Happy New Year from Quilt Inspiration

As we begin 2018, here is a quilt for the New Year !

Note: Please check out our E-Bay shop where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

City Celebration, 17 x 17, by Elyse Marinos , California

Elyse made and quilted this miniature quilt as a result of a challenge from her quilt group to create an art quilt depicting a village. She says, "I created a city with decorator fabrics, beads, crystals, and netting."  This city reminds us of New York City on New Year's Eve,  alive with lights and enthusiastic celebrations as thousands wait for the famous ball to drop in Times Square.

The fireworks  are symbolized by the embellishments done with little beads in various shapes and sizes, which lends a glamorous touch to the night sky. In addition, you can also see the gold tube beads on the skyscrapers. We hope that your 2018 brings you many glamour moments and much health and happiness !

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2014 River City Quilters Guild show (Sacramento, California).

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 24

Thank you for celebrating the 24 days of Christmas with us ! May the spirit of Christmas warm your home with love, joy and peace. We send you wishes for a blessed Christmas.

Nativity "Good Will to All" fabric panel, 35x 42, designed by Susan Winget

We love this 2018  fabric panel with its soft colors and realistic renderings done in homespun style. The simple manger, the star of Bethlehem shining above, and the sweet expressions of all in attendance at this event, reflect the love, peace, and light brought into the world by the birth of the Christ child. To each of our readers,we hope that this season is one of love, peace, and light for you also !

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 23

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 23.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Three Wise Men by Dell Jones, Texas Association of Doll Artists

These wonderful dolls pay tribute to the biblical story and Christian tradition of the wise men from the East, who followed a star to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus.  When they saw the child with Mary his mother, they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The artist, Dell Jones says, "I have always been artistic and have tried every fabric-inspired project that came along. The world of needle sculpted fabric Art Dolls meets all of my artistic needs. My dolls are created using high quality exotic fabrics and trims, with additional crystals and embellishments. Most of my dolls are for myself, gifts and for display and competition at the International Quilt Festival."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.  The artist's statement about her work is from her page at TAODA.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 22

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 22.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Christmas Eve in Montana by Penni Klick

Nature always inspires us!  This quilt, with its peaceful winter scene, reminds us to be grateful for natural beauty.  Penni Klick was inspired by Mike Jackson's photo titled Fiery Sky Along the Gros Ventre, which can be viewed online in his Teton Sunsets gallery.  The mountains were created with gathered fabric, and tulle was used to depict wispy clouds.The large evergreen tree was created with chenille, producing a wonderful tactile effect. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 21

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 21.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Eureka, 70 x 86, by Jane Acomb, Idaho U.S.A.

Jane writes, " I love the design and colors (red, green, and cream) in this quilt. This quilt kit sat under my bed for many years before its construction. Now I proudly display it at Christmas time."
We especially love the center medallions which form a white star surrounded by Tree of Life blocks; and we also love the smaller Amish Star red blocks which comprise the outer border.

Barb Niewert did a great job quilting this intricate patchwork, which contains many small half-square triangles. This "Eureka" pattern by Jackie Robinson is available for purchase as an e-pattern at Animas Quilts.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 5 Bee Quilters Guild exhibit in Hailey, Idaho.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 20

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 20.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Christmas Makes Me Happy by Myrt Gehring , quilted by Carole Lifferth

Myrt explains, "I love Christmas and have made several Christmas quilts.  This one put me to the test! Lots of work. I enjoyed making it so much !"

Close-up, Christmas Makes Me Happy

Above,you can see the different fun quilting patterns for each block, as well as the log cabin blocks which are alternated with charming redwork embroidery of snowmen, angels, and stars.

The pattern is "I Believe in Snowmen" by Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill Designs.

Myrt concludes, "My quilts are going to each of my grandchildren when they get married. Hopefully by then, they will apreciate all the work and love that goes into each one ! Quilts are a treasure ! "

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 19

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 19.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

The Christmas Lady by Sue Garman

What a wonderful Christmas scene! This is one of three "Lady" quilts that Sue Garman designed and made.  The large hand-appliqued and hand-quilted center panel is surrounded by a border of sawtooth stars; outside of that, there is a tiny border of 1/2" squares that twinkle like lights. This one celebrates Christmas with the Santa Lucia girl bedecked with a wreath of candles, holding a teddy bear.

The quilt description says, "Sue loved designing this quilt!" You can see Sue's wonderful hand applique and quilting in the closeup photos. On the girl's apron is an embroidered saying, "Love and Joy come to thee"...

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Remembering Sue Garman exhibit at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 18

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 18.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

To Grandma's House by Monika Hancock, quilted by Debbie Stanton

We really enjoyed the Christmas scenes in this quilt, embroidered in red and black threads. The "ribbons" on the borders have the words "Over the River and Through the Woods" and "To Grandmother's House we go !" Monika Hancock says, "[I] bought a new Bernina and this is my first big project. [It was] done in "Grunge" fabrics. I'm hooked on embroidery !" 

