Nadine Nakano will have nearly 20 of her original quilted creations displayed on the center stage at MRPS Hall where the 32nd annual Manteca Quilt & Doll Show is being held the first weekend of March.
The longtime Manteca resident who is a nurse by profession is this year’s featured artist quilter at the popular two-day event in Manteca’s downtown business district. MRPS is located just north of East Yosemite Avenue in the first block of Grant Street.
Nakano, though, is one of those avid quilters whose thoughtfully pieced creative pieces are given away as gifts to family and friends. So when she was informed that samples of her creations will be needed for display at the MRPS Hall, she immediately contacted family members asking them to loan her back the gifts she has given them. These include a sports-themed quilt she made for a brother-in-law, a diehard 49er’s fan, who underwent a major surgery last year. Another quilt was borrowed from a nephew, who is an actor in Southern California, whose Nakano creation quilt featured nostalgic items from his high school years. The quilted piece was a graduation gift for her thespian nephew.
A quilted jacket and vest are on loan from her sister who is a school principal. They are just two of several wearable pieces – spanning 15 years of “forever evolving” work – that Nakano is planning to include in her exhibit.
Nakano’s fabric projects of choice are wearable and utilitarian pieces such as those mentioned above.
“I like making utility quilts – functional ones that you use when you’re watching TV, smaller throw quilts you put on to watch TV. I make those for gifts,” said Nakano who has been a member of the Manteca Quilters Guild for 15 years.
Her quilt portfolio also includes fabric Chinese take-out food boxes, decorative fabric bowls, fabric post cards that you can actually place in the mail, and wall hangings that she donates to organizations for their fund-raisers.
“I’m working on one (wall hanging) right now that I’m going to donate to the Sutter Quilt Auction. The entire Northern California quilt community is involved in this (fund-raiser),” she said.
This is a project of the entire Sutter Hospital system with proceeds to benefit breast cancer research.
Like many artists who thrive in anonymity, Nakano is quite overwhelmed being on the limelight. But, she said, “I’m really excited. I feel really honored to be their featured artist this year.”
Taking this opportunity to give the Quilters Guild a plug, she said, “If you’re looking for camaraderie for the love of fabric and quilts, meeting people with similar interests, attending great trunk shows at general meetings, and learning from great teachers, this club is a place to learn and share with a wonderful group of people.”
As one who has reaped those benefits and more from the guild, a grateful Nakano said, “Thank you, Manteca Quilters, for this opportunity to show my work.”
Nakano said she was a military brat whose family lived a nomadic life typical of those in the service. One of her father’s military assignments was in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“I was born and raised in Japan on American military bases,” said Nakano who attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and later at UC San Francisco where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
She has been a registered nurse for 30 years, most of that time as a visiting nurse, she said.
“The last four years I have been a Wound Ostomy Continence nurse at Sutter Tracy (hospital),” said Nakano who, with husband Mike, have called Manteca their home for 25 years.
Nakano discovered fabric arts serendipitously 15 years ago, but her passion in sewing goes back to her freshman year in high school.
“My sister took me to the very small fabric section of the BX (the base exchange store) to pick out my cotton fabric – calico type – and a pattern. She thought I should have some concept of sewing before I started Home Economics as a freshman in high school,” Nakano recalled.
“I remember using my mother’s heavy Brother machine the summer before starting high school,” she said, pinpointing the exact time when she “caught the sewing bug” that started a lifelong passion for this hobby.
“My first sewing project was a simple square neck summer dress with darts – remember those simple patterns with front and back, zipper and neck and arm facings?” she reminisced with a tinge of wonder and excitement still evident in her words.
“Over the years, I have dabbled in many different art mediums,” she said.
More than 15 years ago, her artistry in fabric reached a different level when she discovered quilting.
“I was at Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley, and saw some beautiful quilts on display and decided to try a beginner’s quilt class,” she recalled.
Later, she heard about a month-long weekly crash course being offered at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton with famous quilter Kathy Sandbach teaching the class.
“The following month, she taught a longer sample quilt class, and my quilting venture began from there,” Nakano said.
More quilting classes followed suit.
“I was thrilled to be able to piece and sew to make fun quilts and learn a whole other dimension to clothing, thread-play to add texture, beads and baubles for a little zip, and ooh-la-la, I was hooked,” Nakano whooped.
It so happens her husband’s two daughters “also have a passion for the fiber arts, and we have a great time trying new ideas and working on new projects,” Nakano said.
Many members of her close-knit family as well as friends will be attending the quilt show to look at her retrospective art display and to enjoy the many other attractions during the two-day extravaganza.
