The Pacific International Quilt Festival held at the Santa Clara Convention Center October 13-16, 2016, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, Mancuso Show Management interviewed local quilter Donna Driver, who has been an invaluable volunteer for PIQF since its first year.

Every year Donna coordinates the many volunteers needed to dress mannequins for the wearable art competition as well as help with the annual fashion show. She may work behind the scenes, but her wonderful support takes center stage at the event. MSM greatly appreciates Donna’s efforts in making every PIQF spectacular. We’ve asked her to think back to those early days of PIQF and tell us how she thinks the event has changed over the years.

How did you and David meet? How did you start volunteering for the fashion show?

When PIQF came to Burlingame (where PIQF was held before moving to Santa Clara) I read about the show in an advertisement. That year I was in charge of our opportunity quilt and getting the tickets sold was my job; I was looking for every opportunity.

I called Mancuso Show Management, spoke with David and inquired if I could have space in the lobby to show our guild’s quilt and sell tickets.

As we talked he said he needed guild members to white glove at the show and could I provide some members? That was easy as our guild is very enthusiastic and always willing to help. This was a big show and something we were not use to so everyone wanted to help.

That was the beginning of our friendship.

What was it like as a volunteer in the beginning and what is it like now?

Since this show was new on the west coast everyone was curious about it. Our guild (Amador Valley Quilt Guild, Pleasanton, CA) was most anxious to help however needed. So assistance was easy. Quilters are still “ready to help”. Several sign up to be scribes, dress the mannequins, model and “press and dress” the models.

David has called on me to find “tall” men to help hang the quilts. My godson Phillip Annas has worked with PIQF for many years and takes vacation time to continue hanging quilts. One year I rounded up the kid across the street. Sometimes I still get the call – “I need someone tall!”

Sometimes I get a call from Mary Claire that they need a scribe or something else “immediately” and that is accomplished by calling on the guilds in the East Bay – Diablo Valley Quilters, Danville and Piecemakers in Fremont plus our Amador Valley Quilt Guild, Pleasanton.

Today things run very smoothly at PIQF, so it has always been easy to get volunteers as we all love the event!

Any memorable moments from working with Mancuso Show Management?

One year long long ago MSM did a quilt show in Palm Springs. My two good friends and I went down to see the show. We came early to help with the fashions. To everyone’s horror none of the paperwork had arrived. This was before the advent of the internet. The paperwork had accidently been sent Fed Ex ground!  Nothing to go by. So with the help of dining room chairs we joined in and climbed up and down and hung the quilts. After all that was done, the paper work arrived.

There was the morning on 9/11 and David had called me at work. I was always at work by 7 am West coast time so it was a good time for us to connect. The towers had fallen earlier. Stuff was happening all around the U.S. All of a sudden during our conversation David started getting calls from teachers who were going to teach. All planes had been grounded and they were calling to say they had no way to get the upcoming show that weekend! Obviously, we hung up. People are resourceful and also very understanding. The show went on and I don’t know how!

My mom modeled one year for the fashion show – the year she was 90 years old. (I will show you her photo when we meet – she still looks amazing). 102 years now.

How has PIQF changed in your eyes in 25 years?

Well, I don’t get the phone calls like I used to the first few years when something came up and they needed it solved here on the west coast.

As we go on with the show, things improve with age just as haa PIQF. Glitches still happen but with their experience they are easily solved. They know where the resources are to fix the issue!

You’ve stepped up to be such a great organizer for PIQF’s fashion show since year one, what does volunteering for PIQF mean to you?

It’s been a joy to work with David (and Peter now retired) over the years. They are like “family” after all this time. Many friendships don’t last 25 years. We often lose contact.

What’s it like to work with the Quilt Diva, Karen Boutte for the fashion show?

Karen has it down “pat.” It improves each time as she gets the designers in line. It is very fast paced backstage but everyone has a wonderful time and volunteers year after year.

I have become friends with Karen over the years and love working with her and having her for a friend. She does a fantastic job.

What do you do when you are not volunteering for PIQF?

I retired about 13 years ago from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory after 16 years. I was a stay at home mom while our children were growing up, so entered the workforce later in life.

I work with our community quilts outreach and I am also active in our church.

My husband just stripped my sewing room, floors, walls, etc. New floors, shelves, counters plus a new sewing machine. Plus way too much fabric! So since I have a new sewing room I am sewing again!

