Staggering Quilts at Road to California 2019, Part I

OMG, Road to California 2019, in Ontario, California. I was beyond honored - stunned, really - to have this English Paper Pieced quilt in this show; the icing on the cake was that my stunning DH came with me to see it!

Setting aside my own quilt - I could only see the flaws as it hung in a forest of masterpieces - here's some  objective advice: If you only go to one quilt show a year, this would be a great choice. There were more than 1,000 quilts, and I needed a thesaurus to come up with the superlatives that they  deserve - astounding, breathtaking, jaw-dropping, spectacular, staggering, and so on! They came from all over the US and the world. By the time I left the show, I was exhausted by awe!

I also needed a thesaurus to describe the crowds, hordes, mobs, multitudes, throngs, etc. of attendees at the show on Thursday, the day the show opened. (UPDATE: Overall attendance approached 50,000.) One could barely move in the aisles and the vendors' booths. If "Road," (as quilters affectionately call the show), is any indication, the quilting industry is in fantastic shape.

I took hundreds of pictures, and here are about 30 of my favorites. Disclaimer: These are the quilts at which I happened to fulfill the impulse to snap a picture. Between dodging crowds, the sheer numbers of quilts, and being repeatedly thunderstruck, I couldn't possibly photograph everything I adored!

My apologies if your quilt isn't here and you wish it were; or if your quilt is here and you wish it weren't. In the latter case I will take it down immediately (email me at cathy.perlmutter@gmail.com).

I welcome corrections, clarifications, etc. The labeling of these quilts was sometimes confusing - multiple labels were propped on music stands between quilts -  sometimes at a considerable distance. So please forgive me, write to me about any mistakes and I will correct this post immediately.

Ready? Let's go. Near my quilt was gorgeous "Painted Magnolia" by Catherine Butterworth of Australia, based on hand-weaving designs.

I loved its colors, and also the colors on the quilt below. It's "Orange Orchard Trails," by Jenny Bacon from Australia. (Her website is www.Jennybacon.com.au.)

Next, "Stitch'n'Grow" by Linda Evans of California. She made a different leaf every day and posted her progress on Instagram at @stitchngrow - you can see closeups of this gorgeous piece there. 

Nancy Arseneault of Arizona made this quilt, based on a pattern by Esther Aliu. It includes Seminole piecing, rickrack, and double piped binding. The cheddar and periwinkle color scheme was inspired by a Kleenex box!

Next, "Sunshine" by Katherine Jones of Australia. "Inspired by the sun and my love of applique dots." The dots are perfection. (All the dots in this show were perfection.) 

"Mason Jar Bouquet" by Deanna Steel of Idaho, includes applique, beading and fabric painting. 

Master quilter Zena Thorpe's "over-the-top "For Love of Ornament," was inspired by the 1856 book, "The Grammar of Ornament." 

This is "Taber Welborn Family Tree" by Susan Taber Atlas of California: 

Next, "Ring of Posies," by Sandy Voering, from a purchased pattern started by her mother, finished by her, when she was 79. It was purchased at an auction and quilted by Joy Voltenberg. The quilting is insanely great. (But then again, the quilting in all these quilts is insanely great.)

Below, "Lessons in Botany & Entomology" by Ann Horton of California. There's an alphabet in there. "Flowers, fruits, and the incredible array of insects that make up our natural world inspired this colorful array. Old botanical prints fascinate me....improv piecing of curves and setting helped me play with my 40 year stash of of fabrics....."

Detail:

Audra Rasnake of Virginia titled this "Between Heaven and Earth," inspired by stained glass windows of European cathedrals, made with batiks, using reverse applique.

Below, the staggering "Flower Festival" by Sachiko Chiba of Japan, who modestly says, "I hope to continue making flower quilts." 

"Dramatically Diagonal" by Terry Aske of Canada. "My inspiration: The massive metal Vancouver Bienniale sculpture WOW Westminster, by Jose Resende. This 140 foot installation comprises 4 forty foot shipping containers precariously cantilevered to form a W shape."

"Loving Amsterdam" by Jan Soules of California, based on her photos:

"In the Beginning" by Jenny Beasley of Arizona, inspired by Genesis. 

