River City Quilt Show - Day 3

We're in the middle of displaying some gorgeous quilts from the 2012 River City Quilters' Guild show in Sacramento, California.  Please join us for Day 3 !

Blue Birds of Happiness, 60 x 70”,  by Sally Willey, quilted by Chloe Bradshaw

Artist Sally Willey writes about this Judge's Choice winner and First Place winner for best hand quilting,  "I love blue birds and have two blue bird houses on our property. A fun quilt to make and it always makes me smile. Hand quilted by my sister Chloe Bradshaw." We recognize the design as My Whimsical Quilt Garden by Piece o’ Cake Designs. Sally's quilt has a wonderful border, which echoes the flowers, leaves and stems of the blocks. Here's a quilt which fits perfectly with the theme of this year's show: "Rhapsody in Bloom."

Close-up, Blue Birds of Happiness

Chloe Bradshaw's immaculate and precise hand quilting really shows up well here. Notice how the lively flowers and bluebird  extend themselves into the cheerful red and white sashing to provide a charming, informal effect.

Close-up, Blue Birds of Happiness

These little bluebirds seem to be full of personality; you can almost hear them singing their hearts out. We love this applique technique, which turned out extremely well.

It’s In The Bag, 43 x 57”, by Linda Lawrence, quilted by Inga Waegell

Honorable Mention winner for Two Person Applique Quilt, Linda Lawrence writes,  "I will never make a real purse. This is as close as that will happen." Note: we recognize some Kaffe Fassett fabrics in the purses. This cute, colorful pattern really brought a smile to our faces.

Close-up, It's In The Bag

A girl can never have too many handbags, especially when they're as eye-catching as these pretty ones!  Are you ready to go shopping?

Red and White all Over, 72 x 90”, by Kathy Mitchell

Second place winner for Large Pieced Quilts, Kathy says, " I watched the Red and White Quilt Show held in New York City in March 2011 on YouTube. It was amazing; but this one quilt caught my eye and I was inspired to make it. I’m sure it’s the only two-color quilt I will ever make, but I was happy with the result." Pure red and white is a dynamic combination, and Kathy's excellent pattern selection really shows off these two colors to their best advantage.

Tamarindo Night, 46 x 60”, by Kitty Oliver

Third place winner in the Art Quilts category, Kitty Oliver describes her quilt by writing, " ‘The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand’. Frederic Lawrence Knowles." The background ombre fabric seems to be hand-dyed, creating a luminous evening sky.

Close-up, Tamarindo Night

The pumpkin orange moon provides an excellent warm complementary color to the indigo, periwinkle, and tinted aqua tones of the background.

Close-up, Tamarindo Night

These interesting large embroidery stitches in the background provide interesting detail and depth to this work. Note the moon done in mesh fabric here, almost as if we are looking at the reflection of the moon on the ocean.

Crystal Gem, 48 x 48”, by Mary Fish

Mary writes, "This is my version of the cover quilt on the Gai Perry 24 Quilted Gems book. Gai got me started but it hung on my design wall for many years waiting for a border. I am happy that it is finally finished." Mary has chosen lovely jewel-tone batiks in cool hues to show off the contemporary trapezoid-shaped pieces of this very interesting pattern.

Images:  All photos are by Quilt Inspiration.