Quilters Convention: Inspiration!

Jacket quilting envy

Over the weekend there was a Quilt Odyssey 2018 at the Hershey Lodge and  Convention Center.  I didn't even know that quilting conventions existed until the family communication chain kicked in.  (Communication chain of my mother in law heard it on the radio and told my father in law, who then relayed it to my husband while at the gym and by some strange miracle he remembered and told me when he got home.) After a little bit of waffling I decided to attend. Fate would have it that my dear friend GAT was free, so she joined me in the land of quilts.

I love the lyrics!

I honestly had no idea what to expect at the convention, and it blew my mind.  There are some seriously talent individuals out there that have far more patience then I will ever achieve. One quilt that particularly made me smile was the Mosura no Uta quilt by Amy Peterson.

Mosura No Uta

Not only was it a beautiful and well detailed quilt, it was also a tribute to  Mothra, who is well known in the Godzilla folklore. The quilter actually had the song embroidered on to the quilt along with detailed moths.  To me it was a beautiful blend of skill combined with a sense of humor.  It spoke to me and made me feel better about some of the ideas I have with quilting. 

Another quilt that was inspiring, was one called Mike's Heart by Miyuki Humphries.  The little bio talked about how this was a therapy quilt for a husband that had pass away. It was beautiful and made me tear up a little bit.  I can completely relate to quilting being therapy. I have sat for several hours at a sewing machine sewing squares together as I sort through things that trouble me.  The amount of detail on the project was astounding.

Mike's Heart

Not only where there beautiful quilts on display and several raffles that a person could enter. (I am totally going to win at least one of the quilts I put tickets in for. I can feel it.) They also had a wonderful merchants corner, where it was fun to sort through fabric, look at kits and machines.  Despite the fact that GAT doesn't sew (she is a cross stitcher at heart), she had fun sorting through fabric with me and keeping an eye out for unusual fabric patterns or unique items that worked with my style.  By the end of the convention, we were both thrilled with the purchases that we made and looked forward to upcoming projects. 

I think that any convention that inspires a person, is worth while to attend. I have marked my calendar for next years convention and have already started on a couple of projects that I had been putting off.  Inspiration is wonderful, what ever the source!