Make your PIQF hotel reservation NOW! We recommend that you make yours EARLY!

Pacific International Quilt Festival XXVI
October 12-15, 2017
Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California

Official lodging for PIQF includes an attached hotel, one hotel directly across the street from the Convention Center and four other hotels within a short drive. To be certain of guaranteeing these rates, make your reservations as soon as possible and identify yourself as being affiliated with the Pacific International Quilt Festival. Please note, not all hotels provide shuttle service.

HOST HOTEL
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA  95054
This fourteen-story, modern hotel which is attached to the Convention Center, has a heated pool, Jacuzzi, two excellent restaurants, attractive bar, on-site exercise facilities, and guest privileges at the adjacent Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club. Special rates of $174.00* + tax single, double or triple have been arranged for event participants and guests.  The group rate reservation deadline is September 25, 2017. Roll-a-ways, extra. For reservations call (800) 233-1234 and mention the Pacific International Quilt Festival OR Make Your Reservations Online.

OTHER OFFICIAL PIQF HOTELS
Hilton Santa Clara
4949 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA  95054
This walking distance hotel, located directly across the street from the Convention Center, offers beautifully appointed guest rooms, heated outdoor pool and whirlpool, fitness center, full service restaurant plus a bar and lounge. A group rate of $169.00* + tax single or double  has been arranged for event participants and guests. The group rate reservation deadline is September 8, 2017. Call (408) 330-0001, push 1 for reservations, or visit hilton.com. Please use Group Code QLT17.

Santa Clara Marriott
2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054
Located 1 mile away from the Convention Center, the Marriott offers an on-site restaurant, sports bar, coffee shop, outdoor pool, fitness center, whirlpool, sauna, and tennis courts. There is no shuttle service from this hotel to the convention center. A group rate of $139.00* + tax single or double has been arranged for event participants and guests. The group rate reservation deadline is September 21, 2017. Note: Very limited availability, Wednesday, October 11. Call (800) 228-9290 for reservations or visit marriott.com and enter group code PIFPIFA.

Avatar Hotel
4200 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA  95054
The Avatar is located a mile from the Convention Center and features king rooms with a small living area and  sleeper sofa. Guests receive a 10% discount at the on-property I-Hop restaurant. A group rate of $155.00* plus tax, single or double, has been arranged for event participants and guests. The group rate reservation deadline is September 8, 2017. Call (408) 235-8900 for reservations or reserve online.

Biltmore Hotel & Suites
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA  95054
Located about a mile from the Convention Center, the Biltmore offers stylish accommodations with luxury amenities. Choose between Garden Rooms or Tower Suites. Complimentary American breakfast buffet (gratuity not included) and shuttle to the Convention Center. A group rate of $129.00 + tax single or double, Garden Room; or $179.00 + tax single or double, Tower Suite has been arranged for event participants and guests. The group reservation deadline is September 24, 2017. Please call (800) 255-9925 for reservations and mention Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Embassy Suites–Santa Clara
2885 Lakeside Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054
This all suites hotel is just off the Highway 101-Great America exit, a 10-minute drive from the Convention Center, and features a full service café, indoor pool and fitness center. Complimentary breakfast served daily. A group rate starting at $204 + tax for a king suite or double suite has been arranged for event participants. Group rate reservation deadline is September 15, 2017. Call (408) 496-6400 or (800) 362-2779 for reservations. Please mention Pacific International Quilt Festival to receive the group rate.

Aloft Santa Clara
510 America Center Court, San Jose, CA 95002
Aloft Santa Clara offers a convenient location in the heart of Silicon Valley. Pop over to California’s Great America amusement park, be entertained Levi’s Stadium, and take care of business at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Our vibrant social scene and stylish, urban-inspired design allow you to stay & play in one of northern California’s best neighborhoods. A group rate of $229 (Wednesday evening only) and $129 (Thursday thru Sunday), single or double, has been arranged for event particpants. Group rate reservation deadline is September 7, 2017. Call (408) 263-3900 or reserve online.

*All room rates are currently  plus 11.55% tax
& $1 District Improvement Fee.

The Santa Clara Convention Center, in the San Francisco Bay area, will house the most intriguing and culturally unique quilting art event in the world from October 12 to October 15 – the Pacific International Quilt Festival. This four-day event is packed with fun-filled activities and an extensive merchants mall. Also included are juried and judged competitions featuring hundreds of quilts and works of wearable art plus educational seminars and lectures. Included for 2017 is the NACQJ Two Day Introduction to Judging Seminar presented by NACQJ certified judge Pat Harrison on October 12-13.

