Modern Quilt Month 2018

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I. What makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space. All of these quilts were machine pieced... we hope you enjoy our selections!

p.s. For bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !

Versatile by Ruth White (Ithaca, New York)

This striking quilt was machine pieced with silk dupioni, commercial cotton batik, sateen jacquard, and flannel fabrics. Ruth White says, "The West African Adinkra symbol, Nkyinkyim translates to "twistings" and means initiative, dynamism, and versatility. The multiple sizes, with the reversed and inverted blocks in my design, demonstrate that versatility.  I inadvertently used another Adinkra symbol, Adinkrahene (meaning greatness or royalty), in one of my quilting motifs, the concentric circles."

Lite Brite by Maria Shell (Anchorage, Alaska)

Machine pieced and quilted, Lite Brite was inspired by the Northern Lights. Maria Shell says, "I have lived in Alaska for 21 years and the beauty of my natural surroundings still inspires me every day. When we visit in the spring, if we are lucky, the Northern Lights will come out. This quilt is inspired by the colors of those lights and how they streak across the dark night sky."

Heure Bleue IV by Marianne Bender-Chevalley (Fully, Valais, Switzerland)

Swirling shapes and lines are created with wonky cross blocks that shift from dark to light, suggesting the sun.  The name, Heure Bleue, refers to the blue hour, the moment when the sun sets, where everything turns blue. Marianne Bender-Chevalley says, "This is my favorite time. I like to feel and see this moment." Orange accents create complementary color accents within the blue blocks.

Lines of Communication #7 by Anne Hammond (Silver Spring, Maryland)

1st place winner in the Art - Abstract - Large quilt category at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival,  Anne Hammond says, "I’m fascinated by the endless possibilities of lines and shapes. I enjoy working with my hand-dyed fabrics to create new and original art work."  Adjacent dark and light lines create the appearance of shadows in quilt, which was machine pieced and quilted.

Bella Sails by Barbara Harrell (Waddell, Arizona)

This was Barbara Harrell's entry for the Moda Bella Fabric Challenge. The challenge entries were required to include 12 Bella solid color fabrics. All the fabrics had to be used together with no other fabrics added.  We love this spiky design, which received the Mesa Art Center award at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show.

Four Happiness: Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi by Fan Soong (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Fan Soong used 1.5” fabric strips, cut from four Taiwanese fabrics and four solid colors, to create Chinese characters in this quilt. She says, "It is fun and easy. The Chinese characters Fu (fortune), Lu (prosperity), Shou (longevity), Xi (happiness) are the four traditional good luck symbols." The four blocks are repeated in each row.  This colorful quilt was machine pieced and hand quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show (Bella Sails) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Going Green: France Patchwork

The largest member organization of the European Quilt Association, France Patchwork promotes quilting all over Europe.  The organization celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2014, and the challenge chosen was the color, green.  We saw this special exhibit, La Verts dans tous ses États, at the 2014 Road to California.

Anduze by Patricia Fuentes

Anduze, a region in Southern France, is well known for the Bambouseraie - a large park full of bamboo. Patricia Fuentes incorporated photos on fabric to evoke the scenery; we almost felt as if we were there.

Close up, Anduze by Patricia Fuentes

The bamboo stalks, leaves and garden flowers are delicately represented; the flowers are done in a translucent fabric.  The flowers and some of the leaves are appliqued to the quilt, while others are three-dimensional.

Espérance by Beatrice Grenaudier 

We enjoyed the soothing, grayed blue-green color scheme in this star quilt with its theme of Hope.  The star design is interesting; each right triangle appears to be pieced in a manner similar to a French braid.

Vert’iges by Nathalie Tamborini 

Three-dimensional leaves of ivy drape over this green-walled quilt, reminding us of a mossy garden.

Close up, Vert’iges by Nathalie Tamborini 

The fabrics are again interesting.  They have a blurry, photographic quality - possibly they were made with a hot wax batik process (wish we knew).

Éclat de Verts (burst of green) by Dominique Briet

This pretty yellow-green sampler is made of individual mini quilts that were stitched together to make a panel.  Each pattern is unique, but the colors tie them all together.

Green Man, artist unknown, France Patchwork

We loved the "Green Man" whose face appears amidst the leaves. We are still seeking the attribution for Green Man; the artist was not listed on the card.

Feuilles by Marianne Bender-Chevalley 

Contemporary quilt artist Marianne Bender-Chevalley is well known for her themes of nature and plants.   In Feuilles she created the appearance of depth through the use of layering, light/dark, and stencil-like forms.

Elle court, elle court la déforestation by Mireille Viel-Blener

The theme of Deforestation is represented in this asymmetrical log cabin design with areas of green surrounded by a swath of white.

Forêt by Maryvonne Rozier 

A convincing forest of triangular trees make up this Forêt.  The trees were done in a variety of interesting solids and prints and a blue-to-chartreuse color scheme.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.