Rhythm of the Rails
My quilts just arrived home from QuiltCon so I thought I'd share the judge's comments which I always find interesting. My comments follow.
Rhythm of the Rails was in the Improvisational Category.
- very cohesive overall
- quilter's voice shines through pattern
- colors are chosen well
I really like comment #2 for Rhythm of the Rails (more photos here) because I think that's true. This one really feels like me. It's also nice to know they thought the design was cohesive and that the colors are chosen well. As far as the colors, they were pretty intuitive for me. I didn't plan anything out or create a palette before starting. I started with some scraps and picked out cut yardage to go, but I also had other colors I didn't end up using. In this design, there was a very particular tomato red (one of my favorites) that I was running out of and just couldn't find the right substitute for. My friend Jan gave me a piece that she had in the just the right color and I think it makes the quilt. You might have another idea of what color makes the quilt. Jan actually told me she thought it was the mustard color that did it.
Arches and Tunnels
Arches and Tunnels was in the Small Quilt Category.
- quilting supports the theme
- color palette is cohesive
- variation in sizes of arches and tunnels energizes design
My favorite comment for Arches and Tunnels is #3 (more photos here). It was my intention from the beginning to make the sizes vary. None of this was cut from templates so that was pretty easy to do. I used a fold and cut technique, but it was all cut freehand. I also like that they thought the quilting supported the theme. I was actually unsure of that. The color palette on this one is cohesive, but also awfully bold. If I had started this one today I think I would have toned it down a bit.
QuiltCon was really just a two day affair for me this year as I left early to spend the weekend in San Diego with my daughter. It was a good time though and I went to some amazing lectures. I will have a couple of posts about the show coming up in the next few days.
PS- Here's another post about judge's comments in case you're interested.