Quilt Market: Houston the City

I wrote up this post some time ago and then got side tracted and forgot to publish it. Tell me Im not the only one to do this.

Hope you're not too tired of hearing about Quilt Market. This post isn't really Market at all but rather a tiny sliver of Houston. I had never been there before and it's big. Highways everywhere. Needless to say, we had a few wrong turns and wrong exits but never got lost so it wasn't bad.

We arrived on Friday afternoon. Too late for schoolhouse which I'm sorry to have missed but we just couldn't fit it all in. Spent a bit of time walking around downtown taking pictures.

I love the contrast between the buildings and nature.

One of Emily's photos . . . she has a great eye for photography.

Loved these trees. Does anyone know what kind they are?
They are everywhere and create a lovely tunnel effect in the residential areas.

We also enjoyed the art around town. These sculptures are part of Discovery Green Park directly across the street from the convention center. This park made for a great escape to take in the sun and fresh air plus grab lunch away from the market chaos.

"Monument Au Fantome" by Jean DuBuffet a 20th century French sculptor.
The tallest piece here is 33 feet. Maybe evidence that everything's bigger in Texas?

Part of a fountain in Discovery Green Park. Very refreshing when the heat builds up.
I think I see quilting lines here don't you?

Does anyone see a quilt design here?

On Sunday, we took a little time away from Market to visit the Rothko Chapel, The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and the Houston Center for Photography.

"Broken Obelisk" by Barnett Newman in a reflecting pool.
 Rothko Chapel entrance is in the background.

These are all small intimate places and don't require a lot of time. But each museum had something to inspire and motivate our creative spirits. It was also a lovely day and great to recharge our Market batteries before returning for the last day and our departure for home.

A few shots of my usual photography adventures . . . seeking out leaves and trees wherever I go.

An odd mix for a post, but this is how I "do" a city. Always looking for the natural element.
Hopefully the city experience will help with the "Urban" small art quilts we are doing in the Four-in-Art group. Next topic is structures due February 1st.

Quilt Market: the Booths

What is Quilt Market without the vendors and their fabulous booths? There's everything from the simple, clean design to over the top extravagance. Much the same as with the quilt exhibition, it's hard to take in all the details of booth after booth. Here are some of my favorites.

First up is the Westminster booth along with some of their individual designer booths.
Westminster/Free Spirit is one of my favorite manufacturers. Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner, Tula Pink, Joel Dewberry . . . what more can I say?

Amy Butler's booth showcasing her new line Hapi

Heather Bailey's booth showcasing Lottie Da.  The butterfly is a framed pieced quilt. Fantastic detail.

Anna Marie Horner's booth showcasing her new True Colors and Dowry.
I love how the inspiration wall blends right into the quilt design.

Art Gallery also had eye-catching booths completely filled with color down to the tiniest of details. Love their fabrics too . . . especially their new basic lines.

Pat Bravo's newest collection Rapture will be in stores soon.

I can't wait for Jeni Baker's new line Dreamin' Vintage which comes out in April.
I'm really liking this line a lot. Might go really well with the vintage sheets I've been collecting.

Art Gallery's newest design Frances Newcombe's booth. She won the Best New Exhibitor Award.

Angela Walters was such a sweetheart and her quilt was absolutely stunning.
You can see more info on how she did it here. It's  worth taking a close-up look.

And just a few of the other amazing fun booths . . .

Who knew batting by itself could be so interesting?  Amazing textures on their batting tower.

Just a very small portion of the very blue booth by Michael Miller. This table setting was gorgeous.

Hope you liked my little Market tour. Wish I had even more detail shots as well as better photos.
As I've said before . . . so overwhelming it was hard to take it all in.

Quilt Market: the Quilts

Today I'd like to share some of the quilts from Market that caught my eye for one reason or another. This show is so huge that it could literally take days to truly take in all the quilts, garments and other things being shown. I'm afraid I didn't do the show justice because there was just too much to see and not enough time. Enjoy.

First up is one of the quilts shown as part of the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase. My quilt "Rhythm & Blues" was also a part of this special exhibit. Go here to see all the modern quilts included in this special exhibit. They will also be shown at International Quilt Festival in Chicago June 19-24, 2014.

"Fireworks Quilt" by Tara Faughnan, Oakland, CA

I am always attracted to impressionist type quilts with floral and nature themes and have much admired Melinda Bula's work. Someday I'd love to make a floral quilt based on her style. In my dreams . . .

"Monet in Pasadena" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

detail of "Monet in Pasadena" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

detail of "Camellia" by Melinda Bula, El Dorado Hills, CA

Another quilter whose worked I have long admired is Ruth Powers. Her work is similar to Ruth B. McDowell's in that they both often do fractured landscapes. Would like to try one of these some day too. In another dream . . .

"In the Bleak Midwinter" by Ruth Powers, Carbondale, KS
The lighting in this quilt is stunning.

For me, one of the show highlights was the 30 Quilts for 30 Years exhibit which featured 30 quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry.  2013 marks Caryl's 30th year of quilting so to celebrate she created 30 new quilts. Go here and scroll down to the show dates to learn where this special show will be appearing. If it's anywhere near you, I highly recommend going to see these fabulous quilts.

Seeing her work up close in person was stunning. I love the organic shapes she frequently uses in her designs and the texture created through her quilting is simply breathtaking.

"Bradford Fantasy"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Cosmic Feathers #1"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Feather Flower #3"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

"Feather Study #24"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

detail of "Feather Study #24"  by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

And here are a few of the other quilts that I found inspiring. I can't even imagine having the skill or patience to make most of these. They are so wonderfully executed.

"Extensions I" by Sylvia Weir, Beaumont, TX

detail of "Extensions I" by Sylvia Weir, Beaumont, TX
the ultimate pebble quilting!

detail of "Papa" by Jocelyne Leath, Australia
I was fascinated by the use of cheesecloth to create the face.

"Tuning Fork #11" by Heather Pregger, Fort Worth, TX
Love the color and improv look of this quilt.

"Cow Town" by Mary Lou Weidman
From a pattern in the book Out of the Box with Easy Blocks by Mary Lou.

"Teatime in My Yard" by Harumi Asada, Japan
An unbelievable applique based on a European dome roof design.

detail of "Teatime in My Yard" by Harumi Asada, Japan
Those brown lines were about 1/4" in width.

"Mediterranean Colors and Perfumes" by Sonia Bardella, Venice Italy

detail of "Mediterranean Colors and Perfumes" by Sonia Bardella, Venice Italy
Don't worry . . . I didn't touch it but I wanted to show the scale of those teeny tiny squares. Talk about patience.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of quilts in this show including many lovely traditional beauties. Gorgeous applique and stunning hand quilting was well represented. Even if traditional and art quilts are not your style, you can never go wrong attending a big quilt show. The caliber of work is beyond my imagination and very inspiring. It is so valuable to see the skill and creativity of a prize winning quilt up close and in person. As quilter's, I believe we should admire and appreciate ALL types of quilting and support one another in whatever style we aspire to.

Hope you've enjoyed the quilt show.