Complicated and Intriguing

The Pacific International Quilt Festival has been held in Santa Clara, California, since 1992. This year's show featured over 400 quilts and garments on exhibit. We'll be featuring some of our favorite, fabulous quilts!

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Complicated and Intriguing by Linda J. Herrera (California)

Done in soft blue and green hues, this stunning quilt was hand pieced and hand appliqued by Linda J. Herrera.  She says, "I made this quilt my husband. Like this quilt, he is complicated and intriguing.  Certainly not simple."

The large quilt is based on the "Dinner Plate Dahlia" design by Judy Niemeyer at Quiltworx. It was long arm machine quilted by Holly Casey.  We can't imagine how many hours went into producing this beauty.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

 

Celebrating the 'Day of the Dead'

 Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated each year on November 1st and 2nd. The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones. Join us as we admire this outstanding quilt.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

La Catrina by Cindy Stohn (Arizona)

This incredible wall quilt won the Award of Merit from the NACQJ (National Association of Certified Quilt Judges), La Catrina was inspired by a photo by Jamie Emery of Rose Street Photography. 

It was constructed without paint or fusibles. Layers of hand cut fabric pieces creating the image and features were appliqued during free motion quilting on a hand dyed background. We took many closeup photos to capture the details.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Celebrating the 'Day of the Dead'

Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated each year on November 1st and 2nd. The tradition honors those who have passed, whose souls are thought to come back to be with their loved ones. Quilting is a wonderful way to preserve the memory of a loved one as exemplified in today's quilt.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Mi Mama Dia de los Muertos by Cheryl Osburn

Cheryl Osburn explains, "The beautiful woman with flowers in her hair is mi mama. She loved life and loved to dance the "ChaChaCha" with dad, lipstick on and dressed like a movie star.  The pin in her hair is her old earring." Her eyelashes are accentuated with sparkling tube beads.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Happy Halloween

Happy (upcoming) Halloween! Here's a tribute to the spirits and spookiness of Halloween season.

Lydia's Halloween by Brenda L. Ziegler (California), quilted by May Gaspay

Brenda notes, "In order to make my first Halloween quilt, I chose a panel, planning to cut out the silhouetted witch. I liked the full panel so much that my design grew out of it. I was inspired to offset the various Halloween images whimsically bordering the panel by a Connie Bowles quilt pattern."

Close-up, Lydia's Halloween

This longarm quilting pattern is perfect for this design, as it looks like rays of ethereal light emanating from a large moon hidden in a misty sky. Brenda's creative original design is machine pieced.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Pumpkinville

Halloween is just around the corner, and magic is in the air. This quilt features a plethora of pumpkins! Black cats, crows, and a puppy add to the charming scenes.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Pumpkinville by Charlene Nelson (Utah)

Charlene explains,  "The pattern is from Bunny Hill Designs. My goal was to take a commercial pattern and add to it. I added embroidery and broderie perse applique to make it more whimsical. The flags are to show it's a pumpkin village in the U.S.A. [This quilt is] A little American nostalgia."

Close-up, Pumpkinville

We think the pumpkin automobiles are the cutest ever! Charlene's adorable and beautifully constructed work is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and machine quilted. We saw it at PIQF, Santa Clara, California, on October 15, 2022.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

 

Ghastlie Quilt

It's a wonderful 'ghastlie' quilt! This an original design featuring the Ghastlies fabric line by Alexander Henry. Multicolored wonky stars add to the charm of this cheerful quilt.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

The Ghastlie Quilt Police by Maggie Nichols, quilted by Jessica Jones

Maggie Nichols says, "The Ghastlies have always made me laugh! These ladies remind me of the "Quilt Police" we sometimes hear about. It inspires me to 'Just Do You'! It'll reside in my quilt room, making me laugh every day." The professional quilting was done by Jessica Jones.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.

Harvesting Dreams

Here's some more pumpkin fun, featuring a charming quilt we admired at one of this year's shows. The fanciful pumpkin is made with batiks in a checkerboard design.  A little mouse snuggles close to the base, dreaming peacefully.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Harvesting Dreams by Roberta Oughterson, quilted by Jessica Jones

Roberta Oughterson says, "I just couldn't resist this little guy.  [I'm] trying to imagine how hard he worked all day, gathering his food supply."   The title of the quilt, Harvesting Dreams, is based on a poem that reads:

At the magical moment

When rest becomes sleep

We reap a fresh harvest

Of dreams we hold deep.

This quilt is beautifully machine appliqued by Roberta Oughterson and professionally machine quilted by Jessica Jones.  It is based on a published design, Harvesting Dreams by Letitia Hutching at Mount Redoubt Designs.  (It is out of print but is sometimes available on eBay or Etsy.)

