WATSONVILLE — Every year, the county’s quilting virtuosos and aficionados gather for a two-day extravaganza of color, cloth and stitches.
The annual Pajaro Valley Quilt Association Quilt (PVQA) Show and Auction — which turns 40 this year — is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
More than 300 quilts will be on display, along with exhibits of wearable art, pincushions and bags, just to name a few.
Quilting enthusiasts can also catch a glimpse of what PVQA members did with this year’s quilting challenges.
Attendees might also browse a special exhibit celebrating the organization’s ruby anniversary.
There will also be ongoing demonstrations both days of the show by quilters, weavers, knitters and rug makers showing various sewing and crafting techniques.
The highlight of the event could very well be keynote speaker Alice Beasley, a fabric portrait artist from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Beasley’s work has been exhibited in venues throughout the U.S., including the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum. Her art has also been shown in Madrid, France, Japan and Namibia.
Beasley will give her presentation and show her work on Saturday at 2 p.m.
PVQA member Jeanne Holmes, who has been quilting for more than three decades, said she enjoys passing on the skill to the younger members of her family.
Holmes said she also appreciates using her artistic skills to create functional items. Even quilts that don’t meet the artistic standards of the quilters can serve as useful bedspreads, she said.
“I like how I can be as creative as I want to be, and have something to show for it,” Holmes said.
Katie Woods, who has been a member for more than 20 years, said she enjoys the social aspect that comes with the group.
“For me, it’s the people,” she said.
Still, Woods says she has an affinity for combining the nearly endless patterns and colors.
“It’s like painting with fabric,” she said.
The 2018 Opportunity Quilt, titled “Monterey Bay Treasures,” features several native marine animals. It was designed by Heidi Sandkuhle and made by members of the Off Kilter Quilters, a small quilt group that was started in 1999.
One lucky raffle winner will receive the quilt.
The live quilt auction starts at noon on Sunday. Between 40 and 45 pieces will be auctioned, ranging from wall hangings to bed-sized quilts.
The Vendor Mall will feature 33 merchants selling quilting and sewing-related items from fabrics and patterns, to books and baskets to children’s clothing and wool rugs.
The flea market known as the “Bargain Garden” is a place to pick up donated fabric offered for sale by the pound, as well as books, magazines and all manner of quilting paraphernalia.
Founded in 1978 by 56 women interested in preserving and encouraging the quilting arts, the Pajaro Valley Quilt Association has grown to membership of more than 300 quilters and fabric artists.
Proceeds from the event are used for community outreach, with members making quilts each year for many local charities.
Membership is open to everyone and guests are welcome at the monthly meetings.
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The 40th annual Pajaro Valley Quilt Association Quilt Show and Auction is Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave. in Watsonville.
Lunches and snacks from Erik’s Deli will be available for purchase during the event.
Admission is $10.
Parking is free, and a shuttle is available.
For information, visit pvqa.org.
