St. Patrick's Day and Celtic Quilts

Next week is St. Patrick's Day, which honors the patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century A.D.  Here are some quilts we've admired featuring Celtic designs, symbols, and the color green!

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Celtic Fox by Kathy McNeil (Washington, USA)

Celtic Fox won first place in the Art-Whimsical category at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival. The fox sits on a new moon, accompanied by an owl and hare.  Kathy's original design was created with hand applique and machine embroidery; cotton fabrics were used, along with velvet and commercial trims.

Kathy McNeil says "The Celtic Fox symbolizes a need to think quickly, to employ cleverness and wisdom.  Often described as cunning, that word comes from "kenning" meaning "to know and understand.  In Celtic mythology the fox takes on the role of a shape-shifter... associated with transformation and the need to take a new approach to our lives."

Medieval, 46 x 31", by Karen G. Fisher (Arizona)

Medieval was awarded first place in applique at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show, along with honorable mention at the Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Karen Fisher says, "I love medieval art, so I combined Celtic knots, dimensional pieced-work squares, and tile designs. 

This award-winning quilt is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted by Karen G. Fisher.

Emeralds and Lace by Karin Crawford (Utah)

Karin Crawford says, "Ireland is the Emerald Isle and I have loved traveling there and seeing all the green.  This Triple Irish Chain is every shade of green and white.  It makes me think of emeralds and lace."

Emeralds and Lace was quilted by Kim Peterson, whose outstanding work particularly shines in the border elements.

Celtic Dreams by Nanette Sturgill (Utah)

The large central panel of this stunning quilt is a piece of hand dyed cloth.  The central applique design is taken from a copper bowl uncovered in Italy dating from circa 200 BC; they are zoomorphic representations of birds.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Medieval), the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Emeralds and Lace, Celtic Dreams) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival (Celtic Fox).