Opening Night at the Houston International Quilt Festival

It's Preview Night at the  Houston International Quilt Festival, the biggest quilt show in the world! What a paradise for quilt lovers. Come with us while we look at some dazzlers.

Three Friends, app. 48 x48, by Sheril Drummond at Shedrum, Lexington, Kentucky

This gorgeous work looks pieced, but it is actually a stained-glass-look applique, made from all-cotton fabrics.  Sheril writes, "This quilt is the final one in a series of four horse quilts made to show during the 2010 Equestrian Games held in Lexington, Kentucky."  Notice how Sheril has designed all the pieces in curved rather than straight shapes to match the curves of the horses' faces and bodies.  

Flower Raft, app. 65 x 48 by Takako Ishinami,  Yamaguchi, Japan

Takako writes, "The wind blows, and cherry blossom petals are floating in the river. I am pleased to depict the magnificent Japanese spring."  Here is a close-up photo of "Flower Raft":

We love quilts made from recycled clothing, so we were fascinated to learn that all the fabric in this quilt was from old Japanese kimonos. This work is all hand-pieced and hand-quilted with beautiful sashiko embroidery, as you can see in this close-up.

Yo-Yo's In Bloom, app. 48 x48, by Helen Remick at helenremick, Seattle, Washington

Yo-Yo quilts are always so fun and cheerful, this one particularly caught our eyes.  Helen was inspired by the design on an Islamic tile to create these modified yo-yo flowers,  with four to eight petals in each, which all nestle together.  Here is a closeup photo of Yo-Yos in Bloom:

We purposely took this photo off-center, so that you can see the three-dimensional effect created by the use of eyelash yarn and pearls in the center of the flowers. If there was a category for "Most Happy Quilt in Houston", this delightful creation would surely win the blue ribbon.  

It's now 1 a.m. as we write this from Houston... stay tuned for more images from the International Quilt Show!