Amador Valley Quilt Show (California) : Day 4

We recently attended the annual quilt show of the Amador Valley Quilters in Livermore, California, with the theme "Colors of the Vineyard". This prolific guild had two big rooms full of fabulous quilts. It's difficult to decide which quilts to feature, as they were all wonderful ! Here is Part 4 - the finale - of our photos.

(We're featuring fun books, patterns, and fabrics at very low prices on Quilt Inspiration E-Bay !)

Self Portrait by Virginia Standley

Virginia notes, "When I am old, with silver hair, I will wear sequins and sparkly earrings and rhinestones in my hair."  To us, this sounds like a wonderful goal in life ! It's never too late to create "glamour moments" and to be kind to ourselves as we progress through life. 

In this close-up of Virginia's  original design, you can see her dangly earrings, her metallic silver top, her hair made out of what appears to be soft cotton, and the little rhinestone crown in her hair. We really enjoyed seeing this whimsical quilt, which created some fabulous "bling" with its embellishments !

Zoo Holiday, submitted by Mary Ann Anderson, design by Nancy S. Brown

Mary Ann explains, "The 'Bulbs' group have been appliqueing with Nancy Brown for over 10 years. We needed another group project. We decided on a theme, and Nancy created another unique and fun pattern for us. Laura Lee Fritz did the quilting."  In these blocks, you can see many depictions of San Francisco area attractions, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Zoo, and the bear in the kayak ( lower right) wearing the jersey of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. 

We really liked the sweet face, complete with eyelashes, of this giraffe, rising out of the fog, with the Oakland Bay Bridge behind him. This quilt turned out to be such a wonderful applique project !

Home Tweet Home by Susan Mangels, quilted by Lora Zmak

Susan writes, "While on the Shop Hop 'Quilt Rush', I saw this design offered as a class. This was an opportunity to do a small quilt and spend the day with a friend. I had purchased this fabric line because of its designs of punctuation and text - colors not so much. The quilt, when finished, was a very happy surprise." The description says that the design is by Vicki Bellino at Bloom Creek.

 In this close-up, you can see the punctuation marks  (commas and periods) of which Susan is speaking.  These black and white fabrics with intriguing motifs add a lot of personality and sparkle to Susan's contemporary quilt. 

España by Charlotte McConkie

Charlotte explains, This is a "Memory Travel Quilt' of one of the countries my husband and I have traveled to since our retirement. The culture of Spanish art, architecture, and music leave a lasting impression.  I have picked a few of those images in this quilt. " `

In this close-up, you can see the silhouettes of Don Quixote and his friend Sancho Panza, two personages made famous in the year 1605 by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. In the block to the right of  Don Quixote are the windmills which he often imagined to be living giants. The windmills are part of the landscape of La Mancha ,the elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid. Charlotte's innovative border, done in various shades of red, adds to the beauty of her original design.

The Tornado Quilt, OKC Modern Quilt Guild, submitted by Diane Chambers

Diane explains, "Oklahoma City was ravaged by a Category 5 ( very strong) tornado on May 20, 2013.... Members of my daughter's quilt guild, the OKC Modern Quilt Guild, rose to he occasion by making quilts to donate to those displaced by the tornado and by raffling off two quilts to raise money for the victims. This is one of those raffled quilts.

Diane adds........"In a project titled 'Moore Love' ( named after the city of Moore, Oklahoma) , over 400 quilts were collected and distributed. This pretty pattern, which in our opinion resembles an Amish "bricks" quilt, is titled "Tulsa Town" by Villa Rose Designs.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Perfect Pet Quilts - part 2

Have you ever made a quilt of the image of your pet?  We love our furry friends and are always drawn to quilts that celebrate cats and dogs. Smile along with us, as we present Part 2 of some of our favorite pet quilts !

Maynard, 54 x 81", by David Taylor (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

David notes, "Maynard was adopted from a photo shot by my friend Hilary Spillane of her bulldog. I love the way Hil captured the stark white of a winter's day in Northwest Colorado." We can almost sense Maynard's curiosity to see what's ahead  as he pushes his short little legs through the drifts of new-fallen snow.

Close up, Maynard by David Taylor

David continues, "When I saw the image, I knew I had to turn it into a quilt, as I had been eager to try a white-on-white quilt. Of course, I ended up using different colors of thread to quilt the snow and sky - lavender, green, tan, and a lot of blues."

Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr, 31 x 34", by Nancy S. Brown (Oakland, California)

Nancy states, "The source of my quilting energy and my inspiration are all of the wonderful animals of the world. This quilt depicts the happy family of Cassidy and Chase ( Rhodesian Ridgebacks), Mashatu ( a Savannah cat), and JasPurr ( a gray and white cat). Nancy has used beautiful and subtle gradations of neutral colors to depict this elegant and attractive family of canines and felines.

Close up, Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy has perfectly captured dog Cassidy's extremely handsome face and soulful brown eyes! Her original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.

Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan (Florida)

Sandi writes, "Bathtub Beach is my favorite spot on [Florida's] Treasure Coast. I have spent a lot of hours face-down, snorkel-up, enjoying all the creatures on the living reef in the naturally protected and warm water. My design evolved from the literal 'bathtub' on the beach. A banner-flying bi-plane seemed Florida-appropriate for the lettering. The mouse as pilot...well, why not?  The cat's face is from A Year of Cats... in Hats! by Sheila Haynes Rauen."

Closeup, Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan

Sandi continues, "I hope this quilt makes you smile as much as Bathtub Beach makes me smile."  We love the lighthearted humor in this quilt, and we think the quilting, especially the fun bubble pattern on the bathtub and the sand, is very appropriate for this delightful piece.

Family Resemblance, 39 x 31", by Patt Blair (Mount Baldy, California)

Patt tells an interesting story of how she was inspired to create Family Resemblance: " I did this piece as encouragement to students to 'Just try it !'  This was a royalty- free clip art contour drawing [on the internet], for which I searched for animal coloring tips. I first thought the highly wrinkled bulldog was the mom (I was getting angry!)  but later learned this was three generations of English bulldogs." 

Close up, Family Resemblance by Patt Blair

Patt explains that her work was created by hand-dyeing and hand-painting solid white finely woven cotton to create the images of the dogs. She then used her domestic sewing machine for quilting the foreground and the background. She adds,  "I am mostly inspired by things with a heartbeat".  Her inspiration and talent is certainly evident in the very expressive lines and movement she gives to these bulldogs. Patt's work allows us to see their loveable personalities hiding just underneath their serious faces.

Cornered by Wendy L. Starn (Alexandria, Louisiana)

Wendy says, "In August of 2008, my son found a tiny kitten under the hood of the car, covered in grease and fleas. He cleaned her up, and she won his heart, as well as the scorn on our other two cats. Boris, the black cat is determined to be Alpha male, and is also proud of his prowess at catching (catnip) mice."

Close up, Cornered by Wendy L. Starn

Wendy adds, "Moose, the orange cat, is the mighty hunter of lizards and bugs, who is afraid of everything.. Oslo, the kitten, sleeps, dreaming no doubt of how best to annoy her two big brothers."
Wendy's vividly colored background blocks,  which showcase the cats perfectly, are comprised of variations of the "Puss In the Corner" pattern. Her very creative work is hand-stamped with feline images, thread-painted, and collaged.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration of Maynard (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr (at the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Festival); Bathtub Beach (at the 2015 World Quilt Show in West Palm Beach, Florida); Family Resemblance (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); and Cornered (at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival).

Best of the 2014 Pacific International Quilt Festival - Day 3

The Pacific International Quilt Festival, known as PIQF, is the biggest quilt show on the west coast of the United States. In this series, we're displaying some of the fabulous, innovative, and just plain fun quilts we saw there.  This year's theme is  "The Whole Nine Yards", meaning "to show maximum effort in work or play."  Here is Part 3 of our photos!

Discovery by Phyllis Cullen, Hawaii

As Phyllis mentions on her website, this quilt is a portrait of her granddaughters, Violet and Zephyr. Phyllis says, "Everything goes into my work - the design, dozens of fabrics, dozens of threads, and all my love for my grandchildren and their wonder at the world around us."

Detail, Discovery by Phyllis Cullen

Phyllis' original design is machine appliqued and longarm quilted. The warm colors of the child's hair and hibiscus flower contrast nicely with her shaded and tinted violet dress.

From Mountains to Desert by Carolyn Villars , California

Carolyn notes, "This view of the San Gabriel mountains from among Joshua Trees on the desert floor demanded attention, so I  fractured and enlarged the scene to surround the original view. Fabric was selected as for colors in a painting and fused on [the background]. "

Detail, From Mountains to Desert by Carolyn Villars

Carolyn's original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted. We enjoyed this scene of the springtime sky juxtaposed against the blooming cactus flowers and the rugged, snow-capped mountains.

