Two-million-view milestone: Part 3

~ Stay tuned for our Free Pattern Day this Friday, June 21 ! ~
Quilt Inspiration recently hit a major milestone, with over 2 million page views.  We're taking the time to say THANKS to the many talented artists who inspire us all.  We initially planned a 2-part retrospective, but we couldn't resist sharing some of our favorite applique designs and some never-before-seen photos from our archive.  So, here is Part 3 of our retrospective.

Flower Basket Medallion by Renee Caswell, design by Kim McLean

We first featured Kim McLean's glorious Flower Basket Medallion in a July 2010 post, Basket Quilts Part 2. We were excited to see this design in person, in a beautiful quilt by Renee Caswell, which won 2nd place in the Applique-Large division at the Arizona Quilters Guild 2013 show. Here is the basket detail:

... and the complete quilt:

Renee's quilt was done with machine applique, using "happy Kaffe Fassett fabrics", as you can see below.

The Flower Basket Medallion pattern and fabrics, and other glorious Kim McLean designs, are available at Glorious Color.

Snake Charmer by Pamela Allen 2008 Road to California quilt show

Pamela Allen is an award-winning artist, quilter and teacher based in Ontario, Canada.  The fantastic quilt shown above, "Snake Charmer", was exhibited at the 2008 Road to California quilt show.  On her website, Pamelart, she explains: "I hate vacuuming. The machine is loud and heavy and anyway the house needs cleaning again in a weeks time! I want to conjure up a magical Hoover that does my bidding. If only I could turn a mindnumbing task into an exotic past time!"

In the closeup of the Snake Charmer face you can see the detail of the raw edge applique, hand embroidery, and exotic ephemera; her hair is adorned with colorful safety pins, and she is wearing a necklace of clothspins with bright beads.  As shown below, aluminum hair rollers decorate the side of the skirt. 

We first featured Pamela Allen's work in an April 2011 post, Humorous Quilts: Three Women at the Hilton. "Three Women at the Hilton" won Most Humorous Quilt at the Road to California, 2010.

Illuminated Alphabet by Zena Thorpe, 2008 Road to California show

Zena Thorpe is an award-winning artist whose achievements include membership in the Master Quilters Guild established by the National Quilting Association. At the 2008 Road to California show, where this quilt won 1st prize in its category (traditional large applique). In her artist's statement, Zena says: "I have long been fascinated by the ancient illuminated manuscripts which usually began with a large embellished capital letter."

We first featured "Illuminated Manuscript" in a September 2010 post called The ABCs of Quilting:  Alphabet Quilts. The patterns are detailed in Zena Thorpe's book, Beautiful Alphabet Applique, a 64-page book which contains the full-color illustrations and elaborate appliques for all 26 letters of the English alphabet.  Each letter is a work of art!

Lily Rosenberry by Sue Garman, quilted by Denise Green

Sue Garman is a preeminent U.S. (Texas) designer of applique quilts with traditional motifs. The name of this quilt, "Lily Rosenberry", is no secret: the quilt is full of lilies, roses, and over 1000 berries! This beautiful quilt is based on a traditional block, but it is set with an unusal swag border.  We first featured this quilt in a November 2010 post called Inspired by Red and Green. For more information see Sue Garman's blog; the pattern is available at Quakertown Quilts.

Friends of Baltimore by Susan Garman and colleagues

"Friends of Baltimore" by Sue Garman was the first place winner for Group Quilting at the 2011 Houston International Quilt Festival. Sue Garman notes, "Although inspired by many old Baltimore Album quilts, I designed this quilt to suit my own desire for a uniquely elegant quilt." We featured this beauty in a November 2011 post, Houston International Quilt Festival - Part 3.  The pattern and BOM kit are available at Quakertown Quilts.

Teacup, 42 x 42", by Maria Elkins

Maria Elkins designs highly original art quilts that range from the abstract to highly realistic portraiture.  We featured her work in a January 2011 post, Maria Elkins Art Quilts. "Teacup", shown above, was created in 2002, when her quilt guild challenged its members to create a quilt using only blue or white. Maria says that she machine pieced the curves of the cup and saucer, then used a print fabric of blue and white plates to cut out, fuse, and machine applique them.  For more information see her website, Maria Elkins Art Quilts.

Image credits:  Photos of Lily Rosenberry and Teacup are by the artists and are used with permission.  The other photos are by Quilt Inspiration and, with permission, by G. Weake.