Kristin Shields Quiltmaker

QuiltCon 2015 :: 1

QuiltCon 2015 in Austin, Texas was a blast!  It was a very busy 4 days for the show and one extra day of shopping in Austin.  My plan for reporting on this trip is to go in mostly chronological order and grouping photos in a way that makes sense to me.  All of the photos for these posts will be clickable if you want to see more detail.  Also, my photos don't represent the whole show (how could they?), but they are a taste of what appealed to me at the time.  

Above is my official PDX selfie.  I'm glad I got there before the carpet disappears.  I left Bend on Wednesday morning and flew through Portland and Seattle to Austin.  Along the way I met up with my travel buddy, Marion.  There were also 5 others from the Central Oregon Modern Quilt Guild who traveled to Austin. Thursday morning dawned beautifully. Unfortunately, this was the last we saw of the sun.  The rest of the days in Austin were very grey.  Our hotel room (Hyatt Place) looked out over the convention center and faced east to the rising sun.

We got to our hotel at 7 pm on Wednesday night, too late to register.  So on Thursday morning we waited in a rather long line while some computer issues were worked out.  We got our name tags and a huge goody bag!

The first event on our schedule was the MQG Awards Ceremony.  The ballroom was surrounded by many of the QuiltCon charity quilts, made from MQG's around the world.  There were more in the other ballroom too.

Unfortunately, the convention center did not have the lecture set up finished and the ceremony started about 45 minutes late.  When it did start, Jacquie Gering had no sound system and the power point didn't start working until nearly the end.  That was very disappointing, but I mostly felt bad for the winners who really didn't get their due.  Below, Jacquie shows everyone how to do the "matchstick quilting" dance.

This is our Central Oregon Modern Quilt Guild charity quilt.  We did liberated houses in this alternate grid format.  All the COMQG peeps who made it to the show are in the photo above: Susan, Kayla, Christy, Lindsey, me and Erin!The charity quilts were really wonderful.  Unfortunately, they weren't labeled with the guild name, so I don't know which guilds made which.  Next time I'll be showing quilts from the Quilt Show floor!  Enjoy!

SAQA Central Oregon Mapping Project: A View from Above

The newest SAQA Central Oregon exhibit is now being displayed at the Stitchin' Post on the new art gallery wall.  It looks fantastic!  I've given the artist's name and title of each piece below.  Remember to click to see these photos larger.

Sisters Times Three by Sharon Carvalho

Development Maze by Grace Grinnell

Inman Railroad Yard- Atlanta, Georgia by Julia Jeans

Paris, 1867 by Charlene Kenny

Underneath Me by Pat Pease

Beneath the Surface by June Jaeger

Top of the town, Tuscana by Sarah Kauman

Midway Geyser Basin by Betty Gientke

Manzanita by Jean Wells Keenan

The Great Reef by Dianne Browning

Dream of Poliphilo by Leotie Richards

The Hub at Night by June Jaeger

Consider the Raven by Judy Beaver

Edgar Vineyard Tract, Cherry Valley by Jan McBrien Tetzlaff

Deschutes River Walk, Bend, OR USA by Patti Stewart

Roundabout Bend by Kristin Shields

Usumbara by Bevalee Runner

Carolina Moon by Joan Upshaw

Sonoran Desert: A Bird's Eye View by Mary Stiewig

Winn Farm by Robin Green

Sisters Three by Torrie Gordon

Win the Day by Debbie Groshong

I'm Going to Houston! (and other studio news)

Well, actually Las Ventanas is going!  I'm so excited that this quilt was chosen to be in the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase.  I mentioned that I had done the call for entry in a post in June, but I actually forgot about it until I got an email that said my quilt, Puzzling World, had not been selected.  For a minute I didn't even remember having entered the quilts, but when I remembered I was puzzled about not getting an email about the other quilt.  So back to the junk mail folder I went.  There it was, a nice email about Las Ventanas being chosen for the exhibit. Now, why one went to the junk mail folder and not the other, I'll never know.  Once again, it pays to check the junk mail folder!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend to see my quilt there, but I hope to hear about the exhibit in other people's blogs, so do let me know if you hear about it.

Teaching News 

I am thrilled to be speaking and teaching at NW Quilters in early September.  Read all about it here if you want to join the fun.  

I am also teaching Liberated Stars at QuiltWorks in Bend on October 24.  You can check out all the class offerings here.  

Shop News

In other studio news I am still finishing up old projects.  Many of these have been in the WIP pile for over 5 years.  Most of them are not projects that I want to keep, but they are not suitable for community quilts. I have been listing items in the Etsy shop and will keep adding things as they are finished.  Quilts are here and I also added some really cute quilted baby jackets.

