I'll admit I was unprepared for the entire show. Having never attended QuiltCon, I didn't know what to expect and I was freaking out well before I even stepped foot at the venue. My first day was so overwhelming. When I enter the quilt exhibit, I was immediately filled with a sense of 'Holy Hell'! The quilts, the people, the vendors, the noise. I was dazed and confused, all the sensations you get when you've been over stimulated! My first thought was I'm not coming back, this is too much! That feeling stayed with me much of the day until I was able to calm down, relax and enjoy the moment.
Next time I'll have a sense of what to expect and I'm sure I'll handle it so much better. QuiltCon is like the Super Bowl of quilt shows. Everyone talks about it, everyone enters, everyone shows up...at least in my mind! I've come to the conclusion that I am far too insecure about my ability and my quilts. Did I compare my entries to other quilts, yes. Did I think they weren't up to par with other quilts, yes. Did I stand off to the side and watch people get up close and personal with my quilts, yes. Did I eventually get over my insecurity, yes. To some extent.
I don't want it to sound like my experience was horrible, because it was not. Not at all! I loved it and marveled at the artistry of every single quilt I saw. Every time I walked the exhibit I saw something new. I got to finally meet people I feel like I've known forever and become friends with through social media, people I've admired (fan girl), and so many others that that alone made it amazing. My only regret is that I didn't get to meet everyone I wanted to meet! I found myself always looking at peoples badges that were hanging around their neck to see if I knew them!
I took many pictures, and didn't share one on Instagram! I'm sharing ones that stood out to me in one way or another.
I am totally in love with this color palette and the design is pretty spectacular!
Amazing right?! This quilt received a 3rd place ribbon for piecing.
The color combination grabbed my attention first. But the overall design is striking to me. This quilt received a 2nd place ribbon for the Two Color Challenge.
This was a 3rd place winner in the Improvisation category. The perspective of the houses is pretty great!
Even now I'm amazed at how skinny those red lines are! It hit all my buttons for 'tiny' piecing!
The variety of every thing quilt related was shown at QuiltCon. Machine, long arm and hand quilting. Tiny, medium and large quilts. Improv, applique and paper pieced. There were many quilts that had matched and faced bindings. I was surprised at how many quilts were faced and I'll assume that's because of my inexperience at quilt show etiquette!
The last thing I want you to think is that I was disappointed in any way with my first QuiltCon show. By sharing my experience I'm able to gain a better perspective and maybe I can prepare others.
By the second day I fell into a groove. It was also the day my daughter came and I was able to share it with her. She did all the 'proud mama' things like take pictures of me in front of my quilts! Having a 'buddy' to be with, having lectures or classes make a difference. And first and foremost, connecting with people makes a difference.
My husband was a champ during all this upheaval! He talked me through my day when I needed it, he even bought me a bouquet of flowers to show how proud he was of me! And the day after the show was over he said it was totally doable to go to Austin next year! I can tell you I shut him down on that one! I hadn't even taken a breath in 3 days...I wasn't ready to hear that!
The cherry on top for me was when I received an email saying 'Hypnotized' was selected for the Best of QuiltCon 2019 traveling exhibit! This quilt will be heading to South Africa, France and Australia! Safe travels little quilt!
The last thing I want you to think is that I was disappointed in any way with my first QuiltCon show. By sharing my experience I'm able to gain a better perspective and maybe I can prepare others.
By the second day I fell into a groove. It was also the day my daughter came and I was able to share it with her. She did all the 'proud mama' things like take pictures of me in front of my quilts! Having a 'buddy' to be with, having lectures or classes make a difference. And first and foremost, connecting with people makes a difference.
My husband was a champ during all this upheaval! He talked me through my day when I needed it, he even bought me a bouquet of flowers to show how proud he was of me! And the day after the show was over he said it was totally doable to go to Austin next year! I can tell you I shut him down on that one! I hadn't even taken a breath in 3 days...I wasn't ready to hear that!
The cherry on top for me was when I received an email saying 'Hypnotized' was selected for the Best of QuiltCon 2019 traveling exhibit! This quilt will be heading to South Africa, France and Australia! Safe travels little quilt!
The only source of knowledge is experience.
Albert Einstein
From this one experience I gained an enormous amount of knowledge. Until next time QuiltCon!
