Do you have a scrap quilt you are particularly proud of? Have you had a dream of this quilt of yours hanging in a show — in particular, hanging at International Quilt Festival? Would that not be a dream come true?? (For my non-quilting readers, trust me: This is a dream-come-true scenario.)
Well, the time is now to act on that dream! There is still time to submit a scrap quilt of your own making to “Beauty In Pieces: Scrap Quilts for the 21st Century,” the exhibit I have the pleasure of curating for Quilts, Inc., the folks who bring you Quilt Market, Quilt Festival, and of course, the most important of all their projects in their decades-long existence, The Quilt Scout. (I’m kidding: Quilt Market is every bit as important as my column.)
Entering a quilt to be considered is done online, so don’t freak out: No one needs to go running to the post office to ship quilts around willy-nilly. You’ve got till Friday to get your online entry done and all the information about the exhibit and the button for the form can be found right here.
When Quilts, Inc. asked me about curating an exhibit and what that might look like, I knew instantly that I would want to make something for the mighty scrap quilt because I love scrap quilts the most. I like to say that if one shade of pink is good in a quilt, 60 shades are better. I also like to say that every fabric you use in a quilt represents a process, from the mind of the artist to the work of the engraver or computer, to the toil of the manufacturer, to the business of the shop, to you. The more fabrics you have, the more ideas and people you represent in your quilt. The scrap quilt is so strong, no?
So take a look at your quilts. And don’t fret about not having enough time to make something new; the call for entries for these things is pretty short and not long enough for most folks to whip up something fresh. For anyone who wants to make a quilt in five days, be my guest. Don’t forget to drink water and feed the dog.
I can’t wait to see your work. There is beauty — so much beauty — in pieces.
Lisa Gainey Floyd
Can we enter more than one?
Mary
Yes, I believe so! Make sure to check the rules and the fine print. 🙂
Cindy Beal
I love your thoughts on the process of scrap quilts – who all it represents – it makes me see them in a new light.
I won’t look at them the same ever again. While I work primarily in solids, I do an occasional scrappy thing just to jiggle my brain.
And your words “beauty-in pieces” would make a great name for a quilt show……
You are just the best Mary Fons! Love you!
Joan
Does it have to be already finished? Can I enter the one on my design wall?
Thanks Mary…
Joan
Bethany
Yo Mary, scrappy quilts are my favorite. That being said, at what point is a scrap quilt a scrap quilt and not a scrap quilt? I can’t think of anyone better to explore this question than you!
I make scrap quilts, yet I’ve never used scraps to do it. Well, how can that be a scrap quilt, you ask? My approach is once my palette is decided, I shop. I shop and stack and pile. Blue, orange, and a neutral or constant. 20-25 bolts neatly arranged *heaped like a bad jinga game on the cutting table, and buy! That’s my method.
I have a ribbon to prove it works, it’s third place, but it’s mine and I won it!
Joan
I convinced a customer of mine to enter her quilt. It is a very scrap happy quilt.
nadine donovan
I just registered!
The White Limo Today. - Mary Fons
[…] the fine folks at Quilts, Inc. asked me if I wanted to lead a tour through the scrap quilt exhibit I co-curated at the show this year, I said yes because it sounded fun and also I would do anything for them […]