21 modern quilts from the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase

I was fortunate enough to check out the beautifully curated Modern Quilt Showcase, sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild. This exhibit was part of the quilt show associated with the 2019 International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston, Texas. Members of the Modern Quilt Guild from around the world submitted their quilts for this exhibit that uses traditional quilting techniques with a modern design aesthetic.

I was able to document all 20 quilts included in the exhibit. Unfortunately, the lighting in the show isn’t the best for photography.

Included in this virtual modern quilt show is a walkthrough video as well as both full and detail photos of all of the quilts. All descriptions were written by the makers.

You may notice “No photography” signs throughout the exhibit. I inquired with Modern Quilt Guild staff and they confirmed that these signs were a misunderstanding and it was okay for me to post this recap.

Many thanks to Elizabeth Ray for the overview photo shown above.

If your quilt was in the show—congratulations! Please email me your Instagram link if it is not listed below. I’d be happy to include in this post.

Enjoy the show!

A video walkthrough the show:

"Squaring the Circle" by Erin Andrews - modern quilt
“Squaring the Circle” by Erin Andrews
Statement: “Squaring the circle is an ancient mathematical proof, impossible to solve. I had never sewn a curve into a quilt before. The design is heavily influenced by the artwork of the renowned artist, Frank Stella. His use of bold colors and overlapping, concentric circles inspired me to create by own unique design” [Design Source: Frank Stella’s artwork | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Squaring the Circle" by Erin Andrews - modern quilt
detail of “Squaring the Circle” by Erin Andrews
"Offset Radial" by Audrey Esarey
“Offset Radial” by Audrey Esarey
Statement: “The Offset series is a graphic representation of my perspective on balance. Balance doesn’t always require symmetry. Sometimes lack of balance drives a change in my behavior, represented by the color gradation woven in with the steady shade of wasabi. Offset Radial is an asymmetrical graphic quilt design, the second in a series, represented by offset but balanced, radiating wedges.”[Design Source: Original design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Offset Radial" by Audrey Esarey
detail of “Offset Radial” by Audrey Esarey
"The Same But Different" by Melody H. Baker
“The Same But Different” by Melody H. Baker
Statement: “Selecting strong, bold colors helped in developing this quilt. I turned a simple shape into a design pattern. Working with a circle templates, I created the tubular shape. I kept playing with the tubular shape by flipping it to create a reflection of the design, until an overall design pattern developed. It’s truly all the same, but different.” [Design Source: Circular shapes | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "The Same But Different" by Melody H. Baker
detail of “The Same But Different” by Melody H. Baker
"Banner Day" by Heather E. Black
“Banner Day” by Heather E. Black
Statement: Banner Day is a combination of two designs I wasn’t very happy with. However, when I mixed the concepts into on design everything came together. It’s a good feeling when I can work through a creative slump and get to a quilt design that excites me. Banner Day is one of those designs.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Banner Day" by Heather E. Black
detail of “Banner Day” by Heather E. Black
"Railroad Crossing Quilt" by Tara Faughnan
“Railroad Crossing Quilt” by Tara Faughnan
Statement: “The idea for this quilt began with the palette. Chartreuse became the neutral color that tied everything together. My original vision for this quilt was a traditional Railroad Crossing with wide sashing and tiny piecing. It no longer resembles the traditional Railroad Crossing quilt pattern. I kept the name as a tribute to its origins.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Railroad Crossing Quilt" by Tara Faughnan
detail of “Railroad Crossing Quilt” by Tara Faughnan
"60 Degrees of Separation" by Mackenzie Leake and Linda Leake
“60 Degrees of Separation” by Mackenzie Leake and Linda Leake
Statement: “This project is our first collaboration between mother and daughter. We combined our stash of solids and designed a simple triangle quilt that let us play with all of these different colors. The primary theme of this quilt is balance. We focused on balancing the colors and scales of the triangles as well as the ratio of solid and pieced triangles. We chose light to medium colors, experimenting with different scales of triangles and strips.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "60 Degrees of Separation" by Mackenzie Leake and Linda Leake
detail of “60 Degrees of Separation” by Mackenzie Leake and Linda Leake
"Searching for Corners" by Stephanie Z. Ruyle
“Searching for Corners” by Stephanie Z. Ruyle
Statement: “Playing with some planned improvisational curves and piecing, this quilt contrasts foreground and background, cool and warm, curve and corner. All components flow and the foreground appears to float over the negative space. The white areas are quilted at an angle suggestive of spotlights searching for corners. The pieced binding brings the foreground all the way to the edge and keeps the relationship of the composition intact without creating a distinct frame.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Searching for Corners" by Stephanie Z. Ruyle
detail of “Searching for Corners” by Stephanie Z. Ruyle
"Reflecting Facades No. 1" by Juli Irene Smith
“Reflecting Facades No. 1” by Juli Irene Smith