 Whether you are a quilt maker or a quilt professional interested in perfecting skills and knowledge, or someone interested in becoming a quilt judge, this seminar – limited to just 12 students – is for you! You will learn about the judge’s role, design principles & elements, color, quilting design, and the judging of clothing in addition to participating in activities on evaluating design and workmanship. You will learn judging terminology and practice judging through hands-on judging exercises.

Pat will also teach a full day workshop on Saturday, October 14 – Easy Peasey Circles. In this class you will practice your design and color skills as you create a visual path of circles on your quilt top.

Pat Harrison who is a longarm quilter, lecture and workshoppresenter, quilt designer, and a quilt judge certified by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges, will be traveling to Santa Clara from Rhode Island. She has been long arming since 1999; has won numerous regional, national, and international awards. Her articles, quilt designs, and quilting have also been published in books, magazines and been on television and published on a DVD.

Lecturing, teaching, and judging give Pat the opportunity to share her knowledge of all aspects of the quilt making process, from design through construction to the joy of a finished project. She strives to encourage quilters to succeed wherever they are on their journey as quilters. She especially enjoys encouraging quilters of all levels to try new techniques, color combinations, etc… It’s all fun, which is exactly what quilting should be!

Founding Sponsor BERNINA of America/California Sewing & Vacuums; Major Annual Sponsor Brother/Meissner Sewing Centers; Major Sponsors Baby Lock/Gammill/ Meissner Sewing Centers, Husqvarna Viking/U.S. Sewing, and Janome/Ray’s Sewing Machine Center; Silver Sponsors Handi Quilter and Innova; and Special Exhibit Sponsor Nolting Manufacturing generously support the Pacific International Quilt Festival.

PIQF prides itself on bringing talented and inspiring instructors to present workshops in Santa Clara. Creativity and expertise are always abundantly available from these wonderful teachers. This year’s Pacific International Quilt Festival at the Santa Clara Convention Center, October 12-15, has a spectacular faculty who will be offering a wide variety of workshops for beginner to advanced quilters and textile artists. Included for 2017 are well-known instructors and internationally admired quilters Libs Elliott and Angela Madden.

LIBS ELLIOTT – CANADA
If you visit PIQF instructor Libs Elliott’s website, you will see the words TECHNOLOGY and TRADITION. Libs is a textile designer who combines technology with quilting. Using a program language called Processing allows her to create random compositions from simple geometric and traditional quilt block shapes. The Processing project began as collaboration with designer and technologist, Joshua Davis.

Libs states, “My goal is to underline the importance of craft as art in our contemporary age by producing bespoke modern heirlooms – just like quilts from a century ago, these are pieces that can be passed down through generations.”

As a quilter, Libs explores how modern technology can transform a traditional and tactile craft into modern functional art. A deep appreciation for craftsmanship, design history and future-focused applications are all reflected in her work. Libs studied Material Art & Design at OCAD University. Her commissions include work for individuals and corporate clients such as Playground Inc. In addition, Libs teaches internationally. She is a designer for Andover Fabrics and lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

Libs will teach three, full-day (9 am – 4 pm) workshops at PIQF:

Embrace the Chaos: An Exercise in Controlled Randomness
Thursday, October 12

Using controlled elements in a random way, each participant will end up with a unique quilt pattern layout that will then be cut from fabric and pieced.

Dynamic Stripes
Friday, October 13
Explore visually dynamic striped piecing and create a stunning and dynamic striped creation.

The Weight of Love Quilt
Saturday, October 14
Spend the day making The Weight of Love your very own by customizing it with your selection of fabrics.

In addition, on Friday afternoon Libs will present her lecture, Quilting with Code: The Quilts of Libs Elliott. In her presentation, she will discuss her ongoing exploration of how technology can transform a traditional craft into modern, functional art. She will give attendees a peek into how she works, what inspires her designs and where she finds balance.

ANGELA MADDEN – ENGLAND
Easy, fast, innovative machine techniques form the basis of 25 years of international teaching, judging, producing books, CDs, tools, patterns, and award winning quilts for Angela who lives about 25 miles north of London in Harpenden,Herts. Angela’s techniques are fun and successful for everyone with or without experience or artistic ability. There’s a designer original in everyone given the right technique!

