La Catrina: Collage Quilt

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. 

One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of The Day of the Dead is the female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers: La Catrina.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on fabric, patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

La Catrina by Alice Catallini

This creative collage quilt was based on a pattern by Laura Heine, titled "Dee-ceased".  The bones and hat are composed of moth-ridden and stained family linens (circa 1930), including handkerchiefs, tea towels, lace dress, napkins, embroidered linen and doilies.  What a great idea!  We enjoyed the many creative details, including the caterpillar eyebrows (!)  Feminine touches include dangle earrings and a necklace.

A banner urging "Happy Gatherings" was appliqued is in the lower right corner of the quilt (see photo below). Some of the vintage linens can also be seen on the 'bones'. A few more creepy details can be seen crawling up La Catrina's arm.

 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona.)

La Calavera Catrina

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. 

One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of The Day of the Dead celebrations is the female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers: La Calavera Catrina. Join us as we admire this outstanding quilt from a prior show.

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 an 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.

A Spooktacular Quilt

Halloween is coming up fast.  It's time to celebrate with a spectacular (spooktacular) quilt or two! Here is a fabulous quilt made during a sew-along during the 2020 pandemic.  Spooktacular is made with Halloween fabrics and colors, but the only thing really spooky is how much time it must have taken to sew!

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Spooktacular by Betty Wicislak, quilted by Longarm Bob at Quilters Quest (Woodridge, IL)

Betty Wicislak created this quilt as part of Bonnie K. Hunter 2020 Sew Along, titled Unity.  To quote Bonnie K Hunter: "During the early shelter-at-home days of Covid-19, we sewed together from all over the world, making one round a week to complete this quilt in UNITY." 

Betty used a wide range of fun Halloween fabrics and colors, including spiders, cobwebs, candy corn, and fabric printed with the words "SPOOKY" and  "BOO".  Stars, pinwheels, and flying geese make this quilt positively vibrate with energy. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona). 

A Thorny Situation

We love quilts made from scraps!  Here is a real beauty (a New York Beauty, in fact!)  Rhonda Borders used an incredible range of fabrics to make 30 spiky, thorny blocks. The judicious use of high contrasts produced an energetic yet cohesive design.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

A Thorny Situation by Rhonda Borders, quilted by Peg Collins

A Thorny Situation was made by Rhonda Borders and quilted by Peg Collins, Country House Quilting.  Rhonda says, "I love scrap quilts, probably because I have bags of scraps waiting to be used. I completed a Karen Stone pattern about 15 years ago so it took some time to work up to another." (Pattern source: Karen Stone 1995 - New York Beauty.)  

Check out the wide variety of prints and solids in the closeup photo, below. They include paisleys,  traditional & modern florals, and a shibori design.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  This quilt was the winner of a 2nd place ribbon in its category.

Pieced Feathers

Are you incorporating orange and other autumn colors into your current projects? Here is a contemporary quilt that highlights glorious feathers in warm hues. Even better, this quilt is made from scraps! We love the repetitive motion of the straight, staggered feathers.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Sonoran Feathers by JoAnn Hinchliffe

 JoAnn says, "I love scrap quilts, so when I saw this pattern online, I knew I had to make it.  Even the black background is scraps! It sure seems that no matter how many scrap quilts I make, my stash doesn't seem to get any smaller... but I'll keep trying!" (Note: Sonoran Feathers was based on the Arctic Feather pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.)

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona.

Our Lady of the Waters

Continuing with this week's series on Dia de los Muertos, we are featuring our photos of an ofrenda (altar) by renowned artist and mask maker, Zarco Guerrero. This amazing artwork honors an Aztec deity of water, rivers, seas, streams, storms, and baptism: Chalchilhuilique.

Zarco Guerrero has depicted Chalchil in a dramatic yet lifelike form, wearing an elaborate headdress embellished with flowers and feathers.

 Chalchilhuilique by Zarco Guerrero

Chalchiuhtlicue roughly translates to Senora de Las Aguas (Spanish), or, Our Lady of the Waters.  (Note: Wikipedia shows the spelling of the Nahuatl name as Chalchiuitlicue.)  

Zarco says, "Ancient Mexican imagery is rich in metaphor. The Nahuatl language and iconography open windows to an ancestral vision and world view. It presents a treasure trove of ideas for artists to discover, to reinterpret, and to share with our community, like a gift from a grandparent."

