Best of the 2014 Pacific International Quilt Festival - Day 3

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."  Here is Part 3 of our photos!

Discovery by Phyllis Cullen, Hawaii

As Phyllis mentions on her website, this quilt is a portrait of her granddaughters, Violet and Zephyr. Phyllis says, "Everything goes into my work - the design, dozens of fabrics, dozens of threads, and all my love for my grandchildren and their wonder at the world around us."

Detail, Discovery by Phyllis Cullen

Phyllis' original design is machine appliqued and longarm quilted. The warm colors of the child's hair and hibiscus flower contrast nicely with her shaded and tinted violet dress.

From Mountains to Desert by Carolyn Villars , California

Carolyn notes, "This view of the San Gabriel mountains from among Joshua Trees on the desert floor demanded attention, so I  fractured and enlarged the scene to surround the original view. Fabric was selected as for colors in a painting and fused on [the background]. "

Detail, From Mountains to Desert by Carolyn Villars

Carolyn's original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted. We enjoyed this scene of the springtime sky juxtaposed against the blooming cactus flowers and the rugged, snow-capped mountains.

Dinghy by Shelly Burge, Nebraska

Shelly notes of her original design in vibrant hues, "When creating this quilt, I went the whole nine yards with color. I decided not to use realistic colors in this pictorial design, but instead to focus on value placement and the use of unexpected color choices. I used commercially printed fabrics for this original hand appliqued design. I machine quilted it on my home sewing machine, frequently changing thread color to match the fabrics in each area."

Trees by Jane Alameda, California. Longarm quilted by Cindi Jo  

Done in sage green, gold, and chocolate brown, with an ivory background, this quilt works well in reflecting all four seasons. The pretty en pointe setting, complete with a small nine patch in each corner, adds lots of visual interest.

Detail, Trees by Jane Alameda

This geometric Amish pattern is a favorite of ours. We really admire Jane's precise workmanship, and the graceful feathers quilted into the triangular borders by Cindi Jo.

Zoo Holiday by Nancy S. Brown, California. Longarm quilted by Laura Lee Fritz

Nancy Brown is well known for her very talented depictions of our animal friends. Nancy writes, "The San Francisco Zoo [residents] have decided to take a holiday and do "the whole nine yards" in visiting the many tourist attractions of San Francisco, California.   Look for the bear wearing the jail cap making his escape from the  notorious Alcatraz Island prison and the elephants in their journey across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Closeup photo, Zoo Holiday by Nancy S. Brown

The artist adds, "This whimsical quilt was designed by Nancy Brown (Tulip) and made by her Bulbs. "  Here's a charming and soulful giraffe emerging above the well known fog banks of San Francisco Bay. Her original design is machine pieced and hand appliqued.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration