Gather the quilt & fiber lovers in your life and come to La Conner for a getaway weekend full of color and art! The annual Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival will feature a Juried & Judged Show of traditional quilts, art quilts, wearable art, and fiber art in Maple Hall and the La Conner Civic Garden Club, both locations within a half-block of the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.
Four days of workshops include: embroidery, applique (hand, fused, or raw edge) with color & design, painting & foiling. Maple Hall features the Show, specialty vendors, silent auction, and hands-on quilt & fiber art demonstrations. The Garden Club hosts more vendors, plus Wearables and Fiber Arts. Admission to the Museum is included–it’s your last chance to see the biennial Japanese exhibits!
The 2014 Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival (October 3-6, 2014) is going to be one of the best festivals yet! The festival will continue to offer you a wonderful exhibition, which will include both traditional and modern quilts from many different countries, our highly anticipated workshops, admission to the Museum and the 9th Biennial Japanese Exhibit, and an exciting Silent Auction. We are also adding some surprises this year:
- A hands-on demonstration area in Maple Hall open to all attendees. This area will include both hand and machine quilting demonstrations, weaving, spinning, felting, knitting, bobbin lace, and more! You will be able to see and try many of these fiber art methods!
- A “Members Only” Opening Reception the evening of Oct. 2 at the Festival venue! With hors d’ouevres and beverages being served and a great door prize, you will be able to see the exhibit first-hand before it opens to the public.
Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival 2014 Special Exhibit
Skagit River Project – Ten Art Quilters in Search of a River
Ten members of Fidalgo Island Quilters/Art Quilters challenged themselves to create two group quilts depicting the course of the Skagit River as it flows from the mountains of eastern Skagit County to the waters of the Puget Sound.
Each group of five approached the project differently: one group chose a pictorial style and an abstract style was chosen by the other group. Both groups worked from the same pattern: a 10’ map of Skagit County divided into five sections of 2’ each. Both groups were accurate in depicting the course of the river so that it “matches” from quilt to quilt. A variety of fabrics and techniques were used by each quilter. The river fabric was consistent through all ten quilts.
Pictorial style quilters, while desiring to be more pictorial, still created five individual quilts distinct from one another while creating a unified version of the river.
The abstract style quilters chose a more individualistic approach and exaggerated the width of the river to highlight its impact on the history and economy of Skagit County. Each quilter provided a particular fabric to the others so that those fabrics would be represented in each section.
As the ten quilters worked on developing the individual sections, there was much consultation among them to create a cohesive rendering of the river. The project took one year from the initial proposal to the finished products. The project was quite challenging and a “first” for this group of ten Art Quilters.
Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival 2014 Events & Workshops
Workshops: The festival has an exciting roster of workshops lined up for 2014! Whether you enjoy hand embroidery with embellishment, landscape quilting, or simply trying something new, the festival has a unique workshops for you. Sue Spargo will be teaching her signature embroidery and embellishment techniques. Kathy McNeil will be teaching applique, painting & foiling, and her landscapes. With an array of workshops to choose from, there will be something to spark your creativity!
Preview Party, Thursday, October 2, at 6pm. How can there be a better reason for a party! Be among the first to see the 2014 Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival Award Winners. Treat your spouse, partner, or sewing friends to a delightful evening. Wine & Hors d’oeuvres 6pm. This event will be held at Maple Hall, 104 Commercial St., La Conner, WA 98257. This event requires tickets: call 360-466-4288
Museum Exhibits during the 2014 Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival
Wishes Through Our Hands – Japanese Quilts ends October 5, 2014
Guest Curator, Miwako Kimura, states, “Quiltmaking is converting our wishes into tangible form through the use of our hands. It starts with pouring our wish and mind in the quilt for someone we care, for our own dreams, or for serving our society. We have learned the countless patterns and techniques for quilt making from your country, and at the same time, we are thrilled to practice the ‘heartfelt gift in every stitch’ tradition of quilt making.” This is the ninth biennial Japanese exhibit that Kimura has curated for the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.
Works of Junko Maeda Ends October 5, 2014
Junko Maeda has been working with Japanese natural fiber textiles such as silk, linen and cotton, for nearly forty-five years. They are used not only in quilts but in piece works, clothing, Sashiko works, etc. In the past several years, she has been inspired by handicraft called “Pojagi.” Pojagi is Korean women’s traditional patchwork handed down from mother to daughter in the family. Traditionally, a woman used scraps, worn fabrics, swatches collected from each member of the family and made pojagi, giving her whole mind in her work for the purpose of unifying the family and wishing them everlasting wealth and happiness. Junko travelled to Korea several times and made a research in material fabric called ramie and traditional Pojagi. She has interpreted the construction, color and the beauty of Pojagi to her own style and created new art works which are displayed in the Museum.
Silk & Indigo Challenge
A Challenge was issued during last year’s Festival requiring the use of an orange silk with a Kona Bay indigo. The resulting creative pieces are on exhibit in the Museum beginning early in the month of September. The work ranges from quilts to wearables, soft sculpture, and more. While many of the pieces are for sale, they will remain on display in the Museum through the Festival.
2014 Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival: Opening Reception and Entry Tickets
