downtown, and bring the average age of attendants down a couple of decades. I promised Britton she could pick out a fat quarter of fabric if she didn't rush me or get annoyed when I wanted to stop at every booth, and the hubs agreed to take Barrett out to the lobby for entertainment if he melted down. Let's go!
We walked through the exhibit of quilts, and hit up the booths first. Adding crystals to quilts was HUGE this year!
Most booths specialized in fabrics, patterns, notions, equipment, or finished products for sale. There weren't nearly as many Christmas quilts as I thought there would be, but this one from Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts in NYC caught my eye.
The hubs loves to try out long-arm quilting machines. Even Britton got into the action this year! We watched this customer (a pediatrician who quilts, say what?) trying out a long-arm machine with yarn - I've never seen that before! It's like crewelwork without the hassle.
I bought some fabrics and the hubs found me some glass-head pins from France - they don't melt when you iron over them. The kids were getting a little over the crowds, so we headed to the exhibition hall. Some of the quilts that stopped me in my tracks:
"Self-Portrait with Illness: Chronic" by Thomas Knauer. Mr. Knauer quilted a twin-sized sheet with the phrase "I am tired of being sick" over and over again. At the bottom of the quilt you can see where he used colored thread on one phrase to make it stand out.
"A Village for All Seasons" by Karen Eckmeier. She created an entire village, going from winter at the top through all four seasons to the bottom. I loved the color and detail here.
In the Textile Posters section was "I Will Not Be Silenced" by Betty Busby, and she describes it as "the visceral impact of being told to shut up," with the word "resist" stitched throughout.
"White Knight" by Patt Blair. She improvised the mane, and the movement it portrays is incredible.
And we left with some goodies!
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