Views of PIQF 2010 10-16-10

I'm still feeling sorry for myself because I can't be at PIQF. I don't know how many years I have attended - all of them I imagine. But my friends who are there have been sending back images and I am sharing a few with you.

Gail must have known what the black and white fabric would do - create a sparkle in this quilt. She demos a quilt for anyone who comes to her Saturday event and they are all very special. I wish I lived closer so I could take classes with her, she has lots of ideas and makes great quilts.

Jan Hirth is another quilter/teacher who has a great eye for color and design. She used a Piece O' Cake pattern for this, but added her own unique touch. I may have shown this before when she showed it at Surfside Quilters Guild. But, that's okay, it is worth a second look ...or a third.... or...

Karen is also a quilter/teacher, and a writer, who has good quilting instincts. I'm always attracted to house quilts and this one has a special charm that only Karen could give it.

Karen Flamme 01-09-10

"In Memoriam" Karen Flamme 2007 34"W x 51"L

I photographed this quilt at the East Bay Heritage Quilters Quilt Show at the Oakland Convention Center in the April 2007. The accompanying sign had only the info above, but I believe the quilt relates to losses in the Iraq war. The sheer, golden (tulle?) fabric moved as people walked by giving it a ghostly presence. I'm showing this quilt today because Karen, who has survived life threatening illness in the past year, is included in an exhibit that opened today at the Gallery Concord (http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/recreation/thingstodo/gallery.htm). She is the guest fiber artist at this wonderful nonprofit, educational gallery that features the work of members of the California Watercolor Association. The opening reception was last evening and I wish I could have been there for the festivities and to see Karen and her art. The show will run until March 28 and I hope you'll have a chance to see it when you are in the Concord area. www.karenflamme.com

Pacific International Quilt Festival 10-15-09

This large quilt festival, known as PIQF, is held annually in Santa Clara, CA, which is near San Jose. I don't know how long I have been attending - maybe fifteen years. For about the last ten I have stayed with my friend Mary in San Juan Bautista, about an hour's drive south of Santa Clara, so that we could go together. We usually have one or two of Mary's friends along, but once we arrive at the show we agree on a time to meet for lunch and then split up to see the quilts at our individual pace. At lunch we decide what time we will head for home. This afternoon I was completely pooped out before I had seen very much of the show, so I waited for the others whilst sitting on a comfortable sofa in a quiet nook of the lobby. I hope I have more zip tomorrow, so with that in mind I will only post a few quilts I chose arbitrarily from the pictures I took today.

Karen has dealt with a serious illness in the past eight months, so I am happy to see one of her quilts.

The background is the curtain from which the quilt hangs. The quilt itself is just the nest hanging free from a branch. Since I am so enchanted with my "bowls" shape, with pieces cut in a similar manner, I am always interest in other artists work with the same shape. I wonder how this would look not on black, but on a wall color one would find in a residence - Navajo white, beige, yellow, etc.

Franki is a friend of several years and I am participating in a fiber postcard exchange she organized and directs - see: http://www.postmarkdart.com/. I purchased one of her Ginkgo quilts (15" square) last year at the Alliance for American Quilts online auction. It has a textured background and is very lovely.

To appreciate her excellent technique and the beauty of the materials she uses, you must see Franki's work

"in-the-fabric"

Here is a close-up that shows the intricate thread work on the leaves. I previously posted about Franki's work last year at: http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-piqf-quilts-10-22-08.html

More quilts from the Festival tomorrow and Saturday and.......??