"Mont St. Michel Memories," by Linda Schmidt of California, a portrait of the island off the coast of Normandy:

I loved the next quilt because I've been making skyscraper quilts. The label gave it another level of meaning. It was made by Marilyn Ettinger, and quilted by Linda Natale. It was submitted to Road by Lois Hale, who explained on the label, "This was the last quilt Marilyn Ettinger made. She died suddenly on August 3, 2018. I am entering this quilt on her behalf because that was her plan. She was inspired to make this quilt because she loved New York City and lived there many years. She was a very prolific quilter, gifted teacher, and will be missed by many." 

Next, "Baker Beach" by Sandra Mollen of California: "I was inspired to see if I could capture in fabric the feel of the water, and the reflections of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is made from fused cotton fabrics, some hand-dyed, and a small amount of Ultrasuede for the cables. I also used some Tsukineko inks and markers for details."

"Night on the Bayou" by Betty Jo Tatum of Virginia, who writes that it was inspired by art by Disney artist Joel Christopher Payne. She purchased the right to use it as the basis for this quilt. "Fireflies are glow-in-the-dark paint with hot fix crystals." !

In the abstract department, below is a quilt called "2 Degrees Celsius," made by Stephanie Ruyle of Denver, in collaboration with her Bee Sewcial group. "I was the principal instigator of the prompt that drove the creation of this quilt, as well as the one who assembled all the 'blocks' into a whole quilt." It was quilted by Christine Perrigo, and block contributors are Leanne Chahley, Karen Foster, Felicity Ronaghan, Marci Debetaz, Silvia Sutters, M-R Charbonneau, Debbie Jeske, Anne Sullivan and Hillary Goodwin. "The quilt is a collaborative story about climate change."

Sue Polansky of Massachusetts made this street scene of Cuba. " I am in love with the beautiful decrepitude of the buildings and the warmth and resourcefulness of the residents. Life is lived out on the streets...." 

Next, "Sewing Seeds" by Maren Johnston of California. "I find inspiration from my garden and orchard, and use bold, graphic shapes to evoke a tribal feel."

"Stone Lakes" by Jan Soules of California, was inspired by her photo of the landscape in the nearby Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge. "The scenery and colors were amazing. This quilt began in a class with Jean Wells. I made my own pattern and abstracted the details."

"Plain and Simple", by Jodi Robinson of Pennsylvania, has elaborate quilting that is anything but plain or simple. "I love the idea of taking a very clean, simple quilt design, and challenging myself to enhance, but not overwhelm the piecing with my machine quilting. This was the first quilt where I utilized some basic computerized designs, and then filled in with freehand quilting."

Below, "Bubble Ballet" by Birgit Schueller of Germany. "I designed this circular array of six sets of bright different size, semi-transparent, spiraling circles and had them digitally printed on cotton sateen fabric. I chose one color thread for each set of circles, and due to the shading within each of them, the thread color seems to change between sections of the same circle. This adds a third dimension to the circles, turning them into bubbles.  'Bubble Ballet' seems to be spinning in an endless loop!"

"Annularity" by Elizabeth Eastmond of California, was "inspired by the wooden floor tiles found in one of Gaudi's constructions in Barcelona....I was further inspired by the celestial show put on by the eclipse in 2017, giving the quilt a celestial name."

"Carnival' was made by Beth Nufer, quilted by Clem Buzick. "I wanted to make a modern quilt with a 3-D effect. I used silk fabric with a gradated background fabric in cotton." 

"Perceptions of Life" is by Linda Anderson of California, who writes, "My work is created with similar themes that have become a core part in expressing my life's message....people, places, perspective and photography. These elements help me describe the wonder of humans around the world and the life story each one represents." 

Just for fun, "Zipit - A Fidget Quilt" by Jeffrey Warner of California, made for a Cotton & Steel fabric challenge. "Five zippers have been built into this three dimensional quilt. The perfect quilt for the fidgity person." 

There were several special exhibits. Here are two quilts from the exhibit "Journeys in Stitch," featuring quilts by Gillian Travis. First, a scene from India that incorporates real sari fabric: 

And a delightful sardine/anchovy (?) quilt inspired by Portugal

UPDATE: 30 more quilts from the show are in my next blog post, here.