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.

Harvest of Pumpkins

More pumpkin fun for the week, with a quilt we admired at one of this year's shows. Black and orange are traditional Halloween colors, but we also like the addition of gray, which gives this design a cool contemporary feel!

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Harvest of Pumpkins by Francie McMillan, quilted by Kim Votara

20 beautiful pumpkins in soft shades of orange, gray, and black adorn this quilt! the pumpkins are entirely pieced, even the leaves and stems.  The black stars, hovering above the short pumpkins, add to the Halloween feeling.  Harvest of Pumpkins was based on the Hocus Pocus quilt pattern by Margot Languedoc. This would be a really fun project to make!

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Pumpkin Farm

One of the delights of autumn is a visit to a pumpkin farm. This charming quilt features 16 different pumpkin blocks with maple leaves as sashing. The blocks surround a central panel depicting a farm, scarecrow, and hayrides.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Pumpkin Farm by Charlene Nelson and group (South Jordan, UT)

This was a pumpkin block exchange among the Gone To Pieces Quilt Group (Utah). Charlene Nelson volunteered to put the blocks together and to do the final quilting. The pumpkin blocks were arrayed around a center fabric panel by Buttermilk Basin. However, the pumpkin blocks did not initially work with the panel. it was necessary to over-dye the blocks so they would match the panel.

The funds from selling the quilt were donated to the Millie Flamm Princess Foundation, which helps families with children suffering from cancer.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Tangled Trees

Here is a delightful pieced quilt celebrating trees. What a beautiful way to showcase colorful batik fabrics. This would be a fun quilt to make and a real stash buster!

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Arboretum by Marilyn Maiwald and Nancy Whitton, quilted by Jude Martin

This quilt was made by the Nancy Whitton Group and exhibited at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.  Nancy says, "This is the third quilt we have made for Quilt for a Cause and it will be donated to the organization following the quilt show."  

The center of each rectangular block has a vertical "trunk".  Each tree has up to 5 branches set at different angles, creating an interesting interplay of lines. Nancy says that the quilt was inspired by a published design, Tangled Trees (or Twigs) by Lizard Creek Quilting.

Image credits; Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.

 

Autumn Splendor

Here is a delightful landscape quilt we admired at the 2022 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona). This piece captures the splendor of golden aspen trees at this time of year. A wood cabin is nestled among the trees in the middle left of the quilt, facing a grassy meadow.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Autumn Splendor by Janet Pugh

We enjoyed this original art quilt by Janet Pugh.  It was inspired by golden aspen trees, which draw thousands of tourists to Colorado each autumn. The dimensional leaves in the foreground were very well done. Janet says, "Capturing the colors against a woven sky with painted aspen bark, dimensional leaves and grassy meadow is my attempt to create the view in fiber." Her thread painting can be seen in the closeup photo below.

The quilt was designed, made and quilted by Janet herself. She accurately depicts the texture of the aspen bark. The batik fabrics, in hues of green and brown, reflect the colors and textures of the forest floor.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

 

Troublesome Star

Here is a beautiful lone star quilt we admired at the 2022 Tucson Quilt Fiesta. The quilt's autumn hues reflect the beauty of the season; the border fabric reminds us of leaves swirling in gusts of wind.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Troublesome Star by Christine Nelson, quilted by Lynn Simon

The border fabric was the inspiration for this wonderful quilt. The fabric choices and arrangement create a gradation that makes the star positively glow. The star was created using Quiltsmart's printed interfacing, which keeps the bias edges from stretching and helps with matching seams.  

Why was the quilt named "Troublesome Star"? Christine Nelson explains, "It took 5 years to find a background fabric I could tolerate." :-) 

In the closeup photo, below, you can see that Christine used the same border fabric in the very center of the star.  She fussy cut the diamonds to create a kaleidoscope effect.

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.
 

Cute Owls

We enjoyed seeing these cute owls at this year's Quilt Arizona show! Their autumn colors are perfect for this time of year.

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Attitudes by Teddie Brannin

Who doesn't love owls? The creator of this quilt, Teddie Brannin, is a member of the Night Owls branch of the Arizona Quilters Guild. She says: "I love these little 'branch buddies' with their individual attitudes."

Check out the quilted text below the lower branch, which reads, "Who Ruffled Her Feathers?"

The quilt, which was awarded a third place ribbon at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show, is based on the "Branch Diversity" pattern by Swan Sheridan. Professional long arm quilting was done by Jeannie Rogers. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.