Last week I had the pleasure of judging for Capital City Quilters. Although the guild has had a number of shows, this is the first time they have had it judged.
The guild had two Best of Shows: one large and one small. The large/bed BOS was a design by Border Creek and was a mystery quilt and featured excellent quilting.
Small/Wall Best of show featured a Melinda Bula pattern. This was the first time the maker had ever quilted in this manner–textural and directional quilting, masterfully done.
President Raydene Garrison held a president’s challenge with two ingredients. The quilt had to feature the theme of home and contain dimensional elements. Two quilters settled on hummingbirds, some of my favorite birds.
Christine Moleski created a challenge quilt powerfully expressing the loss of her daughter at an age too young. I was struck by how much was said with so few elements.
Here is my judge’s choice featuring confetti.
This wool appliqué is an original design and was first place in its category.
I totally admired this sampler quilt for its cohesive and vibrant nature. It’s so challenging to achieve cohesion in this style quilt that I was more than impressed.
This Judy Niemeyer pattern had a palette that caught my interest.
Capital City Quilters show had two displays that were creative and unique and not something I’ve seen before. The first was a wonderful way to display table runners which produced great visual impact.
The guild does a holiday exchange each year. They exhibited several years’ worth of quilts in a Christmas “walk”. Members brought in their own lights and decorations to complete the scene.
I have been to Alaska and Juneau specifically before on a cruise. My husband and I liked the city so well, he accompanied me on the trip, and we took advantage to stay a few more days when judging was done. We spent time two days at Mendenhall Glacier where we had the unusual chance to watch a mother bear and her two cubs feeding on cottonwood seeds high up in a tree. Then they descended and spent time on the ground below. On an opposite branch from where the bears were feeding was a porcupine.
As if that wasn’t enough we did a float plane trip to Taku Glacier Lodge and saw two more bears, up close and personal. The lodge features a salmon meal. Before lunch a bear wandered through. Then while eating, another bear decided to linger in the barbeque pit next to the lodge, licking up the fat that had dripped from the salmon. He wasn’t the least bit bothered by us and had no intention of leaving until he had found every last drop of flavor.
We spent a day whale watching and had a great time. I managed to find a boat that took a maximum of six people. On this day there were only four of us, which meant we had great viewing without 20 – 30 people on one side blocking our view. I should also mention that when Mike and I went on the cruise, out of two weeks, we only had one good day of weather. This trip every day was sunny, warm and beautiful. We were so lucky!
