Modern Quilt Month: Stars

It's Modern Quilt Month here at Quilt Inspiration! We'll be posting a new modern quilt each weekday... we hope you enjoy our photos! Today's fun quilt is a star sampler with outstanding machine quilting.

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Modern Stars by Cindi Huff

Modern Stars was based on a quilt challenge by Gina Perkes Designs.  Nine different star blocks are included in this sampler quilt. The maker, Cindi Huff says: "This quilt was made specifically with the quilting in mind.  I had fun planning how to quilt each star using my rulers while following Gina Perkes-Tidwell's advice and playing on my own." 

We hope you enjoy our closeup photos of Cindi's beautiful quilting.

 

 

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

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 1

Christmas 2021 is drawing near, and we wanted to share some amazing, gorgeous holiday quilts. Thanks to the many quilters who have inspired us with their beautiful creations!  Here is Day One of our series: Twelve Days of Christmas. 

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A Summer Christmas, 100 x 100", by Mariya Waters and Gina Perkes-Tidwell (Australia)

Here is the winner of the Yuko Watanabe BEST OF SHOW award at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival! This award-winning quilt was made to celebrate Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere, where the flowers bloom brightly in the heat of summer. 

Inspired by Victoriana and Greek designs, A Summer Christmas was an international collaboration between Mariya Waters in Melbourne, Australia, and Gina Perkes-Tidwell, the quilter, in Arizona, USA. 

A Summer Christmas was hand and machine appliqued using whole unit turned edge applique.  Mariya's outstanding applique work is enhanced by Gina's award-winning long arm quilting.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Amador Valley Quilt Show (California): Day 1

We recently attended the annual quilt show of the Amador Valley Quilters in Livermore, California, with the theme "Colors of the Vineyard". This prolific guild had two big rooms full of fabulous quilts It's difficult to decide which quilts to feature, as they were all wonderful ! Let's get started with Day 1.

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Grape Harvest by Marilyn J. Smith and Lynn Drennen-Guritz, quilted by Gina Perkes

"Grape Harvest" is a stunning, very large quilt which displays the fertile farmlands of California's Central Valley, backed by the steep Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. This quilt is based on an award-winning wall mural painted by Jessie Marinas for the city of Manteca, California, which is surrounded by vineyards.

The story continues from the description card: "Lynn saw a picture of the mural and asked the painter's permission to make a quilt. She then asked Marilyn to join her on this project and asked Gina if she would quilt it. The art depicts vineyard workers taking on the grape harvest. The quilters were able to reproduce the painted images using cotton fabric, 200 thread types, and special stitches to create life-like images."

In addition, the card notes "Marilyn takes pride that she does not use paint to create faces. More than 300 hours were put into the quilt. It has been featured in Quilt Life, On Track, Quilting Arts, and I.Q.A. magazines."  We'd like to add that this breathtaking applique project won "Best of Show" at the 2009 Road to California Quilt Show and is certainly very deserving of that honor.

Traveling Mandala by Diane Chambers

Diane writes, "The eye-pleasing circular shape and precision points of this design lured me into taking a paper-piecing project class titled "Mandala".  Loosely translated from the Sanskrit, to mean "circle", a mandala represents wholeness and appears in all aspects of life - the celestial circles of earth, sun, and moon, plus conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. Symbolism aside, I enjoyed making this deceptively intricate looking wall-hanging with 2.5' strips from jelly rolls and other fabrics in my stash."

Diane continues, [This quilt] bears the title "Traveling Mandala" because of the passport fabric in the background." We love Diane's perfect selection of background fabric for this intriguing design, which Diane quilted herself.

Mountain and Water by Christine Sagan, quilted by Melodee Wade

Christine explains, "This quilt was completed during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in China, on 08-08-08. The number eight is considered very lucky and in harmony with nature. The harmony between "Mountain and Water" was one of the themes performed by artists on a giant paper scroll; and thus became the name of the quilt, as it is my interpretation of nature's harmony."

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The quilting pattern seen here reminds us of gentle ripples on the surface of a lake and is perfect for Christine's quilt. This pretty French braid pattern was inspired by the book French Braid Quilts by Jane Hardy.

Kitty and Mouse by Helen Rydbeck, quilted by Suzi Dillinger

Helen Rydbeck says, "This quilt is a happy combination of a Bunny Hill pattern, 3 Sisters fabric, 
and Suzi Dillinger's quilting. This is the second quilt I've made at the request of my granddaughter, Isabella, to make her a kitty quilt."

