LAKEPORT >> “Ladies of the Lake” may sound like the title of a Joni Mitchell song but instead, it’s a group of local women dedicated to bringing quilting and its craftwork to the people of Lake County and beyond.
The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Club displayed the works of local quilters and others from northern California last weekend during its 16th Annual Falling Leaves Quilt Show at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
And like a Joni Mitchell song, the quilts on display told a tapestry of tales about life, love and little things, like flowers, frogs and feathers.
The quilts in the show displayed the talent involved in the two main aspects of making a quilt: design, including selecting the fabric and other materials, choosing a color scheme and theme and assembling the pieces of the quilt; and the actual quilting or stitching.
But if you think quilt shows are only for little old ladies, you may need to update your thinking to the 21st century.
“I’ve just started my quilting journey,” said Leska Mak, 23, of Sacramento, during her first-ever quilt show Saturday. “I’ve made two quilts so far. Both have been presents for my sisters. But I want to make a Christmas quilt for myself.”
She was at the show with one of her sisters, Elizabeth Mak of Kelseyville, who is not a quilter. The sisters immigrated here from Belarus in eastern Europe.
“Quilting isn’t popular there at all,” Elizabeth Mak said.
She said quilting “is not just for little old ladies” but rather for anyone who appreciates tradition and handicrafts.
“It’s about artistry, not age,” she said. “What I appreciate is the stitching.”
She said of her and her sister’s love of quilting, “We’re ahead of our time.”
Commenting on the mix of people at the event, she said, “It’s sad that there’s not many younger people here.”
Several hundred visitors attend each of the show’s two days.
Rebecka Lipman of Lower Lake said that she has been coming to the quilt show for about 10 years.
“It always amazes me what I see here,” she said Saturday. “It never gets repetitious.”
When asked if she was a quilter, Lipman said, “I would like to think I will be one day.”
She added that she couldn’t pick a favorite quilt from the dozens on display. “There are so many good ones. I feel inspired to go home and start quilting.”
Although mostly attended by females, the show attracted a few men, including Frank Showers of Grizzly Flats near Placerville. He was found Saturday afternoon standing in a corner, arms at his sides, with the look of a husband waiting for his wife.
Asked what brought him to the show, Showers replied, “I came here with my wife. She has a couple of quilts entered.”
His wife, Martha Showers, received a first place and two honorable mentions for her quilts.
Frank Showers said he wasn’t bored standing alone, just taking a break from the action.
“I love the quilt show,” he admitted. “The organizers have gone above and beyond. I can see they’ve put a lot of work into it.”
Showers was asked which quilt at the show was his favorite and was warned in advance that it was a trick question. He responded — without his spouse present — with the correct answer.
“My wife’s quilts, of course.”
The Falling Leaves Quilt Show is put on yearly at the fairgrounds by the Ladies of the Lake during the first weekend in October.
