Each year toward the end of January one of my favorite quilt shows, Road to California sets up shop at the Ontario Convention Center. It's gigantic in scope, with exhibit halls overflowing with quilts and more quilts, wearable art, and vendors from all over the world offering enticing stuff that you never realized you needed!
And I need it all!
They also have classes offered by the quilt world's luminaries. I've missed "Road" for a couple years now and plan to visit and maybe take a couple classes next year.
So I must content myself with photos of this year's winners. It makes me feel energized looking at these quilts. Some I know I would never do because they would take a long time, but others give me a little kick in the seat that says, "You could try this."
Here is a link to this year's winners:
And this is my favorite, for today, at least. Beth Nufer of Brookings, Oregon you are my new quilt hero. Look at those flying diamonds and the mariner's compass blocks scattered over the quilt. The quilter is Shelly Knapp, who is Beth's frequent collaborator. Below the photo are Beth's words about this quilt, which is electrifying.
112 in x 112 in Winner of $150.00 for 1st Place: Innovative, Large, Pieced
Sponsored by The Quilt Cupboard
Entered by Beth Nufer (Brookings, OR)
Made by Beth Nufer
Quilted by Shelly Knapp
Started in 2009, Finished in 2009
Design basis: Mariner's Compass Quilts by Judy Mathison
Artist statement: I made 45 degree templates, totalling 80 pieces to complete the central design. I increased the squares in small increments as they went out from the center. The mariners compasses were appliquéd on some and pieced on others all around my original design.
I hope you come to Road next year - perhaps we can then meet face to face. I live about 40 miles east of Ontario. I took a class on Wednesday last week - but the show hadn't opened yet, so I couldn't go in. I intended to come back on Sunday - ready to spend lots of $ and see the quilts - but I didn't feel well and stayed home. So I miss it too!
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Lubbock during college - and went through Las Vegas often to go skiing or backpacking. I spent one summer up near Hermit's Peak preparing a new camp for campers.