Houston Trip

My trip to Houston was so much fun, even though it was fast and furious.  It was raining when we left home, and from Dallas to Houston we encountered some very scary weather and a major delay in arrival time, but we made it safely.  It was raining in Houston when we arrived too, but it didn't dampen our spirits at being at the International Quilt Festival. One of my friends that I went with had a quilt accepted and hanging in the show.  That was where we headed first.  Her quilt was beautiful and the quilting amazing. It is a wholecloth and all the color is done with the quilting threads. My picture does not do it justice at all.  It was a previous winner at MQS earlier this year.

All My Rowdy Friends by Ann McNew

The show did not disappoint.  I was on sensory overload after spending hours trying to see it all. There seemed to be more quilts than I remembered from past visits, the last time was many years ago -- 12 yrs. to be exact.  There were many special exhibits from around the world - "The Many Faces of Jerusalem"; Winning Quilts from the Open European Quilt Championships 2013; Prize-Winning Quilts from International Quilt Week Yokohama 2012; Taiwan Environmental and Ecological Art Quilts; Tapestries of a South Korean Woman; O Canada 2013; The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase 2013; Quilts of Valor; Healing Quilts in Medicine; Hoffman Challenge; AAQI quilts and many, many more.

Here are a few pictures from the Quilts of Valor exhibit that caught my eye.

 Doesn't this one look like each strip is hanging freely?  It wasn't, at least I don't think it was; but my eyes are not as good as they once were!

This one had amazing detail in white blocks

 

Sorry about the shadows, the ceiling light was at my back and I couldn't avoid some shadows.

 There were signatures around some of the stars.

The next time I go to the Houston show, I definitely will stay longer and plan ahead so as to not be on a tight budget! Although being there longer would have surely made a difference in my finances. It was a fun trip with two friends, one who had a quilt hanging in the show and worth the sleepless hours and scary flight.