River City Quilt Show - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the   River City Quilters Guild show in Sacramento, California.  This guild has many talented quilters, as you'll see below !

Cinco de Mayo, 60 x 73”, by Charlotte Westlake, quilted by Michele Simes

Charlotte tells us, " [I ] took a class at Quilters’ Corner from Ellen Garner and Peggy Clark. A new experience for me using brilliant colors – enjoyed every minute making this quilt." This New York Beauty pattern with its exuberant swirls of warm and cool hues does indeed remind us of a giant, very fun fiesta. We recognize "Cinco de Mayo" as the pattern on the cover of the book by Karen K. Stone; Charlotte's version has sashing between the blocks.  Some of these blocks have over 100 pieces.

Red Banana Plant, 16 x 22”, by Mary Upham

First Place award winner for an Appliqued Miniature Quilt, Mary writes, "I designed this quilt as part of a “Whisper Challenge” for the Studio Art Quilts Association. My inspiration came from a photograph, and the quilt is an original of my own design" Using a variety of different patterns and shapes for the red blossom gives it an exotic, tropical look, which helps to create a dazzling focal point against the green and taupe foliage.

Creativity Untamed, 48 x 48”, made by Debra King-Abraham, quilted by Laura Jansen

Debra notes,  "Creativity untamed [means]  the limited use of rulers and cutter. [This pattern is] a Split Log Cabin – Gees Bend design,  taught by Stacey Sharman at New Pieces Quilt Store in Berkeley, California."

Close-up of Creativity Untamed

Notice how the large, bold,  eye-catching geometric patterns are enhanced by the vertical parallel quilting lines for the larger blocks.  This sophisticated, balanced design creates a very striking contemporary effect.

Deep Blue Sea, 40 x 28”, by Marcia Richards

 Marcia writes, "I took a class with Marjan Kluepful using her hand-dyed fabrics. This was a lot of fun to make." The hand-dyed fabric in the background appears to us as sunlight streaming into a captivating world of life beneath the ocean.

Close-up of  Deep Blue Sea 

These sequined and beaded sea creatures, including the large blue fish and the little sea horse on the right, really provide a glittering effect to this fascinating underwater scene. Notice how Marcia has used coarse textile threads and fibers for the waving seaweed in order to create an interesting three-dimensional effect.

Winter Wonderland, 61 x 61”  by Shirley Duncan, quilted by Phyllis Day

Shirley notes, " [This quilt project was] a challenge for a quilt retreat at Zephyr Point, Nevada." Shirley has done a great job in creating a work that depicts a restful, snowy day in deep winter, amidst the pine branch motif of the inner border. We recognize this as the "Ice Dreams" pattern from the book, Quilts of the Winter Solstice, by Jason Yenter at In The Beginning Fabrics.

Close-up of Winter Wonderland

Here's a close-up of these pretty snowflake blocks, with their points gently reaching towards each other. If you're inspired to make this quilt yourself after seeing Shirley's fine work, then you'll  find the "Ice Dreams" fabrics designed by Jason Yenter, as well as an entire quilt kit online at Quilting by the Yard.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.