Last year I took a trip with other quilt members to the
Houston Quilt show. It was so amazing, I
went again this year. I was not
disappointed.
It is known as an international quilt show and that it
is. Quilts from all over the world are
on display there. You think of quilting
as an American craft but it really isn’t.
I heard many different languages, saw different cities I had never heard
of on the quilt description sheets and even bought some gifts from a vendor from
New Zealand.
I was particularly struck by two things while at the
show. One was how friendly everyone
was. Now that really is not so unusual
but I noticed that with the bond of quilting and fiber arts, quilters truly are
friends who just haven’t met yet. I got
to know better some of the guild members I traveled with and carried on
conversations with quilters from England, Canada and closer to home,
Kansas. We shared tips on the best
quilts to check out, the best vendors to visit, as well as complaints as to how
cold it was in Houston that day (it was unseasonably cold for this time of
year. And those traveling who expected
Houston, Texas to be warm were very surprised.).
The other thing that struck me was the imagination and
creativity that was on display. Even
with an exhibit that had a theme (like the show theme of blue and white quilts)
no idea or pattern was duplicated. I
have had people tell me that quilting is old fashion, or on its way out as an
art form or that you see the same thing over and over. Just one look at the quilts in Houston or any
quilt show really, and you see that that is not true.
As far as quilting being thought of as old fashion, I saw
one quilt that from a distance looked like metal chain mail which I thought was
unusual for a quilt show but on closer inspection I found it was layered and
cut fabric. The illusion was amazing
(sorry due to copyright laws I can’t share any pictures of the quilts at the
show.) Another quilt had a bit of
technology attached to it. It looked like
a landscape with the foreground made of light and dark colored triangles. As you looked at it, the light colors changed
from pinks and oranges to purple and blues.
The quilt was attached to a frame and there were lights behind the quilt
that would change colors giving the different color changes to the light
colored fabric. I never would have
thought to do that.
The idea that quilting is an art form that is on its way out
of popularity or that you often see the same design is certainly not true when
you see all the quilters who were at that show that day or even looking at all
the quilts displayed. You might not see
your grandmother’s scrappy log cabin quilt but you will see a log cabin with
the word LOOK inside two diamond designs all made of small log cabin
blocks. You might not see a summer
coverlet made of my favorite yoyo pieces, but you will see a pixilated picture
of a woman’s face made out of yoyos. It
is the quilts made of such detail that they look like photos but are actually
pieced or appliquéd that make my jaw drop.
I told a woman I met there that I had been quilting since
1982 and yet coming to this show I feel like an amateur. But that is the beauty of this quilt show and
others shows, quilting has a place for everyone and there is always something
new to explore and learn and create. And every quilt show you go to or every
show and tell in a quilt meeting you get to see can inspire you to make
something new or go in a different direction with your art. If you ever get a chance to go to the
International Quilt Show in Houston or anywhere, don’t pass that chance
up. You will not regret it.
©2019 Cheryl Fillion
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