Other News

Speaking of selling quilts, I have been meaning to add the We Are $ew Worth It button to my sidebar and now it's there.  If you haven't thought about what it actually costs to make a quilt or any handcrafted item, take a look.  It surprised me.  Today Sam Hunter linked to a blog in Australia with a similar accounting of the true costs of making a quilt.  Definitely something to ponder.

Lastly, I have a post planned about The Undercover Quilters 5th Anniversary Celebration and that will be next.  Stay tuned!

QKS :: Modern Metallic

The Modern Metallic exhibit at Quilt! Knit! Stitch! was very well done.  I liked the coordination of color and theme and I think the quilts were well placed to play off one another.  

From the show information- Modern Metallic :: An exhibit showcasing modern quilts made by members of the Modern Quilt Gulids in the Pacific Northwest.  Quilts feature the use of metallic design details including, but not limited to fabric, thread and themes.

Golden Geese by Kristin Shields, Chrysanthemums by Laura Miron

Golden Geese by Kristin Shields

All that Glitters by Terry Aske, Sticks n Stones by Laura Miron

All that Glitters by Terry Aske

Milo's Star By Isabel Moore, Ivy Garden by Stacey Day, Stardust by Michelle Freedman, Misty Madrona by Susan Teece

Elementally, My Dear Watson! by T. Lawrence-Simon, Follow Your Own Star and You Will Shine by Jean Jones, Rain by Cynthia Frenette, Reflection by Kristi Owens

Elementally, My Dear Watson! by T. Lawrence-Simon

The concept of this one is cool.  This is an interpretation of the Bohr model of the chemical element silver.

Rain by Cynthia Frenette, Reflection by Kristi Owens

It wasn't until looking at the photos again today that I noticed the element of the window in Rain.  I love the combination of curved improv piecing and the straight lines below.

Grab the Brass Ring by Amy Dame, Rapunzel Rapunzel by Berene Campbell, Cabin of Mirrors by Catherine M. Hall

Rapunzel Rapunzel by Berene Campbell

asterisk by Debbie Jeske, Mod Haystack by Carrie Franklin

Mod Haystack by Carrie Franklin

Do you see the needle in the haystack?  All of these bits of hay are improv pieced!

Organic by Jade Prosser, It's Metal Baby by Cecile M. Baggenstos

Metallic Prism by Cathy J. Erickson, Metallic Bonding by AnnMarie Cowley

Tunnel Vision by Sue Mariotti, Passage by Alison Bazeley

Plain and Fancy by Kristin Shields, Can You Read Me? by Kami Combes

Kami Combes played with Morse code in her quilt.  It says, "Quilt for fun, quilt with love."

Plain and Fancy by Kristin Shields

Well done Pacific Northwest Modern Quilters!  I look forward to next year's challenge.  The rumor is that it will involve solids and I'm totally on board with that!

SAQA 25th Anniversary Trunk Show

There was another important email in the spam folder.  It was about the SAQA 25th Anniversary Trunk Show quilts.  You can see all 407 of these mini quilts online.  There is an index to look up names you may know.  It's nice to see so many friends represented!  Mine is in group D.  Each quilt photo is clickable if you want to see anything up close and each group is traveling to different parts of the US and beyond.  Check to see if a group is heading your way.  I'm sure these will be wonderful to see in person!

Three Quilts*

Las VentanasBright Lights, Big City

Cape Cod Memories

I found out that these three quilts were accepted into Fabrications: The Art of Quilting!  This is a local art quilt exhibit in the month of March here in Bend.  It is the only juried exhibit of art and contemporary quilts in Central Oregon.  The first year I entered, none of mine were accepted.  Last year, one was accepted.  This year, three!  I got the call yesterday, but then heard last night that they may have miscalculated the exhibit space and may not have room for all three.  If not, I think the last one will be left out.  I'm okay either way.  It's a wonderful exhibit and I'm proud to be a part of it!  If you are local, the exhibit is in Franklin Crossing in downtown Bend and the reception is First Friday, March 7, 5-8 pm.  The quilts will be up for the month of March.  

* I'm sad to say that Cape Cod Memories will not be in this show, but the other two will and that's pretty fine!  I hope that Cape Cod Memories finds an exhibit at some point.  I think it's a really neat quilt and it is the sort of thing that you need to see in person and up close to get the full benefit.

Making the Cut, an Invitational

My friend, Pam Beal, has posted photos from the Making the Cut exhibit on her blog.  Check them out here.  It's really a beautiful exhibit!