The methods she has developed and shares in her workshops are guided by the following principles:

• My techniques should be accessible to everyone, no special skills are required.
• Projects can be completed on almost any sewing machine.
• The techniques are the fastest and most efficient I can find which guarantee success.
• Final results should stand scrutiny, reaching the highest possible standards.
• I believe that anyone can learn to design and sew original quilts if they have a positive outlook and are taught simple methods.
• There are no ‘brownie points’ in Heaven for doing things the hard way!

Angela’s quilting philosophy is “’If sewing isn’t successful and fun … why do it?”

While at PIQF, she will teach three, full-day (9 am – 4 pm) workshops:

Sew Easy Celtic
Thursday, October 12
Simply by drawing ‘doodles’ participants will create beautiful block, border and corner designs with so many surprising and hidden possibilities.

Decorative Edges
Friday, October 13
Explore lots of different ways of creating unusual borders suitable for all quilt styles.

Surprising Silhouettes
Saturday, October 14
Experience a great way to produce original appliqué designs using silhouettes which are easily adapted to any style of quilt.

Angela’s Thursday afternoon lecture is sure to strike a chord with many: Confessions of a 30 Year Quilting Addict. “My name is Angela Madden and I am definitely an addict. From unexpectedly being instantly smitten all those years ago to the present day I have happily fed my habit in every way possible. If there’s any chance you recognize the symptoms in yourself come and join me for a comprehensive look at the many wonderful temptations which have sustained me over the past 30+ years. Together, strengthened by this joint counselling session, we can actively fight a cure!”

Complete PIQF details are available on quiltfest.com.

Founding Sponsor BERNINA of America/California Sewing & Vacuums; Major Annual Sponsor Brother/Meissner Sewing Centers; Major Sponsors Baby Lock/Gammill/ Meissner Sewing Centers, Husqvarna Viking/U.S. Sewing, and Janome/Ray’s Sewing Machine Center; Silver Sponsors Handi Quilter and Innova; and Special Exhibit Sponsor Nolting Manufacturing generously support the Pacific International Quilt Festival.

The Pacific International Quilt Festival
Announces the 2017
Quilt, Mod & Wearable Art Competitions

With over 800 quilts and works of wearable and textile art on display, it is no wonder that the Pacific International Quilt Festival, held October 12-15 in Santa Clara, California is As BIG, BOLD & BEAUTIFUL as ever. Included in the exhibits on display are the entries to the annual Quilt and Wearable Art Competitions as well as the newly added Modern Quilt Competition. These competitions highlight the talent and creativity of regional as well as national and international artists. As always, the entries to the competitions should not be missed!

As PIQF celebrates its twenty-sixth year, the 2017 Quilt Competition theme is Everyday – “Everyday is a quilting day! Everyday your creativity and skills grow. What do you see for your quilting in the ‘Everydays’ ahead?” Enjoy viewing the competition quilts while learning the artists’ answers to this question! Entrants to the quilt competition will compete for over $20,000 in awards and prizes. Pictured: Woven Journey by Claudia Pfeil, PIQF 2016 First Place-Innovative.

In addition and new for 2017, PIQF will also present the Mid-Century Mod Modern Quilt Competition. Entrants to this competition, who will compete for over $12,000 in awards and prizes, are asked to draw inspiration from the look and feel of mid-20^th century design: “Mid-Century Mod emphasizes the look and feel of mid-20th century design. Artists are asked to draw inspiration from this period, reflecting their own exposures or from the work of artists such as Joan Miro, Piet Mondrian, Victor Vasarely, Frank Stella, etc. Where did you find the inspiration for your Mid-Century Mod quilt?”

Also on display will be accepted entries in the juried and judged Wearable Art Competition. Artists enter their most stunning ensembles and articles of clothing competing for awards and other prizes totaling over $4,700 in value. You will be dazzled by the intricate detail and elegance of these garments. Pictured: Azulejos by Gilbert Muniz, PIQF 2016 Wearable Art Best of Show.

Event attendees can even be part of the judging by voting for their favorite quilt and wearable art entry to win the prestigious Viewers Choice Awards!

Founding Sponsor BERNINA of America/California Sewing & Vacuums; Major Annual Sponsor Brother/Meissner Sewing Centers; Major Sponsors Baby Lock/Gammill/ Meissner Sewing Centers, Husqvarna Viking/U.S. Sewing, and Janome/Ray’s Sewing Machine Center; Silver Sponsors Handi Quilter and Innova; and Special Exhibit Sponsor Nolting Manufacturing generously support the Pacific International Quilt Festival.