The Kachemak Bay Quilters held their 32nd annual quilt show last weekend at the Elks Lodge. While attendance was not as high as years when the show coincides with the Shorebird Festival, there was a steady stream of visitors and a constant chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs” as viewers walked the show to identify their favorites and vote in the different categories.

In the Large Bed Quilt category, two extraordinary paper-pieced king-size quilts pieced by Cinda Martin won first and third place ribbons. Both quilts were made using quilt designer Judy Niemeyer patterns in colors picked by Cinda, and both the “Lumina Star” and “Raindrops” quilts were long-arm quilted by Karrie Youngblood. 

There was a tie for second place in the Large Bed Quilt category. Enid Keyes’ dramatic black and gold “That Night In Venice” embroidered and pieced quilt shared second place with Bonnie Dupree’s colorful “Starburst” pieced quilt.

In the Small Bed/Crib/Lap Quilt category, Linda Wagner’s bright “Green Twister” paper-pieced quilt, another Judy Niemeyer pattern, took home the first place ribbon. Merry Gregg’s “Hooters” quilt, with beautifully embroidered owls in the focus blocks, came in second, and the third place ribbon went to Sharon Thompson for her “Shaded Mountains” pieced quilt on a blue background.

The Wall Quilt/Art Quilt category is always a difficult one for our viewer-voters because each piece is so unique: the quilts are different sizes, different techniques and different themes. Another Judy Niemeyer pattern was the basis for Laveda Youngblood’s “Cattails In The Meadow,” which won first place in this category. Laveda’s daughter-in-law Karrie Youngblood quilted it.

“Worship” by Marali Sargent-Smith got the second place ribbon in the Wall Quilt/Art Quilt category. It is a very creative appliqued quilt with 3D fabricated heart shapes. Carol Renfrew’s “High Tech Tucks” took third place, incorporating a tucked and pleated fabric technique to give the piece a sense of motion.

This year’s Challenge quilt subject was Flowers of Alaska. Patrice Krant’s “Peony Power” applique wallhanging with 3D pipe cleaner stamens took first place. Second place went to Janet Bacher’s “Summertime Lupines” and “Alaska Poppy Wildflower” by Charlene Ditton took home the third place ribbon.

In the Other category, which is for quilted items that are not bed quilts or wall-hangings, pieced table runners “Flowing Lines” by Elaine Plante and “Enchanted Garden” by Janet Bacher took first and second places and Glenda Rosenbalm’s “Jelly Roll” lap quilt, made from 40 strips of fabric each 40” long (often called a “1600” by quilters because it covers 1,600 square inches), came in third.

The traveling exhibit of seventeen “Tree” wall-hangings, made by members of the Kenai Peninsula Quilt Guild, will be on display at the Homer Chamber of Commerce for the rest of May.

As always, thank you to Ulmer’s for accommodating quilt drop-off and registration for the more than 65 quilts in the show — and for being our “go to” source for that one more piece of fabric we just have to have to finish a quilt. We appreciate the support we always get from Merry Gregg and her staff.

And thank you to all of the quilters and their husbands, who help us to erect the quilt displays and hang the quilts before the show starts and take it all down at the end so we can store it till next year’s show, which will be here before we know it.

Patrice Krant

Kachemak Bay Quilters