Yogini Hits the Bakersfield Californian

Last week I told you that I was being interviewed as part of an article being written about my guild's upcoming quilt show. Well, here it is:

Sorry for some of the random print that is mixed in with the article. The original can be viewed at:

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/entertainment/community/x54082092/Quilts-Art-you-can-get-wrapped-up-in

Wednesday, Feb 05 2014 04:58 PM

Quilts: Art you can get wrapped up in

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   By Photo courtesy of Richard Sparks

   This Kaleidoscope of Color quilt will be raffled off in an "opportunity drawing" at the Feb. 8-9 quilt show. It was created by 10 members of the Cotton Patch Quilters.

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   By Photo courtesy of Richard Sparks

   Detail on Kay Pennington's "Yogini & the Candy Dish" quilt, part of the Feb. 8-9 quilt show.

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   SLUG: QUILT SHOW Caption: Image is of Kay Pennington, featured artist at the Cotton Patch Quilters' show Feb. 9-10 at the KC fairground. Photo courtesy of Kay Penniongton.

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BY CAMILLE GAVIN Contributing writer

When it comes to wrapping yourself up in something warm and cozy on a chilly winter evening, few things are as comfy as a handmade quilt.

Yet for some women who enjoy making these exquisite covers -- sorry fellas, men are a distinct minority in this craft -- the appeal lies in producing a creation that is truly yours every step of the way.

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Quilt show
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kern County Fairgrounds, 1142 S. P. St.
Admission: $5; husbands and children under 16 free.

Information: bakersfieldquiltguild.org

On the other hand, quilt making often involves teamwork, as is the case with "Kaleidoscope of Color," designed by Cindy Seitz-Krug and completed with the participation of nine other women who contributed various parts.

The "Kaleidoscope" will be given away in an opportunity drawing this weekend at the Cotton Patch Quilters biennial show at the fairgrounds.

Most quilt makers will tell you the craft gives them plenty of satisfaction although it does take a while to perfect your skills.

Award-winning quilter and designer Kay Pennington is a good illustration -- she is the guild's featured artist at this year's show.

By viewing the Bakersfield resident's display of 19 quilts, visitors can trace her progression from 2001 when she attended her first workshop, to the more personal interpretation she employs nowadays.

Pennington's whimsical "Yogini and the Candy Dish" is a delightful example.
"I always try to twist the design a bit and use it in a way that it has not been done before," she said. "One of the judges at Denver National Quilt Show commented that I had pushed the traditional Candy Dish pattern as far as it could possibly go. I believe she meant that in a positive way since she did award the quilt a ribbon."

What's fascinating to the eye of the novice is its intricacy and the facility required to handle the various parts. The little sprinkles around the cat are about one-quarter inch long, and each small doughnut placed in a circular pattern on either edge is 2 inches wide. Overall the quilt measures 48-by-55 inches.

Early on Pennington learned that she could draw from her background as a painter in creating designs. Some of these she machine stitches directly onto the fabric but it's not done in an entirely freehand manner.

"Fortunately, nowadays we have quilting marking pens with ink that disappears after a time of being exposed to air or being sprayed with water," she said. "On some of my quilts, I meticulously draw out my planning lines with those markers; on other works, I just draw some loose guidelines and go for it."

Even though she's confident about doing things on her own, Pennington definitely enjoys the benefits of being a member of the Bakersfield guild.

"We are so fortunate here in Kern County to have one of the largest guilds in California," she said. "That allows us to hire excellent teachers and speakers from all over the United States."

Another benefit is the opportunity to be part of a "friendship group," smaller gatherings of members who meet about twice a month at local quilt shops or in members' homes.
"Besides making lots of friends," she said, "all of the members are very generous in sharing their skills."

That sort of camaraderie is evident in the making of the "Kaleidoscope of Color" quilt that will go home with some lucky winner on Sunday.

Seitz-Krug designed and assembled the quilt, which has many intricate parts and is centered by a spiral lone star, replicating the progressive blending of a standard color wheel.

The various sized saw-tooth borders were made by Janice Jackson, Juliet Granger and Lynn Brown.
On the outer edge are 28 shapes known to quilters as LeMoyne stars. These are especially challenging because the pieces must be sewn together using Y-shaped seams.

"Carol Smith made these blocks for the quilt, and she did an outstanding job on them," Seitz-Krug said. "From a quilt judge's view, I'd give them an A+++."

Lois Campise, Celia Ho, Jennifer McNees and Cory Starkey did the hand-appliqued border. Quilting was done by CeCe Westerfield.

Seitz-Krug and her husband, Rich Krug, who formerly had a small farm on Houghton Road, moved to Heber, Ariz., last August. She's unable to attend the Bakersfield event because of a previous commitment to lecture at a show in Phoenix at the same time.

"However, I still think of Cotton Patch Quilters as my guild," she said. "And I'm still involved with it to a lesser extent."

For those interested in learning more about the local guild, it holds both day and evening meetings on the third Thursday of each month at Riverlakes Community Center, 3825 Riverlakes Drive.