Houston, Texas, will be colorful and bold when the International Quilt Festival checks into the George R. Brown Convention Center from October 9-12, 2025. Besides the booths offering every conceivable color of fabric and interesting gadgets and notions, the Festival will feature a dazzling display of quilts.
Yes, over 1,100 quilts will be on view, focused on one of the 33 themed exhibits. The Festival consistently astounds us with its unique concepts and themes each year, and we eagerly await seeing them all. The Festival offers a proper display for the quilts, with the lighting just so, and the artists’ stories and backgrounds available to read. We always enjoy seeing these quilts.
If you are going to the Festival, be sure to schedule sufficient time to cruise through the myriad of quilts. The preview night actually takes place on October 8th and is free if you are enrolled in a class. Otherwise, it costs $16 for the preview night alone. Or buy a day pass and see the quilts during the show hours.
Some of our favorite categories for the show include the 1X4: A Dimensional Challenge, where artists must use a narrow vertical format to showcase their skills.
4 Common Corners Rocks! asked for quilters to use the Colorado Plateau and the four corners of the states to develop a geo-based quilt.
You can count on the Festival to remember all members of the world. Advocacy Quilts: A Voice for the Voiceless enables marginalized women to share their stories through exquisite quilts, bags, and tea towels, each made from embroidered squares.
It is amazing what artists can produce. Black & White + One presents displays highlighting the contrasting values with a splash of one color. These offerings came from the Handi Quilter National Educators.
Brasilidade showcases 15 Brazilian quilts, offering a vast array of expressions, colors, and cultures.
How better to celebrate a special moment in a loved one’s life than in a quilt? So Celebrate Life presents a variety of techniques to honor special moments.
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Images courtesy of International Quilt Festival
Muisca consists of thirty-one works by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (