TWO OF OUR MEMBERS, Melanie Leckey and Wanda Dotson will be featured at QuiltCon 2017, an international modern quilt show that takes place Feb. 23–26, 2017, in Savannah, Georgia. QuiltCon is held each year by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), a nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the growth and development of modern quilting.

Melanie and Wanda’s works were one of only 350 quilts selected from a pool of over 1,500 entries for this year’s show. Their works were chosen by a jury of modern quilters.

Melanie, 30, is a quilter living in Mechanicsville, Virginia and has been quilting for about 4 years. She is currently the Vice President of the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild and is slated to be President in 2018. She is also a professional longarm quilter with her own business she started in 2015. You can see her work at her blog, http://www.ohsewlovedquilting.com, and on Instagram @ohsewloved.

”This will be the first quilt show that I will have work displayed in and I am beyond excited,” Melanie says. “I hope that more and more young people start to love quilting as much as I do and participate in fun shows like this one. I love being part of this community that helps to grow and expand our understanding and change our way of thinking about the art of quilting. It’s no longer just for your grandma.”

Wanda, 52, lives in Colonial Heights, Virginia and has been quilting about 20 years. She is the current president of the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild and one was of its founders in 2015. She has a blog, Wanda’s Life Sampler and can be found on Instagram @wandaslifesampler.

“I’m thrilled my quilt will be on exhibit at QuiltCon East 2017 as part of the APQ Nine-Patch Challenge.,” says Wanda. “I like challenges. It focuses my mind, and it’s fun to see what I can create within the parameters of the challenge.”

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Melanie titled her quilt, Forgotten Pieces,

She described her work:

‘Forgotten Pieces’ was inspired by important ideas, events, and people in our lives that are left out or removed from our everyday thoughts, forgotten, which only leave a trace in our minds. Only whispers in time. This quilt is my interpretation of modern art with the use of a large amount of negative space, big and bold contrasting colors, chunky hand stitches, and clean lines.

The quilt measures 45″ by 47″

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Wanda titled her quilt, How to Play Hopscotch

Wanda described her work:

I was at a party where two little girls were playing hopscotch. The adults had a lengthy discussion on the rules of hopscotch, and, of course, we researched that on Google. There are many ways to draw a hopscotch board but it’s a simple game — tossing and jumping.

I thought a simple nine-patch would be best for the challenge, and each block could have white lines representing chalk lines. I also used a variety of fabrics — lightweight denim, shot cotton and regular cotton.

The quilt measures 52″ by 52″

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This will be QuiltCon’s East-Coast debut, coming to Savannah for the first time. This year’s show will feature the best in modern quilting design and workmanship.

“We’re thrilled to be back for our fourth QuiltCon, and even more excited to showcase these amazing quilts on the East Coast for the first time,” says Heather Grant, director of marketing and programming for the MQG. “This show truly features the best in modern quilting on an international stage, and the exhibitors’ work speaks for itself on how much talent, design knowledge and craftsmanship these quilters have. We can’t wait to see it all come together.”

About QuiltCon: Presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting show of its kind. Each year, the four-day quilt show attracts thousands of attendees from around the world for workshops, lectures, panels and more. The show draws over 1,500 quilt entries, with 350 selected for the juried show. Thousands of dollars are awarded in cash prizes to the winners in 12 categories, which include piecing, quilting, handwork, appliqué, fabric challenges and more. Learn more about QuiltCon at quiltcon.com

About the MQG: The Modern Quilt Guild is made up of more than 150 guilds and 10,000members around the world. Our mission is to support and encourage the growth and development of modern quilting through art, education, and community. Learn more at themodernquiltguild.com.

About the CVA MQG: We are a group of wonderful creators around the Richmond, Virginia area who get together to celebrate creativity and showcase different quilting techniques and current trends in the quilting community.

For information about the location of our next meeting, go to our Meeting Date and Times page. You can also contact us at cvaMQG@gmail.com