Roadshow to California 2011

Hard to believe a year has passed but, once again I made it to the Roadshow to California quilt show in Ontario ( and no, I still don't quilt ). Older posts show images from last years show and this one was surprisingly different. Lots of big imagery on the quilts ( or more accurately fabric masterpieces ). Usually quilting is about repetition but, as I've said many times before, these ain't your grandmothers quilts. However they are still made completely out of fabric and lots of machine and hand sewing. There is NO painted fabric on any of these images. Every different color or shade or tone is a separate piece of fabric. Just like painted masterpieces in museums and galleries a flat photo cannot relay the depth, the detail, and the stunning beauty of seeing these quilts in person. And I am a lucky girl with a fabric artist for a mother who takes me to these wonderful shows. Thanks mom :)

Day of the Dead

I needed no further proof that quilt shows are definitely evolving after viewing the Day of the Dead display. The skulls and quilts were colorful and cool, just unlike anything I've seen before at the zillions of quilt shows I've attended.

Hoffman Challenge 2010

As I mentioned in older posts Hoffman Fabrics sponsors a contest each year and Hoffman selects one of its fabrics that contestants must incorporate into their design. You can see 2010 fabric on the Hoffman Challenge sign. It was a hideous turquoise blue and most of the winning entries were rather hideous themselves! Apologies to everyone who worked long and hard on their entries but, really they were uniformly disappointing. My favorite was this little jester from the winning doll entries. Notice only his left sleeve is out of the contest fabric :)

Semi-Traditional

These quilts were a few that caught my eye because of their colors and striking appearance! What these artists do with fabric is beyond wonderful. None of these quilts are from traditional quilting patterns but, I would call them semi traditional. As I've said before, this is the new direction of modern quilts. The finished sizes, materials and techniques remain the same but, the quilts are more about artistic statement than practicality and keeping you warm on a cold night.

This is a close-up of the quilt of little squares. Each square had a circle appliqued in the middle and the symmetry of the entire quilt ( it measures about 8'x6' )is quite impressive!

$3,000 Winner

And this was the fabric art ( the term quilt just doesn't do it justice ) that was judged the very best work in the entire show of approximately 200 enteries. The artist won $3,000 which probably breaks down to about $5 an hour because the artist has hundreds of hours of work into this quilt. IT IS ALL PIECES OF FABRIC SEWN TOGETHER! The raw edges are turned under and probably hand stitched in place. The size is about 6' by 5' and it truly looks like a painting. The bottom picture is a close-up of one small section. And trust me you cannot tell from a photo the intricate details of this AMAZING work.