It is my pleasure to introduce my first guest blogger to Peacocks & Peridots… Susan Monsegur – a quilting aficionado. Recently she ventured to the great state of Texas for a quilting affair to remember and has been kind enough to share her experiences with us.
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by Susan Monsegur
The International Quilt Festival is held every year at the beginning of November in Houston, Texas. This is the major quilt show for quilting consumers worldwide. I was lucky enough to attend for the first time this year. The festival is held in the George Brown Convention Center in Houston and like everything done in Texas – it was huge! There were row upon row of vendors (at least 1000), as well as many, many quilts and exhibits. The quilts displayed encompass traditional to modern, portraits to landscapes – all made with a variety of fabric, thread, and batting. Some are quilted by machine, while others were made by hand.
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| A quilt with over 12,000 pieces, quilted by hand. |
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| A portrait quilt. |
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| A floral quilt. |
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| A quilt made by an artist from the U.K., inspired by the Devonshire Tapestries in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. |
My favorite exhibit was Twelveby Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge, where 12 quilt artists take on the challenge, together, to produce quilted art works based on themes, such as a word or color, chosen by each member, every two months. The result was 24 uniquely stylized mosaic quilts. Below are a few examples of their interpretations…
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| Dandelion |
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| Community |
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| Blue |
All in all it is an overwhelming feast for the eyes. Art lovers, especially fiber artists, should go to this show at least once in their lifetime!
