Bold, Fresh, Unexpected: Exploring Avantgarde Quilts

This year, the International Quilt Contest at Carrefour- The European Quilt Show embraced an intriguing, and challenging theme: Avant-garde.

The organizers invited the participants to “imagine the future of patchwork - step off the beaten path and push the boundaries of your creativity, whether through theme or technique. How do you envision patchwork in 30 years? What advancements in design, tools, and techniques do you foresee emerging?” It was a call to dream big, to let your imagination run wild, and to see quilting not merely as a tradition but as an evolving art form.

Thirty finalists offered a unique vision of where patchwork might be headed, ranging from from sustainable materials to experimental constructions.

I’d like to share a few quits I found especially interesting, original, and perfectly in tune with the theme. These quilts made me pause to look again, curious to explore how they were made and what inspired them. 

People frequently only write about the winning quilts, causing the other entries to fade into the background. Tastes will always naturally differ, since it’s impossible for everyone to like the same pieces, though this year my favorites were completely different from the quilts that won.

What does avant-garde mean to me?

Having been born in Russia, I immediately associate the word with the 1920s Russian Avant-garde movement - bold, audacious, and far ahead of its time. Its forms were provocative then and remain strikingly modern even a century later.

The avant-garde spirit guided my own entry to the contest (you can read more about my piece here), and it was exactly what I hoped to find in the exhibition: something truly original - fresh, unexpected and daring but not merely following fashionable trends.

Sadly, I felt the winning quilts didn’t quite capture the qualities I was hoping for. They were, without question, beautifully made and technically impeccable. However, this particular theme seemed to call for something a bit more daring and unexpected. Some of the winners even brought to mind the polished look of AI-generated images, relying on well-established techniques that read more as contemporary quilts than as bold explorations of the future. Perhaps I simply missed the intended connections, but for me the link to the theme wasn’t always particularly clear.

Now I’d like to share a few of my personal favorites and explain what drew me to them.

Photos are courtesy of the makers, and I’ve added the artists’ statements in italics.

"Suited Life" by Okki Kim (South Korea)

"Once tailored for my husband, this outworn suit is reborn as art. This intensely personal piece embodies his unique story and essence, making it a singular fingerprinted creation. No longer discarded clothing, his old suit is now newly suited into art, a unique reflection of him"

Materials and Techniques: cotton, silk neckties, recycled fabrics, buttons, zipper, brand tags, metallic thread, free-motion quilted background with cut and sewn recycled garment, hand and machine stitching.

I really like how inventively this piece transforms a utilitarian, everyday object into a portrait of the artist’s husband, reflecting not only his professional life (through the recycling of his suit and ties) but also telling a personal story (through added labels, badges, buttons, and background fabric). I found it fascinating to explore the clever construction, different textures and details.

Its avant-garde quality lies in its reinterpretation of a common object and its playful manipulation of proportions, particularly the suit and tie. By turning a traditional suit into a personal, wearable narrative, the artist pushes the boundaries of what patchwork can be, blending memory, identity, and design into a single, one-of-a-kind piece. Unlike conventional quilts, this work prioritizes storytelling and conceptual depth over traditional form, making it daring and unexpected.

"Threading New Directions" by Miranda Renard (Spain)

"My quilt blends patchwork with Dayak basketry patterns, as I envision Indonesian culture shaping the modern arts and crafts of tomorrow. This fusion values tradition and bridges heritage crafts with contemporary creativity".

Materials and Techniques: cotton fabrics, machine pieced and machine quilted on a domestic sewing machine

Miranda reimagines the quilt as a cultural bridge, merging two distinct craft traditions - Western patchwork and Dayak basketry. Instead of treating heritage simply as decoration, the artist fuses Indonesian rattan-weaving motifs with fabric, creating a beautiful dialogue between textile and basketry.

The quilt’s colored strips echo the strength and geometry of Dayak rattan designs, though in a softer, more flexible fabric. Masterful use of color creates a striking three-dimensional effect that pulls the eye in.

Its avant-garde quality lies in its fusion: by celebrating an indigenous technique in a new medium, it pushes patchwork beyond its traditional boundaries and projects a vision of cultural sustainability for the future of textile arts. While honoring tradition and experimenting boldly with form and texture, the piece embodies the essence of avant-garde - innovative and rooted in both past and future.

"Elements" by Sophie Zaugg (Switzerland)

"Avant-Garde always evokes architecture for me, so I drew inspiration from Südpark in Basel by Herzog & de Meuron. The shape and layout of the windows, almost interlocked, are intriguing - like a block-by-block construction in a digital universe."

This quilt gives a very distinctive futuristic and digitally inspired vibe with its bold color choices and geometric design that capture a strong sense of structure and depth. I must confess that while I have only seen the original postmodern building that inspired the quilt in pictures, I feel the artist’s interpretation is much more futuristic. I also love the use of binding color and simple quilting to enhance the overall composition.

Its avant-garde quality lies in the experimentation with architectural form, scale, and perspective, as well as its use of bold colors to create a strong visual statement. By merging architectural ideas with textile art, it challenges the viewer to see quilting as a conceptual, futuristic design.

