We're counting our blessings!

Here's a wish for a happy Thanksgiving! Studies show that expressing gratitude - an integral component of the Thanksgiving season - can lift the spirits, and it's built right into the holiday. We're practicing gratitude by giving thanks for good friends, family, and nearly 10 years of Quilt Inspiration.

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Count Your Blessings Daily by Marcia Tinder, quilted by Arla Ballesteros

Marcia Tinder won a second prize ribbon for this stunning wool applique quilt, with its embroidered saying, Count Your Blessings. She says, "My quilt is about churches of old and new. My sister Arla made the suggestion for me to do this quilt... she said you just don't see churches in quilts.  Some of the churches are from memories of my past."

The angel, and the church with its steeple, provide a lovely setting for this message of gratitude. We admire the charming embroidered features and hair on the angel! 

One of our favorite blocks, this church reminds us of the mission churches in New Mexico and Arizona. The tiny appliqued cactus bring to mind the desert Southwest.


Image credits:  Photos were taken at the 2019 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 - Day 5

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Layla, 42.5 x 44.75, by Holly Adame, California

Holly says, "Layla was created in a Rod Daniel class taken at Empty Spools Seminars in Asilomar, California. He taught us to turn a photograph into fabric art. Thread painting was used to enhance Layla. The original photo was taken by my husband, an amazing shot of a leopard sitting in a tree just behind us. She seemed to be surveying the animals on the Savannah below, contemplating which one would make a tasty lunch."

We really admire the intricate thread painting here, which elegantly portrays the shadows and nuances of Layla's face and eyes. Holly's original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Ladies of the Sea, 87 x 87, by Shirley Tchou, Ohio

Shirley writes, "I fell in love with Sue Garman's pattern for Ladies of the Sea 10 years ago, especially with the borders. That is how long it took me to complete this quilt."

Shirley adds, "After appliqueing the blocks, I postponed quilting it until I felt competent enough in my free motion quilting skills to perform a good job. I felt my quilting skills progressed significantly while quilting it. I am pleased with the results."  And, we'd like to add that we are amazed with the results, which are most stunning !  This is one of those quilts which will always be a treasured heirloom.

Bloomin Dahlias, 57 x 25, by Melanie Missin, United Kingdom

Melanie notes, "My inspiration was big, bold, fluffy, colorful Dahlias. The background was Procion dyed, and some faux trapunto was used to enhance the flower shapes. The 3D petals were made using interfacing organza and transfer dyes, 264 in total- hence the name "Bloomin" ! The cord in the center was handmade and machine stitched.

These cheerful flower petals convey such a crisp, three-dimensional effect that they almost pop right off the quilt ! The organza fabric gives the petals a pretty transparent effect, just as if the sunlight were shining through them. Melanie's original design is machine pieced, machine applique, and sewing machine quilted.

Our California, 67 x67, by Karla Dellner, California, quilted by Shireen Hattan

Blue ribbon winner for Best Visual Impact in the New Quilts of Northern California category, this very creative quilt of California landmarks really does have something for everyone. If you look around the outside of the circle, you'll find: the State Capitol building in Sacramento, the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, the Los Angeles skyline, and the "painted ladies" Victorian homes of San Francisco. Inside the circle, among other places, you can spy the Disneyland castle and the Santa Barbara Mission.

Karla's lovely work is all hand-appliqued! She comments, "I am hooked on wool applique, almost as much as I love quilts that reflect my family's and my own experiences and pasions. Wool felt applique and embroidery allow me to create highly pictorial quilts full of texture, wonderful color, and personal meaning. Thank you [to quilt designer] Wendy Williams for your inspiration!"

Quirky Collections, 46.5 x 57,  by Dianne Dowd, New Zealand

 

Diane explains, "This was a wonderful online class with the amazing Helen Godden, who designed this quilt. My first experience of fabric painting, this was an interesting challenge [and] great fun learning to trace, paint, and quilt using black homespun, Lumiere paints,  and heaps of free motion quilting. Diane's charming work is machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.

