Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Modern Quilts: THE BOOK!

First things first: Happy New Year!

Although my copy is still in transit and I haven't actually seen the ink on the page, I am very excited to finally share with you that one of my quilts appears in this first (I say first, because I am hopeful that there will be more) hardcover volume documenting some of the best work of over 200 Modern Quilt Guild members.



Longtime modern quilt curator and MQG Director of Marketing & Programming Heather Grant, MQG founder and Executive Director Alissa Haight-Carleton and MQG Communication Manager Riane Menardi co-wrote this volume. I plan to keep it close at hand on my coffee table along with my treasured Gees Bend books so that I'm ready to show interested friends and visitors just what Modern Quilting is, what modern quilts look like and how some of my work fits in and some of it doesn't.

A regrettable lack of confidence kept me from submitting any of my quilts for consideration. Then one day I received an email from the MQG asking if they could include Chess on the Steps and I was absolutely thrilled to be involved. Creating this quilt as one of the first MQG "free pattern of the month" in 2014 really began my continued participation in the guild and the broader community outside of my local Vancouver MQG. The quilt went on to hang as part of an invitational exhibit at QuiltCon2015 and it appeared in that year's QuiltCon and Simply Moderne magazines.  After it was published, I received some wonderful teaching and trunk show invitations both at home and abroad and then the MQG asked me to design a beginner improv pattern for Simply Moderne magazine to accompany their ongoing monthly article on the modern aesthetic (resulting in my Variegated Threads quilt).  This quilt really has brought a lot of joy and excitement to my life!


Chess On the Steps by Poppyprint

What makes Chess on the Steps even more special to me, and I think a wonderful inclusion in Modern Quilts, is that it honours the traditions of quilting and a make-do style that I so respect, admire and ultimately, aspire to. The layout of a giant Courthouse Steps block was inspired by a vintage quilt I saw displayed in a museum exhibit  American Quilts: The Democratic Art in the fall of 2012. The original quilt (by an unknown maker) contrasted suiting wools in neutral tones with more colourful shirting and dressmaking fabrics. I thought about this quilt for many months and was delighted when a friend finally located a photo in Roderick Kiracofe's book Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000 shortly after I made my version.

Here they are side by side: contemporary inspiration and modern interpretation.

The more I considered it, the more I wanted to recreate the design using a limited colour palette of solids.  Eventually, I came to develop my Improv Under the Influence piecing technique for this quilt and many others that followed  (it became my most popular workshop over the past 3 years). I was incredibly fortunate that Oakshott Fabrics sponsored this quilt; it is made exclusively with their colourshott shot cottons. These fabrics give the quilt a luminescence that flat cottons just can't replicate. You can still purchase a kit to make your very own Chess on the Steps quilt from Oakshott Fabrics right here or purchase the pattern from my Craftsy shop here.


I cannot wait to savour this book and enjoy the work of many friends, acquaintances and quilters that I admire. There are many talented Canadians included in the book, which makes it extra sweet for me.

Thank you to the authors and the MQG (and of course my local VancouverMQG chapter) for the many opportunities made available to members to share our work with a growing audience through regular magazine articles in international publications, QuiltCon (the annual juried show), the annual QuiltCon traveling exhibit, member webinars and patterns, this gorgeous book and a new venture starting later in 2018: a traveling museum collection of quilts from Modern Quilts. Chess on the Steps will be a part of this traveling exhibit, having already made trips to Inuvik, Sweden, Alaska, Birmingham UK, Austin TX and an appearance in Canada's national juried show. It truly is the quilt that keeps on giving.....and getting around!

Chess on the Steps in Inuvik
Chess on the Steps beside an igloo in Canada's arctic, near Inuvik, NWT.

It is my hope that the traveling exhibit will make it to some Canadian locations (I've suggested a few!) and if that happens I will definitely let you know.  Details of the tour locations will be posted at modernquilts.com as they become available, with the first exhibit opening April 1st, 2018 at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Ohio. In the meantime, you can see many of the other quilts included in the book and read about their maker's stories on this extensive bloghop (details at this link).  Would you like to have this beautiful book in your quilting library or know someone who would? Purchase your own copy directly from the registered non-profit MQG right here where 100% of royalties will support guild programming and member services.





14 comments:

Karen said...

CONGRATULATIONS!! And SO very well deserved! If only your beautiful quilt was a flying carpet--then you could go on tour, too :)

the milliner said...

Congrats Krista! Loved reading about the inspiration and adventures of this quilt. I can imagiine how stunning those shot cottons are IRL. Cannot wait to have this book on hand to peruse again and again.

katy said...

Congratulations Krista - this is a well earned and deserved honour recognizing your contribution to quilting.

Esther said...

Congratulations Krista!! So enjoyed learning the improv under the influence technique on our cruise to Alaska. My Northern Lights version sit on my list of WIP to finish (only needs to be quilted) in 2018! Enjoy the accolades ...you have earned them!
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Terry Aske Art Quilts said...

Congrats Krista. Great blog post about your quilt and the book. I’m looking forward to seeing all the quilts in the book.

Dianne said...

Congratulations my friend!! Can't wait to see the book IRL. What a wonderful adventure this technique has taken you on!! IMHO the adventure has just begun ������

Elisabeth said...

Congrats Krista - this is a well deserved honour for you and for Chess on the Steps! Can't wait to get the book.

Arita said...

Congratulations Krista. I love this quilt and looking forward to new and wonderful creations from you in 2018.

Katy Cameron said...

Lots of well deserved opportunities came from that quilt, congrats on the inclusion in the book

pennylanequilts said...

Thanks for your post telling about your quilt and its travels. I'm really enjoying looking at my copy and revisiting all these wonderful quilts. Congratulations!

Sandi said...

So enjoyed reading this post and congratulations yet again!
Sandi

SarahZ said...

This has truly been a great road you have been traveling... may it continue to be a happy, challenging creative path! Congratulations on your inclusion in the book, and the exhibit!!!

trudys_person said...

Congratulations Krista! I've enjoyed following your creative path! Looking forward to getting copies of this book for myself and the library!

Cathy Perlmutter said...

I love your improv quilts. I just wrote a summary of some of my favorite quilts from QuiltCon, and didn't even realize til just now that I published two of yours! https://gefiltequilt.blogspot.com/2018/02/quiltcon-2018-main-event.html. Congrats!