It's Modern Quilt Month! (5)

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I. This is the fifth of FIVE posts. As The Modern Quilt Guild says, modern quilts often use bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and/or expansive negative space. Enjoy!

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Raspberry Jazz, made by Pamela Dunlap, quilted by Jean Shute

Equilateral triangle blocks of warm reds and oranges, offset by black and white and gray, create a modern look for a quilt that is both visually and comfortably warm. Pattern source: based on Sheila Christensen's Caravan design in her book, Quilts with an Angle. 

Looking for Mr. Wright, made by Caroline Ellermann and Mary Huff, quilted by Mary Huff.  

This original quilt design was inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Caroline Ellermann and Mary Huff say, "With our "nephew" in architectural school, we decided to make him a quilt he could relate to." The strong black lines and color blocks remind us of a stained glass window.  The quilting echoes some of Wright's themes as well (shown below).

Midnight Blues, made and quilted by Pamela Dunlap. 

Various blues paired with a black, night sky batik make for a starry quilt that seems to shimmer.  Pamela Dunlap says, "It was fun delving into my stash of fabrics to make this quilt." This quilt design looks complex but gives a beautiful result!  Pattern source: Sheila Christensen's "Hampton Ladies", Quick and Easy Triangle Block Tool book. 

Knot Today by Kathie Miller, quilted by Kim Votava.  

Kathie Miller says, "Graphic and geometric - this pattern just called my name.  Add to that a chance to use part of my batik scraps and this fun quilt became reality.  Kim [Votava] added her special quilting touches to bring everything together." [Pattern source: "Knot Today" by Angeles Jaso Tucker for It's So Emma.] We love Kathie Miller's fabric choices and Kim Votava's quilting designs!

Look Ma, No Stitches, made and quilted by Christine Nelson

 Christine Nelson says, "I enjoyed using a variety of fabrics in this quilt.   The pleated log cabin technique makes the stitching invisible on the front.  Measuring the strips carefully as you place them before stitching is important." Pattern source: Lynne Wilson's Pleated Log Cabin.  The centers of blocks have fascinating fussy cut motifs.

Big Hexies - Mostly Marcia by Janet Pugh.

Pattern source: Modern Quilts Unlimited, issue #19. Janet Pugh says, "Sarah Thomas used vertical rows of half hexies, [so] no set-in piecing is required.  I used nearly all fabrics designed by Marcia Derse.  Each piece uses a 4-sided half hexagon template.  Easy Peasy!"

 Note: For MORE hexagon designs, check out our Free Pattern Day for Hexagon Quilts (CLICK HERE):

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Perfect Pet Quilts - part 1

Have you ever made a quilt of your pet?  We love our furry friends and are always drawn to quilts that celebrate cats and dogs.  Here are some of our favorite pet quilts featuring adorable kitties, a dachshund, yellow lab, and chihuahua.  (For more pet quilts, scroll down for links to the Best of Cat Quilts and It's Raining Cats and Dogs.)

Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree, 25 x 31”, by Carol Deards (Santa Rosa, California)

Carol Deards says, " I don’t like being pigeon-holed, and art quilting allows me the freedom to rework my content and style in whatever way moves me. This quilt was designed from a photograph provided by a friend. I wanted to give a sense of filtered backlighting via Ricky Tims’ harmonic [convergence] technique and quilted weeping willow leaves."

close up, Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree by Carol Deards

Carol Deards explains that her applique technique utilizes fusible thread and tear-away stabilizer to keep the fabric flexible and pliable when the quilt is put together. Here you also can see the three-dimensional fabric that is peeking out from under the kitty.  Relaxing Under the Weeping Willow Tree was exhibited at the 2013 Pacific International Quilt Festival.  For more examples of Carol Deard's work, see her website at Quilted Pet Portraits.

Live Free by Kathleen Everett (Batavia, New York)

Kathleen Everett says, "After creating a collage on a playing card, manipulating it in Photoshop in a class by Red Dog Enterprises, my pup was printed by a large format printer onto fabric. I pieced varying sized improvisational star blocks using Marcia Derse fabrics, quilted my adorable lab and stitched him to his background. He would be at home anywhere!"

close up,  Live Free by Kathleen Everett

Live Free was exhibited at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  We love the soulful look in this lab's eyes! The improvisational pieced stars add to the quirky charm of this quilt.  

