The is the you tube link Attending Quilt Con https://youtu.be/slStZb0xuJI
Cassie Cartmell – Faodail Creation
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Attending Quilt Con was one of the most exciting quilting experiences I have ever had. QuiltCon 2020 in Austin, Texas, was the biggest quilt show I had ever visited, and it was absolutely packed with incredible quilts, quilting inspiration, sewing machines, fabrics, patterns, tools and some of the biggest names in the quilting industry.
If you have never had the opportunity to attend a major quilt show, I hope this walkthrough gives you a little taste of what it is like. There were so many things to see that you could easily spend two full days exploring the vendors, looking at the quilts, attending talks and, of course, doing a little shopping!
Attending Quilt Con was also a fantastic opportunity to see quilting techniques that you don’t always get to appreciate properly on a computer screen. Seeing the quilts in person allows you to get much closer to the details and really appreciate the amount of work that has gone into each piece. I was particularly drawn to the modern quilts, raw edge appliqué and the incredible free-motion quilting.
One of the things I loved most about Attending Quilt Con was the sheer variety of quilts on display. There were bold and colourful designs, beautifully restrained black and white quilts, quilts featuring words and inspirational messages, and pieces that looked more like works of art than traditional quilts.
The vendor area was just as exciting. Attending Quilt Con meant being surrounded by fabric, quilting patterns, threads, sewing machines and equipment from companies I recognized. It was definitely the kind of place where you could spend hours browsing and still discover something new around every corner.
There was also a wonderful sense of community. Attending Quilt Con brought together quilters, designers, teachers and sewing enthusiasts who all shared a love of creating with fabric. Whether you were looking for inspiration for your next quilt, hoping to learn a new technique or simply wanted to admire some incredible workmanship, there was something to enjoy.
So, let’s take a look at my experience of Attending Quilt Con in Austin and some of the amazing quilts and displays I discovered along the way.
Attending Quilt Con in Austin, Texas
QuiltCon moves around different locations in the United States, so it isn’t held in Austin every year. When I visited in 2020, however, Austin was the host city, and it made for an incredible setting for such a huge quilting event. Attending Quilt Con in Austin gave me the opportunity to experience one of the largest modern quilting events in person and see just how much creativity goes into this wonderful craft.
As soon as I walked into the show, I was amazed by the sheer number of vendors. Attending Quilt Con wasn’t simply about looking at beautiful quilts; there was an entire shopping area filled with products and inspiration for quilters and sewing enthusiasts.
There were fabric stores, quilting pattern designers, thread companies, sewing machine manufacturers and businesses selling all sorts of quilting supplies and equipment. Attending Quilt Con meant that there was something interesting around almost every corner, whether I was browsing beautiful fabrics, looking at new quilting patterns or checking out the latest sewing machines and equipment.
What Can You Find When Attending Quilt Con?
One of the best things about Attending Quilt Con is the variety.
You aren’t simply walking into a room filled with quilts. There is an entire shopping experience surrounding the quilt show.
You can find:
- Quilting fabrics
- Quilt patterns
- Thread
- Sewing machines
- Long-arm quilting machines
- Quilting rulers and tools
- Appliqué supplies
- Books and quilting resources
- Sewing and quilting accessories
- Modern quilting products
There were so many different vendors that it was almost impossible to see everything in one visit.
Attending Quilt Con – Exploring the QuiltCon Vendors
The way the vendors displayed their products was impressive. Fabric stores had beautiful collections of fabric arranged throughout their booths, while quilting pattern companies displayed their designs for visitors to browse. Attending Quilt Con gave me the chance to see these displays up close and discover fabrics and quilting patterns that I may not have come across elsewhere.
There were also some very well-known companies at the show. Attending Quilt Con meant being able to explore a fantastic selection of quilting brands and see the products they had brought along for visitors.
If you are a quilter or enjoy sewing, it is definitely the sort of place where you can find something you didn’t know you needed! Attending Quilt Con can quickly turn into a serious shopping trip when you are surrounded by beautiful fabrics, patterns, threads and quilting supplies.
And, of course, there is always the danger of coming home with considerably more fabric than you planned to buy!
Attending Quilt Con for Quilting Inspiration
For me, one of the biggest attractions of Attending Quilt Con was seeing the quilts on display.
There were an incredible number of quilts throughout the show, and the variety of techniques and styles was amazing.
At QuiltCon 2020, there appeared to be at least a thousand quilts on display. Whether you enjoy traditional quilting, modern quilts, appliqué or free-motion quilting, there was something to inspire you.
Attending Quilt Con – Black and White Quilts at QuiltCon
One of the themes that really stood out to me was the number of black and white quilts.
The modern quilting community and quilt guilds often create challenges around particular themes, and black and white seemed to be a particularly noticeable theme at this show.
