Sunday, January 21, 2018

More QuiltCon Rejects, and One that Squeaked In!

I am still excited about being a QuiltCon reject! Last week, I showed one of my favorite quilts (that I  made) which was turned down by QuiltCon, the country's preeminent modern quilt show, which will be held in Pasadena (the city next to me) in late February.

I was, of course, sad, until I found all the other fabulous losers on Instagram, using the search term #QuiltConReject. If you were turned down too, head over there and you'll feel mostly much better (you're in great company!), and maybe only a teensy bit worse on one count ("if the judges didn't accept THAT genius quilt made by XYZ, how are they going to accept one of mine?")

That thought can drive one mad, so breathe it away. Quilt show acceptance - like applying for colleges, jobs, and/or romantic love - is neither explicable nor under our control. One should certainly research the show before applying, but at a certain point, grasshopper, one must let go.

Just for fun - here are the three more quilts I submitted to this year's QuiltCon - one of the four made it in. Is it quilt #1, "Altered Squares"?

Or quilt #2, Rainbow Refugees?
(It started out as an abstract batik scrap project, but wound up looking like slumped figures, escaping oppression, each filled with complexity, color, life, and great contributions to make to the lucky country that takes them in.)

Or maybe Quilt#3,  "Blue Cross, Blue Shield," which I blogged about a while back.
It's all blue jeans, even the binding. It was featured in an issue of SAQA magazine, so I knew at least someone beside me liked it!
And you already saw submission #4 last week, "Eyeshadow", which I already explained was rejected:
Which one did the QuiltCon judges select?
(Drumroll)
If you guessed the first one, "Altered Squares", you're right. What was scary was that among the QuiltCon rejects on Instagram were quilts very much like "Altered Squares"...and quilts SO much more innovative. But what the heck!? There is NO WAY OF PREDICTING! At $15 per entry for QuiltCon, it's one of the cheapest forms of gambling. And even if you don't get in, you will have earned the prestigious #QuiltConReject hashtag, plus an intangible award from the universe for chutzpah, courage! Maybe next year?!
(More consolation is in my last blog post, here.)

6 comments:

  1. I can't believe Rainbow Refugees didn't get in! I love that quilt so much! Topical, beautiful, innovative; you are right that it is a form of gambling to get in to the shows. Sometimes trying several shows produces the paradoxical "get in one and win a prize, but rejected from others"! Your work is awesome! Thanks for sharing your creative spark with us!

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  2. Jeri, you're so kind....thank you for sharing your generous spirit with me!!!

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  3. My guess was Rainbow Refugees. Amazing how some scraps of fabric can show so much emotion.

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    1. Thanks for your vote, Shasta. I knew Rainbow Refugees was a long shot because it uses batiks. Not a lot of batik quilts at QuiltCon - in fact, last time I went, there were virtually none.

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