A Whole Cloth Winter Extravaganza - part 1

Whole cloth quilts, done in icy white or pale pastels, remind us of winter.  We've never done a feature on whole cloth quilts, perhaps because capturing the texture of quilting in a photograph is really challenging, especially with white-on-white quilts.  We hope that our photos will convey some sense of  the magnificent quilting by these artists.

Winter by Laurie Weiner

An Honorable Mention winner at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival, Laurie notes, "I designed this quilt after being snowed in for five days, due to impassable roads, on Whidbey Island, [in the state of ] Washington. One gets to contemplate winter at its best -- clean, pure, and beautiful."

Close up, Winter by Laurie Weiner

 

For her original design, Laurie's techniques include cut-away trapunto and free motion background stitching. The cotton sateen fabric is hand-dyed, with poly batting for trapunto. Her use of deeper colored cotton thread really helps the  viewer see the details of the barren, graceful branches.

Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

Jenny writes, "I love my Northern California landscape-- it gives me daily joy. The slightest breeze brings movement to the grasses; bees, humminbirds, and dragonflies are frequent visitors. I wanted to capture the beauty and texture that I enjoy on the daily morning stroll through my garden,"

Close up, Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

Jenny's  lovely work is free motion quilted, with cotton sateen, wool batting, cotton, silk binding, and cotton and silk thread.She won the second place award for Most Innovative Quilt at the 2014 Road to California Quilt Show.

Close up, Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

We really liked this magical butterfly and other animals outlined in deeper colors, which float through the windy sky and add to the sense of continuous movement.

Alabaster Feathers by Debbie Stanton

A blue ribbon winner in the "Quilting Green" category at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild Show, Debbie states,  "I found this vintage cutwork linen tablecloth in a thrift shop. I hand-sketched feathers around the embroideries. No stencils were used.

Close up, Alabaster Feathers by Debbie Stanton

These quilted swirling feathers perfectly enhance the antique, elaborate look of Debbie's enchanting original design.

Swan's Song by Lisa Calle

First place winner in the Best Machine Quilting category at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival, Lisa notes, "My father, George Swan Hagstoz, Jr., passed away in October of 2011. This quilt is my tribute to him. His initials are in the center, with 12 teardrop motifs surrounding them. These teardrop motifs represent his wife, three children, and eight grandchildren."

Close up, Swan's Song by Lisa Calle

Lisa's strikingly beautiful original design is enhanced by the occasional  rows of straight, parallel quilting lines. They  provide a pleasing contrast to the delicate teardrop motif symbolizing the members of her father's family.

Renaissance by Theresa Fetch

Theresa explains, "This quilt was designed paper, transferred to the fabric, quilted, and bound. After binding, it was hand-dyed, and Shiva Paintsticks were applied to the entire top. " These elegant, intricate circular motifs seem to us to be inspired by the work of master artists of the  Italian Renaissance. The motifs  really catch the viewer's eye and draw it towards the ornate center medallion.

Close up, Renaissance by Theresa Fetch
 

Theresa's intriguing original design is created with cotton sateen fabric, Hobbs wool batting, and Superior thread. Shiva Paintstiks give a luminous iridescent patina to her work.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.