Every October, 55,000 quilters descend on Houston, Texas for the annual International Quilt Festival. The massive gathering of quilters from around the world is the largest annual quilt show in the United States and attracts quilters from over 30 countries. This year the show celebrated its 45th birthday. More than $95,000 is awarded to quilts submitted to the show.
For the past few years, the Modern Quilt Guild has sponsored an exhibit of modern quilts at the Festival. In addition to this particular exhibit, more and more quilts with a modern aesthetic are submitted and accepted into the show every year for consideration by the International Quilt Association judges. It’s exciting to see the modern quilt movement growing, as well as the work of modern quilters receiving recognition.
Here are a few of the modern quilts that were on display at this year’s International Quilt Festival:
“Good Vibrations” by Kristin Shields
“Railroad Crossing Quilt” by Tara Faughnan
“Offset Radial” by Audrey Esarey
“More is More” by Laura Loewen
“Squaring the Circle” by Erin Andrews
“Float On” by Jennifer Carlton Bailey
Quilted by Abby Latimer
“Circular Reasoning” by Sylvia Schaefer
“The Same But Different” by Melody H. Baker
“EpiQuilt” by Stephanie M. Skardal
“Sonder”by Melissa Mason
“Blossom Burst” by Sarah Lefebvre
“Ramps” by Elizabeth K. Ray
“Rainbow Roads” by Isabel Munoz Bueno
“Mid-Century Medley” by Lou Ann Smith, Maren Johnston, Patty Six, and Debra Blake
“Tribe” by Maria Shell
“Reflecting Facades No. 1” by Juli Irene Smith
“60 Degrees of Separation”by Mackenzie Leake and Linda Leake
Photographs courtesy of Tracie Buys