Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-09-11

I'm only posting photos of two of the quilts in this exhibit, although the others are worthy.  I've got to stop somewhere! 

http://lighthouseartquilt.com/

Hanging side by side I was struck all over again with thoughts of how everyone's vision is different.  On the left an abstract with realistic sections and on the right strict realism.  I like and appreciate both.  Mary Leakey (whose name is misspelled on the label) is my very good friend and I was delighted to see her quilt shown in this exhibit.  It is a special pleasure to know someone well enough that they are willing to share their thoughts and process as they develop an idea for a quilt.  When Mary asks for comments I give them honestly and when she doesn't, I try to keep my mouth shut.   She continues to grow in her creativity and her technique. 

 

  

 Mary's diamond patchwork sky is especially nice, I think, and the detail on the light and its surrounding railing is perfect.  The lupine was cause for lots of experimenting with technique and types of fabric which resulted in an effective, but not overpowering foreground.

www.backporchfabrics.com

Here is another combination of abstract and realism.  What led Gail to think of the buffalo in connection with the lighthouse?   The buffalo fabric?  A memory from her past?  An article in a magazine about the Pacific Improvement Company's "Catalo" experiment?  One question that quilters are frequently asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?".  It is a question that has no defining answer.  Usually  the original idea has a combination of sources - sort of a patchwork in itself. 

Gail has a fabulous "fabric eye", which is a big reason why I so enjoy shopping at her store, Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove, CA.  Nice use of the McKenna Ryan trees that melt into the sky and into the descending layers of hillside and sea. 

I am always intriqued by these "strip" quilts where a group of quilters divide up a photograph and each interprets her section with her own design sense and fabric library.  I think this is a particularly nice example of this genra. 

Using a watery background fabric that has certainly come from her "stash" this member of the group has used very simple shapes to indicate the life-vested people in this sailboat - two children and their father, undoubtedly.

This build is sliced by a division between the strips and there is a nice transition in the scene from one section to the next.  I believe this is a bank building, but I haven't been to Boston for about forty years, so I could be mistaken.  

www.heidilund.com

This very colorful quilt seemed to be popular with viewers - when I was trying to take a picture I had to wait for several pair of ladies who stopped to admire it.  It was part of the Celebrate Spring! exhibit.

 

 

It is very heavily machine quilted. 

This is the last post about Quilt Festival - Long Beach '11.  If you would like to see more quilts go to the virtual exhibit:  http://www.quilts.com/lbqf11/enVivo/index.html

Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-08-11

Did you miss me last night?  My broadband connection wouldn't work, so I just went to bed.  Today it seems to be working well. 

www.bodilgardner.dk

44"W x 41"L   I always enjoy Bodil's wonderful textile "stories".  There are two in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection - someday I will add a larger one.  I love the little sheep in this one.

http://www.craftact.org.au/portfolios/artist.php?id=278

This is just one of many Google hits for Dianne Firth - just Google her name for more web sites.

Dianne has been working in this style for a number of years and she always comes up with a new insight into landscape of Australia.  I'm glad this one was already sold - I would have been sorely tempted to buy it!

It is approximately 42" square.

Another amazing quilt from a simple structure.  I don't understand how she makes the torn strips bend as if they were bias cuts.  But there are overlapping ends, which may be the secret.  I have left some of the black backdrop in this image because it makes the values so much more intense.  I don't think it would be very effective on a white/beige wall, it needs the drama of a dark surround.

In this picture you can more clearly see the "joins" at the bottom right and top left.

I didn't find a website for Jean.

This large quilt made an impact from across the room. I'm always a fan of pieced backgrounds and this one has a great value change.

In order to show how large the quilt is I asked three different people if they would stand near it with their back to me so I could take a picture - nobody would recognize their back, right?  Finally the third lady agreed - she is probably about 5' 2" tall. 

pamelart.homestead.com/titlepage.html

Pamela had a lot of quilts at this show, some I have seen before, but all were fascinating to examine "in-the-fabric" and I appreciated seeing the incredible detail she adds to each one.

http://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/

35" square  Note that this quilt is machine pieced NOT appliqued.  I see a Ruth McDowell influence here!

www.bbusbyarts.com

33.5"W x 50.5"L   Again the lighting doesn't do this quilt justice - the shadows cast by the light standards make it appear there is a vertical color change on the right side.  See Betty's website for a more accurate image.   This is a gorgeous quilt and I wish I had been first in line when the "for sale" sign went up.  I hope it has a happy home.  I've watched Betty's work for years and she just gets better and better. 

Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-06-11

The one part of my brain that doesn't seem to have many black holes is that which stores information about quilts and their makers.  Of course, I can't remember the names of my dearest friends or what I had for breakfast six hours ago, but I can always seem to dredge up what I need to know about quilts - not necessarily instantly, but with a little rummaging around in those little grey cells.  This first quilt was shown this past weekend at Quilt Festival,  but I am also posting a quilt, which I remember well, by the same artist that was shown at Quilt Festival - Long Beach in 2008.  I was fascinated by that quilt as I am with this newer one and I knew instantly that they were made by the same person.  What is Maya's technique?  I can tell she doesn't start in the middle or on any of the sides and work her way outward or inward.  Does she cut all the pieces with "sawtooth" edges or just those that will lay on the top?  And how exactly does she cut them?  Scissors?  Rotary cutter?  Exacto blade?  ?? 

 

I couldn't find a website for Maya, but here is an article about her

http://columbusjcc.org/centerscene-weekly/2011_may5_no18/maya_chaimovich_quilts.php

Rich in texture and color, the impact from a distance is of a lovely painting.

Close views reveal patterned fabric and dense stitching.

Hundreds of fabrics, most of them recycled, create a colorful puzzle.

Several tassels are incorporated into the mix.  [sorry about the poor picture]

This quilt was part of a 2008 special exhibit about space and the sky. 

Bits and pieces of fabric, lace, ribbon, metallics ...whatever.  It all makes a rich tapestry of air and space.

Back to 2011.....

http://www.bluemoonriver.com/

36"W x 48"L   Susan has an awesome talent with a sewing machine and very creative ideas.

Such marvelous control to create these smooth, close-spaced rows of stitches....

..... that make the feathers look like real feathers. 

Paint and stitching combine for an elegant quilt.

http://www.deborahsstudio.com/

Deborah's distinctive details  help identify her quilts wherever they are hanging.  Notice the tiny seed stitching in the center and the row of little "trees" across the bottom  - hand stitching makes a statement.

http://www.sherrykleinman.com/

36"W x 48"L   I wish I could have taken a closeup of this quilt.  The little lines on the fabric are indeed, rows and rows of names.  They give the appearance of seersucker fabric, don't they.  It is a great quilt - a forever  treasure for Sherry's family.