The Challenge was put forth to quilters asking them to interpret Artisan as a celebration of excellence. The resulting entries were juried by a panel of experts including Kaffe.

Contest Details:

Artisans celebrate excellence. Artisans start with thoughtfully-chosen materials to create an item with inherent beauty and attention to detail and design. The focus of the I Am An Artisan juried exhibit, is on quilts designed to showcase the harmony of color and texture. Each quilt will speak to a time when hand creation included dedication, appreciation, skill and love of the craft. It’s about simplicity, intention, approach, quality, and a sense of connectionto a time when craftsmanship and artisanship were celebrated.

The entries can be art quilts that speak to the theme or traditional quilts. Any techniques—piecing, appliqué, embroidery, and/or manipulated fabric, etc.—may be used. Competition is open to artists in the United States and Canada. Roughly 80% of each work (60”x 60” quilt) must feature the Artisan fabric collection by Kaffe Fassett for FreeSpirit, www.freespiritfabrics.com/artisan.

A jury of experts, including Kaffe Fassett, will select the works. The jury’s decision is final. The organizers reserve the right to decide about the quilts for the exhibition upon seeing the actual quilts. The organizers reserve the right to refuse any work that does not match the slides submitted to the jury.

Marilyn Belford is an award-winning quilter, well known for her realistic fabric portraits and art quilts. She comes to the quilting community after a long, successful career in the art world. Marilyn finds the congeniality of quilters a delight. Having been brought up in a home where sewing was paramount, it is no surprise that she now combines her love of art and sewing in a new career in quilting. It was after moving up to Chenango Forks, NY, from Brooklyn, NY, that her interest in quilting was sparked. In talking about her portrait quilts, Marilyn says, “A face expresses much emotion. It can tell a complete story in a single viewing. I try to stitch a personality rather than just a face. It is in the details that the emotions rest. I try to give my students the technical background to enable them to produce a portrait in fabric that makes their loved ones seem to breathe.”

Quilt: Medea Escaping by Marilyn Belford