Back in February, my friend Kristi and I went to a huge show featuring art quilts here in Austin. Neither of us know the first thing about quilts, other than having some family heirlooms, but we thought it would be a fun thing to do together. Y’all, we were completely blown away. QuiltCon was a conference for modern quliters, and the quilts that were on display were true works of art. Not only were the designs and color choices amazing, but the actual quilting on each piece was extraordinary.
While we were there, Kristi and I started talking about what fantastic pieces of art these quilts would be hanging on a wall. Many of them were for sale, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Obviously, that’s a lot of money by my quick and easy decorating standards. But considering the piece would be handmade, unique and heirloom quality, it made me really consider buying one of the lower priced quilts (or commissioning someone to make something custom for me). I have a tall, two-story wall above my staircase that’s just screaming for a huge piece of art. The quilts ranged in size from just about 2 feet x 2 feet to as large as a king size bed. They’d be great on a bed or as a throw, too.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on getting my own quilt yet, but I wanted to share with you some of the cool art quilts we saw at QuiltCon. These aren’t your grandmother’s quilts (unless your grandmother is super awesome)!
Neon and Neutral by Latifah Saafir
Impracticality by Angela Walters
The Local Quilt by Carolyn Friedland
In Defense of Handmade by Thomas Knauer
ZigZigZag by Allison Chambers
Stella! by Susan Strong
Ron Swanson by Monica Solorio-Snow
Dazzling Diamonds by Jen Sorenson
Frost Bank Mini Quilt by Claire Jain
Log Pyramids by Liz Harvatine
Are you amazed or what? Modern quilters have a lot of creative ideas. I’m really excited to explore art quilts further. But, let’s be clear – I won’t be doing the quilting. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Or at least I don’t…like I need another obsession, y’all! 🙂
Wondering how to hang a quilt on your wall without making holes in it? Amy from Amy a la Mode has a good tutorial on that.
Which of the above quilts is your favorite? Have you seen any other fun art quilts?
I went to quiltcon too! I was pretty dang amazed! Makes me want to quilt more 🙂 I made one quilt for Andy back in the day: http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/c-r-a-f-t-46-grey-scale-quilt/ I
Love the Ron Swanson one:) So funny. I also love the one with modern houses. So fun!
Ron Swanson? Adolf Hitler? haah nar it’s great. I like the stella better though.
Judge not according to the appearance
the quilt inside the James Avery store at the Quarry San Antonio tx. is awsome! take a look when you go inside. wish i had a picture so i could improvise on it to make it my own.