Wine Country Quilt Show Day 8

Here's the final day of the Wine Country Quilt Show from Santa Rosa, California. We've had a great time showing you a diverse collection of quilts from these excellent quilt artists.

Toucan U Can 2 by Pat Meiswinkel

Here's a quilt with a cheerful tropical theme. Two large-beaked toucan birds have made their home in the center palm tree. Fabrics of animal prints and jungle foliage surround this happy duo. Quilter Pat Meiswinkel writes,  "This was a fun quilt to quilt. It took me about 10 hours to do the freehand surface quilting designs." The pattern is "Jungle Fever" by Luella Doss and Andrea Schuster for Free Spirit Fabric.

Spring Rain by Elizabeth Marrs

Spring Rain is inspired by quilter Sharon Schlotzhauer's work, Really Wild Flowers, which won First Place in the Whimsical Art Quilts category at the 2011 Houston International Quilt Festival; it was pictured in the American Quilter magazine in November 2011. An  array of playful spring flowers awaits the arrival of giant raindrops. Notice how the diagonal quilting reinforces the raindrops' downward sense of movement and provides a cohesive effect to this eye-catching quilt. 

Poppies, Quails, and Poppies Oh My! by the Moonlight Quilters of Sonoma County
 

The 2012 Opportunity Quilt is an homage to the Respit Quilts made by Moonlight Quilters back in the 1980's. These quilts always featured quails and California poppies (the state flower) among Sonoma County natural bounty; apple blossoms, grapevines, and wildflowers, to name a few. They were hand-appliqued and quilted by members. This quilt was designed by Gina Stateler-Calhoun and Mary Flynn. It was constructed by many members of the guild, featuring both traditional piecing and art quilt appliqued techniques. It was quilted by Ann Linville and Gina Stateler-Calhoun. We liked the handsome, stately, look of this quilt, with its deep historical meaning.

Close-Up of Poppies, Quails, and Poppies, Oh My ! 
 

In this center medallion, the grape leaves are attached in such a way that they "float" one or two inches about the quilt surface, giving a three-dimensional look of a grape arbor fluttering in the breeze.You can see the quail birds and the golden poppies at the base of the grapevine. The variegated earth tones pay homage to the natural surroundings of the town of Santa Rosa, which lies in a rich agricultural area, blessed with fertile soil.

Keith's Turkey by Ellen Cooper, exhibited by Elizabeth McDonnell
 

Elizabeth McDowell writes," My husband, Keith, made friends with a wild turkey that hung around our house. It would follow Keith around [when he was outside]. Unfortunately, a bobcat captured and killed the turkey on our back patio last year. Ellen Cooper made this quilt as a Christmas gift to remind us of Keith and his friend." 

Preserved by Jim Haws 

Jim Haws writes simply "A collection of life items."  He has chosen a clever selection of interesting novelty print fabrics to show various items worth gathering together in groups.  The muted background provides an excellent contrast for these colorful jars.

Image credits:  Photos are by Quilt Inspiration.