Northwest Quilting Expo

Somewhat to my husband’s dismay I found that a quilt show was in progress when we visited Portland, Oregon.  He explored the city while I hung out with “my people.” My husband has become an expert at identifying quilters in hotel lobbies.

The show had a mixture of traditional, contemporary, modern, and art quilts with a sizable number of group theme entries. I didn’t see a lot of the quilts that seem to make the rounds of every big show.  Here’s the website with photos of some of the winning quilts.

For me the best part of the show were the guest artist talks.  Every hour or so one of the featured quilters would give an informal tour of their work on display. I eavesdropped on Janet Fogg and Sonia Grasvik, two talented quilters, as they talked about what inspired each of their pieces, how they went about creating it, and technique specifics.

This quilt by Janet Fogg shows her trademark dense machine quilting and her use of hand dyes.  The quilting thread is actually red, but the lighting doesn’t show that.

Sonia Grasvik’s work is generally more subdued, and the piece below was her most exuberant at the show. Yes, I’m a sucker for hand dyed fabric.

The following are some other quilts, among many, that caught my eye.

Radiance by Lynda Newell

Paper piecing is often maligned, but you can’t beat the effects it allows you to create.  The pattern appears to be available from Lynda but I haven’t found a working link for it.

I didn’t record who made this one, but I love the edge treatment and the energy of the interlocking shapes.

The Orchard by Mary Kay Price

The most subdued quilt in this post, it seems to be influenced by Jean Wells’ style. I know it uses Jean’s portrait framing technique.  It looks much brighter on the Expo’s website. Again, this seems like a case of blues reacting very differently to different lighting situations.

Creation Born by Sue Matyszak

The piecing and applique here are reminiscent of the work of Barbara Olson and Vikki Pignatelli, among others. I was drawn to Sue’s use of all those prints that serve, but don’t overwhelm, this piece.

Oh, there were lots of vendors, too.  The latest gizmo seemed to be a ceramic iron. I shopped Japanese fabric and dyed ribbon.  Luckily they didn’t take up much room in my suitcase.