California Fall Quilt Show: Contemporary Quilts

Take a look at these  very interesting contemporary quilts from the 2013 Diablo Valley Quilters Show. We think you'll love the innovation and creativity shown here !

Garden of Paradise, 52 x 52", by Michelle Webber

Michelle notes, "This quilt was made using a Karen Stone pattern. My mini-group, The Blockheads, paper pieced most of the blocks. "  Michelle and her colleagues have done a great job of paper piecing these luminous and exotic flower designs, using apricots, corals, peaches, and periwinkle hues.

Our Squirrel - Day and night, 17 x 14", by Barb Mahan

Barb says, "We have squirrels in our yard all year round. They eat our fruit and birdseed. This is my second night and day quilt."  We  loved the thread painting done in shades of taupe, beige, and gray which depict this cute little creature so realistically.

Here's the back of Barb's wonderful work, done against a dark background. Now you can see why she refers to this wall hanging as a "night and day" quilt. 

All Boxed In, 60 x 60", by Nancy Bourns

Nancy writes, "All these featured fabrics (except two Marcia Derse fabrics) [were] created by me, with lovely quilting done by Kamala Alahan." The quilt artist has created a beautiful split complementary palette of soft amethyst, raspberry, purple, burgundy, and lime green hues.

Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters, 53 x 57", by Linda Fribley

 The Gee's Bend Quilters of Alabama live in a remote community of about 750 people, where most residents are descendants of  African-American slaves of the 17th-19th centuries.  They have become renowned for their amazing abstract quilt designs in bright geometric colors. Working with almost no resources, often in severe poverty, they have created a most imaginative and innovative design style.

Close -up, Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters by Linda Fribley

Linda notes, "I am a printmaker as well as a quilter. The images are from my etchings of a Gee's Bend Series of prints, photographed and scanned into Photoshop, then printed by inkjet onto Printed Treasures fabric. " We enjoyed Linda's tribute to an important and distinctive aspect of  American textile arts.

Nature's Mythical Fantasy, 105 x 96", by Jerry Theobald

Jerry states, "This quilt started with white fabric, which was dyed and then printed on, from lino carved plates. The printed images were then quilting using glow-in-the-dark thread on the back side."

Close up, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We really liked these dreamy,  exotic creatures whose presence created a truly magical ambiance on this vibrantly colored quilt.

Back of quilt, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We're showing the back of Jerry's quilt so that you can see the fabulous detail of the longarm quilting  work done by Jerry himself. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.