Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Fun in the Sun: Day 7 of the Arizona Quilters' Guild Show

What could be more entertaining than a show full of beautiful quilts?  Here we go for Day 7 of  "Fun in the Sun"  from the 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show. You be the judges and let us know which ones are your favorites, in the Comments section below. 

Lilies, 50" x 35", by Rita Blocksom


These beautiful day lilies make an excellent subject for a quilt, as so much of the detail of their intricate petals, stamens, and pistils shows up perfectly. Second place winner in the Art/Painted or Digital quilts category, Rita writes, "This is from a digital image I took outside my dad's back door at the family farm in Illinois." The quilt is made on one sheet of fabric, not tiled like so many digital quilts are done.  Rita has been been teaching imagery on fabric for 20 years; you can see her website at Rita Blocksom.com.

Close up, Lilies by Rita Blocksom, quilted by Sharon Brooks


Sharon Brooks' excellent longarm quilting skills really show up here, especially on the gorgeous blended hues of reds, corals, and pinks which create a striking monochromatic and analogous color scheme.

Sundance, approximately 12 x 12", by Christy Schliesmann


Blue ribbon winner for miniature quilts, Christy says,  " The Cindy Richards design uses twenty different fabrics cut into 325 pieces, giving a twirling effect around the golden sun." 

Close up, Sundance by Christy Schliesmann


These tiny, perfectly sewn pieces measure anywhere from one-fourth inch to one inch long in a great display of Christy's workmanship.

Wild Woman by Donna Goldbeck


Donna says of her self-portrait, "The 3-D effect was achieved using yarn colors and textures. The paint makeup gives her [face] the wildness that I may have secretly longed for when I was younger." This quilt really appeals to the tactile senses with the juxtaposition of dozens of different yarn types, colors, and thicknesses.

Little Amsterdam by Marilyn Wood


Marilyn notes, "This pattern is from the [ North Sea Quilters of ] the Netherlands. The flowered fabrics in the houses and border are antique Dutch reproduction fabrics from Amsterdam, my husband's favorite city."  Marilyn's striped border adds to the lively, upbeat personality of this charming quilt.

Close up, Little Amsterdam by Marilyn Wood


Floral fabrics are perfect for portraying the highly stylised, almost baroque facades of traditional Dutch and Flemish architecture.

Jeremy's Quilt by Joan McNamara


Joan says, of her quilt in the Nearly Insane pattern, " I did this to learn to piece. Each block was drafted from a picture and some 6" blocks had over 280 pieces. Over 100 fabrics were used."  Joan has truly created a fascinating array of challenging block patterns, using predominantly reds and purples against a soft taupe background.

Close up photos, Jeremy's Quilt by Joan McNamara, quilted by Jessica (Jones) Gamez


Here's a montage of the intricate and precisely sewn 6 " x 6" blocks, many of which contain more than 50 pieces of fabric.

Quilt Inspiration has previous featured the Nearly Insane quilt pattern, which was inspired by an 1870's sampler quilt by Salinda W. Rupp.  In recent years, the Nearly Insane pattern has been re-created and popularized by quilt teacher and author Liz Lois. We've never seen a Nearly Insane quilt in person; it was fascinating to see Joan McNamara's quilt!

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

6 comments:

  1. Absolutely beautiful. What talent!

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  2. Oh, yes, it's the lilies. In some places it looks like a photo to me. Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs

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  3. WOW those close-ups of the Nearly Insane quilt really astonished me. So impressive! Those itty bitty HSTs!! Thank you for these great close-ups and photos.

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  4. unos quilts preciosos gracias por las fotos
    Besos

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  5. Thank you for posting these lovely photos of great quilts! That truly is some insanely intricate piecing!! I hope Jeremy appreciates it! The colors she used keep it from being overwhelming - it's just a fabulous quilt! I love the Little Amsterdam quilt too - so charming.

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  6. That is the most stunning " Nearly Insane" I have ever seen! Just amazing use of colour and the custom quilting complements it perfectly. Thanks so much for showing :)
    Hilda

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