Last weekend, I had the honor of being one of the Featured Artists for the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association's "The Heart and Art of Quilts" quilt show.
Keeping with the show's theme, I chose to share my love of quilt challenges by displaying many of my quilt entries. Most of the quilts on display were made in response to quilt challenges conducted at the local, national and international level. Several of these quilts had been juried into a travelling exhibits whereas others have only been viewed online. I greatly enjoyed sharing each quilt's story and inspiration with attendees, and watching how the quilts drew attendees in closer to check out the stories and quilted details.
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| My Love of Quilt Challenges on Display |
I was very much in my element hosting "Open Studio" where I demonstrated free-motion quilting and "Crayon Etched Inspired" quilting throughout the weekend. I was in awe at how this format really engaged quilters and non-quilters of all ages and facilitated some wonderful conversations!! I would simply switch back and forth between techniques. As I stitched out some of my favorite modern motifs, I would explain my pathway as well as answer questions about my machine, set up/settings, thread preferences, lighting, gloves, process and tools. My Crayon-Etched Inspired quilting seemed to really intrigue attendees...as several would bring their friends back over and ask me to etch out a new section to unveil a new pop of color--and I was more than happy to comply as it took me lots of will-power not to cut them all out at home prior to the show!!! These interactions truly made the day fly by quickly!!
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| My Love of Texture and Color At Play |
On Day 2, I was proud to have my mother in attendance. She made the trek out from Florida the day before and got to see me at work. While she does not claim to be a quilter, she showed me how to operate our old Kenmore sewing machine and got me started on my very first quilt.
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| Love of Family on the 2nd Day |
My sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who played a role in the weekend's fun and success, including:
- Roberta and the entire Quilt Show Committee for not only selecting me to be a Featured Artist, but for all their time, planning and preparations to put on a fabulous quilt show!
- Sue Bianchi for being an absolutely fabulous co-Featured Artist!
- Doug for being my roadie during set up and take down!
- Gayle, Carol & Renee for all their assistance in setting up my display area.
- My fellow quilters and friends for stopping by to visit and support me throughout the weekend!
- My mother for getting me started on this wonderful journey and all her encouragement/support!
Be sure to visit later this week for Part 2 featuring Quilts that were inspired by my Quilting 101 Demonstrations!!
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