Catching Up with Hillary Goodwin, QuiltCon 2022 Best in Show Winner

We caught up with Hillary Goodwin, the QuiltCon 2022 Best in Show winner with her quilt, 2020 Vision.

MQG: Can you tell us about the inspiration for your Best in Show quilt?

Hillary: My quilt was made in response to the year 2020 as I and many of my colleagues faced it with the onset of covid as healthcare workers. It also addresses my own feelings of being stuck at home when not working experiencing the often volatile political and social events unfolding in our nation while being glued to our screens and the personal loss of my father amongst it all.

MQG: Why did you select this color palette?

Hillary: A high-contrast quilt seemed right for the subject matter

MQG: Can you share more about the quilting on this piece?

Hillary: I hand quilted it on a frame often after working my ER shifts with repetitive 2020 to mimic the “groundhog day” feeling of our lives at that time with other words snuck in representing events and causes that felt representative of the year. It ends with 2021 to reflect the fact that the turmoil did not end with a new year and I wanted to signify the importance of lessons learned in future years.

MQG: What was the most challenging part of making the quilt?

Hillary: The emotional angst associated with thinking about things as I was hand-stitching the quilt.

MQG: Thinking back, tell us about your initial reaction finding out that your quilt won Best in Show at QuiltCon.

Hillary: I was floored as I’m not particularly fond of this quilt because it represents such a hard time for me. I cried the night I found out-an emotional catharsis that had eluded me before that happened.

MQG: Did winning this award change your quilting path at all?

Hillary: Not really. I often say I’m an emotional quilter. My quilts represent my feelings and what is going on in my life.

MQG: Where in the world is your Best in Show quilt today?

Hillary: The quilt is currently in my home.