Helen continues, "Look closely; each kitty has a collar and a flower on its tummy."  Also, we'd like to add that next to many of the kitties, there's a "mousie" with a embroidered tail that curls around. We think that Helen's granddaughter is very fortunate to be the recipient of this fun and adorable quilt.

French Country Charmer by Jean Crisp, quilted by Dianne Schweickert

Jean Crisp notes that she took a class at the In Between In Between Stitches Quilt Shop taught by pattern designer Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks.  Jean adds "I was delighted when Lynn asked me if she could share it as an example of her Country Charmer pattern when she made an appearance on Alex Anderson's "The Quilt Show".

For the interior of her quilt,  Jean did an expert job assembling the many small pieces of fabric into lovely star blocks. For the outside, she selected an equally lovely border print, which provides a perfect match to the intricate patchwork. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Beating the Heat at the 2015 Arizona Quilt Show #2

It was 95°F for this year's Arizona Quilt show... but, as they say, it's a dry heat! Moreover, it was the perfect occasion to enjoy an air-conditioned quilt show. This is our 5th year of attendance, and we always look forward to seeing the variety and creativity displayed by members of the Arizona Quilters' Guild. Let's beat the heat with a look at this year's fantastic quilts... here is part 2 of our virtual show!

Arizona Grand by Wanda Seale 

We really enjoyed this stunning landscape quilt by Wanda Seale.  Although the scene has a photo-realistic appearance, it is not a digital quilt.  Wanda says, "Capturing the iconic splendor of our favorite landmark, I appliqued specific fabrics to showcase the depth and colors of the Canyon."

Georgetown Wedding, 74 x 75", by Ann L. Petersen

Award-winning quilter Ann Petersen has created another stunning quilt in colors that remind us of chocolate and cotton candy.  Ann's original design was based on the traditional Double Wedding Ring pattern, combined with Georgetown Circles.  At the 2015 show the quilt won First Place - Mixed Technique Large.

This is a close-up photo of the Georgetown Circles with appliqued centers. (For more information on the traditional Georgetown Circle block, see the post by Martha Dellasega Gray.) It's no surprise that Georgetown Wedding also won the award for Exemplary Machine Quilting – Stationary. At the 2014 Houston International Quilt Festival it won a blue ribbon in the Innovative Pieced category.

 Midnight Dahlia by Elaine Putnam, quilted by Gina Perkes

There was a spotlight shining on the corner of this quilt, but we tried our best with this photo.  This Midnight Dahlia (a pieced Dahlia on a black background)  won First Place, Pieced – Medium.  The quilting, by Gina Perkes, was awarded a special ribbon for  Exemplary Machine Quilting (Track Mounted).   Here is a photo of the pastel center of the Dahlia:

Midnight Dahlia was inspired by Marti Michell’s Giant Dahlia templates and Sharon Schamber’s Piece-lique method. You might be interested to know that Sharon's daughter, Cristy, has a tutorial on the Piece-lique technique at her website, Sew Much Like Mom.  We'll be posting more close-up photos on our Exemplary Quilting Board on Pinterest.

Brimill - Icelandic Horse by Georgia Thorne

Georgia Thorne won a Judge's Recognition award for her artistic depiction of an Icelandic horse.  She says, "Inspired by a Threadplayers (fiber art group) challenge to design a fiber art piece using Zentangle details, I chose an Icelandic horse with his flowing mane and tail."  The background fabric is a silver-and-white diamond print; Georgia echoed the pattern with diamond-shaped shadows.

Each section of the horse had a different Zentangle design rendered in machine embroidery and applique.

Out of Egypt by Florence A. Evans

Out of Egypt won 2nd place in the Pieced – Large quilt category. It was made of Egyptian-themed fabrics and strip-pieced panels, inspired by a class on Strips and Curves taught by Louisa Smith.   This is such a successful design; we loved the way in which Florence used the bright blue to provide a focal point.

close up, Out of Egypt by Florence A. Evans

In the close-up photo you can see some of the fun Egyptian-themed fabrics in this quilt, including silhouetted camels at sunset (upper right).

In Memoriam by Maggie Hagen, quilted by Pamela Dransfeldt

We enjoyed this intricate applique quilt, which features patterns from the 1858 Bird of Paradise quilt top in the American Folk Art Museum.  Some of the blocks and borders are Maggie's own design. The Bird of Paradise block patterns can be found in A Bountiful Life: An Adaptation of the Bird of Paradise Quilt by the late Karen Mowery.