To Grandma's House won Third Prize, Machine Embroidery at the 2017 Arizona Quilter's Guild show. There is some wonderful detail in this design, including the swirling marks made by the skaters in the scene above, along with tiny detailed snowflakes.  The pattern is Through The Woods by Claudia Dinnell at Quilting Delights.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Arizona Quilters' Guild show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 17

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 17.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Christmas All Around , 45 x 45, by Audrey Mantle , California

Audrey writes, "This quilt was inspired by [quilt teacher and author] Elly Sienkiewiecz' Papercuts and Plenty : Studies in Classic Album Quilt Applique.  The appliqued blocks were begun in Gatlinburg, Maryland and were completed in Lafayette, California, in July 2016. "

Audrey does beautifully precise and accurate hand applique and hand quilting. These lovely blocks have beautiful clean and sharp edges, using the freezer-paper method for cutting and placing the applique motif on the background fabric. We really admire the small details here, like the cheerful holly leaves and berries on the outer swagged border, along with the pretty red bows in the corners.

For more information about Elly Sienkievicz and her work in teaching and designing album quilts, here is a helpful and informative video from HGTV and Alex Anderson's "Simply Quilts" show.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 16

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 16.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Winter Memories, 59 x 65", by Rose Rumball-Petre

We love the combination of piecing and wool applique in this fun quilt!  It was machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted.  It was displayed at the 5 Bee Quilters Guild show near Sun Valley, Idaho in October, 2017. This is a local (Sun Valley) design variation of the Poorhouse Quilt Design's Winter Memories quilt pattern from a class taught by Susan Coons, who often teaches at the Sun Valley Fabric Granary.

Susan redesigned the center block and added a Sun Valley Sun near the top. The barn is embellished with "Sun Valley" embroidery, so it resembles the iconic red barn on Sun Valley Road. You can see Rose's wool applique details, embellishments, and hand quilting on the adorable snowman, below.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 5 Bee Quilters Guild show in Hailey, Idaho (2017).

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 15

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 15.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

And to All a Good Night by Sue Garman

From the Sue Garman exhibit in Houston, Texas, the description card states, " Crisp wintry snow and a starry night are the perfect setting for snowmen, angels, and Santa with his tiny reindeer! This quilt brings sheer delight for years to come. And to All a Good Night is made of a long applique panel, an array of both Four Patch Evening Star blocks, and extended Nine Patch blocks, and a set of borders.

Close-up And To All a Good Night

Here's a close-up of the applique block, with an enchanting depiction of a snowy night, complete with evergreens and tiny houses. Reindeer fly through the sparkling sky, while a little angel and bunny add extra interest to this landscape scene done in folk-art motif. Sue's delightful work is machine pieced, hand-appliqued and hand-quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Remembering Sue Garman exhibit at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 14

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 14.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Joyful Poinsettias by Kalico Kut-Ups (Utah Quilt Guild), quilted by Carol Rossen

What’s more cheerful during the holidays than a big pot of Poinsettias? How about Dresden Plate poinsettias with button centers and color tinted candy cane stems?  This red and white quilt makes us smile. It combines pieced Polar Bear Paw blocks with Dresden plates and redwork embroidery.

The Joyful Poinsettias pattern is by Meg Hawkey at Crabapple Hill Studio.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Springville (Utah) Quilt Guild show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 13

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 13.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Folded Star, 36 x 48, by Bonita McFadden, California

We were very impressed upon viewing Bonita's lovely quilt, because it is such a wonderful blend of traditional and contemporary Christmas motifs ! The boughs of holly, the wreath, and the red poinsettia flowers are symbolic of the Christmases that we have all known and loved for many years. The alternating red and black borders and the fabric of the stars, done in checks, stripes, polka dots, and zig-zags, reminds us of the trends in modern quiltmaking. These design elements encourage us to consider endless possibilities in creating future quilts for the Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa season.

Close-up,  Folded Star

The inspiration for Bonita's original design came from a home accessories catalog, which showed a decorative wall star with a pocket in it to display a floral arrangement. She then created a 5 point star template from folded paper, cut out corresponding fabric stars, and fused them to this intriguing black and white background fabric.
On top of each star,  Bonita fused and carefully appliqued floral prints which were fussy cut from larger fabric, in the method of Broderie Perse. In the block above, you can see how the wreath, topped with a cheerful bow, exactly fits into the center of the star. 

Close-up, Folded Star

In this close-up, you can see Bonita's workmanship in cutting and fusing these holly leaf and poinsettia prints. She used a layer of tulle netting to stabilize the floral print and ensure accurate placement of the motif. We always appreciate seeing Bonita's very innovative, thoughtful, and talented creations, at Christmas time and anytime !

Image credits: Photos and design are the copyright of Bonita McFadden.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 12

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 12.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Snowflakes by BJ Meier, quilted by Christine Zachow

The bright white snowflakes stand out brilliantly against the blue and green batik fabrics in this foundation-pieced quilt!  BJ Meier says, "This is one of my Christmas wall hanging; I use it every year."  The Snowflakes quilt pattern by Barbara Fiedler and Sherri Bain Driver was published by Quiltmaker magazine. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Amador Valley Quilters Guild show (California).

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 11

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 11.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Winter Memories by Sue Garman

The description card from the tribute to Sue Garman last month in Houston, Texas, reads: "In Winter Memories, you can almost hear children laughing in the midst of building a snowman, you can almost feel the icy cold of a starry night; and you can sense the joy of a season of giving."
We love the high-contrast flying geese border which really sets off these angular geometric blocks !

Sue's delightful, vibrantly colorful work is all machine-pieced, without applique. It is hand-quilted, embroidered and embellished with buttons.

Santa's neatly pleated shirt and the little bell on his cap are just some of the fun embellishments here that add to the three-dimensional appearance of this quilt.

Image credits:  Photos were taken at the "Remembering Sue Garman" exhibit at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 10

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 10.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Double Nine Patch - Meowry Christmas! by Nancy Landon, quilted by Karolyn Nubin Jensen

This Double Nine Patch quilt was inspired by a magazine photo of an antique quilt. There are 354 little 3" 9-patch blocks in the quilt, which was beautifully quilted by Karolyn Nubin Jensen. Nancy Landon says, "I saw a picture of the original quilt in a McCall's magazine and knew it was perfect for using my stash of 1800's "cat" shirtings." (The light colored prints within the nine patch blocks have line drawings of cats.)

 Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2014 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 9

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 9.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Midnight Snow by Lisa Chin (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Lisa explains, "[This is] an experiment in hand cut snowflakes fused on to hand-dyed fabric."  Doesn't it look like fun to cut out all those pretty forms?  We really admire the variety of snowflakes that Lisa has created on this pretty appliqued quilt !

Close-up, Midnight Snow

The delicate and intricate structure of snow crystals requires a lot of  precise machine stitching, as yu can see in this close-up. Even the background quilting is done in the symmetrical shapes of snowflakes, which adds a nice coordinating design element.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 8

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 8.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and jewelry !

On This Winter Day by Nancy Prince and Linda French

On This Winter Day portrays an elaborate nostalgic scene, circa 1895.  Bundled-up children make snow angels and skate across a frozen river, while horse-drawn carriages maneuver through snowy streets.

The scene's realism comes from thread painting, a free-motion machine technique that can render detailed, complex images. Linda French machine quilted and thread-painted a whole cloth quilt, then Nancy added her thread painted artistry.  More than 2,000 hours over 7 years were necessary to design and thread paint all the people, animals and sleighs.

This quilt has won numerous awards, including Best of Show at the International Quilt Festival in Houston in October 2014. Nancy Prince has published two books on thread painting and she teaches workshops around the country.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. We photographed On a Winter Day at the 2016 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix, Arizona, where it took second place (red ribbon).

24 days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 7

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 7.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop, where we are Top-Rated Sellers, for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, 74 x 74", by Linda Neal and Jackie Brown (Texas)

Done in the style of a traditional Baltimore Album pattern, this beautiful quilt won an Honorable Mention award at the American Quilters' Society Show in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2016. Santa’s “nice” list contains Linda’s grandchildren and family members.  Storybook villains are on the “naughty” list.   It was lots of fun adding the embellishments to the quilt top.

The pattern is Baltimore Christmas by Pearl Pereira at P3 Designs.

Here's Santa checking his list of who's been good this year !  We hope you're on his list, and we hope you receive everything you wish for Christmas !

Close-up "Twas the Night Before Christmas" 

Look at the cute button eyes and the rick-rack braid trim on the gingerbread people! We are amazed at the amount of painstaking detail work on this quilt.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 Arizona Quilters' Society (AQS) show in Phoenix, Arizona.

24 Days of Christmas at Quilt Inspiration - Day 6

Welcome to the 24 days of Christmas ! Each day this month, up through Christmas Eve, we'll feature a work of fiber art that reflects the joy and beauty of the season ! Let's continue with Day 6.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage estate jewelry! For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter!

Snow Fun by Margie Brakefield

Margie Brakefield won Honorable Mention at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show for this cute machine embroidered wall quilt.  It is based on the Candy Cane Christmas pattern by Claudia's Creations.  (As of this writing, the pattern is available here.)   The snowman in the photo below is decorating his tree with red and white candy canes.

Snowman self-affirmations are embroidered in the borders:

...along with some pretty metallic snowflakes:

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.