QuiltCon 2015 - Austin, Texas by Jennifer J.
So Jaye asked me to write a blog post about QuiltCon.
I said sure. I don’t know why. I’ve never done a blog post and I’m not
quite sure what people want in one. I am not a regular reader of blog
posts so I didn’t even have footing as a blog post reader. So I was left
with simply sharing my take-aways, hoping that it offers something for
those who take the time to read it. So here goes.
This was my second QuiltCon. I went to the first one because I saw a movement taking shape
and I wanted to support it and be a part of it. Like a child's first
steps or words…this movement, the Modern Quilting movement, was the real
deal and, by golly, they were even having their own conference. So it
was a no-brainer that I was going to go.
Attending
for the second time, I got to see a reflection of how the movement
seems to have grown. I don’t know the statistics comparing this year to
the previous one, but it felt more mature to me. On a very
practical level, the bag of swag (you know, the bag you get when you
arrive and get your badge) really stood out…not just all the goodies in
it (from books, to fabric, to a watch that was also a ruler...try to
picture that) but even the bag stood out. I would overhear people at the
show talking about how much they liked it. When I got back home my
mother-in-law, also a quilter, was shocked at just how much they gave
you for just for attending. During the show, someone stopped me outside
of the convention center to tell me they liked my bag and wanted to know
if I had made it. Imagine their surprise when I said this was the bag
they gave everyone who registered for the show!
Again
this year the online registration process was a little disappointing in
that I was only able to get into one workshop of the many that I was
interested in. It seemed like everyone had ‘early registration’ so in
the end, nobody felt like they actually got to register early. I was
however able to get into some lectures. The speakers I did see were
entertaining and informative. One speaker reminded me that the lectures
from the first QuiltCon might still available for free on Craftsy.
I am hoping that this year’s lectures will end up there too so I can
watch them all. I might even go back and catch some from the previous
year.
The
primary theme that came across to me this year, was one of connecting.
How quilting was bringing people together, and through quilting, new
connections were being made. The idea of connecting was all around me in
bits of conversation I would hear. Speakers were alluding to it and the
show itself seemed to breed it…QuiltCon’s new app allowed you to connect with others or share through social media. The
idea of connecting generations came up a lot as well. I saw lots of moms
with babes in arms… a rare sight I’m sure for most quilting
conventions. Lecturer Mary Fons, with her mom Marianne chiming in from the audience, speaking about the quilting industry back
then versus the industry now. Lecturer Heather Givans of Crimson Tate
talking about when she took her mom to quilting camp. It was nice to to
hear how quilting was connecting not only people are close to one
another, but those who are far away from each other as well. Not to
mention this year’s yoga sessions for quilters...every
morning there was a large group of quilters on yoga mats, connecting
with their inner selves. Connection was everywhere.
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