Statement: “Reflecting Facades No. 1 was inspired by a photograph of the Futurium Building in Berlin, Germany. As an architect, I am always observing patterns and light interaction on surfaces, especially buildings! I manipulated the traditional Half Square Triangle block and colors to create a quilt full of movement. As I worked with the blocks on my design wall, I saw forms starting to develop, as well as fissures that cracked open the forms. I explored light to dark, black to white, depth and color gradations. The quilting strived to emphasize that movement and depth.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Reflecting Facades No. 1" by Juli Irene Smith
detail of “Reflecting Facades No. 1” by Juli Irene Smith
"The Peach One" by Melissa N. Everett
“The Peach One” by Melissa N. Everett
Statement: “This quilt incorporates some of my hand painted fabrics. I paired it with half circle piecing, and it came to life.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted, painted]
detail of "The Peach One" by Melissa N. Everett
detail of “The Peach One” by Melissa N. Everett
"Dispersal" by Krista D. Hennebury Statement: "Dispersal means sending small pieces out over a wide area. This quilt was started without a final outcome in mind. Every little curved unit has an opposite sister somewhere in the quilt. Instead of squaring up, I filled out the quilt with improvisational piecing. Only the largest curves were marked for quilting, with subsequent lines filled in my eye, keeping with the spirit of improvisation." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand quilted, machine pieced] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Dispersal” by Krista D. Hennebury
Statement: “Dispersal means sending small pieces out over a wide area. This quilt was started without a final outcome in mind. Every little curved unit has an opposite sister somewhere in the quilt. Instead of squaring up, I filled out the quilt with improvisational piecing. Only the largest curves were marked for quilting, with subsequent lines filled in my eye, keeping with the spirit of improvisation.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand quilted, machine pieced]
detail of "Dispersal" by Krista D. Hennebury
detail of “Dispersal” by Krista D. Hennebury
"Float on" by Jennifer Carlton Bailly Statement: "Don't worry, we'll all float on. Even if things get heavy, we'll all float on, alright." quotation by Modest Mouse. It is the inspiration for this quilt. My favorite feature of the quilt is what I call the ghost blocks. It would have been very easy to just do a square where the white-on-white curves are, but losing att that texture just wasn't worth it."
“Float On” by Jennifer Carlton Bailly
Statement: “Don’t worry, we’ll all float on. Even if things get heavy, we’ll all float on, alright.” quotation by Modest Mouse. It is the inspiration for this quilt. My favorite feature of the quilt is what I call the ghost blocks. It would have been very easy to just do a square where the white-on-white curves are, but losing all that texture just wasn’t worth it.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced]
detail of "Float On" by Jennifer Carlton Bailly
detail of “Float On” by Jennifer Carlton Bailly
"More is More" by Laura Loewen Statement: "In the world of modern quilts, some say less is more. More is More is based on the classes I attended at QuiltCon in February 2019. There were so much to take in and I wanted to illustrate all the inspiration in one quilt. I wanted to explore new techniques such as quilt-as-you-go, hand applique, and mixing quilting types. I hope that I have captured even just a fraction of the beauty of the Modern Quilt Guild stitch into their projects every day." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand appliqued and quilted, machine pieced and quilted]
“More is More” by Laura Loewen
Statement: “In the world of modern quilts, some say less is more. More is More is based on the classes I attended at QuiltCon in February 2019. There were so much to take in and I wanted to illustrate all the inspiration in one quilt. I wanted to explore new techniques such as quilt-as-you-go, hand applique, and mixing quilting types. I hope that I have captured even just a fraction of the beauty of the Modern Quilt Guild stitch into their projects every day.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand appliqued and quilted, machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "More is More" by Laura Loewen
detail of “More is More” by Laura Loewen
"Circular Reasoning" by Sylvia Schaefer Statement: "This design was loosely inspired by a pattern of Slubs in a Rug. I enjoy having a handwork project while I watch TV. The circles are all hand appliqued after turning the edges under with starch. The circle gradients are continued into the quilting to fill in some of the empty spaces and provide additional interest." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand appliqued and machine quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Circular Reasoning” by Sylvia Schaefer
Statement: “This design was loosely inspired by a pattern of Slubs in a Rug. I enjoy having a handwork project while I watch TV. The circles are all hand appliqued after turning the edges under with starch. The circle gradients are continued into the quilting to fill in some of the empty spaces and provide additional interest.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand appliqued and machine quilted]
detail of "Circular Reasoning" by Sylvia Schaefer
detail of “Circular Reasoning” by Sylvia Schaefer
"Good Vibrations" by Kristin Shields Statement: "This quilt represents the pure joy of playing with color, rhythm, and pattern. Improvisational piecing is all about saying yes to the possibilities." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Good Vibrations” by Kristin Shields
Statement: “This quilt represents the pure joy of playing with color, rhythm, and pattern. Improvisational piecing is all about saying yes to the possibilities.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Good Vibrations" by Kristin Shields
detail of “Good Vibrations” by Kristin Shields

"Justice Everywhere" by Vasudha Govindan Statement: "Justice Everywhere using the Braille alphabet spells out Dr. Martin Luther King's famous quote, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' I am forever inspired by this quote. It entreats us to not rest until there is justice everywhere and for everyone. Trapunto, with two layers of wool batting, used for the pink squares to emphasize the tactile nature of Braille." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted, trapuntoed] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Justice Everywhere” by Vasudha Govindan
Statement: “Justice Everywhere using the Braille alphabet spells out Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous quote, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I am forever inspired by this quote. It entreats us to not rest until there is justice everywhere and for everyone. Trapunto, with two layers of wool batting, used for the pink squares to emphasize the tactile nature of Braille.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted, trapuntoed]
"EpiQuilt" by Stephanie M. Skardal Statement: "The design for EpiQuilt was created via computer code. I provided constraints and translated instructions and randomly filled in the shapes with color gradient strips. I was inspired to translate that improvisational design to make a more precisely planned design. The quilt was pieced on a domestic machine with Kona solids and LIberty Tana Lawns, and it was quilted on a longarm with voile on the back." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“EpiQuilt” by Stephanie M. Skardal
Statement: “The design for EpiQuilt was created via computer code. I provided constraints and translated instructions and randomly filled in the shapes with color gradient strips. I was inspired to translate that improvisational design to make a more precisely planned design. The quilt was pieced on a domestic machine with Kona solids and Liberty Tana Lawns, and it was quilted on a longarm with voile on the back.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]

detail of "EpiQuilt" by Stephanie M. Skardal
detail of “EpiQuilt” by Stephanie M. Skardal

"Sonder" by Melissa Mason Statement: "My quilt was inspired by graphic artist Andy Gilmore. Sonder celebrates the comples and varied paths we all walk and the richness that can be found there. It was conceptualized while recording the oral histories of women who are often overlooked by history. It is designed to keep the eye constantly moving and following new pathways." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Sonder” by Melissa Mason
Statement: “My quilt was inspired by graphic artist Andy Gilmore. Sonder celebrates the comples and varied paths we all walk and the richness that can be found there. It was conceptualized while recording the oral histories of women who are often overlooked by history. It is designed to keep the eye constantly moving and following new pathways.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
"Melting Ice" by Karen Maple Statement: "After photographing melting icebergs in Antarctica, I was inspired to create a quilt that highlights the alarming effect of global warming. I used some unique techniques. The quilt was hand pieced with a new method I call California (not English) paper piecing. Only one piece of solid white ice remains. The lighter pieces represent the melting ice by using linear quilting lines. While the darker pieces with curved quilting represent the surrounding ocean." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand pieced and quilted, machine quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Melting Ice” by Karen Maple
Statement: “After photographing melting icebergs in Antarctica, I was inspired to create a quilt that highlights the alarming effect of global warming. I used some unique techniques. The quilt was hand pieced with a new method I call California (not English) paper piecing. Only one piece of solid white ice remains. The lighter pieces represent the melting ice by using linear quilting lines. While the darker pieces with curved quilting represent the surrounding ocean.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Hand pieced and quilted, machine quilted]