Quiltfest Oasis Palm Springs
October 6-8, 2016

“Mid-Century Mod”
National Modern Quilt Competition

“It has been an honor to help launch the Mid-Century Modern Quilt Exhibition. The quilts are diverse, yet reflect the style, the energy and the spirit of the era! Congratulations to all who participated. The standard of entries was very high and we would have loved to have had more ribbons to reflect the quality of the submissions. Congratulations to all. You are all winners in our eyes.”
~ The Judging Team

Best Mid-Century Mod 
#4039 As The World Turns by Patricia Guthrie

Second Place
#4017 Tempo by Susan Buckingham

Third Place
#4097 Entanglement by Claire Victor

Honorable Mention
#4088 Confetti by Jen Sorenson
& Members of the Simply Solids Bee

Best Sewing Machine Workmanship
#4068 Dandelion Dream by Sharon H Pedersen

Best Longarm Machine Workmanship
#4029 Spin by Diane Dixon

Best Hand Workmanship
#4002 Toalla de Playa by Suzanne Appelman

Best Use of Color
#4087 The Color of Squares by Juli Irene Smith

Best Use of Negative Space
#4100 Building Blocks by Lynda Wallace

Best Interpretation of Mid-Century Theme 
#4072 At the Cabin by Jodi Robinson

Judge’s Choice Ribbons
Gloria Loughman
#4026 Branching Out by Mary Kay Davis

Ashley Nickels
#4085 Tranquility by Kristin Shields

Bobbie Bergquist
#4071 Atomic by Jodi Robinson

The Pacific International Quilt Festival held at the Santa Clara Convention Center October 13-16, 2016 presents a special 25th anniversary showcase on Friday, October 14 at 7:00 pm, “Fashion Flair 2016.” Over the 25 years there has been a tremendous amount of talent in wearable arts featured on the runway.  This year, is no different, talented designers, Viktorya  Allen and Rami Kim present their unique and amazing garments on the runway. The show is for everyone who enjoys fun, flair and fashionable wearable art.

Viktorya Allen has been practicing her art since the 1970’s. She is a painter and wearable artist, with a background in quilt making since the 1980’s. A decade later to further her education in art, Viktorya earned a degree from the University of California – Davis in Studio Arts.

Watershed events in her career have included curating and moderating a fashion show for the International Federation of University Women at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. In addition, she was the founding President of the Network for Wearable Art. She traveled to South Africa with a fashion show from that organization, subsequently presenting it in Durban, South Africa, as part of the Stars for Africa Quilt Show. Years later, Viktorya was  one of two partners in an online web design and digital media agency until her retirement in 2014, giving her the technology tools to start a Wearable Art Facebook Group, now with 2000+ members.

Viktorya Allen divides her time between Baja California, Mexico, and Northern California USA.

Rami Kim is a DNA scientist-turned fabric artist/quilter/instructor known nationally and internationally. She is a 19-time Best of Show winner, distinguished for her innovative art-to-wear.

Her passion is in contemporary art-to-wear, quilts, cloth dolls and bags with special interest in 3-dimensional textures.In addition, she is known for her own distinctive colors and techniques. Her first book, Folded Fabric Elegance is about her 3-D texturing techniques and projects. Her second book, Quilted Elegance, focuses on reversible wearable arts, bags and two-sided quilts. The third book, Elegant Cotton, Wool, Silk Quilts was published in autumn 2012.

She graduated from Seoul National University majoring in Chemistry and the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) majoring in endocrinology and worked at the Cancer Research Institute at UCSF before her passion and talent in fabric art drastically changed this biochemist’s career years ago.  She says she’d rather spend even more time with beautiful fabrics and threads and beads than with DNA sequencing gels and radioactive isotopes of cold, gray science.

Rachel D.K Clark, a contemporary folk artist, teacher and lecturer will be moderate the fashion challenge to be presented at the fashion show.  Rachel comes from a long line of sewers, beginning with her great-grandmother. She has been a wearable artist for over 30 years and has taught on the national circuit for more than 20 years. Rachel’s work includes eclectic fabric mixes, vibrant designs, and a keen sense of wit.

PIQF’s 25th Anniversary fashions show, Fashion Flair 2016 has been coordinated by Karen Boutte, “The Quilt Diva”.  Karen is a nationally known instructor, lecturer, author and designer. She started sewing as a child and quilting intrigued her since she saw a Cathedral Window quilt made by her Great Aunt Nora in 1989. She decided to become a full-time quilt instructor and began teaching at shops, guilds and quilting events. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student having fun discovering their creativity with fabric and thread,” Karen stated. Karen will moderate the fashion show.

Pacific International Quilt Festival is generously sponsored by Founding Sponsor BERNINA: California Sew & Vacuum, Major Annual Sponsor Brother: Meissner Sewing, Major Sponsors Gammill: Meissner Sewing, Baby Lock: Eddie’s Quilting Bee, Janome: Ray’s Sewing Machine Center, Handi Quilter, ABM/Innova, Nolting Longarm Quilting Machines, Quilter’s Slidelock, SewBatik and IntelliQuilter.

View and/or print the complete brochure from our website, www.quiltfest.com or to receive a brochure in the mail, email mancuso@quiltfest.com or write to PIQF – Dept P, PO Box 667, New Hope, PA 18938