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The Great Pacific Northwest Quiltfest
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THE GREAT PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUILTFEST
by Anne Brennan
The Great Pacific Northwest Quiltfest 2000 was held in Seattle, Washington, August 11 through 13. And what a festival it was! The juried and judged exhibition included 221 of the finest quilts made in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, the Northwest Territories, Oregon, Washington State, and the Yukon.
The Viewer's Choice Award went to "The Captain's Wife" by Helene Knott of Oregon City, Oregon. This quilt gave me goosebumps. The show guide told the story: "Five years ago Captain Dawson's ship sailed from port. Sarah's friends tell her she should get on with life and remarry. Still, on stormy evenings she walks the cliffs, gazing out to sea, hoping . . . praying . . . ."
I don't know who Captain Dawson was, but there was Sarah in the bottom half of the quilt, wrapped in a Kinsale cloak, her hair whipping forward as she stood on the cliff. In the panel below her, a tall ship sailed between two sea monsters. A Mariner's Compass flanked by seagulls at the top of the quilt evoked Sarah's desperate wish for the ship's safe landfall. The side borders were formed by Ocean Waves blocks containing tiny Mariner's Compasses. I don't know what affected me more, the quilt or its story.
This detail from "The Captain's Wife" shows the storm-tossed ship as it sails unknown seas far from home.
Helene Knott also won the Viewer's Choice Award in 1998. She is a very talented artist who deserves both congratulations and thanks for displaying her work for the enjoyment and inspiration of other quilters.
Another 50 quilts formed the Invoking Spirits exhibit, which toured the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii for two years before the show. These pieces were shown and then auctioned off at the Saturday-evening banquet. The quiltmakers for this invitational exhibition were randomly selected members of the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters. Their creations were gorgeous.
One of the highlights of The Great Pacific Northwest Quiltfest was an exhibit of Welsh and English whole-cloth quilts curated by Marjorie Horton of Rainier, Washington. Many of the quilts were antiques, created among humble surroundings, often by candlelight, by itinerant quilters who went from farmhouse to farmhouse offering their needle skills. Some of the quilts on display were contemporary, made by Marjorie and other quilters in Washington State and Minnesota.
"English Feathers on Blue Sateen" (25 by 31 inches, 2000) is a contemporary quilt made in the traditional Welsh style by Marjorie Horton of Rainier, Washington.
"Gold Welsh Bordered Wholecloth" (1999) was also designed and quilted by Marjorie Horton.
Two things stood out for me at The Great Pacific Northwest Quiltfest. First, I never saw so many embroidered and embellished and beaded quilts in one show before. And second, I never saw so many quilt kits for sale in a merchants' mall. It seemed that every vendor was selling at least one and often three or four kits containing both patterns and fabric. It will be interesting to see if this develops into a trend.
The Great Pacific Northwest Quiltfest takes place every two years. For information about the show or the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters, log on to www.apnq.org or call 206-622-2826.
For information about traditional Welsh quilting, write to Marjorie Horton at PO Box 408, Rainier, WA 98576, USA, or call 360-446-7108.