Mickey Blue Eyes by Julia C. Wood (Auburn, Alabama)

Julia C. Wood is the author of several AQS quilting books including Fabric Photo Play, Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts and MORE Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts. The image of Julia's blue-eyed dachshund, Mickey, appears when you step back from this quilt.  Julia pixelated an image of Mickey into hexagons, then used Kona cotton solids to piece the quilt. The quilt has more than 1300 hexagons, all hand stitched together. She explains the software she used at this post.

close up, Mickey Blue Eyes by Julia C. Wood

In the upper left of this close-up photo you can see the hexagons that make up Mickey's blue eye. The machine quilting was done in a hexagons that were rotated and enlarged as compared to the hexagon pieces themselves.  Mickey Blue Eyes was featured in Quick & Easy Hexie Quilts by Julia C. Woods and Peggy Rhodes. It won First Place in the 2013 AQS GO! Have Fun Challenge.

Inquisitive Fat Cats by Ann Scrivener

Ann Scrivener's quilt won an award as a First Time Entrant at the 2014 Tucson (Arizona) Quilters' Guild Show. She says, "On my first visit to TQG I won a door prize – The Cat’s Meow by Janet King [Kime?] I was hooked! For this quilt I did hand applique as well as machine applique and quilting. My inspiration was my own two cats and the mischief they get into. I immensely enjoyed making this quilt." 

(Note:  We're aware of The Cat's Meow pattern book by Janet Kime. We'd love to know if this is the correct attribution.)

close up, Inquisitive Fat Cats by Ann Scrivener

The cats themselves were made with cat-themed fabrics. Here is a kitty perched on a rock, chasing after a lizard. The sashing fabric is perfect for this quilt.  At first glance it appears to be a sashiko design done in white on dark blue, but on closer inspection the white design is a paw print!

This Arizona kitty is all decked out with a red bandanna, and sitting under a saguaro cactus!

49 Lokis, 50 x 50", by Helena Scheffer (Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada)

Helena Scheffer is a fabric artist and native Montrealer.  She says: "Loki, my Chihuahua, is almost white, which doesn’t match her colorful, larger-than-life personality, so I created the silkscreen image for this this Andy Warhol - inspired portrait. Each square is individually screen printed and hand quilted, embroidered or beaded with a different design. “49 Lokis” became the first of many silk-screened pet portraits."

close up, 49 Lokis by Helena Scheffer

This quilt has been exhibited widely across North America. We photographed it at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. For more cat and dog quilts, see the Best of Cat Quilts part 1, part 2, part 3; and It's Raining Cats and Dogs part 1, part 2, part 3.

California Fall Quilt Show: Contemporary Quilts

Take a look at these  very interesting contemporary quilts from the 2013 Diablo Valley Quilters Show. We think you'll love the innovation and creativity shown here !

Garden of Paradise, 52 x 52", by Michelle Webber

Michelle notes, "This quilt was made using a Karen Stone pattern. My mini-group, The Blockheads, paper pieced most of the blocks. "  Michelle and her colleagues have done a great job of paper piecing these luminous and exotic flower designs, using apricots, corals, peaches, and periwinkle hues.

Our Squirrel - Day and night, 17 x 14", by Barb Mahan

Barb says, "We have squirrels in our yard all year round. They eat our fruit and birdseed. This is my second night and day quilt."  We  loved the thread painting done in shades of taupe, beige, and gray which depict this cute little creature so realistically.

Here's the back of Barb's wonderful work, done against a dark background. Now you can see why she refers to this wall hanging as a "night and day" quilt. 

All Boxed In, 60 x 60", by Nancy Bourns

Nancy writes, "All these featured fabrics (except two Marcia Derse fabrics) [were] created by me, with lovely quilting done by Kamala Alahan." The quilt artist has created a beautiful split complementary palette of soft amethyst, raspberry, purple, burgundy, and lime green hues.

Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters, 53 x 57", by Linda Fribley

 The Gee's Bend Quilters of Alabama live in a remote community of about 750 people, where most residents are descendants of  African-American slaves of the 17th-19th centuries.  They have become renowned for their amazing abstract quilt designs in bright geometric colors. Working with almost no resources, often in severe poverty, they have created a most imaginative and innovative design style.

Close -up, Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters by Linda Fribley

Linda notes, "I am a printmaker as well as a quilter. The images are from my etchings of a Gee's Bend Series of prints, photographed and scanned into Photoshop, then printed by inkjet onto Printed Treasures fabric. " We enjoyed Linda's tribute to an important and distinctive aspect of  American textile arts.

Nature's Mythical Fantasy, 105 x 96", by Jerry Theobald

Jerry states, "This quilt started with white fabric, which was dyed and then printed on, from lino carved plates. The printed images were then quilting using glow-in-the-dark thread on the back side."

Close up, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We really liked these dreamy,  exotic creatures whose presence created a truly magical ambiance on this vibrantly colored quilt.

Back of quilt, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We're showing the back of Jerry's quilt so that you can see the fabulous detail of the longarm quilting  work done by Jerry himself. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.