I'm getting ready - and super excited! - to leave again for Houston and the massive International Quilt Festival. But before I leave I wanted to make sure I shared some of the amazing quilts I saw earlier this month at another great show, MQX Midwest in Springfield, IL. The MQX shows are always a little different for me because I'm spending most of my time in a classroom instead of at the APQS booth. I had so many great students at MQX and I was so impressed with their work! Teaching at a show can be a little daunting at times. Not because of the students or the class sizes, but because I'm often teaching hands-on classes with machines I'm not familiar with. I always worry that my students will wonder what this crazy lady is doing teaching them when she can't even figure out how to work a machine. I'm always so fortunate to have very forgiving students who are patient with me while I reacquaint myself with a different brand machine. If you were in one of my classes or lectures at MQX, thank you for being such wonderful students! And now, 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!

"Lavender & Lace" quilted by Lynn McCartney

A wholecloth quilt is on my bucket list of quilts to make. I'm always so impressed by anyone's wholecloth quilt. Lynn's quilting is beautiful. I wish I could have just stared at it all day to just absorb all the details!

"My Three Boys" by Kim Mullen

Holy filler designs, Batman! It looks like she had so much fun stitching out all of the filler designs. And the three mandalas in the center are so beautiful and eye catching surrounded by all the black and white.

"Electric Doodle" pieced and quilted by Debbie Winn

If I had to pick an absolute favorite quilt from MQX, it might have to be Electric Doodle by Debbie Winn. In fact, I awarded it my teacher's ribbon! As I said earlier, I love the artistry and skill that's required for a wholecloth quilt. To start with a plain piece of fabric and transform it into a mesmerizing quilt blows my mind! I'm loving the trend of stitching with a fat black thread and coloring in with fabric markers or paint. Doesn't it remind you of adult coloring books? Plus, all the colors in this quilt are so bright and joyous. It looks like Debbie was having so much fun while creating her quilt!

"Red December" pieced by Gail H. Smith and quilted by Angela McCorkle

There is nothing like a red and white quilt. The contrast of those two colors is almost regal. I'm often drawn to this style of applique quilt because of the negative space. There are so many ways you can quilt those big open areas and I'm always curious to see what quilters will come up with. Angela McCorkle recognized the traditional nature of this quilt by adding lots of feathers, but she added extra flourishes to those feathers in the center of the quilt.

"Lone Star Round Up" pieced by Jan Mathews and quilted by Brandy Rayburn

The detail quilting is just mind boggling! Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them so you can see all of her teeny tiny pebbles and swirls and the loopies within the flying geese. I also love how the piecing makes this quilt feel almost 3D, like each element was placed on top of the other.

"Summer Delight" pieced by Sheila Quinn, quilted by Helia Ricci

Summer Delight won a second place ribbon in the Custom Heirloom Show category. I love how each space is really carved out with the quilting, often in a way that pairs well with the piecing. I feel like her feathers nod to the traditional feel of the quilt top, but are still fanciful and playful like the fabrics.

"Lover's Knot" pieced and quilted by Heather Seminelli

This is another quilt that just made me happy when I saw it! It's a mix of computerized and freehand quilting and another quilt with lots of negative space to play in. Using straight lines between the star points she created a cool optical illusion look that brings all the blocks together. Very cool! That's all I have time for today, but stay tuned! I still have a few more quilts from MQX I'll share in another post. If you're at the Houston show, be sure to stop by the APQS booth and say hello!