These Matyroshka dolls ( classic Russian folk art nesting dolls) here look adorable. We love the brilliant complementary colors in these blocks.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 (day 4)

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Play With Me!, 90 x 90, by Inger Blood, California 

We are sure this dog will succeed in getting its owner to play... after all, who could resist that sweet face!  This original design quilt was created by Inger Blood from a photo, using commercial batiks for the motif and background piecing. In the lower border is a dog bone with the title of the quilt, Play With Me!  The quilting was done with a domestic sewing machine.

A Border of Flowers, 56.5 x 34", by Lois Evans, New Zealand

Lois Evans says, "This quilt is my personal response to the quote: "Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilization." (Lincoln Steffens)  Like flowers, art comes in all shapes, sizes, and varieties, but hopefully all serve to make us stop, look and think... If only we would grow flowers and make art instead of creating borders."  This original design was machine appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Transported, 56 x 55.5", by Ann Horton, California

Ann Horton says, "This quilt began immediately after wildfire swept across our property, leaving us without water, electricity, or neighbors.  We saved our home but it was a terrifying experience.  I reached for some  fabric in my smoke-filled house and began stitching by hand, knowing I would eventually use my machines to finish the piece. The colors, animals and exotic feel transported me from the blackened earth and shock to a world of color and joy." Transported was machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Baker Beach, 38.5 x 53.5", by Sandra Mollon, California

Featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach was derived from a photo by John Slot.  Sandra Mollon says, "This quilt was my attempt to interpret the movement and reflections of water of this very iconic Northern California landmark and beach." The fabric was mostly hand dyed, raw edge fused and sewing machine quilted.

Crazy In Love, 40 x 40", by Diana Vandeyar, South Africa

Diana Vandeyar says, "This flamboyant quilt was inspired by Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" song and music video featuring Jay Z.  It uses a vibrant selection of African wax prints, gold lame fabric and an improved minimalist wedding-ring pattern (a technique I developed and which I thought fitting for the theme of the quilt.)  It is machine quilted with orange thread in a freeform grid, and hand stitched with electric blue Perle cotton for texture and color juxtaposition."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 (day 3)

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A.  It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Wonderland, 90 x 90, by Renae Haddadin and Karen Kay Buckley, Utah 

Blue ribbon winner for Best Traditional Quilt, Karen Kay Buckley designed and appliqued a striking center medallion using bright colors and large graphics. Set against a dark background, this very cheerful floral foreground really pops right off the quilt.

Here's a close-up of the center medallion so that you can see the intricate piecing and applique. This original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.

Karen used black setting triangles for Renae Haddadin to add colorful longarm quilting elements. Together, thread and fabric create beautiful movement and design in the combination of techniques.

Alan Turing-An Enigma by Susan Auden Wood, Australia

Susan writes, "Alan Turing's crime was to be a homosexual in the 1940's and 1950's when it was illegal in the United Kingdom. He was one of the greatest minds of our time. He worked at.....the Government Code and Cipher School in the U.K., where he made major advances in the field of cryptoanalysis and was instrumental in ending World War 2 by deciphering German enigma encrypted signals. It is believed he shortened the war by at least two years, saving millions of lives."

Susan continues, "I have used various mathematical and binary design fabrics in this quilt to signify the scientific brain behind Mr. Turing's brilliance and also incorporated a mosaic picture into my piece." Susan's thoughtful and intriguing tribute to Alan Turing is part of an exhibition titled "OURstory Quilts: Human Rights Stories in Fabric."

If Only, 31 x 30, by Diana Biknell, Oregon

Diana explains, "If Only is a tribute to all of the people, researchers, and volunteers who work so hard to keep our animals from extinction. If only it were as easy as drawing a picture to bring animals to life." In this very creative work, the artist sketches a zebra, who then assumes the three dimensional shape of a real being, as it emerges from a two dimensional page.

Diana adds, "This [original design]  quilt was sketched and painted with Tsukineko Inks and Fabriko pens, appliqued, thread painted, and quilted on a domestic machine."