detail of "Melting Ice" by Karen Maple
detail of “Melting Ice” by Karen Maple
"Blossom Burst" by Sarah Lefebvre Statement: "Blossom Burst is an original quilt design created for the 2019 Riley Blake Designs Modern Quilt Guild Fabric Challenge. I used geometric shapes: triangles, diamonds, and parallelograms paired with organic straight-line quilting to add contrast, texture, and interest.." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Blossom Burst” by Sarah Lefebvre
Statement: “Blossom Burst is an original quilt design created for the 2019 Riley Blake Designs Modern Quilt Guild Fabric Challenge. I used geometric shapes: triangles, diamonds, and parallelograms paired with organic straight-line quilting to add contrast, texture, and interest..” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Blossom Burst" by Sarah Lefebvre
detail of “Blossom Burst” by Sarah Lefebvre
"Correlation" by Michelle Wilkie Statement: "A correlation is a statistical exploration of two factors and how they related to each other. In this study, over 100 days, I was investigating the interaction of color and angles. One block was produced each day, and white blocks were used to balance out the intese colored angles. The straight line quilting of the quilt mimics angles from a single block." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Correlation” by Michelle Wilkie
Statement: “A correlation is a statistical exploration of two factors and how they related to each other. In this study, over 100 days, I was investigating the interaction of color and angles. One block was produced each day, and white blocks were used to balance out the intense colored angles. The straight line quilting of the quilt mimics angles from a single block.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Correlation" by Michelle Wilkie
detail of “Correlation” by Michelle Wilkie
"Ramps" by Elizabeth K. Ray Statement: "I designed Ramps for the 2018 Pantone Ultra Violet Quilt Challenge as part of my series on exploring pieced strips cut into half square triangles and gentle curves. Ramps doesn't use curves. I liked the design element with the sharp extending line and used varying hues of purple and violet along with value contrasts to define strong geometric divisions. My goal was to create clear contrasts and crip points bouncing your eye up and down the ramps. The vertical strips are not intended to mach up by act as pieced areas." [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted] displayed in the 2019 Modern Quilt Showcase sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild at the International Quilt Festival in Houston
“Ramps” by Elizabeth K. Ray
Statement: “I designed Ramps for the 2018 Pantone Ultra Violet Quilt Challenge as part of my series on exploring pieced strips cut into half square triangles and gentle curves. Ramps doesn’t use curves. I liked the design element with the sharp extending line and used varying hues of purple and violet along with value contrasts to define strong geometric divisions. My goal was to create clear contrasts and crip points bouncing your eye up and down the ramps. The vertical strips are not intended to match up by act as pieced areas.” [Design Source: Original Design | Techniques: Machine pieced and quilted]
detail of "Ramps" by Elizabeth K. Ray
detail of “Ramps” by Elizabeth K. Ray

Want more quilts?
Check out the 2017 Modern Quilt Showcase.

Check out the 2018 Modern Quilt Showcase.

Check out the 2018 Best of QuiltCon traveling exhibit.

Check out 20 modern quilts from QuiltCon 2019.

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8 Comments

  1. How can anyone try to compete with these quilters/artists? The intimidation starts with the confidence so aparrent in their design and use of color and then leaves the average modern quilter shrinking by ther cerebral concept statement. Mine would read “I love exuberant color and like to keep things simple”

    1. Hi Kim. I’ve seen many quilt statements at national quilt shows (including my own) that are super simple. I do enjoy reading how others describe their quilts in their statements, whether they’re cerebral or super simple. That’s the great thing about quilting—there is no right or wrong! Keep quilting and making, Sheri

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