Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 4)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows around.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectible items! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Mary - Queen of Bedford by Karin Crawford, quilted by Kim Peterson

Best of Show winner Karin explains, " I deconstructed a panel called the Tree of Life by Mary Koval. Then, I reconstructed the wreath of birds and flowers using Broderie Perse. This quilt has so many elements in it which I enjoy doing: English paper piecing, hand applique, reverse hand applique, serpentine borders, hand mitered corner, scallops, etc. "

Karin concludes, "It was a joy to make!"  We'd like to add that it was a joy to view this breathtaking quilting, with the broderie perse technique shown above. Karin has carefully fussy cut out the motifs of the large prints of flowers, birds, and butterflies from the original panel. She then appliqued each motif onto the new background, which gives an elegant and vintage look to her work.

Aladdin's Window by Donna Moyer

Donna notes, "Aladdin's Window is completely done by hand except for the pieced backing and the hanging device. I tried many shapes before deciding it really needed to be a circle, slightly reminiscent of some of the magnificent stained glass rose windows I have seen in Europe. This 'window' takes on a Mid-Eastern flavor with a nod to the paisley design which originated long ago in Persia."

For her lovely, unique work, Donna won the award for Best Solitaire Hand Quilting. She says, "I couldn't resist adding a personal touch by quilting eight lotus blossoms in gold. Lotus Blossom was my husband's pet name for me."

Purple Posies by Penny Adams

Penny states, "Each of the flowers was made by hand over the period of six months and then appliqued. The insects were drawn and then embroidered. Beads were added to the insects to help catch the light and add an element of life. "

Penny adds, "I used echo quilting to add movement to the quilt. I am pleased with the quilt because it reflects my love of nature."

Here are some more of Penny's hand-made flowers. We really admire Penny's creativity and inventiveness in creating these realistic flowers, including the very lifelike petals.

Scrappy Happy by Nancy Hillman Roberts, quilted by Monica Steelman

Award of Excellence winner, Nancy writes, "Above my desk as a high school teacher was a wacky plaque that asked, 'Have You Dazzled Your Teacher Today?' This is my purpose in submitting a quilt in this show. ...I hope that [people] say, 'I like this quilt. It draws me in, and I'm a little dazzled.'
We'd like to say that we are just not a little bit dazzled; we are extremely dazzled! We are very impressed with all the different fabrics, hours of work, patience, and concentration that Nancy put into her incredible work.  It really exemplifies her devotion to the quilting arts, and she has a fantastic creation to show for it.

Nancy continues, "This quilt kept me engaged, excited, and satistfied with the end product. It's not perfect, but I'm happy-scrappy happy because with my color addiction, variety is essential.
I worked on it when I was sitting (in the car, watching TV, visiting, waiting, etc.) It took twenty-one months to complete. My inspiration was a Kim Diehl wall hanging with 6 3-inch blocks, 24 orange peels, and 12 yo-yo's. Mine exploded into 960 3-inch blocks, 3,840 orange peels, and 1,983 yo-yo's."

Saddle Up by Celia Belcher, quilted by Stephanie McGee

Celia remarks, "Twenty years ago while traveling out of state, I found this pattern and desired to make it for my daughter and her new husband. She and I picked the material, and I was to begin. Not having much experience in advanced quilting, I kept putting it aside. Finally, in 2017, I determined I had to start and just do the best I could."

Celia concludes, "Working on it when I could, I finished it in August 2018. Finding pattern-detailing ideas online, I designed the saddle flowers. I also added the ribbon detail and the initials of their names." We congratulate Celia on her determination to finish what is a very colorful and precisely sewn quilt. The saddle flowers and the initials of Celia's daughter and son-in-law add a special, personalized touch to her work.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 3)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows around.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Spring Flower by Monette Klinkenberg

Monette did not provide any details on the description card for her quilt, but we can see that it is a lively flower that bursts forth to greet the sunlight in a new season. The scalloped border edge provides a nice contrast to the geometric points of the flower petals.

Close-up, Spring Flower

Monique's use of vibrant color is enhanced by the dark neutral background.  The solid stitching that she has done around the petals of each leaf provide outline and definition, helping them to "pop" off the background.

Chance by Karen Post

Karen explains, "Chance is very mad as he waits in the animal shelter for just the right person whom HE will choose as his new owner. Chance belongs to my dear friend, and he is a little hellion ! He is always in trouble. "

Close-up, Chance

Karen continues, "I created Chance on my domestic machine using the art form of thread painting. There are probably 60-75 different colors of threads in this art quilt." Karen has created excellent texture, dimensionality, and detail with her wonderful thread painting. Chance looks so realistic, that we're tempted to give his head a friendly pat !

Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses 2019 by Lil Anderson, quilted by Jane Giles and friends

Honorable Mention Award winner Lil remarks, "I love scrappy quilts. I had so much fun with this quilt, because each block is different. It was as much fun to pick the fabric and fussy cut the pieces as it was to put it together."
(The pattern is in the book Lucy Boston: Patchwork of the Crosses by Linda Franz.)

Close-up, Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses

Lil adds, "The original was English paper pieced. It took a little longer (3 years), but I chose to hand piece each block without the papers." Lil's intricate, precise piecing gives her work such a professional, finished touch. This is truly an heirloom quilt, to be treasured for years to come.

Mosaic Masterpiece by Kathy Porter, quilted by Kim Peterson

Show Committee Award winner Kathy writes, "I used Quiltsmart and Tensisters grid interfacing to make this quilt and fabric from my stash. The quarter inch grid design used on the board literally took me a couple of years to finish."

Close-up, Mosaic Masterpiece

Kathy concludes, "This is my Masterpiece, because I will NEVER do it again!"  We congratulate Kathy on the completion of her beautiful quilt, with its brilliant colors and incredible workmanship.

That Town and Country by Katherine Porter, quilted by Virginia Gore

Award of Excellence winner Katherine Porter  (not to be confused with the quilter above) says, " I have loved making this quilt. I saw the pattern and knew it was perfect to hang in a room I am redoing. There are 365 four-inch block in the pattern. it transforms from the city at night to the country in daylight. I have 293 blocks plus the mountains on the border."

(The pattern is That Town and Country Quilt Book ~ A Block a Day for a Year by Susan Claire Mayfield.)

Katherine adds, "The designer is from New Zealand, and I chose to keep the colloquialisms in the wording [of the signs]. I did add much of the embroidery and just in general enhanced most of the blocks with added details. I am almost sad it is finished.It was just so much fun to make."  We love house quilts, and the details of this fabulous quilt make it a real joy to look at. With every glance, we are aware of another fascinating motif or whimsical embellishment.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville Museum of Art.

Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 2)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows around.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Exuberance by Helen Butler

Winner of an Award of Excellence, this stunning heirloom quilt was a decade in the making. Helen Butler says, "Having started this quilt 10 years ago, this is the feeling I had upon its completion.  The mere size created a degree of difficulty on my home machine to quilt. Thus the feeling of exuberance entered my soul when I was able to pronounce it done!"

It is a reproduction of an antique quilt on display at the Henry Ford Museum (in Dearborn, Michigan). Helen Butler created this masterpiece using needle turn applique, trapunto, thread painting, and piping add to the dimension of this quilt.  All of the quilting designs are original.

Beauty All Around by Myrt Gehring, quilted by Carole Lifferth

Myrt Gehring says,  "I really enjoyed working with wool.  This is my second wool quilt but [it] was a challenge for me and stretched me to learn new concepts.  I loved all the colors and felt they blended well.  All Jewel tones that I love. This quilt took me over a year to complete and most of the time was very enjoyable!"  (Note: The design is by Joyce Weeks at Geoff's Mom Pattern Company.)

Teal Unstopped by Toni Sharp, quilted by Cindy Williams

Teal Unstopped was begun in a class, and each month the class focused on a different lone star design.  Toni Sharp says, "The teal fabrics tied the stars together, and Cindy Williams' custom quilting further enhanced the stars." We loved the interesting fabric choices and colors, and admired Toni's perfect piecing technique!  Here are two closeup photos.

Seminole - Southwest by Marian Murdock

This quilt is all Seminole strip pieced, using both traditional and non-traditional Seminole designs in a large scale.  Winner of Honorable Mention at the show, Marian Murdock says, "I chose colors of the desert Southwest, but my design inspiration came from the Seminole Native Americans of South Florida.  The Seminoles are known for their brightly colored intricate pieced bands used in their traditional clothing."

Marian explains, "The most challenging part of designing it was figuring out the size of the strips so the pieced bands did not cut off in an odd place. I wanted to keep the focus on the piecing, so I kept the quilting simple, mostly in-the-ditch, which I did on a home machine."

Love Groves by Jennifer Gunnell, quilted by Lisa White

There is a bevy of colorful trees in this eye-catching quilt! Love Groves is made from thousands of diamond shapes, using hundreds of batik fabrics, and each tree has a unique quilted pattern.  Jennifer Gunnel says, "I have a tradition of making wedding quilts for my daughters.  This one was made for my youngest daugther whose nickname is "Tree". Our family tree is forever growing in Groves of Love."

Each tree canopy is made from four equilateral triangle sections, made from diamond-shaped patches in a manner similar to a Bethlehem star quilt.The source of the design was not listed on the quilt description, but it reminds us of the blocks in "From Little Things, Big Things Grow" by Sarah Fielke for Lecien Fabrics (see the free PDF download here.)

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville Museum of Art.