According to some scholars, Chalchil held a dual role in Aztec mythology as both a life-giver and life-ender.  Zarco says,  "My expression of Chalchil intends to make her human and benevolent. We should honor [Chalchil] with respect and artistic integrity just as our ancestors did, in order to ensure this most precious resource [of water] for generations to come. My goal is to bring Chalchil to life as a processional sculpture to parade in this most unique of cultural celebrations."

Zarco Guerrero has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards. He received the Japan Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Arizona Governors Arts Award, the Artistic Excellence Award from American Hispanics in Higher Education and the Esperanza Teacher of the Year Award, among many others.

Image credits: Photos were taken at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona (2017).

Day of the Dead: Ofrendas

The Day of the Dead (“Día de Muertos”) is one of the most iconic traditions of Mexican culture. It coincides with the Roman Catholic festival of All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2.  

The tradition that holds the most meaning for those celebrating is the altar, or ofrenda in Spanish. The ofrenda is made for the souls of the deceased to come back and enjoy their worldly pleasures once more. We are showing our photos from a Day of the Dead festival in Phoenix, Arizona.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Ofrendas often include skeletons and skulls, papel picado (cut paper), flowers, candles, photographs of the departed ones, and things they enjoyed during life including food.

Each element of any altar has a special symbolic meaning, explained in this sign.

Ofrendas are a wonderful way to celebrate and remember loved ones who have departed, and one of the reasons we so enjoy this festival.  Stay tuned for more inspiration from this holiday.

Image credits:  Photos were taken at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona in 2017.

Family Life

Today we're featuring a stunning 2014 fabric sculpture by artist Susan Else. The work is part of a series on mortality, with more examples on her website. Susan explains that one of her purposes in creating these sculptures is to explore the world of opposites: cloth and bones, joy and grief, the temporal moment of family happiness on earth, versus eternity and the ultimate end. 

For us, this work brings to mind the upcoming Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festival that coincides with All Saints Day.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Family Life by Susan Else (California)

Family Life shows a father, mother, and child skeleton enjoying "quality time" together, as they playfully interact with each other. The piece is made of collaged and quilted cloth applied over commercial plastic skeletons. The daughter of professional artists, Susan Else became intrigued with the world of fiber arts. She says, "I treat cloth not as a flat surface, but as a wild flexible skin for three-dimensional objects." 

Sayings and comments about the family structure are placed over the bones. The head of the child contains the vintage poem, "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace".  

For more information on her work, please check out her website, Susan Else Sculpture.


Image credits:  Photos of "Family Life" were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Quilt Inspiration: Pumpkins Mini Quilt

Little projects are often better than big ones, especially when it comes to the holidays! We've been admiring this Pumpkins MINI quilt, available in kit form, just in time for Halloween. It features 16 pumpkins, made with 8 assorted fat-eighths of orange fabric. The finished size is perfect for a wall hanging!

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Pumpkins MINI quilt, 23.5" x 29", by Allison R. Harris at Cluck Cluck Sew as seen at Simple Stitches Fabric Shop

We love the gray background which fives these pumpkins a very modern look! The short pumpkins have green leaves for color contrast.  Some pumpkins are made with strips, while others are made with a single fabric. These will be fun to make!

As of this writing, a complete fabric kit can be found at the Simple Stitches Fabric shop (CLICK!)  (Please note that fabrics may vary from these photos).

Image credits: Photos are from Cluck Cluck Sew and the Simple Stitches Fabric shop.

October quilting

October is here and it's time to plan for fall and winter quilting! How about this "Third Weekend in October" quilt kit made in Free Spirit Fabrics? The luscious hues include butter, rust, burgundy, gold, blush, teal, azure, and navy.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Third Weekend in October quilt kit at Batiks Etcetera, design by Ruth Powers

"Third Weekend in October" captures the essence of sun-dappled warm hues against a bright blue sky. Fabrics with lighter values are sprinkled diagonally across the quilt with some leaves overlapping the patchwork borders. This gives the quilt a very natural, realistic, outdoors look.Batiks Etcetera has released the above version as a quilt kit now ON SALE at Batiks Etcetera (as of this writing).

The original pattern is by Ruth Powers at Ruth Powers Art Quilts.  "Third Weekend In October" was released in 1997 and has consistently been a best seller. For the pattern alone, visit Ruth's pattern page; the wall hanging version is available here.