The Show

The APNQ (Association of Pacific NW Quilters) Show is held every other year and describes itself as: "A juried and judged exhibition of the finest quilts from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, The Northwest Territories, Oregon, Washington and The Yukon." This was the 7th show. I have seen most, if not all, of them and had quilts juried into two of the shows.

We started out looking at the quilts in the "Winners Circle". I have to say I seldom agree with the judges. Once again, I found that I might have chosen different winners, but I also felt the winners showed skill and originality. One I particularly liked was Heidi Lund's "Blueberry Chrysalis" shown at left. The "blueberries" are 3-dimensional, with beading inside and around them. I am generally not fond of a lot of beading and embellishment, but I found this piece quite delicate and lovely, with wonderful texture and surface interest. It was judged "Best Small" quilt. I'm still trying to figure out why I liked it so much, when it is just not the kind of quilt I generally fall for and I don't much like blue!

Another quilt the judges and I agreed upon was "Frutti di Mare IV" by Carol Jerome, which won the ribbon for first in the Innovative Applique category. You can click on the picture to see a larger image. These wonderful fish include fish patterned with cherries, blueberries (am I sensing that blueberries might be the next big thing?) and olives. The colors are rich and complex and the quilt makes you smile.

And speaking of making you smile—how about this piece called "Running Naked with Scissors" by Linda Sharp? She describes it as a reminder to take risks in art and life. Unlike a lot of humorous quilts, this piece is not only clever and witty, but exhibits great design, masterful drawing and color that sings. And it has scissors—and I love scissors. The judges passed it by, but I give it a virtual ribbon for pure delightfulness.

Tomorrow I will share more of my favorites from the show.