I got the email inviting me to appear on Quilting Arts TV on New Years Day, with 4 segments to prepare much of my attention went to working on my step outs and projects but I did find time to run off and play at the Road to California quilt show in January. There are a lot of things I love about this show… 1) it’s local, about 30 min from my home, so I always see lots of people I know 2) They have great vendors and since I drive not fly, I can shop to my heart’s content and not worry about how to fit items in my suitcase or the expense of shipping purchases home 3) This year I didn’t have a booth so I just got to come and go as I pleased 4) It’s the show where I first discovered ART Quilts about 18 years ago so It will always have a special place in my heart.

With all that history I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, this year had the biggest one yet. The moving of the competition quilts and most of the exhibits to a single ballroom. I can’t say I like the change. I liked being able to mix my day in a more organic way, with the exhibits in the same hall as the vendors I was able to see a batch of quilts, then a batch of vendors all on the same row, weaving in and out so neither became sensory overload. With the quilts in a separate ballroom you have to make a point of going specifically to see the quilt displays. Also the ballroom was a bit small for all the quilts displayed causing substantial crowding in the isles. The lighting which did highlight the quilting texture itself made it very hard to get good pictures of the quilts some I couldn’t share because it was impossible to get decent pictures, either because it was too dark or because I couldn’t stand back far enough to get the quilt into the camera frame. I’m curious what you thought of the change, I’d love it if you’d let me know in the comments below.

So, without further ado, here is a curated collection of quilts I enjoyed at the show,

**Messengers - Kathy McNeil - Arlington, WA**

**Rock Garden Princess - Teresa Seifert - Modesto, CA**

I really LOVE this succulents quilt, I think it deserves an award, even if the judges didn’t think so. It is so vibrant especially in person! I love the colors, the light and shadows and that it is quilted well but not within an inch of it’s life.

**Signed, Sealed and Delivered - Sheila Gaquin - Deer Harbor, WA**

It’s so cool when a small group of people work together to turn the tide… according to Sheila “My community’s rural post office was slated for closure by the US postal service. The tiny community of Deer Harbor, with just 350 folks, raided $250,000 in 8 weeks to buy the post office building and convince the USPS to keep the post office open. I made Signed, Sealed and Delivered to celebrate that community success”

**The Painter - Lenore Crawford - Midland, MI**

This quilt reminds me of my trip to Montmartre! Making a quilt of Sacre-Coeur Basilica is still on my bucket list. (so is visiting Paris again!)

**The Elephant in the Room - Sandra Mollon - Valley Springs, CA**

This quilt also really caught my attention, Awesome use of color and the elephant’s looking me right in the eye.

**I Spy and Orca - Suzette Coppage - Bel Air, MD**

This quilt is so beautiful full view. Suzette said she wanted to capture the sense of awe and wonderment she experienced when an Orca approached her boat and breached the water on a trip to San Juan Islands, I think she captured that beautifully, but look closely at the photo below to see all the amazing detail she quilted into the Orca’s surface (pretty sure that includes a map of the San Juan Islands). Enthralling!

**Pop-Up Stories - Flora Joy -Johnson City, TN**

I thought this quilt was so unique. You can see better how dimensional it is in the photo below. I love how some peoples brains work!

**If Only - Diana Bicknell - Merrill, OR**

If Only is a small quilt as I recall around 18” square. but Diana has a bigger message “ I’ve become more aware in recent years of the problems facing endangered animals. “If Only” is a tribute to all of the people, researchers and volunteers around the world who work so hard protecting our animals. “If Only” it was as easy as drawing a picture to bring them to life…”

**Octopus Garden, detail - Marilyn Hanson - Jamul, CA**

Loved this “Baltimore album” style quilt of whimsical sea life, i couldn’t get a good shot of the whole quilt, but enjoy these detail snippets.

**Octopus Garden, detail - Marilyn Hanson**

**Triple Threat - Debra Crine - Marco Island, FL**

**Stargazer Splendor - Andrea Brokenshire - Round Rock, TX**

**Feathers and Frost - Joanne Baeth - Bonanza, OR**

You really need to see “Feathers and Frost” in person to truly appreciate it. In addition to all the layers of ice dyed cotton and ice dyed organza there are over 1500 hand sewn crystal beads. Zoom in as close as you can!

Just in case you’re thinking I ONLY like pictorial quilts (which admittedly are my favorites) here are a few from outside that category….

**Mesmerizing - Jodi Robinson - Enon Valley, PA**

**Composition I - Christine Yi - Portland, OR**

I liked what Christine had to say about her quilt - proving inspiration can come from anywhere… “While cleaning, I found a postcard-sized painting I made 10 years ago while trying to design a business card for my piano studio. Though I never ended up using it for that purpose, I knew the moment I saw it I had to make a quilt out of it. For the quilting I wanted to keep with the theme and used the words of different musical genres and styles. On the back, I wrote the names of famous composers using fabric paint”

I love how she quilted words of the musical styles and genres, reminds me of how I quilted the logos and lyrics from opera’s and musicals into the background on my quilt “Cue Orchestra, Curtain Up!”

**New Beginnings - Pauline Salzman - Gulfport, FL**

**Scarlet Snowflake - top by Jill Scherer - quilted by Rose Maynes**

Well, that about does it for this post and catches me up on January. I gotta go play with the dogs before they create havoc. Let me know which quilt was your favorite in the comments below.

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