Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Houston International Quilt Festival

How do you describe the "grandmother"
of all quilt shows?

Fabulous, Amazing, Incredible, Extraordinary....
I'm not sure you really can.
Each of the 50,000+ attendees would say something else 
to describe their experience.

I went to be inspired.







Daisy and Basket by Helm Hulsman

I went to learn some new things.

Redbird Quilt Co and Aurifil Thread

I went to do some shopping.



Each day as the doors opened
it was an organized frenzy of quilters


all seeking out their favorite venders to
discover what enticing products they had brought.


First stop for me
saying hi to Petra Prins and Judith Ebbelaar.

Judith and Me

I had my map labeled 1,2,3,...

There's never been so many 
beautiful temptations.

There is something for every style of quilter,
every skill level, and every credit card limit.

Equally important is seeing and meeting friends.

I finally had the privilege to meet 
Janet Olmstead from Calgary, Alberta Canada.
You might know her as Mrs Sew n' sew
Her applique work is exquisite and she
is so delightful to hangout with.
We had a great time shopping and
viewing the quilts.

It was exciting to see her Bird of Paradise quilt 
in person!


It was also exciting to say hi
to Rachael Daisy from Australia.


Her quilts are an explosion of color, pattern
and innovated techniques.  That's her 
Whiz Bang, prize winning quilt in the background.

The show couldn't happen or run 
so smoothly without the incredible crew of 
volunteers that work behind the scenes.
I caught up with Lori DeJarnatt


as she was getting things set up for the next
open studio demos.

My dear Virginia and Netherlands travelers
were all there 

with an outstanding exhibit 


Esther's Quilt, 1858 

Many quilters followed along and 
created their own masterpieces.

 Doreen Johnson's Quilt
made with French General fabrics.
You might know Doreen at


Patti Snyder's quilt
with extraordinary quilting


who you know as the Log Cabin Quilter
with her wonderful chocolate background


Wendy Reed's quilt
Don't you love the cheddar background!


Harolyn Klawan's,
"Playtime in the Valley", with her 
lovely small embroidered interpretation.


Susie Martin Corrao's 
lovely quilt with sashing.

Laurie Sanders took a different approach.


Laurie visualized the flowers that Esther might have
seen from her kitchen window.

There were so many quilts to enjoy and study,
about 1600.  Each one a work of art.

Just a couple more.
How about:


Barb Vedder's quilt
It was fabulous to see in person.  
The pink background is awesome with
the blue saw tooth border.  
She has a creative whimsical style.

There were so many hand quilted quilts this year
with the exhibit of Antique Quilts of the British Isles



Hexagon Quilt, 1810

and the French collection
Quilts de Legende


Marie-Henriette 
by Martine Crabe'-Lanux.

I know I didn't see everything in my two days,


but I gave it a good try.

Until Next Time-
Kyle

25 comments:

  1. Ohhhh what an event - you’ve captured it so well. Gorgeous quilts and it looks like you purchased some lovely fabrics too. Thanks for sharing! One of these times I want to make it to Houston!

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  2. Oh my ..... looks like you had a blast! One day, one day ..... I too will go.

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  3. What a fabulous post! It looks like you hit the highlights meeting up with friends old and new! Those French reproduction quilts have always amazed me and I would love to see any of them in person. Next year or bust! Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. should be we make a pack on it for next year?? I'm gathering intel on where to stay and how to get around....

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  4. Oh how wonderful to see so many quilters that I "know" from their blogs!
    Such inspiration... I don't know how you could stand so much excitement!

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  5. Oh what a marvelous time it look like you had. It was so wonderful to see you with so many of our online friends!
    I'm wendy - next year or bust!
    I will be visiting this post often to savor the quilts and photos. Thanks again for the inside scoop on Houston.

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  6. What an amazing trip! I can imagine your head is still sponning with all the beauty you have seen and the fun meetingsyou had!
    A trip to remember!

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  7. Wonderful visual trip of the show, thank you! I am going to go ....one day!

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  8. I've been twice and both times it was amazing! Looks like you had a good time.

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  9. It sure was an amazing few days! I had a wonderful time with you enjoying the show. It was very inspiring to be there. I've laid out all my Dutch chintz and I'm just going to admire it for awhile but definitely going to make something with it too :0)

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  10. You must be on inspiration overload at this point! What fabulous quilts, and to think were were nearly 1600 more. Your purchases look quite inspiring also. I'd say your trip was a fabulous success.

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  11. I think my word would be overwhelming!
    What an amazing display. Looks like you squeezed in as much as possible. And I am pleased you met up with Rachael.
    Thanks for sharing your photos. Loved it.

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  12. An inspiring post. I love that Ogeechee quilt. I can well imagine it was a busy 18 months for the maker as there is a lot of piecing involved. The colors and design are so eye-catching.
    You got some good pictures of the Shenandoah Valley quilt exhibit.
    Do you think you will go next year?

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  13. Thank you for sharing a bit from Houston.

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  14. WooHoo, you did a great job, and it looks like loads of fun. Thanks for sharing the quilts of fellow bloggers and friends. It was fun to see them--and you! :)

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  15. My goodness...fabulous post! What a treat to see all the different versions of the Botanical quilt from Virginia (I have the pattern just because of my roots...) and being able to reunite with your travel and blogging friends - seeing lots of happy faces in your photos. Are you on overload with inspiration...bet so!! What pretty chintzes you found...Thanks so much for sharing your adventure in Houston. Remember to come up for air and show us your progress :-)

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  16. Kyle gracias por compartir tu maravillosa experiencia.
    Me alegra cuanto disfrutaste,
    Fotos fabulosas
    Descansa

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  17. Oh wow ! Thank you for sharing all these beauties and masterpieces !!
    And thank you for the French quilts ! Next year there will be a new exhibit with new qilts ! ;)

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  18. Thanks so much for all the marvelous pictures. I cannot even imagine seeing all those beautiful quilts in person! So overwhelming to be up close and personal with all that creativity and awesomeness! I especially love Daisy and Basket. That pale pink mixed with the cheddar! Swoon.:) So glad you got to see so many blog friends and view their quilts in person. What a wonderful experience and yes, I am jealous. These quilt pictures make me think a lot. So many times I get frustrated at this feeling that there is more and more to be added on to any particular quilt and tell myself, Enough already! But obviously, there is a time and place for busyness and lots of detail in a quilt. Done right, it is absolutely amazing. Thanks again for sharing!

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  19. Oh what a wonderful trip! Thanks for all the great pictures. Looks like you bought some wonderful fabrics :)

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  20. Two days has got to be like a whirlwind! You certainly hit the highlights!

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  21. A fantastic recap of a very special show! Loved seeing you again. Too bad you had to miss our diner date! Maybe next time!

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  22. How much fun was that . . . I'm so happy that you were able to attend. These ladies are amazing . . . just like you:) You're all in a class that inspires moments of awe.
    Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.
    Connie :)

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  23. Such a great blogpost of a wonderful Festival. I am so sorry we missed each other again. I was there with my husband and one way or another , doing the rounds at the exhibitions explaining everything to him, it is quite different from doing it by yourself, I seem to have missed that you were there. Hopefully there will be an opportunity in the future (in the US, in The Netherlands or near where you live) to finally meet up and have a good chat.

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