Dinghy by Shelly Burge, Nebraska

Shelly notes of her original design in vibrant hues, "When creating this quilt, I went the whole nine yards with color. I decided not to use realistic colors in this pictorial design, but instead to focus on value placement and the use of unexpected color choices. I used commercially printed fabrics for this original hand appliqued design. I machine quilted it on my home sewing machine, frequently changing thread color to match the fabrics in each area."

Trees by Jane Alameda, California. Longarm quilted by Cindi Jo  

Done in sage green, gold, and chocolate brown, with an ivory background, this quilt works well in reflecting all four seasons. The pretty en pointe setting, complete with a small nine patch in each corner, adds lots of visual interest.

Detail, Trees by Jane Alameda

This geometric Amish pattern is a favorite of ours. We really admire Jane's precise workmanship, and the graceful feathers quilted into the triangular borders by Cindi Jo.

Zoo Holiday by Nancy S. Brown, California. Longarm quilted by Laura Lee Fritz

Nancy Brown is well known for her very talented depictions of our animal friends. Nancy writes, "The San Francisco Zoo [residents] have decided to take a holiday and do "the whole nine yards" in visiting the many tourist attractions of San Francisco, California.   Look for the bear wearing the jail cap making his escape from the  notorious Alcatraz Island prison and the elephants in their journey across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Closeup photo, Zoo Holiday by Nancy S. Brown

The artist adds, "This whimsical quilt was designed by Nancy Brown (Tulip) and made by her Bulbs. "  Here's a charming and soulful giraffe emerging above the well known fog banks of San Francisco Bay. Her original design is machine pieced and hand appliqued.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration

Featured Artist: Nancy S. Brown

Internationally known quilter Nancy S. Brown from Oakland, California was the featured artist at the Fall 2013 Diablo Valley Quilt Show.  In her Artist's Statement, Nancy writes, "I make animal quilts because I have always loved animals. I feel that they are wonderful and important parts of our world and should be celebrated and preserved."  Her outstanding animal and portrait quilts were a highlight of the show!

Giraffes, 68 x 50, by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy says,  " [This quilt was] inspired by a trip to the Portland Zoo, where one could walk up a hill and come face to face with the giraffes. I used several giraffe photos that I had taken in various zoos over the years as the inspiration for the individual giraffes in this quilt." 

Sunday in the Park with Mittens, 58 x 47,  by Nancy S. Brown.

"Mittens is the cat in the tree watching over the scene at the local dog park", says Nancy. "Most of the dogs belong or belonged to friends and family over the years. A few were "adopted" from shelter sites on the internet to show that there are great dogs out there waiting for their forever homes."

Close-up, Sunday in the Park with Mittens by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy's expert use of light and shadow gives these very life-like dogs a tremendous personality and presence. They really seem to pop right off the quilt.  Her caring and concern shows in their beautiful faces. The colorful background of the sky and trees helps to focus the viewer's attention on the many varied neutral tones of the dogs' faces and bodies.

Close up, Sunday in the Park with Mittens by Nancy S. Brown

And here is Mittens up in the tree at right, calmly and regally surveying the playful scene below, including the dog with the tennis ball in its mouth.

Elvis and the Penguins, 53 x 53, by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy writes,  "It is a little known fact that before Elvis became famous, he toured with a band of penguins. Due to nightly squabbles over the dinner menu  (Elvis did not want sardines on his fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches), the band broke up and Elvis became -- Elvis. The penguins went home to South America. It is also a little known fact that Elvis did not die- he is down in South American with his old friends." 
(Editors' note:  It is also a well-known fact that Nancy has a great sense of humor and spins a wonderful yarn.)

Close-up, Elvis and the Penguins by Nancy S. Brown

Here we see one of the penguins carefully standing watch over Elvis, against a background of log cabin blocks. This quilt is one of Nancy's many original designs, which are hand-appliqued, hand-quilted, and machine pieced. We really enjoy Nancy's wonderful quilts, because her very expressive artwork lets us look through the faces and eyes of all living creatures and into their hearts and souls. For more information on her quilts and classes, please visit Nancy's website:  Nancy Brown Quilts.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration and are shown with the generous permission of Nancy S. Brown.