Best of the 2013 Concord (California) quilt show

Last week, we attended a little hometown quilt show, which are often the most fun, and had a great time viewing all the talent on display. From the Contra Costa Guild of Quilters in Concord, California, here is some wonderful, colorful "eye-candy", which we think you'll love. Enjoy !

Ciara's Favorite Colors,  62x 43, by Barbara Fors

Barbara says,  "My darling granddaughter Ciara (11) can hardly wait until this quilt show is over so she an hang this one in her room. The walls are freshly painted in readiness."  We think this vibrant creation will certainly brighten any room, with its patchwork background of Kaffe Fassett Collection fabrics and the giant whimsical blossoms which almost pop off the quilt.

Close-up, Ciara's Favorite Colors by Barbara Fors

The bright orange center of the flower appears to be lightly padded to give it a trapunto effect. The center is then wrapped in a spiral of variegated green felt, with green yarn satin-stitched spokes radiating out from the center. We really liked this artistic embellishment which gives a distinct three dimensional effect to Barbara's quilt.

Ancient Sentinel, 46 x 52,Valerie M. Sauban

Valerie states, "I took a vacation to the Bristle Cone Pine Forest in the White Mountains south of Mono Lake [California]. These ancient trees can live to 5,000 years old. The big horn sheep faces danger. It is not only losing habitat, but because Californians voted to protect the mountain lion, the increased cat population is putting pressure on the sheep." The quilt is an original design.

We really liked the imaginative use of neutral grays and browns, and whites used to portray the granite landscape, as well as the solid color pieced Delectable Mountains border, which gives the quilt a very western, rustic look.

Those Bloomin' Sisters, 66 x 82, by Jill Orr

Jill writes, "My oldest sister Kathy is quite the instigator- and is a very good one. She came to visit with some pre-cut squares to work on a yo-yo quilt. I was instantly smitten. We dove into my stash, cut some more squares, then later, sent the squares back and forth to each other after she went home."

We think that Jill and her sister did a great job in selecting fabric in an analogous color scheme with blue undertones, such as magentas, lavenders, violets, and spruce greens.

Close-up,  Those Bloomin' Sisters by Jill Orr

Jill adds, "....A month later at the annual family beach gathering at Pacific Beach, we had to make a 'pilgrimage' to Rosie's Quilt Store in San Diego to pick some more fun fabric for our yo-yo quilts. We proceeded to make yo-yo's on the beach, and our cousins thought we were a bit yo-yo !  My quilt is dedicated to our loving husbands who tolerate our fabric stash."

Flower Garden, 62 x82, by Dorothy Hooper

We're always attracted to Dresden Plate quilts in their infinite varieties, and this one is no exception! Dorothy has created a bouquet of large sunflower shapes attached to jumbo rick-rack stems. The quilting design includes flowers, feathers and swirls. A carefully pieced border of vivid batiks adds even more cheer to this happy quilt.

Close-up, Flower Garden by Dorothy Hooper

Dorothy notes, "This was quilted by Kamala Alahan. My garden grew as I found so many fabrics to add to this." We loved the lively, swirly floral quilting design done in brightly colored variegated thread.

Monarch Variations by Valerie M. Sauban

Valerie says,  "The monarch butterly is made from my original paper pieced design. I place the two lightest butterflies together in the center to form a flower. The other four butterflies are flying towards the flower and vary in color from primary in the upper left corner to gold, red, and brown looking clockwise. I then created an original continuous line quilting design using the milkweed plant as an inspiration, since that plant is the monarch's favorite food." 

Close-up, Monarch Variations, 65 x65,  by Valerie M. Saubhan

In this close-up, you can see Valerie's beautiful and precise piecing of the butterfly's wings, which gives a radiant stained-glass effect to her quilt.  In the lower left, you can also see some of the quilting of the milkweed flower of which she speaks.  This quilt is a lovely example of the powerful combination of  violet and blue-violet hues paired with their nearly complementary colors, yellow, and golden yellow.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.