These next few quilts that I saw at Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) 2014 were amazing quilting. Now before you say that you can only accomplish such work with a longarm, one of these is entirely hand quilted. I believe that you can do amazing work with practice and dedication on a domestic sewing machine, a longarm quilting machine, or simply with your hand and needle. The limit is entirely up to each of us so I'm sharing these with you as inspiration to feed our quilting souls. If nothing else they are truly eye candy. Enjoy!
Let's Do the Dresden Twist by Teri Cherne .. This was a great meshing of modern meets traditional. The quilting is to die for and those dresdens. Did you look at them in all their polka dot bright fun? My favorite has to be that full dresden plate on the back with the solid lavendar backing that really showcases the beautiful quilting. And rainbow piping!
A Splendid Display by Cindy Seitz-Krug .. This one was more traditional but I really liked how she fussy cut the peacock and then did both piecing and applique for all those little blocks. I do like the use of colored thread on the black background. Also the pop of those appliqued circles. Don't they look like covered buttons?
October Sky by Bethanne Nemesh .. I was so happy to finally be able to see this quilt in person because I've been admiring it online for a while now. I tell you that pictures just don't do this quilt justice, especially not my quick snapshots. Look at the detail and all that matchstick quilting that helps to bring the trapunto to life. The beaded binding is amazing. She's going to be teaching that technique at the MQX Show next April in New Hampshire. Oh how I wish I could go to that.
Poppy Promenade by Bethanne Nemesh .. another gorgeous quilt from Bethanne. This one was quilted on a silk fabric. I think it was Silk Radiance, not sure exactly. That lovely beaded binding is here again.
Exuberance by Marilyn Badger .. Wow, all I can say is wow! The amount of detail and workmanship on this quilt is absolutely stunning. The hundreds of hours this must have taken her to do all that micro stippling is incredible. There's a lot to see here and more details pop out as you continue to study this quilt. I like the subtle touches such as using a print for the binding. It's very subtle but adds to the depth. And of course I'm always a sucker for a wee bit of bling and sparkle such as the strategic placement of beads here and there.
Gina's Starflowers by Marie O'Kelley .. This my friends is the quilt that was quilted by hand. Nothing in the quilter's rule book that says that hand-quilting must only be traditional. Look at how modern this one came out. I love the color selection. Of course you know that greens, turquoises and purples are my favorite colors. The piecing was a mix of hand and machine. It looks like the flowers were English Paper Pieced perhaps. What a fun quilt!
Well that my friends is the last of the pictures from PIQF 2014. I took many more than this but I felt that these were some of my highlights. It's so nice to be back in California again and be able to attend this wonderful show. The one in Denver was nice but this is HUGE. I went three times and still managed to miss things. Apparently there was a 3-D quilt on display that I completely missed out on. Maybe next time I'll try to be more methodical about my approach to the show. But sometimes it's nice to just wander around and let the quilt goodness snag my eyes as I walk about. If you're ever in the bay area in the early part of October you should try to make room in your calendar for the show.