Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County Quilt Show 2012

Some of the most fun we have is attending local quilt shows in small-to-medium size towns, where we always find gems of quilts created by very talented home town quilters !  That was certainly the case on Sunday, April 1, when we went to visit the Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County at their show in Concord , California. Come join us as we take a look at some of their wonderful work !  We loved all of these, and we're very interested to hear which ones are your favorites.

Claire's Quilt  89 x 90, by 17 members of the Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County

Claire's Quilt is the 2012 Opportunity Quilt for this Guild, and we enthusiastically purchased raffle tickets in hopes of winning such a fabulous prize. The inscription reads, "Claire's Quilt was appliqued by 17 members of the Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County and has 326 hours of hand quilting, mostly by 7 members.This quilt is in memory of Claire Jarrett, an avid applique artist and past president of the guild. The pattern is the 'Conway Album Quilt' by Irma Gail Hatcher.

Close-up of Claire's Quilt

The ruched appliqued flowers in the center and the prairie points sashing around the borders of the blocks are examples of attention to detail which give this quilt such a special look.

Home Tweet Home, 41 x 41, by Cindy Greco

Cindy writes,  "This pattern is by McKenna Ryan. I enjoyed making this whimsical quilt and sewing on the embellishments, including hundreds of beads. I hadn't used the bead embellishments before and felt that they added an interesting dimension to the flowers...It was a fun quilt to make and I particularly liked the look of the diagonal strips on the border. I used all my own stash of batik fabrics except for the backgrounds and border, which I purchased from BatiksPlus.com.  I decidedto not quilt the background of the birdhouses because I liked the "puffy" look.  The technique is fusible applique but each piece must be stitched down to make it hold. "

Close-up of Home Tweet Home

There's something fun to see in every block here. Look at the little bird (an oriole perhaps) ? peeking from her house to have a conversation with a friend.

Wedding Star, 67 x 67, by Tammy Zanella

Tammy says,  "This is a Judy Niemayer paper pieced pattern. It was machine trapunto quilted using Hari Walner's method."  Clear monochromatic shades of blue are interspersed with red-orange to form a strong geometric effect. We really like the lively curved border which provides so much energy around the outside of the quilt.

Jeweled Stitches, 16 x 27, by Dale Wolfe

Dale writes, "Eight colors of silk fabric, a batik, and a large Asian print fabric were used in this quilt to create jewel-colored eye candy. It is embellished with many different types and sizes of threads, including luminescent, metallic, and satin, along with silk ribbon, beads, and charms to add texture, design elements, and a little bling to a simple strip quilt. Traditional crazy quilt, silk ribbon, and surface embroidery stitches were used in many variations."

Close-up of Jeweled Stitches

Here's a look at some of the darling charms that Dale embroidered on Jeweled Stitches, including the little gold lion and the giraffe.

Luke's Block Party 93 x 106, by Anita Mingham. 1st Place Traditional - Machine Quilted.

This inscription reads,  "Machine pieced and designed by Anita Mingham. Artistic choices and co-designed by Luke Mingham. Machine quilted by Kamala Alahan. This Rainbow Tumbling Block was a loving collaboration with Anita's grandson, Luke. He chose the colors, the rainbow, thepattern, and with talented guidance from Kamala Alahan, he also chose the quilting pattern. The quilt is backed in cozy flannel - all with loving guidance by Nana."