I've been counting down the days until Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) opened at the Santa Clara Convention Center...and 5 busy, quilt-filled days later, it is over and I must wait until October 2015 for the next PIQF show. Luckily I have many fond memories of this year's PIQF show to findly remember.
Believe it or not, it was less than 5 years ago that I first moved to the San Jose area and one of Doug's colleagues recommended he take me after learning I was a quilter. I had attended a few local quilt shows back in New York but I was totally unprepared for the caliber of quilts I would discover that first year at the 2010 PIQF. Seeing all those awe-inspiring quilts just made me cringe over my own quilts and I was totally at a loss as to how these quilts were even constructed. My confidence as a quilter was totally shattered but fortunately, not for long. Soon thereafter, I joined SCVQA, signed up for workshops with visiting artists as well as take classes at local quilt shops. As I added more tools and techniques to my quilting repertoire, I would return each year to PIQF and started to recognize some of the techniques used in the amazing quilts on display and as well as some of the well-known quilters, and started to gain confidence about my own quilting and the ability to recreate some of the designs/techniques on display.
Fast forward 5 years and I am proud to share that I had 2 quilts accepted into the 2015 PIQF show!! "Panda-monium" was accepted both into the PIQF "The Whole Nine Yards" Quilt Competition, as well as New Quilts of Northern California special exhibit. And my "Fluttering & Voluptuous Vortex" was also accepted into the PIQF Quilt Competition! It was pretty cool seeing them on display among the 800+ other quilts hanging throughout the Convention Center!! Doug came by on Saturday to see them and take pictures of me with my quilts on display!!
Fluttering & Voluptuous Vortex was on display with several other SCVQA members' wall quilts--and just a few yards away from the SCVQA booth where we were selling tickets to our opportunity quilts and a featherweight machine. So it was pretty cool to see it hanging and watching attendees check it out while staffing our booth.
Fellow guild members mentioned that white glove volunteers were often called over to my Panda-monium quilt for attendees to see the reverse side of my quilt where the quilting and more colorful buttons reveal another layer of interest to this quilt. I just got back the judges' comments and they commented that it was "a charming piece," "border quilting enhances the quilt," and it reminded them "of what Andy Warhol would have made if he made a quilt (and had a dog)." All in all, very positive reviews and gave me renewed confidence with my design and quilting skills.
So, I have an entire year to start planning, designing and constructing next year's PIQF entries! Wish me luck!!
Believe it or not, it was less than 5 years ago that I first moved to the San Jose area and one of Doug's colleagues recommended he take me after learning I was a quilter. I had attended a few local quilt shows back in New York but I was totally unprepared for the caliber of quilts I would discover that first year at the 2010 PIQF. Seeing all those awe-inspiring quilts just made me cringe over my own quilts and I was totally at a loss as to how these quilts were even constructed. My confidence as a quilter was totally shattered but fortunately, not for long. Soon thereafter, I joined SCVQA, signed up for workshops with visiting artists as well as take classes at local quilt shops. As I added more tools and techniques to my quilting repertoire, I would return each year to PIQF and started to recognize some of the techniques used in the amazing quilts on display and as well as some of the well-known quilters, and started to gain confidence about my own quilting and the ability to recreate some of the designs/techniques on display.
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| Fluttering & Voluptuous Vortex and I |
Fluttering & Voluptuous Vortex was on display with several other SCVQA members' wall quilts--and just a few yards away from the SCVQA booth where we were selling tickets to our opportunity quilts and a featherweight machine. So it was pretty cool to see it hanging and watching attendees check it out while staffing our booth.
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| Me and Panda-monium |
Fellow guild members mentioned that white glove volunteers were often called over to my Panda-monium quilt for attendees to see the reverse side of my quilt where the quilting and more colorful buttons reveal another layer of interest to this quilt. I just got back the judges' comments and they commented that it was "a charming piece," "border quilting enhances the quilt," and it reminded them "of what Andy Warhol would have made if he made a quilt (and had a dog)." All in all, very positive reviews and gave me renewed confidence with my design and quilting skills.
So, I have an entire year to start planning, designing and constructing next year's PIQF entries! Wish me luck!!
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