The theme for this year’s Clark County Quilters’ Show was “A Walk on the Wild Side.” Needless to say, many interpretations included animals, such as zebras, lions and tigers and bears–oh my, and dragons. Scary creatures. But there were three quilts that were just plain fun. As a quilter and a judge, I have thought for a long time that while there is fun through the joy in creating a quilt, there isn’t enough fun shown through the quilts themselves. Quilters strive for beauty and artistry in their work, obviously all good qualities. But in turn, this seems to mean fun and/or humorous quilts aren’t serious, and if they aren’t serious they aren’t as important or given the same credit. Well, I say let’s see more fun.
This first quilt received second place in the category. Breeze Kruse, he daughter of the maker designed the pattern which represents Lin and her husband’s trips on their Harley. The quilt stood out during judging for many reasons. All of the elements contribute to the playful nature of the quilt, including the style, the colors, the expressions on the figures’ face, and Bigfoot. The embellishments contributed to the folk art style, and the text on the frame was really well done. How can you not feel the joy of this quilt?
“Taking a Ride on the Wild Side” by Lin Hill
Another fun quilt. While most of us find spiders scary, this one is anything but. Wilma writes in her artist statement, “Of the Arthropods, Common jumping spiders, or salicids, are known for their superior eyesight. Their impressive eyesight is divided between eight eyes, four on the face with two prominent and four on the top of their bodies. The better to see you with, my dear!”
“Betty Davis Eyes” by Wilma Scott
And here we have a flamingo created from flaming pink feathers.
“Flora the Flamingo” by Nancy Tubbs