"Monet´s Pond" by Olga Stung (Germany)

"The idea behind my work lies in the use of recycled materials. I believe recycling will be a major trend in patchwork in 30 years. Visually I was inspired by Monet´s" Water Lilies. He painted with large brushstrokes - so in patchwork, brushstrokes must be large too"

Materials and Techniques: dyed linens, self-made 3D, pieced squares, quilted

This quilt transforms classical inspiration into a beautiful piece of textile art. While the artist draws visual inspiration from Monet’s Water Lilies, the quilt itself moves beyond imitation, using recycled and hand-dyed fabrics to create the effect of flowing water and light. For me, the most interesting aspect was the construction technique - fabric origami and the use of color. It adds dimension and invites the touch of curious hands.

Its avant-garde quality lies in the combination of technique and conceptual reimagining. By taking a familiar masterpiece and translating it through a contemporary lens - emphasizing sustainability, texture, and dimensionality - the artist challenges traditional expectations of quilting and demonstrates how patchwork can evolve as an experimental art form.

"Brave New World: Quantum Cellular Biotech" by Mattea Jurin (Italy)

"2055: Modern medicine no longer cures - it embroiders genomes within engineered circuits. Cells are a biotechnological fabric of AI-woven organelles and quantum-stitched membranes. Nanorobot capsules repair lesions with CRISPR silk, chromosome patches, ribosome knots - entangling biology and technology. Random evolution has halted - humanity now embroiders its own code within the post-human tapestry"

Synthetic recycled materials: vinyl, polyester, acrylic, sequins, holographic plastics, silk thread

I really like this radically futuristic vision of quilting, projecting 30 years ahead into 2055. Instead of following current fads like AI-assisted design, the artist offers an interesting twist on AI that envisions a post-natural world, in which quilts are constructed from entirely man-made materials. Preserved rare silk threads are in vinyl bubbles, creating a striking interplay between the extinct and the synthetic.

Its avant-garde quality lies in both concept and execution. Conceptually, the piece merges biology, technology, and textile art, portraying cells enhanced with AI as part of a “post-human tapestry.” On the technical level, it experiments with nontraditional materials, their textures, and transparency, creating a multidimensional, tactile experience. By challenging the traditional notion of quilting - both in materials and thematic scope - the work exemplifies forward-thinking innovation, turning patchwork into a platform for speculative, visionary storytelling.

"Time, Threaded" by Yangmi Kim (South Korea)

"Time, Threaded reimagines quilting through an avant-garde lens. It unites the sensibility of tradition with the possibilities of the next thirty years. Bold, fast lines embody a fearless spirit of change, while the work transcends technique to embrace human emotion and memory. Each thread binds the warmth of the past with the innovation of the future, asking us anew: What can quilting become when we dare to let it change?"

Materials: Cotton, Linen, Gauze, Hemp, Wool, Silk, Vinyl, Knit, Lace, Organza, Mesh, Beads, Button, Zipper, Thread

Techniques: Machine quilting, Paper piecing, Boro quilting, Slashed quilting, Embroidery

I was drawn to this bold quilt because it achieves so much with just three colors - red, black, and white. The sharp arrows radiate energy. The wide mix of materials and techniques creates fascinating contrasts: light and delicate (organza, lace) against heavy and industrial (vinyl); raw lace edges against precise paper-pieced seams; matte against shiny. Some sections stand out with a three-dimensional effect, while others shimmer thanks to shiny fabrics or added beads.

Its avant-garde quality lies in the fact that it breaks boundaries by treating fabric as more than just a surface - becoming sculptured, layered, and experimental through the use of diverse materials. Choices like vinyl and zipper challenge traditional ideas of what belongs in a quilt, while textures creative striking effects within a limited color palette, as well as bold, directional movement.

"The New Grammar of Quilt" by Jongkyeong Lee (South Korea)

"This work begins with one of the most fundamental forms in quilting - the star pattern - and reimagines it through unconventional materials and techniques as an exploration of what quilting might become in the future.

By interpreting the most traditional pattern in the most untraditional way, this piece becomes my avant-garde declaration - an experimental attempt to expand the boundaries of quilting and to explore the coexistence of tradition and innovation.

I harmoniously arranged heterogeneous materials, including fabrics with diverse textures and properties, and secured them with zigzag stitches. Some sections of the fabric were carved out or melted with a soldering iron to create openings, adding dimensional depth and a visual rhythm to the surface of the work."

Materials: Fabrics of varied textures, felt, mesh

I truly enjoyed exploring the beauty of this harmonious and impeccably made innovative piece. Even though the colors are dark, it reminds me of stained glass against the sun - the openings bring so much light. Your eye is drawn to those paths and to the play of color and texture. I wish I could experience the tactile qualities too - the feel of the zigzag seams, the texture of the fabrics, the edges of the openings as well as the structure of the quilt.

The artist statement says it all - its avant-garde quality lies in the conceptual reimagining and transformation of most traditional of quilt patterns into something totally new, using unconventional quilting methods such as melting and carving. As a result, the star becomes a constellation of textures, dimension and light. It feels like a dialogue between past and future - a balance of tradition, innovation, and poetic experimentation.

Even though these quilts didn’t win, I’m certain some will earn their deserved recognition in other shows. More importantly, they prove that patchwork is not bound by fabric or tradition. It can absorb technology, embrace sustainability, and convey ideas that stretch far beyond the sewing room.

The Avant-garde contest was a vivid reminder that quilting is alive, evolving, and always ready for its next leap forward.

This blog post reflects my personal opinion. I’d love to hear yours: if you saw the contest at Carrefour, what caught your attention? Or, if you’re discovering these quilts here for the first time, which ones speak to you? Share your thoughts in the comments - I’d be delighted to know what inspired you.

Thank you!

With love,

Irina♥