The longtime Manteca resident who is a nurse by profession is this year’s featured artist quilter at the popular two-day event in Manteca’s downtown business district. MRPS is located just north of East Yosemite Avenue in the first block of Grant Street.
Nakano, though, is one of those avid quilters whose thoughtfully pieced creative pieces are given away as gifts to family and friends. So when she was informed that samples of her creations will be needed for display at the MRPS Hall, she immediately contacted family members asking them to loan her back the gifts she has given them. These include a sports-themed quilt she made for a brother-in-law, a diehard 49er’s fan, who underwent a major surgery last year. Another quilt was borrowed from a nephew, who is an actor in Southern California, whose Nakano creation quilt featured nostalgic items from his high school years. The quilted piece was a graduation gift for her thespian nephew.
A quilted jacket and vest are on loan from her sister who is a school principal. They are just two of several wearable pieces – spanning 15 years of “forever evolving” work – that Nakano is planning to include in her exhibit.
Nakano’s fabric projects of choice are wearable and utilitarian pieces such as those mentioned above.
“I like making utility quilts – functional ones that you use when you’re watching TV, smaller throw quilts you put on to watch TV. I make those for gifts,” said Nakano who has been a member of the Manteca Quilters Guild for 15 years.
Her quilt portfolio also includes fabric Chinese take-out food boxes, decorative fabric bowls, fabric post cards that you can actually place in the mail, and wall hangings that she donates to organizations for their fund-raisers.
“I’m working on one (wall hanging) right now that I’m going to donate to the Sutter Quilt Auction. The entire Northern California quilt community is involved in this (fund-raiser),” she said.
This is a project of the entire Sutter Hospital system with proceeds to benefit breast cancer research.
Like many artists who thrive in anonymity, Nakano is quite overwhelmed being on the limelight. But, she said, “I’m really excited. I feel really honored to be their featured artist this year.”
Taking this opportunity to give the Quilters Guild a plug, she said, “If you’re looking for camaraderie for the love of fabric and quilts, meeting people with similar interests, attending great trunk shows at general meetings, and learning from great teachers, this club is a place to learn and share with a wonderful group of people.”
As one who has reaped those benefits and more from the guild, a grateful Nakano said, “Thank you, Manteca Quilters, for this opportunity to show my work.”
UCSF graduate, nurse for 30 years is a self-described military brat
Nakano said she was a military brat whose family lived a nomadic life typical of those in the service. One of her father’s military assignments was in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“I was born and raised in Japan on American military bases,” said Nakano who attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and later at UC San Francisco where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
She has been a registered nurse for 30 years, most of that time as a visiting nurse, she said.
“The last four years I have been a Wound Ostomy Continence nurse at Sutter Tracy (hospital),” said Nakano who, with husband Mike, have called Manteca their home for 25 years.
A lifelong passion for fabric art started in freshman high school
Nakano discovered fabric arts serendipitously 15 years ago, but her passion in sewing goes back to her freshman year in high school.
“My sister took me to the very small fabric section of the BX (the base exchange store) to pick out my cotton fabric – calico type – and a pattern. She thought I should have some concept of sewing before I started Home Economics as a freshman in high school,” Nakano recalled.
“I remember using my mother’s heavy Brother machine the summer before starting high school,” she said, pinpointing the exact time when she “caught the sewing bug” that started a lifelong passion for this hobby.
“My first sewing project was a simple square neck summer dress with darts – remember those simple patterns with front and back, zipper and neck and arm facings?” she reminisced with a tinge of wonder and excitement still evident in her words.
“Over the years, I have dabbled in many different art mediums,” she said.
More than 15 years ago, her artistry in fabric reached a different level when she discovered quilting.
“I was at Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley, and saw some beautiful quilts on display and decided to try a beginner’s quilt class,” she recalled.
Later, she heard about a month-long weekly crash course being offered at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton with famous quilter Kathy Sandbach teaching the class.
“The following month, she taught a longer sample quilt class, and my quilting venture began from there,” Nakano said.
More quilting classes followed suit.
“I was thrilled to be able to piece and sew to make fun quilts and learn a whole other dimension to clothing, thread-play to add texture, beads and baubles for a little zip, and ooh-la-la, I was hooked,” Nakano whooped.
It so happens her husband’s two daughters “also have a passion for the fiber arts, and we have a great time trying new ideas and working on new projects,” Nakano said.
Many members of her close-knit family as well as friends will be attending the quilt show to look at her retrospective art display and to enjoy the many other attractions during the two-day extravaganza.
