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International Quilt Festival – IQA Competition: Traditional Quilts – Sometimes with a Twist

Good morning!  As I continue to sort through the hundreds of photos that I took at International Quilt Festival last week, I discovered that I sometimes failed to capture the category in which the quilt competed.  A big duh on my part!  Note to self: Make sure you get that next year.  Below is an assortment of traditional, or traditional with a twist quilts that I particularly enjoyed.  Sadly, I can’t always identify the category.

Eureka, by Marilyn Badger, St. George, UT

Eureka, by Marilyn Badger, St. George, UT

I first met Marilyn Badger, in September 2013 when I was fortunate to teach classes in beautiful St. George, Utah.  Marilyn is well-known in the quilting world for her incredible machine quilting (watch for a future post all about Marilyn).  Her quilt, Eureka, won second place in the Merit Machine Quilting category at the show.

Marilyn writes, “This quilt was inspired by Jacqueline de Jonge’s Circle of Life quilt.  The Lone Star in the middle is surrounded by parts of Jacqueline’s design with my original flowers and borders.  Over 2,000 crystal beads were hand-sewn after quilting, and couching with Razzle-Dazzle was added to highlight some of my original quilting designs.”

Outta the Loop by Karen Marchetti and Eyvonne Smith, Port St. Lucie, FL

Outta the Loop by Karen Marchetti and Eyvonne Smith, Port St. Lucie, FL

How could I not just fall in love with this quilt instantly!  Might it be the use of bright, bold colors, the strong contrast, and the more subtle designs quilted into the background?  Karen and Eyvonne write, “We modified the Elements of Nature pattern by Jacqueline de Jonge by enlarging the pattern and adding various elements.  Additional stars and Flying Geese in the quilting create movement and add interest . . . a true collaboration between friends.”

Red Licorice by Linda McGibbon, Beaverton, MI

Red Licorice by Linda McGibbon, Beaverton, MI

This wall-size quilt has incredible detail combined with strong contrast and bright, bold colors, all of which I find very appealing.  Linda writes, “I used Pineapple blocks in a diamond shape.  I then used black background fabric in some of the pieces and Stitch in the Ditch  to make the design three dimensional.”

Together in a Friendship World by Geta Grama and Quilt.ro Group, Rasnov, Brasov, Romania

Together in a Friendship World by Geta Grama and Quilt.ro Group, Rasnov, Brasov, Romania

I was immediately drawn to this quilt by Geta Grama and friends.  It won Third Place in the Group Quilts Category.   I also believe it is the first entry that I have seen from Romania.  I visited Geta’s Blogspot page and enjoyed reading about her, “I am a passionate quilter living in Romania. Unfortunately, here quilting is an unknown craft to most people. I love to share my quilts with you!”  Take the time to check out her site.  I know you will enjoy reading about her and her work.

About their quilt, Geta writes, “This quilt combines traditional English paper piecing technique and an altered three-dimensional Grandmother’s Flower Garden with a mosaic background.  The 3-D effect is enhanced by the vivid colors of the flowers, which float over the large white ball.  Intricate quilting follows the flower patterns and flattens the background, contributing to the 3-D aspect of the quilt.”

Roman Tilles by Ann Petersen, Aurora, CO

Roman Tilles by Ann Petersen, Aurora, CO

This is one of the first quilts that caught my eye.  I found the detail to be extraordinary and enjoyed Ann’s use of a limited color palette that allows the more subtle painting and stitching in the background to flourish!  Below is a detail of the piecing on this quilt.

Roman Tiles detail

Roman Tiles detail

Ann writes, “My original center star, borders, layout, quilting designs and painting we added to a small piece started in a workshop by Norah McMeeking.  The quilting was inspired by Roman Mosaic tiles.”

What a great show!  It was a privilege to be among so many beautiful quilts!

Stay Tuned . . .

 

 

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