Trends from Quiltcon 2017

Trends From Quiltcon 2017

Quiltcon is a quilt show like no other as it focuses specifically on the world of Modern Quilting!

The quilt above won Best In Show. It is titled bling by Katherine Jones from Tasmania, Australia. The quilt was paper pieced from solid fabrics; the inspiration for this quilt was a princess cut diamond.

I got a chance to chat with Katherine at the show. She is a lovely woman with a passion for all things quilty.

Modern quilters use quite a lot of thread! Look at the beautiful machine and hand stitching in the quilt, Madonna by Brittany Bowen Burton, that won for Best Machine Quilting.

This was also the very first show to see our new Cotton + Steel Thread by Sulky. Attendees had a wonderful time trying the thread out in the Cotton + Steel Booth.

Cotton + Steel also had a little area for Quiltcon attendees to take a break from the show and do a little hand stitching with Sulky 12 Wt. Cotton Petites. We heard only great things about both the new 50 Wt. cotton thread, Cotton + Steel Thread by Sulky, and Sulky Cotton Petites at this show.

We noticed some interesting trends in the world of modern quilting which we thought we would share with you:

1. Facings vs. Bindings –

   

   Lots of quilters in this genre choose to do facings to finish their quilts off as opposed to binding the quilt in the traditional manner. It has an interesting effect on the quilt as this allows the quilt itself to go to the very edge without anything to visually stop it. This might not work on all quilts, but it sure did for many of the Quiltcon quilts.

2. Combining hand and machine quilting –

   

   You know we love thread here at Sulky so seeing all the different types of thread and thread techniques in one quilt was just wonderful. Thread adds such great texture and interest to a quilt.

3. Use of negative space –

   

   The Modern Quilting movement has always been known for heavy use of negative space, but this year at Quiltcon, we think they knocked it out of the park. There were just some amazing quilts that made great use of all that space.

4. Dare to be different – The wide range of looks, colors, interpretations and techniques has to be our favorite part of Quiltcon.

   

   The quilters who enter this show are not afraid to try something new, color outside the lines or show their passion in the form of thread and fabric.

   

   The passion and energy is palatable at this show. If you have never been to a Quiltcon, we highly recommend you join us for Quiltcon 2018 in Pasadena, CA!