Amador Valley Quilt Show (California): Day 1

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 ! Let's get started with Day 1.

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

Grape Harvest by Marilyn J. Smith and Lynn Drennen-Guritz, quilted by Gina Perkes

"Grape Harvest" is a stunning, very large quilt which displays the fertile farmlands of California's Central Valley, backed by the steep Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. This quilt is based on an award-winning wall mural painted by Jessie Marinas for the city of Manteca, California, which is surrounded by vineyards.

The story continues from the description card: "Lynn saw a picture of the mural and asked the painter's permission to make a quilt. She then asked Marilyn to join her on this project and asked Gina if she would quilt it. The art depicts vineyard workers taking on the grape harvest. The quilters were able to reproduce the painted images using cotton fabric, 200 thread types, and special stitches to create life-like images."

In addition, the card notes "Marilyn takes pride that she does not use paint to create faces. More than 300 hours were put into the quilt. It has been featured in Quilt Life, On Track, Quilting Arts, and I.Q.A. magazines."  We'd like to add that this breathtaking applique project won "Best of Show" at the 2009 Road to California Quilt Show and is certainly very deserving of that honor.

Traveling Mandala by Diane Chambers

Diane writes, "The eye-pleasing circular shape and precision points of this design lured me into taking a paper-piecing project class titled "Mandala".  Loosely translated from the Sanskrit, to mean "circle", a mandala represents wholeness and appears in all aspects of life - the celestial circles of earth, sun, and moon, plus conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. Symbolism aside, I enjoyed making this deceptively intricate looking wall-hanging with 2.5' strips from jelly rolls and other fabrics in my stash."

Diane continues, [This quilt] bears the title "Traveling Mandala" because of the passport fabric in the background." We love Diane's perfect selection of background fabric for this intriguing design, which Diane quilted herself.

Mountain and Water by Christine Sagan, quilted by Melodee Wade

Christine explains, "This quilt was completed during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in China, on 08-08-08. The number eight is considered very lucky and in harmony with nature. The harmony between "Mountain and Water" was one of the themes performed by artists on a giant paper scroll; and thus became the name of the quilt, as it is my interpretation of nature's harmony."

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The quilting pattern seen here reminds us of gentle ripples on the surface of a lake and is perfect for Christine's quilt. This pretty French braid pattern was inspired by the book French Braid Quilts by Jane Hardy.

Kitty and Mouse by Helen Rydbeck, quilted by Suzi Dillinger

Helen Rydbeck says, "This quilt is a happy combination of a Bunny Hill pattern, 3 Sisters fabric, 
and Suzi Dillinger's quilting. This is the second quilt I've made at the request of my granddaughter, Isabella, to make her a kitty quilt."

Helen continues, "Look closely; each kitty has a collar and a flower on its tummy."  Also, we'd like to add that next to many of the kitties, there's a "mousie" with a embroidered tail that curls around. We think that Helen's granddaughter is very fortunate to be the recipient of this fun and adorable quilt.

French Country Charmer by Jean Crisp, quilted by Dianne Schweickert

Jean Crisp notes that she took a class at the In Between In Between Stitches Quilt Shop taught by pattern designer Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks.  Jean adds "I was delighted when Lynn asked me if she could share it as an example of her Country Charmer pattern when she made an appearance on Alex Anderson's "The Quilt Show".

For the interior of her quilt,  Jean did an expert job assembling the many small pieces of fabric into lovely star blocks. For the outside, she selected an equally lovely border print, which provides a perfect match to the intricate patchwork. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

'Tis the Season: Toyland Tree

We're back with more fabulous Christmas quilts. "Toyland Tree" is a charming new design by Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks.  Lynn incorporated toys from her youth ("toys that are now considered vintage and in antique shops!")  Here you will see a rocking horse, teddy bear, a toy train, and more.  The toys remind us of the famous song:  "Childhood's joyland, Mystic, merry Toyland"...

Toyland Tree, 64 x 76", by Lynn Wilder at Sew'n Wild Oaks; pattern and BOM at In Between Stitches

Lynn Wilder has been quilting seriously for the last 15 years and teaching quilting classes for the last five years at In Between Stitches in Livermore, California. She enjoys designing and making traditional quilts, combining her love of appliqué with pieced blocks. In this quilt, Lynn has arranged the toys in the shape of a tree made with swags, decorated with yo-yo's and topped by a star which is echoed in the four corners of the quilt. The black polka dot fabric provides a perfect backdrop for the colorful toys.

Detail, Toyland Tree by Lynn Wilder

Lynn Wilder says:  "I loved to listen to Gene Autry sing 'Frosty the Snowman' on my old 45 rpm record player. I was always sad when Frosty melted.  My snowman will never melt away."

Detail,  Toyland Tree by Lynn Wilder

This looks like a real teddy bear in so many ways.  We love the plaid vest and muffler; look at the way the muffler is flying behind the bear, showing the fabric on the back side.

Detail,  Toyland Tree by Lynn Wilder

Here is a smiling giraffe hitching a ride on a toy train. To add to this playful scene, there are balloons/bubbles coming out of the smokestack! For more photos of Toyland Tree blocks, see the slide show at Sew'n Wild Oaks. The BOM, which will begin January 15, 2013 and run for 12 months, is available at In Between Stitches.

The House on Edgewood Lane, 70 x 82", by Lynn Wilder at Sew'n Wild Oaks; pattern at In Between Stitches

We couldn't resist showing one more of Lynn Wilder's designs:  The House on Edgewood Lane.  The description reads:  "Step back to simpler times and make a quilt with fond memories of your first home. This quilt contains only one block."  Lynn says:  "This is the first quilt I designed and it holds a very special place in my heart."  You can read the story and see more photos of this quilt at Sew'n Wild Oaks.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Lynn Wilder, who says:  "At a very young age, my maternal Grandmother taught me how to make a very simple quilt block on her treadle sewing machine. I was instantly smitten with quilting. I now have the machine in my home, and I still have my first quilt blocks! I started to design at the same time that I bought a long-arm quilting machine. I wanted to create my own designs with open areas, and fill them with custom quilting. Four years ago I started my own pattern company called Sew’n Wild Oaks. I was the featured artist at the 2012 Georgetown Outdoor Quilt Show. My background is Geography. Prior to my retirement, I was a Geographic Information Systems Analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This is a fancy way to say I was a cartographer with a twist. I mapped, then analyzed data that was collected by scientists around the world. My knowledge and use of color transferred directly to the quilting world....and I've never looked back."