My QuiltCon 2026 Highlights
I had been eagerly waiting to attend QuiltCon2026 ever since arriving home from QuiltCon in 2024!! The show has such an incredible energy and I find the quilts and conversations so inspiring. Here are some of my favorite experiences from the trip (in no particular order)…
My very first stop at QuiltCon was the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy Special Exhibit, which featured quilting demonstrations and a selection of 25 Gee's Bend quilts on display. This felt like such a special opportunity, and I am glad I used my most fresh eyes on this part of the show!!
The quilt in this exhibit that was hardest for me to leave because it captured my attention so completely is the second Untitled by Marlene B. Jones (2024)(first slide). I was so taken with the echoes of where pockets once were, familiar shapes arranged in unexpected ways, and the variety of visual and tactile textures - I found this piece very inspiring and captivating.
More details about some of the other Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy quilts in my Instagram post.
My favorite category of the show is Handwork, and this year’s selections did not disappoint! Every quilt in the category delighted my senses and got me curious about a technique…
Bloom, Becoming, Intrepid, Flourish by Heidi Parkes (first slide) was my favorite quilt in the whole show. There are so so many details and surprises in this one, I could study it for days (and I did :) One detail I love that Heidi shared is that the cardigan she appliqued in the upper left part of the quilt was continually mended before being added - I love that it has this beautiful color composition, and is also a simple and extremely well-loved mended garment - so many layers of meaning. I also love the rich colors, contrast, and the teeny tiny applique "confetti."
More details about some of the other quilts in my Handwork Instagram post
There were so many other quilts I adored from all the other categories - here are just a few:
Field Dynamics #3 by Mindy Brown - I stood in front of this piece, walking closer/moving farther back for quite some time. The color interactions, the scale, and the puzzle of how it was pieced kept me so intrigued!
Stars: I Love You JWST by Robert J. Bosscher (second slide) was fascinating from afar and up close. I love the concept and the exquisite detail of the piecing - it feels so thoughtful on so many levels
Two more Instagram posts with more quilts/details here and here
Something new I got to try is an after-hours Design Tour of the quilts in the show. Led by Robert J. Bosscher, our group walked through the aisles, identifying and discussing different elements of art and principles of design the quilters used in their quilts.
Getting to nerd out over quilt design with a small and enthusiastic group in a quiet exhibit hall with Robert's guidance and pure enthusiasm for the subject and the quilts was so so special!
I also had a chance to visit some of the vendors and found some lovely treasures to bring home with me, including fabric scraps and a thread collection from my friend Jenn of Slightly Biased Quilts, and a slow stitch bogolan/mudcloth kit from Cultured Expressions that I can’t wait to play with!
Finally, I would be remiss not to mention the fun my family and I had in Raleigh while we were there for the show! The weather was spectacular, and we got to visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Dorothea Dix Park, including five troll sculptures by artist Thomas Dambo!
