Chicago Quilt Fest

Here are the highlights from my highly biased viewpoint.

I always like In the American Tradition exhibit, contemporary spins on traditional patterns.  Here's a favorite, all polka dots and stripes.  It's appropriately named Sunny Side Up, made by Tamna Tarr.

Another dependable highlight is Hands All Around, quilts from around the world.  This year's Japanese best, Spring Field by Akiko  Kawata:

Love, love, love this quilt.  (I actually like dandelions, too.)

Here's one I liked from Tactile Architecture,  Remembering Sweden, by Helena Scheffer.

And this should be familiar:

I bet the Hoffman Challenge people will never again choose such a drab fabric for the challenge.  Although the individual quilts are striking, the overall impression of the exhibit is dull.  Most people stuck to that earth tone palette, with only a couple of brave souls adding red, or in one case a reddish purple.

The best part, which I can't show, was the SAQA exhibit,  SAQA @20.  This was fabulous.  These quilts are art, no matter how you want to argue about the definition.  If this exhibit comes near you, it's well worth seeing.

And as a final note, this is the last year for this show in Chicago.  Apparently there have been many complaints about the venue, so next year the spring show goes to Cincinnati.  Too bad for those of us here; Cincinnati is not a day trip.