Best of the 2014 Pacific International Quilt Festival - Day 1

The Pacific International Quilt Festival, known as PIQF, is the biggest quilt show on the west coast of the United States. In this series, we're displaying some of the fabulous, innovative, and just plain fun quilts we saw there.  This year's theme is  "The Whole Nine Yards", meaning "to show maximum effort in work or play."  Let us know which quilts are your favorites !

Exuberance by Marilyn Badger,  Utah

Blue ribbon winner for Best of Show, Marilyn says, "Two years in the making, all the hand stitching on this quilt was done while caring for my husband of 40 years during his illness. .... Before he passed away, he named it. Six months after his death, I was finally able to face the quilting machine again and it took another six months to complete the quilting. "  We congratulate Marilyn on her courage and expertise in completing this amazing project. 

Close up, Exuberance by Marilyn Badger

In this close-up, you can see some of the stunning detail on the center medallion. Marilyn's original design is hand and machine appliqued, machine pieced, and long arm quilted.

Under the Ginkgo Tree by Tanya Brown, California

Tanya notes, " A moment of contemplation, while sheltering beneath a gingko tree. Ink on cotton [plus] stitching." We admire this artist's wonderful talent in creating such realistic detail with her nuanced and skillful use of light and shadow.

Close up, Under the Ginkgo Tree by Tanya Brown

This is a charming juxtaposition of one of the world's oldest living trees sheltering a young child, filled with innocence and wonder. Tanya has done an especially lovely job on the child's delicate facial features. Her original design is machine quilted.

Fly Me To The Moon by Jerry Granata, California

First place winner in the category of Innovative Quilts, Jerry writes, "I put the 'whole nine yards' of fabric in this retro-feel quilt including cotton, lame,satin, sheers, hand-painted, and ribbon.It was inspired by a painting by Juan Carlos Espejo."  Jerry's stunning work is machine appliqued,  machine pieced, and machine quilted.

Close up, Fly Me To The Moon by Jerry Granata

This "movie star from outer space", as we like to think of her, poses in front of a background of sophisticated and varied quilting motifs. Her elegance and glamor are embellished by her pearl necklace and her lame jacket. Jerry adds, " Threads used are silk, poly, metallic, and nylon....Quilting motifs were free-motion quilted on my Baby Lock Aria ( machine) and were not marked." 

Blue Tone by Aki Sakai,  Tokyo, Japan

First place winner in the category of  Traditional Quilts, Aki states, "The materials are cotton and linen. Techniques used are hand pieced, applique, embroidery, and yo-yo quilt. I have been quilting for about twenty years. I always tried new techniques for my quilts, and my quilting has become more detailed."

Close-up, Blue Tone, by Aki Sakai

We marveled at all the tiny, precise details of this charming quilt. The miniature yo-yo's connecting the blocks are only about one-fourth of an inch in diameter. Aki's breathtaking original design is hand appliqued, hand pieced, and hand quilted.

Here Kitty Kitty by Claudia Gano, California

Here's a whimsical, happy quilt which really caught our eye !  Claudia says, "This is the whole nine yards dream of Kitty Kitty's, complete with birds, butterflies, ponds, and the fragrant smell of a dahlia forest. ....This fantasy quilt was started in a workshop with Freddy Moran, creating machine appique flowers on a black and white fabric. I glued and fused the different fabrics. The trees were made of many pieces of fabric."

Close up,  Here, Kitty Kitty by Claudia Gano

Claudia adds," I free motion stitched and thread painted the quilt. It was a fun quilt to make."  Her delightful work, with its riotous bursts of color, is machine appliqued, machine pieced, and machine quilted.

Image credits:  Photo were taken by Quilt Inspiration