There were so many different interpretations.
Some quilts used simple geometric designs, while others incorporated appliqué, piecing and intricate quilting.
The amazing thing about a restricted colour palette is how creative you can become with the design itself.
Modern Quilts
I particularly enjoy modern quilts, and QuiltCon was an incredible place to see modern quilting in person.
The quilts were created using a huge variety of techniques.
There were quilt blocks, paper piecing, raw edge appliqué and beautifully detailed free-motion quilting.
Seeing these techniques on such a large scale gave me plenty of ideas for future projects.
Attending Quilt Con and Seeing Raw Edge Appliqué
One of my favourite techniques on display was raw edge appliqué.
There was one quilt in particular that completely caught my attention. It featured incredibly detailed imagery, and the close-up photographs showed just how much work had gone into creating the design.
The detail around the eyes and lips was particularly impressive.
Attending Quilt Con – Why I Love Raw Edge Appliqué
Raw edge appliqué is a technique I really enjoy because it gives you so much freedom when creating designs.
Instead of having to create perfectly turned-under edges, the raw edges become part of the finished look
The technique can be used to create everything from simple decorative motifs to incredibly detailed artwork.
After Attending Quilt Con, I definitely wanted to experiment with more raw edge appliqué myself.
It was one of those moments when you see another quilter’s work and immediately start thinking about what you could create with the same technique.
Incredible Free-Motion Quilting
Another technique that really stood out during Attending Quilt Con was free-motion quilting.
There were quilts where the quilting itself was almost as important as the pieced or appliquéd design.
Some quilts were predominantly white, allowing the texture created by the quilting to become the main feature.
Attending Quilt Con – Free-Motion Quilting on Wholecloth Quilts
I particularly liked the examples where a single colour of fabric was transformed through quilting.
Without lots of different fabrics or colours competing for attention, you could really appreciate the quilting.
The stitching created texture, movement and intricate patterns across the entire quilt.
For anyone interested in learning free-motion quilting, a quilt show like QuiltCon is an amazing source of inspiration.
You can see how other quilters use different quilting designs to enhance their quilts rather than simply holding the layers together.
Hand Quilting at QuiltCon
Not everything at QuiltCon was quilted by machine.
I also saw examples of beautiful hand quilting.
One quilt in particular caught my attention because of the amount of hand quilting involved.
Seeing the close-up details made it very clear how much time and patience had gone into creating it.
Machine Quilting or Hand Quilting?
One of the wonderful things about quilting is that there isn’t one correct way to finish a quilt.
You can use:
- A domestic sewing machine
- A long-arm quilting machine
- Free-motion quilting
- Straight-line quilting
- Hand quilting
Each technique creates a different effect.
That is one of the reasons I find quilt shows so inspiring. You can see techniques that you may never have considered trying yourself.
Attending Quilt Con – Social Justice Quilts
Another interesting feature of QuiltCon was the number of quilts dealing with social justice themes. Attending Quilt Con gave me the opportunity to see how quilting can be used to communicate ideas and messages as well as create beautiful works of art.
These quilts went beyond simply being decorative.
They used fabric, colour, words and imagery to communicate ideas and messages.
Some included inspirational statements, while others used imagery to make a particular point.
Quilts That Tell a Story
I really liked seeing quilts being used as a form of visual storytelling.
A quilt can be much more than a collection of fabric and stitches.
It can communicate an idea, celebrate something important or express the maker’s feelings.
This was one of the things that made Attending Quilt Con such an interesting experience for me.
Every quilt seemed to have its own story.
Attending Quilt Con – Youth Quilting at QuiltCon
There was also a youth category at the show, which I thought was fantastic.
One of the quilts featured a solar system design and was particularly eye-catching.
Seeing young quilters being encouraged to participate in competitions and exhibitions is wonderful.
Quilting is a creative skill that can be passed from one generation to another, and events like QuiltCon provide young makers with an opportunity to have their work seen and appreciated.
Quilts With Words and Inspirational Messages
Another style that caught my attention was the use of words and inspirational quotes.
I had never really considered putting an inspirational quote onto a quilt before, but seeing these examples made me think about the possibilities.
A quilt can become a piece of artwork while still being something practical and comforting.
There was even a quilt featuring the phrase about loving someone to the moon and back.
Let Me Know Your Favourite Quilt
With so many quilts on display, it was impossible to choose just one favourite.
However, the raw edge appliqué quilt with the incredible facial details was probably my overall favourite.
I also loved the black and white quilts, the quilts featuring free-motion quilting and the hand-quilted examples.
Which quilt would have been your favourite?
If you watched the original video, let me know in the comments which quilt caught your attention.
Attending Quilt Con and Meeting Quilters
Another fun part of Attending Quilt Con was seeing some of the well-known names within the quilting industry.
Quilt shows are a great opportunity to see designers and quilting personalities in person.
There is something special about being surrounded by people who are all passionate about the same creative hobby.
Whether you are an experienced quilter or someone who is just starting out, there is always something to learn.
Visiting the Baby Lock Booth
Of course, I couldn’t visit QuiltCon without showing you the Baby Lock booth!
As a Baby Lock Educator, I was particularly interested in seeing the machines and equipment on display.
There was an impressive selection of sewing machines, sergers and quilting equipment.
Baby Lock Sewing Machines
The booth included several Baby Lock machines, including the Solaris, Soprano, Jazz and Crescendo.
It was great to see the machines in person and get a closer look at what they could do.
There were also some very impressive sergers on display, including the Baby Lock Triumph.
Baby Lock Long-Arm Quilting Machines
The Baby Lock long-arm quilting machines were particularly impressive.
The Regalia was on display with a 12-foot frame.
And yes, you definitely need the space for something like that!
A long-arm quilting machine can be an incredible tool for quilters who want to quilt large projects more easily, but the size of the frame is something you need to consider before bringing one home.
QuiltCon Talks and Events
The show wasn’t only about shopping and looking at quilts.
There were also areas where visitors could sit down, listen to talks and learn more about quilting.
There were screens set up for presentations, and there were places where you could take a break, have a coffee or grab some lunch.
A Full Day of Quilting
You could easily spend an entire day at QuiltCon without running out of things to see.
If you wanted to explore the vendors, admire the quilts, attend talks and take your time looking at all the details, I would definitely recommend allowing plenty of time.
In fact, I think two days would be even better.
There is simply so much to take in.
How to Make the Most of Attending Quilt Con
If you are considering Attending Quilt Con or another large quilt show, there are a few things I would recommend.
Plan Your Visit
Before you arrive, take a look at the show schedule and work out which talks, demonstrations and events you would like to attend.
There is nothing worse than discovering that you missed something you really wanted to see because you spent too long shopping!
Wear Comfortable Shoes
This might sound obvious, but you are going to do a LOT of walking.
Large quilt shows involve walking around vendor areas, exhibition spaces and presentation areas, so comfortable shoes are essential.
Take Your Time
Don’t rush through the quilt exhibition.
Some of the most interesting details are easy to miss if you simply walk past the quilts.
Look closely at the stitching, appliqué, piecing and quilting designs.
You may discover a technique that inspires your next project.
Take Photographs
If photography is permitted, take photographs of the quilts and displays that inspire you.
I took photographs throughout the show, although I did learn an important lesson!
Some of my early photographs were taken vertically before I realized that I could turn the experience into a YouTube video.
Still, those photographs became a wonderful record of my trip.
Why Attending Quilt Con Is Worth It
Attending Quilt Con was an incredible experience, and it reminded me just how creative the quilting community can be.
The combination of the quilts, vendors, sewing machines, fabrics, patterns and people made the entire event exciting.
But for me, the biggest benefit was the inspiration.
Seeing what other quilters create makes you want to go home and start making something yourself.
Whether you are interested in modern quilts, raw edge appliqué, paper piecing, free-motion quilting or traditional techniques, there is something to learn from other makers.
Inspiration for Your Next Quilt
You don’t have to copy a quilt you see at a show.
Instead, look at the individual elements that appeal to you.
Maybe you love the colour combination.
Perhaps you like the quilting design.
You might be inspired by an appliqué technique, an unusual quilt block or the way someone has used negative space.
Take those ideas and make them your own.
Final Thoughts on Attending Quilt Con
Looking back, Attending Quilt Con in Austin, Texas, was an amazing experience.
There were so many quilts on display that I could have spent days looking at them. Attending Quilt Con gave me the chance to see an incredible range of quilting styles and techniques all in one place.
The black and white quilts were particularly memorable, but the raw edge appliqué, free-motion quilting, hand quilting, social justice quilts and youth entries all provided their own inspiration.
And then there were all the vendors!
From fabric and quilting patterns to sewing machines, sergers and long-arm quilting equipment, there was something for every type of maker. Attending Quilt Con really showed me just how diverse and creative the quilting community can be.
If you have never been to a large quilt show before, I highly recommend adding one to your list.
You can shop, learn, meet other creative people and, most importantly, find plenty of inspiration for your next sewing or quilting project.
Have you ever been to QuiltCon or another major quilt show?
I’d love to know about your experience. And if you watched my QuiltCon walkthrough, let me know in the comments which quilt was your favourite!
Read this next : Free Motion Quilting on a Regular Sewing Machine : The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide https://faodailcreation.ca/2026/08/22/free-motion-quilting-on-a-regular-sewing-machine/
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