Pacific International Quilt Show

Our plans to take an overnight trip to PIQF fell by the wayside, but by Saturday, Wendy and I were able to jump in the car and head to Santa Clara. zoom zoom! It was so worth the trip!

I love the chance to lose myself in endless aisles of amazing quilts, to be offered the chance to shop this or that vendor, and to make and renew quilting friendships. If I had goals in each category, I exceeded them all. It was wonderful.

I was asked to share pictures, so I tried to remember to take them.

At the beginning, I was careful to document quilt names and makers, but time grew short, and I did a lot of "snap and go" by the end of the day. If anyone knows who made these quilts, I will happily give credit where it is due!

I do not try to take pictures of winning quilts or famous quilts. I take pictures of quilts that set my pulse racing and heart to throbbing. Some won awards, but I'll have to admit, I don't always notice that. I'm too busy studying the quilt and trying to commit my favorite parts to memory.

The first quilt to stop me in my tracks also caught the judges' eye.

"Natural Wonders"
Kathy McNeil

The masterful use of fabrics is mind-blowing. She's included all sorts of embellishment treasures, such as shells and sea stuff, in and amongst the rocks.

The next quilt was entirely pieced, using a Ruth McDowell method. Again, the use of fabric gives me shivers, and everything about the quilt impresses me.

"Burlingame Fire"

Ruth Powers

I liked the fabric choices in this quilt, and the way it was effectively used as a background for the black line drawing. It reminded me of the pictures we used to make in elementary school. Did you ever do them? We would cover manila paper with wild crayon designs. Once the paper was covered, we'd cover the entire page a second time, only using black. Then we would scratch designs with our fingernails, revealing the beautiful colors underneath.

Okay, so this quilt isn't quite like that, but it triggered the memory.

I liked the simplicity of this red and white applique quilt. It had a very organic feel to it.

"Monstera"
Barbara Frances

I seem to gravitate towards quilts that depict things I recognize, rather than traditional geometric patterns. At least that was the case yesterday, I guess it depends upon my mood. Yesterday's mood seems to have been one of landscapes and/or nature. I tried to get the narrative in the picture, but I can't read the information it contains. Sorry about that!

I loved the pieced borders and sashing, and the phenomenal use of multitudes of fabric. The birds are all paper-pieced, and quite lovely, but it was the background/sashing that really set them off in a spectacular manner.

"Birds in the Woods"
Nettie Smith & Linda Hibbert

I'm not quite sure why I took the next photo, but I'm guessing that there were a lot more fabrics used in this quilt than appear on my computer screen. Blending and combining everything so successfully is a delight to behold.

"Sunshine and Shadows"
Barbara Confer

*My thanks to Del, for supplying me with the name of the quilt and the quilter, as well as pictures that show some of the embellishment details.

I think the next one is by Ann Horton, but I can't be sure. I love her use of dozens of fabrics, and the way they are all blended yet distinct. You can't see the amazing beading in the red center. I'm thinking that it was lava flow? Around the border are machine-embroidered sea shells.

These leis were WONDERFUL. None of the makers were listed, they were simply made by the "Maui Art Quilters."

I immediately thought of my daughter and her husband when I saw the next quilt. They are huge fans of Cirque d'Soleil. Earlier this year, they treated us to our first. It was Alegria.

This quilt shows my favorite act from Alegria, and successfully captures the entire show. Beautiful!

"Cirque 2: Birds Eye View"
Mela McLean - Canada
Best of Country in the World Quilt Exhibit

Again, my thanks to Del, for the caption information.

Last but not least, I took this picture. I'm pretty sure it had beading on it. Many of the quilts had beading on them. Unfortunately, the detail is lost. *sigh*

The show was fabulous, and I hope you've enjoyed a small glimpse of the quilts that reminded me I had my camera with me. Next time, I will clear the memory and increase the file-size. I should have known better, in fact I do, but I thought it would be fine. oh well.

And on that, I'd better go get ready. Company comes in 2 hours!