Brentwood Quilt Show

Saturday, two days ago, I went to the Delta Quilters guild quilt show, 25th Harvest on the Delta, with my friend Renée from our quilt guild. The show was held in Brentwood, CA.

Renée and I drove about 35 minutes north of Livermore to get there. It was a bright sunny day and our scenic route passed through golden hillsides in a sparsely populated area.You can see by northernmost portion of  map below why the guild calls itself the Delta Quilters.

The show was a moderate size, just under 100 quilts and 20 vendors, and was held at the Brentwood Community Center.

Upon entering the building, there was a HUGE quilt hung above the admission tables. The piecing was amazing given the number of small green/blue squares that had gone into its assembly.

A fund-raising boutique of handmade items for sale was situated off to the left near the entrance. Prices were truly inexpensive and much of the workmanship was exquisite. I bought these five embroidered Christmas ornaments. I was drawn to the bright colors and intricate designs. 

  

Strolling through the member quilts on display, I typically pause either to admire a quilt in its entirety or to examine a particular technique or idea that sparks my interest. For this quilt I did both.

It was made by Wendy Herman from a Barbara H. Cline pattern Under the Sea, which I bought quite a while ago and have yet to make. I was glad to see it made up and noted the maker's comment that she was a bit sad to see it was so small. I had not really noted on the pattern envelope that the size is indeed only 49" x 48". She added the border to enlarge it. The border colors are spot on with the quilt's pieced main body but having a heads up I will try to make it larger by repeated parts of the pattern if I can. I was surprised to see that the quilt design is offset. I had never realized that the large charcoal star was not centered on the quilt. The asymetry is not obvious from the way it is draped over the bench in the pattern photo, but I admire it as a rather charming and interesting design element.

Diamond cross hatching reminds me of argyle socks and quilting pattern in the pale gray gives lovely movement.

On these next two quilts I took particular note of the quilting pattern. Fireworks quilting spraying outward enhanced the shape of the card trick pattern in this 32" x32" "Spinning Star Table Topper " table topper by Cathy Decker.

In this pickup truck wall panel, uneven grid work stitching gave linen like texture. I am not sure but I think this was titled Old Blue and made by Sally Brown.

This quilt sample was a for a kit titled Snowy Days sold by Material Girlfriends and made up primarily of Robert Kaufman Snow Pals fabric. Indeed the panel images are soft, precious, and inviting but what also caught my eye was the non-square hourglass blocks. I have several cloth books for toddlers that I would like to make into a quilt instead. The pages are usually not-square, rectangular by a small enough margin to be mildly annoying. These hourglass blocks are a perfect solution and I really like the secondary pattern they bring to the quilt. The white, light, and medium blue solid choices were an incredibly artistic choice. 

In terms of fabric purchases, I congratulate myself that I was satisfactorily constrained. I bought one yard each of an African print from the boutique and a vibrant floral print from a vendor, both at very discounted prices.

The blue fabric below has a bit of a story. It was packaged in a zip lock bag to be cleared out, marked with the reduced price of $16 for 8 yards and a note with the sales pitch that it would make a great backing. The blue color has such depth and I was drawn to something about it - yes, other than the price! I was fingering it and murmured, "This is different." A member of my guild standing near my side overheard me and quipped, "Yeah, it is butt ugly." As I continued to finger and fondle it I replied, "But you know how something can be so ugly, it is cute? I do not know if this is peach pits or avocados or a reverse image of a hard boiled egg half, but it kind of calls to me." The mottled blurred tones reminded me of something that I could not quite place my finger on. I read the selvage that attributed the work to designer George Mendoza but that did not ring any bells. 

Like that unforgettable, scruffy, begging mutt at the dog pound that you just have to take home, I picked up the fabric and walked over to pay for it. The vendor, who was closing out her shop reminded me, "You know the artist who did this is blind." Then the name George Mendoza that I'd read off the selvage spark a realization, and my memories flooded back. I had heard of him before and had bought some of his fabric at a quilt show held in Oklahoma City where my daughter lives. George Mendoza is an artist, an athlete, and a motivational speaker. George Mendoza was a 1980 Olympian in track and has suffered since his teen years from a form of juvenile macular degeneration. He has no central, detailed vision but paints the peripheral colors he sees and interprets. Here is the Mendoza flower fabric I bought in June of 2013 when I first I first learned about him. I have yet to use the yard I bought back then, but I do take it out periodically to look at and admire it.

I noted that the blue background fabric was titled "Pebbles" and, no, I do not know what I am going to do with it. That "butt ugly" fabric, admittedly perhaps not my most favorite fabric of all time, did turn out to be my favorite and most prized purchase of the day. Now to link up with Let's Bee Social #191.