My Entries to the 2026 AVQ Show

I entered four of my quilts into the Amador Valley Quilters 2026 show. In the following sections, each quilt with the text of its descriptive story card is shown along with a link for further details. To see many of the other quilts in the show check out my blog post dated 5/2/26.

1_OhDeer 41"x 40" (#32A)

Changing borders and colors from Coriander Quilts pattern #206 Deerly Loved, I fussy cut the antler fabric to center the medallions. I added black triangle pupils to bright blue eyes. A narrow blue border strip ties into the eye color. The quilted upside-down clamshells symbolize garlands. Be sure to check out the fun backing fabric. (For more details see my blog post dated 12/2/24.)

2_Spooky_Sweet 30.5"x 34.5" (#121D)

Spooky & Sweet, is from a four-week quilt-a-long project by the Fat Quarter Shop with free pdf pattern downloads. The soft colors, all solids, attracted me to this kit. The gray background played nicely with the Coral, Clementine, Pesto and Violet hues, toned down from the typical garish orange, green, and purple for Halloween. (For more details see my blog post dated 10/3/24.)

3_BinThereDoneThat 55"x 55" (#124)

Blocks I’d made from JoAnn Fabrics' 2006 Block of the Month series Spice Meadows resurfaced in one of my project bins, hence the name. These colors were popular nearly two decades ago. Striped Noah's Ark fabric as a backing makes the quilt more contemporary. The colors went well with the front. I had a generous amount of this fabric in my stash. (For more details see my blog post dated 9/14/24.)

4_ChemoChaos 48"x 48" (#51)

Quilter-blogger Karen Brown, at her website Just Get It Done Quilts, posted a technique on how to use layer cake pre-cuts to advantage with symmetry about two axes. This is my result from one layer cake with a sewing theme. The final arrangement of the blocks confused me, but I was undergoing chemotherapy at the time… hence the name Chemo Chaos. (For more details see my blog post dated 11/20/24.)

Oh, Deer Completion

Piecing this quilt is described in my previous post dated 11/26/24. The next step, selecting my FMQ pattern for the quilting, is always a challenge for me. Doing an allover meander is probably the simplest approach except that I am terrible at meandering smoothly and not getting stuck in a corner. I generally opt for ruler work instead which is time-consuming but provides me with guidance. I compromised by doing free-hand arcs in the two bands of stars at the top and bottom of the quilt to give a tufted pillow effect. For the major section of the deer head I did something more controlled.

I used my Handi Quilter multi clamshell template for the deer portion. Orienting the clamshell "upside-down" gave the effect of the roof on a gingerbread house or draped garlands.

A portion of the deer section quilted in clamshells gives the nice effect that I was seeking.

Now, what to do in the narrow white bands on either side of the inserted blue stripe? I have a Handi Quilter wave template with an 4" wavelength and two different depths of the waves. I used the shallower 0.75" wave in the inner border and the deeper 1.5" wave in the larger outside border. I attempted to line them up relative to each other and centered on each side. I started in the middle of each edge and worked my way toward each corner. The quilting lines on the corners will fall where they may but at least they will look similar among the corners. A black and white pinstripe binds the outer edges of the quilt and relates back to the deer's antlers.

The backing was from a  fabric called Glad Tidings by the Whole Country Caboodle for Henry Glass. I thought the fabric title of Glad Tidings was clever since the hanging ornaments say "comfort and joy". I knew it would be perfect paired with the Deerly Loved pattern because of the Christmas balls hanging from the antlers. The following image is a closeup of the backing fabric. 

I made cranberry colored labels with white embroidery out of grosgrain ribbon for the two lower corners. Cranberry blended with the backing fabric better than a bright Christmas red would have. The quilt name, my name, and the year completed are recorded on the labels. The pattern by Coriander Quilts was called Deerly Loved but I have named this quilt Oh Deer. 

The back side of the quilt is also fun. The stripe on the backing ran parallel to the selvage. The height was adequate since it was the width of fabric. But, because I'd bought the remnant at a craft show already cut to a one yard length, I did not have enough width. Hence, I added the white edges. 

Here is the front view of the completed quilt. Oh Deer measures 41" wide x 40" tall. I plan to hang it on the wall of our stairwell next to the Christmas Moose canvas shown after. The canvas measure 20" wide x 16" tall. The moose is half as wide as the deer so I will have to see how they look side by side. No matter where they are placed, each will add to the festive "Deck the Halls" mood of the season.