Highlights of the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 1

We had a fabulous time at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival, the largest quilt show on the Pacific coast of the U.S.  Beautiful quilts were displayed from around the world. All the quilts were designed and constructed at a very high level of talent. We are showing some prize winners, but we also will be showing you some real gems that did not win prizes. For a complete list of prize winners in the World Quilt category, please click here.
Today, we're featuring Part I  of our highlights !

The Globe -Hayabusa Shot, 105 x105", by Kimiko Ukai, Japan

Kimiko explains, ...."In 2003, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a planet probe, Hayabusa 1. Hayabusa 1's destination is to the asteroid Itokawa. The journey took two years. On the way there, Hayabusa 1 came close to Earth. From that point, Hayabusa 1 took some photos of  Earth. One of the photos inspired my quilt." Therefore, this spectacular quilt depicts Planet Earth as seen from outer space. We were fascinated by this quilt and in awe of all the interesting new information we learn about the world at quilt shows.

Close-up, The Globe-Hayabusa Shot, by Kimiko Ukai

Kimiko continues, "I worked with the cathedral windows method." Kimiko's original design is all done in small cathedral windows blocks, sometimes embellished with lace overlays, as shown here. This huge quilt is completely quilted by hand. We were very impressed with Kimiko's most significant creation.

Frame of Mind, 35 x 32", by Flora Joy, Tennessee

Frame of Mind won Honorable Mention for wall quilts. Flora explains about her original design, "My attempt to make a three-in-one quilt that clearly showed the images of three different women definitely left me on pins and needles! I'm hoping that viewers will also be on pins and needles as they walk by and see the images magically change from Jackie Kennedy to Oprah Winfrey (shown here) to Mother Teresa!"

Close-up, Frame of Mind by Flora Joy

In this amazing quilt, the photo in the frame changes from one person to another, depending upon where you stand in front of the photo.  In this close-up above, we are standing on the left hand side, so the photo shows First Lady Jackie Kennedy (wife of U.S. President John F. Kennedy).

Close-up Frame of Mind by Flora Joy

If you stand on the right side of Flora Joy's quilt, the louvered strips of fabric will display the visage of Mother Teresa.  We were really intrigued with this quilt, as were a large group of admiring viewers standing around it. The technique is described in Flora Joy's October 2015 book, Trispective: The 3-N-1 Quilt, published by AQS.

Blue Hawaii, 99 x 74", by Sue Green, California

Sue states, "The inspiration for this quilt was one pillow-size traditional Hawaiian leaf pattern. I kept gathering patterns and ended up drawing 4 block patterns myself. Using the same (white) batik fabric for the block and sashing gives it a sparkle. It took my small quilt group to help me decide on the 'on point' layout."

Close-up, Blue Hawaii by Sue Green

Sue notes, " This quilt hangs in my bedroom, and every morning it reminds me of my wonderful vacation in Hawaii." These gorgeous blue batik Hawaiian motifs were all appliqued by hand, then Sue's lovely work was long arm machine quilted. Winner of a Judge's Choice award, "Blue Hawaii" was one of the prettiest quilts we saw at this year's P.I.Q.F.

The Color of Honey, 25 x 29", by Valerie Sauban, California

Valerie notes, "I like to work on challenge quilts because it forces me to work outside my comfort zone. My Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County issued a challenge for our 2015 show to combine black and white fabrics with one other colorway.... I also volunteer at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and was asked to do a program on bees for kids. I became fascinated with bees and wanted to combine what I learned about them with the quilt challenge. So, I chose the color of honey as my third colorway, and made 'Beatrice' [above] as the queen bee of the...hive. " We love Beatrice's expressive little face, the wonderful background fabric, and the hexagon shape of a beehive cell that Valerie has chosen for this delightful quilt, which is hand appliqued.

Close-up, The Color of Honey by Valerie Sauban

Valerie adds, " I realize that I [humanized] Beatrice, but it was my way of trying to soften the stinging images of bees for kids..... This is an original design that came to me in a flash when I saw the  [tiny silver] metal crown and scepter at a hobby store."

Autumn  Baltimore, 71 x 71", by Sue Green, California

Sue writes, " A friend and I purchased this Baltimore Autumn pattern by Pearl Pereira together at PIQF in October 2013 from one of the many wonderful vendors. I love needle-turn applique and prefer working with batiks, as they don't fray when trimming and clipping."

Close-up, Autumn Baltimore by Sue Green

Sue continues, "This was my first ever Baltimore album style quilt and a real challenge to get it completed for this year. It hangs in my dining room from September through Thanksgiving. " We can only imagine the hours of loving work that went into this stunning quilt, a true heirloom. Color saturated batiks fabrics work perfectly to convey the intensity of autumn hues.  Just like her "Blue Hawaii" quilt shown above, Sue's work here is hand-appliqued, machine pieced, and long arm machine quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration