"Candy Pop" By Kelly Spell won Best Original Modern Design at QuiltCon 2024

Artist Statement 1: "Pink and maroon candies dance in a sea of red. I made this quilt to push my design and piecing capabilities into new territory. All of the fabric is hand-dyed or hand-printed. Construction of the quilt top required techniques similar to that of a double wedding ring motif, with the added challenge of an 18-foot-long serpentine swirl. cut from a single piece of fabric, it winds its way up and down three columns of circles."

Artist Statement 2: "This is probably the most ambitious quilt I’ve ever made. I dyed and printed all of the fabric, and assembly included an 18-foot-long serpentine swirl. That single piece of fabric winds its way up, down, and around 12 circles. The quilt represents a lot of growth in my artistic practice, and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world."

Techniques Used: Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted on a Frame (Longarm), Fabric Hand-Dyed by the Artist, Fabric Hand-Printed by the Artist

(Main Quilt Photo from quiltcon.com; Sign Photo from quiltingjetgirl.com, In-Progress Design Photos from Kelly's Instagram, @kellyspell)