Wine Country Quilt Show - Day 7

Here are more great quilts from Santa Rosa, California. The guilds around this medium size town 50 miles north of San Francisco contain many talented and prolific quilters.

Hawaiian Fish by Carroll Hirsch

We wanted to pack our bags and head straight for the islands, after seeing these really fun, vibrantly colored appliqued fish swimming around, surrounded by royal blue sashing. Carroll Hirsch says, "Going into a fabric store on Kauai, buying a stack of cut fabric for the fish and a Beyond the Reef pattern [designed by Natalie Barnes] started my journey into quilting."

Flowers by Natalie Polin

Natalie Polin says, "Japanese pattern from a class taught by Judy Bianchi at Fabrications in Healdsburg, California. Most of the fabrics are from Japan, collected in a visit to Japan. The cheerful, bright nine patch border make the cinnamon red, chambray blue, and soft gray blocks really sparkle.

Red, White, and Blue Farmer's Sampler by Marilyn Drew

An eye-catching giant sampler, this quilt contains so many fascinating designs. It's like looking through a huge scrapbook of interesting patterns. Marilyn Drew writes, "This is from the Farmer's Wife sampler book."

Tree of Paradise by D.J. Berger

Here's a precisely pieced quilt that shows excellent workmanship of the Amish pine tree pattern. The creative sawtooth border replicates the the tree tops and adds a very cohesive effect. D.J. Berger says, "Fell in love with the border fabric and lucky to find a soft yellow background at the same shop in Lakeport. Quilting pattern is taken from Islamic Art." 

Iowa Barn 3:1946 by Pam Pilcher

This architectural theme quilt is actually four separate panels held together by steel hinges. We thought it was one of the most unique and innovative works at the quilt show.  Pam Pilcher writes, " The Pilcher barn in its red paint days, stands near Lawton, Iowa. These photos, scanned and printed on fabric, were taken in 1946, with the working team  [of horses] Mike and Pete pulling a wagon out front. The  [image made from] rubbing the hinge on the top board is one that was removed from a door when the farm was sold in 1978. Barn Board fabric was painted and rubbed with Setacolor and Shiva Paint Sticks.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.