Houston’s Ruby Show: Applique’

 

I happily spent most of last week in Houston at the 40th IQA Show. This was what greeted you when you walked in the main entrance! So many lovely red and white quilts, with the large ones arranged like the red and white quilt show in New York City in 2011. It was a spectacular and inspiring collection, with the smaller quilts hung nearby. I took lots of pictures of the quilts and have a few, just a few, to share with you. ;-D

This group is either appliquéd by hand or machine. First up – Becky Goldsmith of Piece O’ Cake Designs was inspired to make Tick Tock when she found the funny, retro clock fabric that you can see in many of the background squares. She said in her statement that she made the quilt by hand, without using rulers or templates. It is a charming and happy quilt, as her work always is! She usually uses quirky and unusual fabrics in her work, which cause you take a closer look.

Karen Buckley and Renae Haddadin again teamed up to create this prize winner! It’s called Majestic Mosaic and is machine appliquéd by Karen and machine quilted by Renae. It is a stunning quilt and I so admire Karen’s skill. I did not count all the circular floral designs that border the quilt, but you can! The colors are striking – the gold, turquoise and pink really sparkle.

Breezy Garden is an award winning quilt make by Kayoko Hibino. As is typical of Japanese quilters, this entire quilt was made by hand. There is a handmade category in the show, and the Japanese quilters “own” it. I did not count this year, but the last time I did there was only one non-Japanese entry! When I lived in Tokyo, I went to many quilt shows, and was always amazed at the workmanship.

May Morning was designed by Jane Holihan. Don’t be fooled by the photograph – it is a miniature. I neglected to eyeball it in the show, but I bet it is about 6″ square. The design and coloring make me think of  many Chinese textiles I saw when we lived in Shanghai, and how juicy this combination of colors is!

Beneath My Wing was made by the incredible David Taylor. The birds are hand appliquéd and then covered with rows and rows and rows of variegated, machine quilted thread. I took a class with him and was able to “inspect” one of his quilts and I could not see any seams. (It is his intention that you not notice the fabric, but see the piece as a whole.) Do check out his website as his work is amazing!