Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree, 25 x 31”, by Carol Deards (Santa Rosa, California)
Carol Deards says, " I don’t like being pigeon-holed, and art quilting allows me the freedom to rework my content and style in whatever way moves me. This quilt was designed from a photograph provided by a friend. I wanted to give a sense of filtered backlighting via Ricky Tims’ harmonic [convergence] technique and quilted weeping willow leaves."
close up, Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree by Carol Deards
Carol Deards explains that her applique technique utilizes fusible thread and tear-away stabilizer to keep the fabric flexible and pliable when the quilt is put together. Here you also can see the three-dimensional fabric that is peeking out from under the kitty. Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree was exhibited at the 2013 Pacific International Quilt Festival. For more examples of Carol Deard's work, see her website at Quilted Pet Portraits.
Live Free by Kathleen Everett (Batavia, New York)
Kathleen Everett says, "After creating a collage on a playing card, manipulating it in Photoshop in a class by Red Dog Enterprises, my pup was printed by a large format printer onto fabric. I pieced varying sized improvisational star blocks using Marcia Derse fabrics, quilted my adorable lab and stitched him to his background. He would be at home anywhere!"
close up, Live Free by Kathleen Everett
Live Free was exhibited at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival. We love the soulful look in this lab's eyes! The improvisational pieced stars add to the quirky charm of this quilt.
Mickey Blue Eyes by Julia C. Wood (Auburn, Alabama)
Julia C. Wood is the author of several AQS quilting books including Fabric Photo Play, Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts and MORE Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts. The image of Julia's blue-eyed dachshund, Mickey, appears when you step back from this quilt. Julia pixelated an image of Mickey into hexagons, then used Kona cotton solids to piece the quilt. The quilt has more than 1300 hexagons, all hand stitched together. She explains the software she used at this post.
close up, Mickey Blue Eyes by Julia C. Wood
In the upper left of this close-up photo you can see the hexagons that make up Mickey's blue eye. The machine quilting was done in a hexagons that were rotated and enlarged as compared to the hexagon pieces themselves. Mickey Blue Eyes was featured in Quick & Easy Hexie Quilts by Julia C. Woods and Peggy Rhodes. It won First Place in the 2013 AQS GO! Have Fun Challenge.
Inquisitive Fat Cats by Ann Scrivener
Ann Scrivener's quilt won an award as a First Time Entrant at the 2014 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters' Guild Show. She says, "On my first visit to TQG I won a door prize – The Cat’s Meow by Janet King [Kime?] I was hooked! For this quilt I did hand applique as well as machine applique and quilting. My inspiration was my own two cats and the mischief they get into. I immensely enjoyed making this quilt."
(Note: We're aware of The Cat's Meow pattern book by Janet Kime. We'd love to know if this is the correct attribution.)
close up, Inquisitive Fat Cats by Ann Scrivener
The cats themselves were made with cat-themed fabrics. Here is a kitty perched on a rock, chasing after a lizard. The sashing fabric is perfect for this quilt. At first glance it appears to be a sashiko design done in white on dark blue, but on closer inspection the white design is a paw print!
This Arizona kitty is all decked out with a red bandanna, and sitting under a saguaro cactus!
49 Lokis, 50 x 50", by Helena Scheffer (Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada)
Helena Scheffer is a fabric artist and native Montrealer. She says: "Loki, my Chihuahua, is almost white, which doesn’t match her colorful, larger-than-life personality, so I created the silkscreen image for this this Andy Warhol - inspired portrait. Each square is individually screen printed and hand quilted, embroidered or beaded with a different design. “49 Lokis” became the first of many silk-screened pet portraits."
close up, 49 Lokis by Helena Scheffer
This quilt has been exhibited widely across North America. We photographed it at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.
Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. For more cat and dog quilts, see the Best of Cat Quilts part 1, part 2, part 3; and It's Raining Cats and Dogs part 1, part 2, part 3.
Thank you for sharing those stunning and inspiring creations! Greetings. Christine
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese quilt shows often have pet-inspired quilts and wall art. The only pet quilt I have made is not wall art but a sofa quilt and it is tessellating cats ..."Pearl and friends" inspired by my white cat with one blue and one yellow eye, long gone but remembered ever on my sofa.
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