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The next Winter Games will be held in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Since we love the Olympics and we love quilting, we are excited about the theme, which is based on the patchwork quilt! The quilt includes 16 designs representing the most famous traditional Russian arts and crafts: Uftyuzhskaya painting, Vologda lace, Gzhel and Zhostovo painting, Kubachi patterns, Pavlov Posad shawls, Mezenskaya painting and Khokhloma, Yakutsk patterns and Ivanovo chintz*.
The quilts will provide a stunning backdrop for the events. In the announcement, the Organizing Committee said: "Such patchworks were an indispensable part of Russian peasants’ homes. Over time, this technique became a widely acknowledged branch of traditional arts and culture. An interesting fact from Russian history is that Catherine, the wife of Peter I, personally sewed a patchwork for her husband as a gift."
These Sochi designs resemble Thousand Pyramids and Diamond quilts, which are among our favorite one-block patterns. In fact, the orange Olympics banner looks remarkably like Jan Krentz's "Indian Summer", shown below.
Indian Summer thousand pyramids quilt and workshop by Jan Krentz from the book Quick Diamond Quilts and Beyond
Isoceles triangles (pyramids) create a beautiful, impressionistic look when made with patterned fabrics in coordinating colors. Also, two triangles can be used to make a diamond shape. Here are some free quilt patterns and tutorials for 1000 pyramids.... use them to design your own "pyramid scheme"!
The Ladies' Stitching Club Quilt, free quilt pattern at oliver + s
Chateau Rouge French General, free pattern at Moda Fabrics
Easy Triangles Table Runner by Laura Boehnke at All People Quilt
Alfresco, 80 x 96", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Marcus Brothers Fabrics
Gaughin's Garden, free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Robert Kaufman Fabrics
Salad Time, 42 x 54", free pattern by Marinda Stewart for Michael Miller Fabrics
Love and Freedom, free pattern by Patricia Bravo at Art Gallery Fabrics
Concentric Diamonds Quilt, free pattern by Accuquilt seen at FaveQuilts
Bungle Jungleand TimBeck for Moda Fabrics
Modern Ombre Triangle baby quilt, 42 x 48", tutorial and pattern at See Kate Sew
60-degree Quilt Tutorial by Kim Brackett at Magnolia Bay Quilts
Pyramid Quilt Tutorial, inspired by Anthropologie, by Molly Flanders
Isosceles Picnic Quilt Tutorial by Penny from Sewtakeahike for Moda Bakeshop
Thousand pyramids,a review of triangle designs by Kathy K. Wylie
Image credits and links: This post was updated on January 23, 2013. All images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs. Complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links. If any links are broken, we'd love to know; email us at Quilt Inspiration.
*To read about the Russian designs, see Sochi2014. The 2014 Winter Games will be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014. It will be truly exciting to see the Sochi patchwork designs on TV.... two years from now!
Diamonds...always a quilters's best friend!
ReplyDeleteThis is an absolutely stunning post. I *love* that you "riffed" on the posters for the upcoming Olympics, and then shared examples of patterns people could make in that theme, including a free pattern. Absolutely genius!!!
ReplyDeleteI loved your focus on the 2014 Olympics highlighting how hand crafts were being incorporated in the graphics for the Russian Olympics. Having lived amongst Russians for 4 years, I found that the women are very industrious and can do so many things well. Quilting was certainly done using fabrics from cast away clothes. I lived there when there was not much choice in fabrics but imagine that much is now being created from all the choice around the world. Many peoples (minority)living in Russia and other former Soviet Republics use detailed embroidery for their everyday traditional outfits. Simply beautiful!
ReplyDeletehere's the first one from Russia (out of nothing, you see ;)) http://foto.mail.ru/mail/yakimovaas/60/1859.html# I think it's only the beginning, there'll have to be much more quilts - and more complicated too, although this one is complicated enough already and still does not completely recembles the original pattern.
ReplyDeleteHi lerusisik! Thank you for visiting us from Russia. Your quilts are beautiful and we love seeing your designs. What fun! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, but the quilt is not mine (I've quilte forgotten to say that). It's from a very good Russian quilter and a friend of mine Anna Yakimova and the whole linked album is hers.
ReplyDelete