I love traveling, so getting to travel to talk to people about quilting and see beautiful quilts is probably the best thing in the world. Last week I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan for AQS Quilt Week, and there were lots of quilts I wanted to share with you. But first, I wanted to share something extra special with you: I spotted this hearse in my hotel's parking lot. Can you read the license plate (you can click on it to enlarge it)? It says "FNL BRDG." HA! There weren't any funerals around either, this is someone's car that they drove in all the way from Illinois. You've gotta love that sense of humor! I don't think it was a car used by one of the many quilt show vendors but that would certainly offer a lot of storage area. :) Alright, on to the quilts. If you want even more quilty goodness, like and follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I'll share photos of my favorite quilts at shows before I can post them here, along with other fun things happening in the studio and at home! The images are a little small, but you can click each image to enlarge it and really see those quilting details!

Celestial Toy Box by Marcia Hollopeter

I'm a sucker for bright colors and this palate is exactly my taste. What I really love about it is the way it is essentially a sampler quilt that has been used within a more traditional quilt block setting. Don't miss the quilting in the black spaces of the quilt, either. If you click on the photos they'll enlarge so you can see how each area is treated differently. So, the piecing is a sampler and the quilting is a sampler too! I really adore the way the stacked pinwheel was quilted. This quilt makes me happy!

Spin by Diane Dixon

A hallmark of a modern quilt is to use a traditional block in a different way. In this case it is a pinwheel set within strips. Another hallmark is using an alternate grid. Traditional quilts use stacked rows/columns of blocks. So, you may have a 4 x 5 grid where there are four blocks across and five blocks down in the quilt top. A modern quilt will play with the grid like we see in Diane's Spin quilt. She used strip sets and it is very effective. Of course, what drew me to the quilt top was the quilting found in all of the negative spaces. That much white space can be intimidating to a quilter but look at how much fun she had dividing it up into smaller spaces and breaking out some free motion fun all over it!

Aka Hashigo by Miyoko Hurt

I love the stacked triangles balanced by the wonky ladder moving up the middle. I think it is the fun fabrics that really pulled me into this quilt top. Oh, and the binding too! I always love a pieced binding that relates back to the fabrics used in the quilt top!

Peony by Mikyung Jang

Thread painting is one of those things that is hard to accurately show on a computer screen. If you ever have a chance to go to a big national quilt show, please do so. It is worth the trip. Looking into the shadowing and highlights of this quilt top was mesmerizing. The thread shades combined with the directional flow of the stitches creates contours and shadowing that bring this flower to life. I have a number of "bucket list" quilts to try but thread painting is at the top of the list!

Victory by Colette Dumont

I see more and more embroidery that is combined with impressive threadplay and lovely quilting. This was one of many examples at the show. Don't you love it when you get to look deeper into a quilt and find all the little touches that at first glance you never did see?

Lone Star Nova by Donna J. Cook

This one made the floor tilt and I LOVED it! What a lesson on perspective and contrast. The eye bends those star points and the whole 3D fun ride comes right out of the quilt top to shake your hand and say "Good Morning"!

Bewitched by Elizabeth Bauman

When I walk around a quilt show I like to imagine I'm a judge and I can hand out my own personal ribbon. So... this would be the winner of my personal ribbon! I loved everything about it! Don't miss the zippers used to frame out the zombie lady panels. Oh, and the black lace around the cameos! Plus, the setting triangles were attached using these steampunk fastenings. LOVE IT!

Chocolate by Melissa K. Lamb

The dots in the outer border made me swoon. I especially love how they relate to all the dots on the interior of the quilt too. The whole quilt is just... yummy!

Heading West by Jill Fisher

This is another example of using an alternate grid to accomplish a modern quilt. I especially love the colors chosen and the variety of sizes each block is. Can't you just see Jill sitting in front of her design wall playing with placement?

Rafiki's Pride by Deb Schultz

This year you may see a traveling exhibit featuring a variety of blocks that used Disney's the Lion King Broadway show as inspiration. I hope you've seen the Broadway show because the puppetry, costumes and scenes are phenomenal. This wall hanging was my favorite one on display. I really love the quilting in all of those star points. It is just perfect!

Stick With Me Kid by Jan Berg-Rezmer

Another thread painted beauty. This one looked like a photograph and it was the reflections in the water that made me smile. Notice how the the cat's tongue moves the water aside and how the reflection of the cat is so accurately depicted through the water ripple.

Coral Reef by Marla Varner

Do you have a color that seems to follow you home? If you were to ask me what my favorite color is I'd tell you maroon or maybe robin's egg blue. But this rusty orange is the color that I find in my shopping bag the most often. I'm not even aware of picking it! I am so drawn to the vibrancy of it. This modern quilt was striking and I love the depth of design the colors give from her excellent fabric choices.

Debby's Modern X by Charlotte Noll

This fun little quilt was refreshing. I loved the little dots and playful layout. I don't often see tops where the interior portion of the quilt block layout breaks through the border space. I really loved what she did here.