Diablo Valley Quilters' Guild Show Day 3

The 2017 Diablo Valley Quilters Guild show was recently held in Walnut Creek, California. Here are some of our favorite quilts!
Note: For great deals on quilt books and fabric, please visit our eBay store!

Furry Friends by Audrey McInerney

Audrey explains, " I fell in love with this pattern, but was was a little intimidated by all the applique. Nevertheless, I plunged in - my motivation being a new grandson. I found a new embroidery stitch (the Palestrina) for the wording on the borders, which was great fun to do."

Detail, Furry Friends

Audrey continues, "My husband is not quite ready to part with it, so I am waiting for my grandson to get his grown-up bed to part with it." This adorable pattern was designed by Holly Mabutas for Eat Cake Graphics , and the quilting was done by Kathy August.

Strips and Stripes by Valerie Heltgren-Lempesis

Valerie notes, "I wanted to use my collection of stripes to create a happy quilt that would take me out of my comfort zone of combinations. It did !"

Detail, Strips and Stripes

All of these happy, vibrant colors work so well together ! This work was quilted by Kerry Reed.

Silk Baby Blocks by Diana McClun

 

This quilt was inspired by a class with Rami Kim at Empty Spools Seminars.  Diana learned to weave silks into the baby block pattern. They were silk scraps from Talbott Ties in Carmel Valley, CA.

Detail, Silk Baby Blocks

The "piano key" border and intense color-saturated fabrics give this traditional pattern a very attractive, contemporary look. Diana's original design was machine quilted by Beth Hummel.

Storm at Sea by Joan Scott

Joan writes, "This quilt started as a kit for a small quilt. It added matching batik fabric to make a bed-size quilt.  The colors are arranged to make rivers or highways."

Detail, Storm at Sea

Joan herself quilted her work, using lovely even stitches that accent the curvature of traditional, pretty  pattern. Her fabric selections show a nice choice of both light and dark batik hues.

Autumn Sentinel by Sandy Johnson

This restful, serene setting with a very pleasing array of colors depicts a lone tree at sunset overlooking the ocean. Sandy herself quilted the work, and the design was made by Cathy Geier. We loved the use of complementary hues, plus light and dark values to highlight the foreground against the background.
 
Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilt Inspiration: Best of Halloween Quilts

As holidays go, it seems that Halloween gets bigger and better every year.  We love the images of the season: jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses, bats, ghosts and witches. We've even come to enjoy the wacky but iconic color scheme of orange, green and purple (!) Here's a recap of our Best of Halloween posts from the last two years.

Above, Row 1: Jack O Lantern Baskets by Kim Gaddy at Buttons and Bees; Pumpkin Hollow by Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill Designs; Fall Pumpkins by Kim Gaddy at Buttons and Bees. Row 2: Goofy Ghosts by Karen Eckmeier at The Quilted Lizard; Ichabod Hollow by Holly Oddson at Contra Costa County Quilt Guild (pattern by Joe Wood at Thimble Creek Quilt Shop); Rotogravure by Joe Wood at Thimble Creek Quilt Shop. Row 3: Sew Spooky by Arlene Stamper and Melissa Harris at The Quilt Company; Haunted House by Cynthia England at England Design. Row 4: Baltimore Halloween by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs; Haunted Houses by Amber Johnson at A Little Bit Biased; If the Hat Fits pattern by The Buggy Barn™; a quilt kit is also available at The Buggy Barn. Row 5: If the Hat Fits block by The Buggy Barn™; Pumpkins by Frieda Anderson at Friestyle; Witch's Brew by Joan Jones at Seams Like Home; Don't Drink and Fly by Holly Mabutas at Eat Cake Graphics.

Fourth of July Kids

In celebration of the 4th of July, here is an adorable quilt which we saw at a recent quilt show.  These kids are all dressed up for the parade, and they have brought along their cat, teddy bear, and a dalmatian puppy in a red wagon.  The inscription reads:  "If it weren't for the brave, there'd be no land of the free."

4th of July Kids, approx 36 x 52" by Barbara Shates at the Contra Costa County Quilt Guild (California)

Barbara explains:  "I saw the quilt hanging at ThimbleCreek last year and had to make it.  Hand appliqued and machine quilted, it represents my grandchildren. It reminds me of watching the 4th of July parade as a young child. The pattern is by [Holly Mabutas] at Eat Cake Graphics."

We love the incredible detail, including the fabrics in the kids' clothing, the embroidery details, and the dalmatian with its rick-rack collar. Barbara chose to decorate the border with big colorful stars, which really enhance the quilt.

Image credits:  Photos are by Quilt Inspiration.

Fun Halloween quilts: Don't Drink and Fly

Here is some sound advice, by Holly Mabutas at Eat Cake Graphics.

Witch Hazel is not having a very good evening. According to the quilt caption, Hazel was distracted either by her iced Venti® nonfat seven pump sugar free vanilla latte, or, her last text message to her sweetie. In any case, Hazel can say 'bye-bye' to her cell phone, jack-o-lantern, and lipstick (and the wart remover cream) !

At Eat Cake Graphics, Holly Mabutas has created a line of truly original quilt patterns that are reflections on everyday life, such as Windy Wintery Day, Yahoo Kitty,  and Finding the Right Tree.  On a more serious front, we love the embroidered message in To the World, below.

To the World, 33 x 41", by Holly Mabutas at Eat Cake Graphics

You can read about "To the World" at Holly's blog, Sprinkles of Thought, and obtain the pattern at Eat Cake Graphics.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Holly Mabutas at Eat Cake Graphics. She has created over 600 original, whimsical images on rubber stamps. Using images from her stamp line for inspiration, in 2006 she added quilt patterns.