There is a lot of detail in this quilt: the edges of some flowers and leaves were embellished with French knots.  Pamela Dransfeldt used echo quilting around the flowers, and created veins in the leaves.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.  We appreciate the assistance of Cathy Tognoni !

Road to California 2014: Part 3

We saw quilts in so many different categories of styles, colors, and quilting patterns at the Road to California Quilt Show ! Here are some more highlights of the show which we thought you'd enjoy. 

Mother Earth, A Combination of Mother Mary, Quan Yin and Mom by Julie Duschack, Denmark, Wisconsin. Category: Human Image Art Quilts

Of her original design, Julie writes, "Mother Nature is a Mom. My Mom, to be exact. Geraldine Shelhamer lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, when she's not creating more universes. She enjoys gardening, quilting, and her dog, Suki. You know, Mother Nature stuff."

Many components of Julie's quilt are symbols for revered feminine mythical or spiritual figures of the world.  For example, to symbolize Mother Nature, Julie has attired her mom in an apron and garden clogs, with plants and the earth at her feet. To symbolize Mother Mary, Julie has added a halo around her mom's head.  To symbolize Quan Yin, the Buddhist god of compassion, Julie has added a lotus blossom at the bottom of the quilt. She also depicts her mother as a juggler, because mothers are constantly multi-tasking and juggling their time, energy, and tasks.

Autumn Whirlpool by Bobbie Moon , Altadena, California. Category: Abstract Art

Bobbie says, "Using techniques learned from Carol Bryer-Fallert, this quilt is entirely appliqued. My mathematics background and the beautiful fabrics called to me to create this leafy spiral."

In our opinion, Bobbie has used a beautiful  split complementary color scheme of soft peach and coral pink shades, accented with blues, greens, and grape tones. The softly waving form create an interesting watercolor magical effect, borne out by the circular motifs coalescing into the spiral's center.

Day/Night, 48 x 46”, by Sandy Curran, Newport News, Virginia
Category: Art Naturescape

Sandy writes, "There exists in the world the phenomenon of opposing forces: good/evil;  love/hate; hot/cold; soft/hard; public/private; day and night. The flower blooms in the brilliance of day and the darkness of night. We live in a public day and hide in a private night."

Close up, Day/Night by Sandy Curran

Sandy's work is machine appliqued, hand-beaded, and quilted by the artist. In this close-up, you can see some of the pretty beads in the center of the flower and some of Sandy's very artistic quilting patterns.

Second Encounter by Shirley Gisi,  Colorado Springs, Colorado. Category: Art Abstract

Winner of $1000.00 for Best Use of Color, Shirley notes, "This is inspired by mid-century abstract paintings. I aimed for a look of transparency in layering geometric shapes. It is primarily pieced with some applique. "

Close up, Second Encounter by Shirley Gisi

This quilt is done in cloth, but Shirley makes it look like a painting with color overlays by cleverly using pieces of shaded fabric. The fabric seems to pick up the tones of the colors that would be underneath, if this work were a painting. We love the beautiful ice-cream sherbert pastel tints that Shirley has selected for her original design.

Blast from the Past by Kim Bruny, Apple Valley, California. Category:  Innovative Applique

First Place winner in the Innovative Applique category, Kim writes,  "I love how the focal fabric in this quilt reminds me of my childhood. [There are] bright colors, circular designs, and paisley prints. This quilt is machine appliqued with 34 different colors and over 3,500 crystal embellishments. My hope is the bright color pallete will remind everyone of the happy and enjoyable times they have had in their life.

Cheery oranges, sunny yellows, and lively purples give this quilt a dynamic, irrepressible personality. It's so much fun to look at, that we feel that the artist must have had a very fun time in creating it. Kim's design is based on the book, Tile Quilt Revival by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley.

Ambrosia by Gina Perkes, Payson, Arizona. Category: Special Faculty

Gina notes, "This quilt was inspired by a duvet cover in a Pottery Barn catalog. I utilized many machine techniques including applique by bobbin, piping, foundation piecing, and many more."

Close up, Ambrosia by Gina Perkes

In this close-up, you can see the fabulous machine quilting which was done by the artist. We loved the fanciful, elegant detail on the butterflies in each corner of the quilt, which reminded us of a scene from an enchanted setting in nature. Also, can you see the quilted dragonfly in the white area?  Gina's original design incorporates hand dyed fabric, which was pieced and appliqued.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.