Julie and Tom Gutierrez brought their 40-foot trailer in to the parking lot MRPS Hall for this year’s 33rd annual Manteca Quilt & Doll Show over the weekend.

Inside their trailer was a long-arm quilting machine which drew many interested visitors both days of the show. They just came from Santa Barbara where they installed one at the home of an avid quilter the day of the Oscars. Their customer had an invitation to the start-studded event but skipped the show to oversee the installation of her new machine, said a laughing Julie.

This was their first time to take part in the Manteca quilt show, and judging by what they saw, they could be a familiar booth at future shows.

“I love it. I love the little quilt guild. You get the flavor of the people, and they really treat you well. It’s fun,” smiled Julie as two women watched a demonstration of the machine.

For the most part, though, the majority of the 23 vendors who came to the quilt and doll show in Manteca have been familiar faces for years. One of them was Judy’s Antiques of Castro Valley.

Besides the fact Manteca is “only an hour from my home,” owner Judy Osborne said she has been coming to the show for five years in a row now because, “the guild members and the people are very friendly, and they enjoy coming to our booth and buy from us,” said Osborne whose collectibles include vintage table cloths, bark cloth pillow cases and other heirlooms, in addition to a stack of quilting fabrics.

“We specialize in old table linens and older fabrics,” said Osborne who also goes to quilt shows in Sonora.

The colorful and creative quilts were just a few of the show’s many attractions although they were the favorites of perennial visitor Judy Kirkham, a retired Manteca Unified staff member.

“I love all the quilts,” she said as she took the time to greet and chat with old friend Janet Dyk, the guild’s former president and the coordinator of this year’s quilt show.

The two-day event concluded with the opportunity drawing for the day’s major prizes - a quilt and a cloth doll donated by this year’s two featured artists.