Saturday, April 19, 2008

Quilt Show!!!

What a day, what a day!!! Yesterday was a joy and delight, spent exploring all the nooks and crannies of the latest installment of Best of the Valley. Wow. Exhausting, but wonderful! :)

This year the show was held in a tent. I had my reservations when I heard the plan, but other than the heat, the tent was a good idea. There were more vendors than usual, which means I shopped more than usual. The quilts were well-lit and each was displayed to its advantage.

I usually don't take pictures at shows, other than of my own quilts and those of friends, but this year I used my camera. I've been told I should show pictures of my quilt-for-hire work, but I usually don't take them. Five of the quilts I've quilted were in the show, so I thought it would be fun to show you what they look like, both full-view and close-up. I apologize for the fuzziness. My camera seems to have developed some issues. sigh.

Unfortunately I don't know the official names of the first two quilts, so I'll just label them with their patterns...

Bargello
Cheryl Mitchell

Cheryl Mitchell - Bargello - close-up

Baskets
Linda Toledo

Linda Toledo - Baskets - close-up

A Year In Red
Carletta Emitte

A Year In Red - Carletta Emitte - close-up

Starry, Starry Night
Kathleen Morrison

Starry, Starry Night - Kathleen Morrison - close-up

Garden Twist II
Phyllis Ogden

Garden Twist II - Phyllis Ogden - close-up

I was thrilled to see that three of the five won ribbons. Yay!!! You all remember this large purple quilt, right? I was thrilled that as I walked in the door, I saw Phyllis and the first thing she said was, "We won a ribbon!" I'm so happy for her! Congratulations, one and all.

The show was really good, and I continue to be amazed by the skill of our local quilters. Their quilts and craftsmanship are always improving, and the newest quilters start at a far higher level than I did. Maybe taking classes helps? :) Of course having books and magazines along with the classes also help - these things weren't readily available back in the early 80's when I got started.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the wonderful owner of the Quilted Counterpane in Davis back in 1982. I don't even know her name, but she was the one who showed me the running stitch. I didn't know what I was doing, but the 10 minutes she gave me blossomed into the gift of a lifetime. I was stunned to walk into the quilt show and find this quilt hanging in the winners circle.

"Sentries in the Garden"
Suzanne Kistler
Best Hand Quilting

Who would have thought? Not I, definitely not I.

Click this link for the complete list of Best of the Valley 2008 Show Results.

Wow. Awesome show. Thank you, BOV Friends, for such a delightful venue for sharing our work. You've outdone yourselves. Again. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Suzanne, Congratulations on more awards! What a great year for you and it's only April! Lisa