There’s something magical about stepping into a new place and being surrounded by unfamiliar language, textures, colors - and especially the art and crafts that emerge from the culture of that place. I am recently back in Canada from a trip to France, to visit Paris and to venture into the Alps for the Carrefour Européen Patchwork. This bucket-list quilt show went WAY BEYOND my expectations, both in size (it spanned over 4 villages!) and in art quilt innovation and creativity. My mother is an avid quilter and we decided to embark on this adventure together. It was humbling to be surrounded by the thoughtful, exceptional quilts that were on display.

Churches and community buildings were transformed into exhibition halls, each display different and inspiring. In the photo above, my mother is snapping a photo of one of Ina Georgetta Statescu's painterly quilts. I loved how she mixed painting with fabric collage, quilting and embroidery. The results were stunning with so many colours and layered details that blend together.

One of the most amazing aspects of this quilt show was meeting the people behind the work. It was wonderful to hear the artists discuss their processes and the personal journeys that shape their art. It reminded me that we are all experimenting and working at building and refining our skills. Our creative work doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s nurtured by sharing with community, learning from one another, and building persistence.

Listening to accomplished artist, Dianne Firth of Australia (pictured below), who is so dedicated to developing her work and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with art quilts, strengthened my own commitment to work diligently at what I do.

Diane stitches pieces of fabric between layers of tulle, creating compelling, transparent works of art with so much visual movement. I loved hearing about her "Ephemeral" collection and the meaning behind each piece. Her colour choices and quilting lines made each piece a striking display.

It's wonderful to see how other quilt artists are using materials in ways I've never seen before.

Another captivating exhibition was Ruth de Vos' childhood-inspired quilted artwork. It was both the construction of these pieces and the thoughtfulness of her message as a mother that pulled me in (see picture below).

I had been following Ruth de Vos on social media for the past year, so this made seeing her exhibition and meeting her in person extra meaningful for me.

There are so many other artists that are captured on my camera roll... quilts that are full of inspiration and new techniques to try. From Mattea Jurin of Italy, with her thought provoking exhibition to Shin-hee Chin of the USA with her complex thread layered landscapes. Australia's Racheldaisy Dodd and Lorena Uriarte created the happiest, most colourful quilts I've ever seen!😍 

In the upcoming year, I plan to use this creative boost of new ideas in my fabric landscapes. I want to create a new collection that I can share with others in a solo exhibition. Maybe at a future Carrefour Européen Patchwork? It would be a dream come true.💫