We attended Opening Day of the Pacific International Quilt Festival, the biggest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. ! This year's theme is "Vitamin Q" ( for quilting), and we saw so many gorgeous quilts full of vitality and healthy energy. We're asking you to be the quilt show judges and tell us which quilts are your favorites and why. Let's go !
Vuvuzela Madonna, 41 x 41, by Odette Tolksdorf, South Africa
The woman in the center of this eye-catching quilt is wearing a hat of colorful "vuvuzelas", which are the loud air horns blown by fans at sporting events. Odette says, "Even though I generally have very little interest in sport, it was almost impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of the football World Cup held in South Africa in 2010. The vuvuzelas were everywhere. I had seen some Zulu women's hats decorated with beadwork and vuvuzelas which looked wonderful, and I thought it was a great use for vuvuzelas." This work is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted.
The Hues of Amber, 58 x 46, by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz, Billings, Montana
Karlyn writes of her original design, "Taking a daily dose of 'Vitamin D' yielded to exploring ( the color) amber, from the deep burgundy brown to the butterscotch. Textile artist Carol Bryer Fallert's gradation fabrics helped showcase the the shades I envisioned with depth and value. Daily, in my studio, the design seemed to "spin" on the wall."
Close-up of The Hues of Amber
We deliberately took this photo from a side angle so you could see the fabulous and precise machine quilting that went into this machine pieced and machine appliqued quilt.Congratulations to Karlyn for winning the "Best of Show" award at P.I.Q.F. for her creativity and skills in producing The Hues of Amber.
Purple Poetry, 31 x 31, by Theresa Caselman, Hemet, California
Theresa states, "Color is the reason I quilt and easily the source of my quilting energy. This project was my first quilt done using paper piecing, and I loved it!. Some of the hand quilting was done with metallic thread. I used 1,251Swarovski crystals and created the cording around the border especially for this quilt. I also greatly enjoy making my quilt label to match the front design." We think that the tassels on the upper left and lower right corner give this quilt a lot of personality. If you click to enlarge this photo, it's easier to see the braided border of which Theresa speaks.
Close-up of Purple Poetry
I'm Watching You, 27.5 x 33, by Barbara Barrick McKie, Lyme, Connecticut
Winner of an Honorable Mention for this original design in the wall quilt category, Barbara says, "My vitamin source is definitely my quilting... I printed my image on polyester crepe and heavily thread painted the dog's image, then added several layers of wool batting behind the dog and one layer behind everything, finally finishing the quilting around key areas of the dog and the background." The very realistic and close-together thread painting of this cute puppy image drew lots of "oohs and ahs" from the many admiring viewers.
Under the Canopy, 46.5 x 60, by Kay D. Haerland, Green Point, NSW, Australia
Winner of the "Best Use of Embellishments" in the Innovative Quilts category, Kay says, "There is magic in the sun-dappled Australian rain forest. Life is abundant, things fluttering, buzzing, rustling, croaking, warbling, and whispering just out of sight. Yet there is a stillness, a suspension of events ....until you look away."
Close-up of Under the Canopy
Kay has created very lifelike, three dimensional wispy light green moss that floats up off the surface of the fabric. She's also added layers of tiny pieces of fabric and free-form thread painting to enhance the three-dimensional effect. This intriguing landscape quilt is full of minute, precise details.
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