Lemon Tree Tales

PIQF 2012: Part II

Here's more pictures from the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF). Hope you enjoy them.

Down and Away Below by Ruth DeBord ... there's always a whimsical quilt that I like at the show and this one is all about mermaids. Great colors!

 

Butterfly II by Kim Butterworth ... I like the collage feel to this wall hanging.

 

Color Study I by Donna Deaver ... fantastic colors and great graphic design.

 

Mom's Lily Bed by Jenny K Lyon ... my favorite colors! The center looks like a hand dyed but it is a solid color. The variations come from different colored quilting threads. There's also subtle bead work in the border and the center ... gold and blue metallic beads. Of course there's also the amazing quilting that gives all the lovely texture.

 

The Hues of Amber by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz ... beautiful quilting and a great colorstudy.

 

Leaves of Spring by Letitia Chung ... beautiful wallhanging made using scrap Asian prints.

 

Ocean Waves antique quilt from 1890 ... I love the scrappy look and all the HSTs.

 

The Monster by Sandy Curran ... this was very colorful and densely quilted.

 

Hawaiian Star by Dawn Brenton and Tracey Royce ... absolutely gorgeous colors and fabrics. I've always wanted to make a quilt like this. I'm not sure but it looks like a Judy Niemeyer design called Prairie Star.

 

Diamonds are Forever by Marge Edie ... beautiful quilting and fabrics. I'm not usually a fan of darker colors but this just kept grabbing my eye.

 

Wine Country by Jan Soules ... just lovely colors.

 

Windy by Janeene Herchold ... amazing colors and textures from all of those beads.

All in all there were some spectacular and beautiful quilts at this year's show. I'm really glad that we got home in time for it. These were just a few of the ones that I especially liked.

PIQF 2012: Part I

We got back from our vacation just in time for me to spend three hours at the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) two Sundays ago. I spent most of the time walking the aisles of quilt displays and then did a quick run through of the vendors. Sadly my feet began to hurt and I didn't get to the last row of the international quilts. What I did see of the quilts were wonderful ... gorgeous colors and quilting. I took quite a few pictures before my camera battery died. Oops, I forgot to make sure it was recharged from the trip but we had just returned the night before. This first group of photos are of animals ... they make such a fantastic theme for quilts.

Brian the Basilisk by Jane Haworth ... the greens are so pretty on this quilt and the background batik fabric is so full of texture.

 

Chosen by Jan Reed ... like most girls I had a fondness for horses when I was young, especially Arabians. This one looks so majestic. The quilting really helps to contour the shapes of the horse's neck and face. Once again, there's a beautiful background fabric ... perhaps hand-dyed? that gives the illusion of sand dunes.

 

Hippo Love by Janet Fogg ... the colors are soft and sweet and the underwater reflections of the hippos help to create a heart. The quilting isn't contoured to the shapes of the hippos but it is gorgeous.

 

Stripe by Janet Fogg ... this may be my favorite quilt of the animals, perhaps even of the show. I love the candy colors, the batik seaweeds, and the black gimp that outlines the 'S'. It's like a colorful page from a child's alphabet book. I'd love to see an entire quilt series of the remaining 25 letters. Wouldn't that make for an awesome quilt show?!

 

 I'm Watching You by Barbara Barick McKie ... how could I pass up this sweet doggie face? The thread painting is exquisite with amazing attention to detail. Just look at the shine of the wet nose. Beautiful!

 

Ruffled Feathers by Roxanne Nelson (the link isn't to her website but to an article by a quilt shop owner talking about Roxanne's work) ... outstanding use of colors to recreate a stunning parrot.

I'm in awe of the talent that these women have poured into these gorgeous quilts!

Happy 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, on a beautiful day in the hills of Malibu California, I married my best friend. Since then we've shared ups and downs, joys and sorrows and I would do it all over again. I love you babe, happy anniversary!!!

One of my favorite photos from our wedding day ... this was just after Steve said the sweetest toast to me.

 

And this is us this summer when we were at my aunt Geri's wedding on another beautiful sunny day in California.

Jelly Roll Quilt Top

When I saw the jelly roll race quilts last year on quite a few blogs, I really wanted to try it out. What better way than to use a beautiful Kaffe Fassett jelly roll? Here's a link to one of the many that tell you how easy it is to make from Heirloom Creations.

I started with this lovely jelly roll of rich blue Kaffe Fassett fabrics:

I found a tip to cut down on all the fuzz .. take a lint roller and rub it across the top and bottom of the jelly roll before you unroll it.

The drawback to this quilt is that you need a lot of space once you've sewn all those strips together. Here's a few pictures of it in my hallway:

Another tip I found was to fold the first long strip into an accordian pleat before you begin sewing:

Even with that tip it is a bit messy at first at the sewing machine:

But in the end I think the results are well worth the effort. Now I'm off to add a border and then piece together a backing. I imagine that I'll just do some allover quilting on it that won't fight against all the strips.