African Women Quilt by Lillian Karber Thiesen

Constructed in 1986, Lillian's quilt is part of an exhibition by the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, titled "Inspired By." In this exhibit, the quilters are encouraged to state the source of their inspiration for their works, whether it is a pattern, hue, or shade of fabric, a sewing technique, or a song, poem, or anything that sparks their creative spirit.

Lillian's quilt was inspired by African fabrics that she purchased as she journeyed through a variety of countries in Africa. In this close-up block, you can see that the women's outfits are sewn from fabric that Lillian obtained in Kenya. Her applique and quilting are beautifully done, and her quilt will serve as a treasured heirloom and memoir of her travels.

Feathers and Frost, 40 x 60, by Joanne Baeth, Oregon

First runner up award winner for Best Sewing Machine Workmanship, Joanne comments, "Four overlapped layers create the top of the background: ice dyed cotton fabric, hand cut trees, ice dyed silk organza, hand drawn and cut trees, [which are] covered with thousands of beads." Joanne's gorgeous work glitters and sparkles like bright sunlight on a clear winter's day.

Here's a close-up, so that you can see the shading on one of the elegant swans. Joanne adds, "Thread painted bushes, glitter tulle, and feathers constructed one at a time finished the quilt."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 (day 2)

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A.  It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Rajah, 38 x 50, by Leigh Layton, Indiana

Leigh says, "Machine work and cats are my 'Quilty Pleasure.' I use both in my work. Rajah is a resident of a rescue center, and [this quilt] started as a photo."

Leigh continues, "[The photo] was manipulated with software and printed on fabric. Lots and lots of thread painting later, then quilted." We admire this very evenly and carefully done thread painting, because in person, it gives Rajah's face an almost irridescent, glowing look. Leigh's original design is all sewing machine quilted.

Looking Toward the Light , 30 x 26, by Nell Mays, California

Nell explains, "[I am] mostly a self-taught quilter who loves mixing bright colors and interesting fabric remnants to create what the cloth ultimately tells me to do. Occasionally, I will accept institutional theme challenges or try making a traditional quilt pattern, but I find both more stressful and sometimes less creative."

Nell's lovely original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted. She's done a wonderful job of selecting batiks that coordinate well with each other in terms of design and also provide complementary shading in hues of gold, purple, blue, and orange.

Bricks n Gears, 86 x 71, by Claudia Pfeil, Germany

Claudia notes, "In my imagination, old used gears and wheels are piled along a wall of bricks - a still life of technical relics." Her original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.

Claudia won First Place for Best Longarm Machine Workmanship in the Innovative Quilts category, and it's easy to see why she won!  Her work, including the beaded embellishments, is spectacular.

A Sunburnt Country, 121 x 81, by Terri Ahrens, Australia

Second place winner in the World Innovative Quilts category, Terri writes, "A Sunburnt Country was commissioned by my daughter, to be used as a backdrop for her final recital to complete her Masters of Flute in Antwerp, Belgium. It was inspired by a visit to Uluru, (a giant rock outcropping in central Australia) in 2004."

Terri adds, "The piece was made using Susan Carlson's fabric collage  technique. The goal was to only use fabrics from Australian indigenous designers, and only 3 fabrics used did not fit this brief. The quilt was quilted on a Handi-Quilter longarm."  Terri's three panel landscape work is stunning, and the aboriginal fabrics, with their intriguing spirals and circles, give it an extra sparkle.

Evolution,74 x 54, by Thom Atkins, California

Thom remarks, "It started with yet another Kaffe Fassett fabric I just had to have, [which was] quilt-backing material with six large rondelles across. I cut one out, then started cutting loose the rows on one side, opening them, and adding more units. Voila ! A jellyfish (sort of). The diamond shaped pieces in between the large rondelles morphed into smaller jellies."

Thom's brilliantly colored, imaginative original design is machine sewn, soft-edge appliqued, and longarm machine quilted. He's created a magical undersea world.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.