Show and Tell at Point Bonita

The Point Bonita Conference Center is a funky YMCA retreat in one of the most spectacular settings on the West Coast, " a little bit west of the Golden Gate" at the northern and western most tip of the San Francisco Bay. The cinder block enclave is sited on a peninsula with ocean on three sides, alongside old concrete bunkers left over from World War II...and even from the Civil War.

For the last 27 years during the last week in January a group of quilters has met there for a week's long annual retreat. The group numbers about 70 by now, with a long waiting list, as most people return every year and keep their "slots". I was lucky enough to get in five years ago, through the auspices of a great friend I had met at a quilt conference.
One of the best aspects of PB is that the full range of the quilting spectrum is represented as we work away in the three studios (each with our half table under pretty tight conditions). We have some of the American Quilt Study Group quilters and internationally known quilt historians; art quilters who are regular exhibitors and judges of Quilt National; national teachers of traditional quilting; pattern designers and book authors; national show judges...oh, and there is one crazy quilter....Moi!
What's so great is that usually in the quilting world these "camps" don't mingle and exchange ideas in such proximity and harmony, or with such mutual respect either. So there is a very rich exchange of ideas while all the work is going on in the studios.
Plus, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of partying this year!!!!

So just like the first night at PB which is always "Show and Tell" where everyone brings work they've done during the year, here is a sampling of the great quilts of Point Bonita. As Blogger doesn't have a caption function like my lamented lost Serendipity blog software did, I will list the quilters in order:
Judy Warren Blaydon shows her 3-D shrine from a few years ago; Tracey Brookshier's elegant Japanese Ukata quilt just took a second place in Traditional Quilting at Road to California; Sharona Fischrup's blended quilt-in-progress is a personal favorite of mine; next is a stunning half-scale reproduction of an 1840's quilt that was lost in a fire (I wish I could remember who did this!!!); Miriam Nathan-Roberts presents her "Knees Bend" quilt...actually, that was our pet name for it. I'm not sure what she called it, but it is made of photographs of all our knees, taken at PB in 2004. It was hysterical, as one by one all of us stood up on a stool and "dropped trou", while Miriam photographed our knees. This is the typically fascinating work Miriam got out of these body parts! (She does a lot of body part quilts.) Finally, RebeccaRohrkaste is the unparalleled master of texture in sane quilting, IMHO. Here is her work in progress for the week.
My next post will show some of the entries for the painted and otherwise artistically altered "Cats and Dogs" contest that got sprung on us during the week.....