I was at the American Quilter Society’s QuiltWeek in Daytona Beach, Florida in February and noticed something fishy.  Have you ever been to a quilt show and walking through the quilt display when it dawns on you that you’re seeing lots of quilts with something in common?  That’s what happened to me at AQS QuiltWeek Daytona. Fish! Lots of quilts depicting fish. Granted, we were at the beach, near the ocean. So, I thought I would share them with you.

Why I’m Qualified

Hi! I’m Mary Beth Krapil, Handi Quilter National Educator. In my position with Handi Quilter I get to go to lots of quilt shows. That’s right! They pay me to go to a quilt show! My favorite thing is looking at all the quilts on display and taking photos to share with all of you, dear readers.

Fishy Quilts

Super Grouper

Love this collage quilt. This fish looks surprised and a little unsure about being at a quilt show!

Fish Forest

The colors of this quilt are amazing! Estela’s quilting creates the perfect texture. It was hard to tell, but this quilt looks like it was painted on fabric then quilted.

By Moonlight

I love the feminine, romantic elegance of Tomomi’s quilt. The gold outlines are lamé fabric. Zoom in and look at the quilting designs in the background!

Bubbles

The quilted texture in this quilt is striking. And Hanne added to the amazing texture with embroidery. This was one of those quilts you just wanted to touch.

Message from Atlantis

The quilted texture, created by Paula, really made the elements stand out. I loved how she used contrasting thread and quilted some of the elements of fauna into the quilt.

Fish Flops

I love the modern tessellations and color choices! But my favorite thing about this quilt is the hand stitching in thick variegated thread. Those stitches add another dimension to the quilting. Surprising touches like this are the thing that draw you in to take a closer look at a quilt.

Silk Crabs

Not technically fish, but fish-adjacent wouldn’t you say? Still kinda fishy. I’m not sure why, but I am drawn to quilts that have blocks with the same subject in different colorways with different backgrounds. Do you like these too?

I hope you liked this fishy little glimpse of the quilt show. The next show I will be working at will be Road to Virginia. I hope you’ll stop by the Handi Quilter booth and say Hello!

What to read next

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The Quilt Show in Paducah was a Zoo!

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Remember to Quilt Every Day!

by Mary Beth Krapil