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Monday, March 14, 2016

Celtic Quilt Inspiration

Happy St. Patrick's Day (17 March!) The holiday commemorates Saint Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish.  To honor the occasion, we're featuring a selection of Irish themes and some beautiful green quilts.  Erin Go Bragh!
Please note: We're continually posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out @quiltinspire.

Faerie Quilt by Bobbie Bergquist at Quilters Treasure (New Hampshire)


Fairies feature heavily in Irish mythology. This stained glass quilt features hand-marbled fabric and the following Celtic patterns from Quilters Treasure: Celtic Fairie, Fairie Lights, Hazel Fairie, Ivy Fairie, and Willow Fairie.  The stained glass is made with LeadLine, a narrow (3/16") flexible bias tape.  The braid is colored with metallic Tsukineko ink.  Here is a closeup of the Celtic Faerie:


Book of Kells by Karen G. Fisher


Book of Kells won 1st place in the Mixed Techniques - Small category at the 2015 Arizona Quilters' Guild show.  It was inspired by medieval manuscript illustration, beginning with the Book of Kells from Ireland. Gold fabrics and embellishments honor the use of real gold on the original manuscripts.


There is an amazing amount of detail in Book of Kells including bias strip appliqued circles and ovals, piping, appliqued crosses, and borders of tiny blocks.


Pixie Fairy by Margie Huber (Kingman, Arizona), quilted by Stephanie Davis


Pixie Fairy is based on an original drawing by Pandi Patterson, re-designed by Sharon Schamber and Margie Huber.  The face was painted by Sharon Schamber.  Sharon Schamber's art quilt techniques are explained in her Quilt Fairy DVD. Check out the yarn for hair on the fairy and for the flower centers.  


My Two Color Quilt by Gloria Jean Hartley (Mapleton, Utah), quilted by Carole Lifferth


For this quilt, Gloria Jean Hartley used only two colors of fabric:  10 green and 9 cream. The additional color you see is in the machine embroidery threads that surround the applique.  Gloria's lovely creation is based on the Sincerely Yours machine embroidery pattern by Smith Street Designs.  We love the soothing spring color scheme and leafy fabrics.



March Mania mini quilt by Kathy Stark (California)


Cathy Stark says that March Mania is her take on a Courthouse Steps pattern.  We love the shamrock fabrics and the meandering border design! It was begun as a calendar quilt block in a class taught by Megan Selby and Cindy Sloneker.  


Tree of Life by Karen G. Fisher


This beautiful Tree of Life wall quilt won 2nd place in the Pieced-Small Quilt division at the 2015 Arizona Quilters' Guild show.  The beaded tree, created with iridescent beads, can be seen because of its sparkle.  Karen says, "Our lives should sparkle to light up a sometimes dreary world."


Karen G. Fisher is the author of Easy Grid Quilts published by AQS.  This quilt is a miniature version of her Herringbone Grid design.

Learning to Navigate, 94 x 89",  by Barbara Henderson (Pinetop, Arizona), quilted by Pat Doro


This quilt inspired us with its beautiful forest green color scheme.  Barbara Henderson did a spectacular job with the fabric selection and piecing. The description reads, "Barbara arrived at a Judy Niemeyer Mariner's Compass class totally unprepared for the complexity of the design.  With scraps of green and gold fabric, she took a deep breath, tried not to cry, and pushed on."  The quilting by Pat Doro was done in gold thread, which really stands out against the dark background.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Arizona Quilters' Guild show (Book of Kells, Tree of Life, & Pixie Fairy);  the 2015 Springville Quilt Show (Utah; My Two Color Quilt); the 2015 Diablo Valley Quilters' Guild show (California; March Mania); the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek (Learning To Navigate).  Bobbie Bergquist was on the Special Faculty at the 2014 Road to California (Faerie Quilt).

2 comments:

  1. Those applique are dazzling and too any of the prjects you are sharing.Thanks for the great pics.

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  2. Oh, I love them all! The variety of Celtic crosses ... the limited color schemes ... the quilting behind that pixie ... the cleaver detail in them all. Thanks for the stunning show.

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