Country Crossroads Quilters Show-2016

I’d never been to the “Heart of the Valley” show of the Country Crossroads Quilters of Modesto. Theirs is a biennial show held in the Modesto Centre Plaza, a sprawling, well-lighted  venue.

The show was beautiful! The aisles were spacious and there were lots of chairs throughout the show with great views of the quilts and incredible lighting on the quilts.

Penni Barger and Kathryn Sandner were the Featured Quilters. The above quilt was one of Penni’s featured quilts, “Metro Re of the Western Hemisphere”, a thread painted quilt that has previously won an award for Best Use of Thread. The hands and face were thread painted and the remaining details were appliqued. It is stunning in person.

Kathryn Sandner’s “Effervescent Textiles” was inspired by a quilt in the premiere issue of Simply Moderne magazine and previously exhibited in the Modern show in Palm Springs. I loved the way this quilt featured a wide variety of fabrics.

“Warm Wrappings Leftovers” by Suzanne Guthrie, quilted by Janice Skiles. What a charming quilt! I love windmill quilts and the quilting enhanced the top without taking over.

“Grandma Modesto” by Kathy Miedema Ray, quilted by St. Dunstan’s Church. This quilt was made in 1974 as a fundraiser for the church. Kathy’s Grandmother purchased a single ticket and won the quilt. Look at all those 70’s fabrics!

Oh my, look at the details! Isn’t that fun?

“Mijn Lief de voor Bloemen”, Kathy Miedema Ray, quilted by Kathy Miedema. This is a beautiful variation of a nine-patch inspired by Bonjour quilts in Australia. Modern mixed with tradition and bit of whimsy.

Kathryn Sandner, did not get the name. What a fabulous Modern take on a double wedding ring pattern!

“The Desert” by Virginia Lanphear, quilted by Susan Stender. Virginia took a Nancy Brown class at The Cotton Patch and created this monthly sampler by including animals found in the area around Joshua Tree into her own layout. It is such a fun quilt and I love the long, horizontal design!

“Birds in the Garden” by Donna Shervington, quilted by Hollie Rawe. Donna started this quilt in 1996 and rediscovered it in 2005. It is a charming quilt and I love the use of stippling in the background. Anything else might have overwhelmed the applique.

“The Vase” by Louise Nelson. The center piece for this quilt was created during a workshop with Teresa Seifert and Sue Siefkin using paint to enhance a quilt. Louise used a tablecloth for the border and backing.

See the center of the tablecloth on the back? And the border on the front? Clever girl!

“Southwest of Santa Fe” by Kathryn Sandner. Kathryn was inspired to design this quilt from a class at Empty Spools with Gwen Marston. There is so much energy and color in this quilt!

“My Summer in Venice” by Linda Cover. Linda was inspired by the millefiori glass she saw in Venice. She hand pieced the rosettes and used a pattern from Willyne Hammerstein. Love the colorful diamond inserts in the corners.

“Tango” by Lynn Kelso. Lynn used a Jean Wells pattern and Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Note the binding which uses a wide variety of the fabrics used in the interior of the quilt.

“Bride’s Gift” by Teresa Seifert. Teresa responded to the Art Focus Artist Inspiration challenge and picked Charles Russell as her artist. She based it on one of his stories about a horse that would not allow anyone to ride until they gave him a biscuit! This is wholecloth with just thread.

Angie Gohn. I did not get the name, know it was part of a challenge. I did talk to Angie about the beautiful fused applique on this piece. She hand dyes her fabrics and uses Pimatex, giving her edges a crisp look.  Love this piece!

This probably would have been my Judge’s Choice if I were the judge. “Looking Up” by Pam Toombs. Pam took a photo in the lobby of the Marriott at Times Square and had the image printed on  fabric.

“Rainy Day, French Village” by Sue Siefkin. Sue worked from a photo she’d taken. I love the warmth in the windows!

“Just the Two of Us”, Elaine DeSouza.  Inspired by Lola Jenkins, Elaine recreated a selfie taken with her husband in the Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan. I like the kind of scratched photo feel to this.

“My Dad” by Ursula Sylvan. Ursula developed this thread painted portrait during a Pam Holland class in Asilomar.

“Cowboy Royce Waltman” by Teresa Seifert. Teresa took a class in thread painting from Penni Barger and created this adorable guy. This piece was a part of the 2016 Houston show.

“Burnt Hearts” by Sharon Iyer, quilted by Janice Skiles. Sharon layered bits of polyester, sewed them down and then burned them with a soldering iron.

Love this close up! I have a book on this technique and I’ve always wanted to try it.

There was a very nice display of wearable art. “Ragtime Diva” by Lila Bradshaw. Lila’s piece placed 3d in the 2016 PIQF. I love the colors and silhouette.

“Patchwork Jacket” by Nancy Grant. Nancy used leftover pieces from her sister’s purse projects and a Sandra Betzina Vogue pattern. Sometimes edited and simple is just the right thing. I would love to have this jacket-distinctive and very wearable. Note that she used both sides of the elephant fabric!

This was a great show, well worth the drive. I hope to be able to go to the 2019 show! I’ll be linking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

Note: I missed posting a few wonderful local shows I saw in the fall. Sometimes I just don’t have the time to work the photos and the post, sigh. But isn’t Northern/Central California rich with great quilt shows?