Houston Quilt Festival Winners

Medallion quilts still rule at big national quilt shows.  And the number of awards seems to be growing exponentially. That’s my takeaway after viewing pictures of award winning quilts at this year’s Houston international quilt festival.

You can check them out at the show organizer’s website.  Melissa Sobotka’s Best of Show Chihuly’s Gondola has a special resonance with me as I saw its inspiration just last month.

Below are some of the quilts that caught my eye.  Of course, photos are a pale substitute for actually seeing the quilts.  They simply don’t show the dimensionality or the fine details.

Art Abstract-Small, Third Place, Spider Lilies, by ENID WEICHSELBAUM
of ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA. Unlike many floral closeup quilts, this one isn’t concerned with showing every detail.  I like the floating circles.

Art-People, Portraits, and Figures, Honorable Mention, The Quiltmaker, by JENNIFER BOWKER of GARRAN, ACT, AUSTRALIA.  This one is my sentimental favorite.  Margaret Rolfe is a renowned Australian quilter, and I like the use of all the sampler blocks with the controlled color shift from light yellow to purple.

Innovative Appliqué, First Place, Primitive Web, by LINDA ROY of KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. A medallion quilt that breaks the mold yet honors the form.

Mixed Technique, Third Place, Twirly Balls and Pinwheels by SUSAN GARMAN of FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS. I like the overlay effect of the pinwheel lattice.

Traditional Pieced, First Place, Roo Garden by VICKI BOHNHOFF of ANTHEM, ARIZONA. Apparently you can use hexies to portray just about anything.