Houston International Quilt Show:

 Look at this amazing quilt that took first prize at Houston.  It was created by Melissa Sobota who has been quilting for all of six years.   I found myself drawn to it on more than one occasion attempting to analyze it and in the end just being mesmerized by it.  The quilt was made using a photo taken of a Chilhuly glass exhibit as a reference  and is called "Art Reflecting Art".  It is all fabric applique with no thread or fabric painting.  Absolutely deserving of the $10,000 Grand Prize.

 Houston:  It's been decades since we lived in Texas and traveled down to spend the day in Houston and take the kids on to the coast to play on the beach.  It was fun to be back, even though we stayed downtown and didn't have any extra time to venture much beyond our route from our hotel to the convention center.  Thursday it poured, a torrential downpour. Friday, the day was lovely, cool and dry.

Three hundred quilts were juried and over six hundred were on display.  I was there for the grand opening on Wednesday night, spent a good part of Thursday touring the show with Roger and then ran back and forth between classes on Friday to make sure I had seen it all.  There seemed to always be one row or another that I discovered had not been explored properly.

 I took dozens hundreds of photos (Kim is nodding laughing out loud right now) and what I was really interested in was the up close and personal of the quilting.  The machine quilting has gone beyond amazing and if I only can make it up one or two more rungs on the quilt ladder, I will be happy.
Inspiration here to spare!

 And the colors!!!!!  This is a Libby Lehman quilt which was one of about twelve of hers  grouped in a special display.  Below, another great quilt for
stitch options.



 They had a series of open studio classes running all day where you could sit in on half hour lectures and demonstrations from teachers and exhibitors.   As I had actively been blog "stalking" some of these ladies since I returned to the U.S., it was fun to meet them in this setting.  Below is Victoria Findlay Wolfe setting up for her class. 

 Then back for more photo taking - more quilting patterns to learn.

 Back to the classes.  This one was dyeing and stamping to create your own fabric taught by Lisa Walton from Australia.
 

And back to the show.  The quilt below took first prize in the digital photography and thread painting category.  Not really my thing, at least not yet.  After all, it wasn't too long ago that I thought machine quilting had crossed the line.

On Back to the vendors.  I did spend just a bit of money here.

And then back for some more stitch work.  The work below is Caryl Bryer Fallert's.  She displayed thirty of her pieces this year.  I absolutely get lost in her quilts.



 I will admit that I am a traditionalist at heart.  I love the quilt below, absolutely love it.  Two color, Pickle Dish design.  It's on my "to-do" list.

 Flying home we crossed the mountains of Southern Utah and I couldn't resist taking one last photo.  Now that would make an impressive quilt!