Celebrating Good Times

Celebrating Good Times is a wonderful theme for quilts, and for a lifetime of happiness!  Here is a lovely quilt made by a German quilt group, replete with 150 candles. 

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Celebrating 150 Good Times by the Christiane Ermke Group* 

In 2022, the German Patchwork Guild asked their members to make a quilt to celebrate the 150th issue of their guild magazine.  A German quilt group, led by Christiane Ermke, came up with the idea to sew 150 candles to celebrate the good times they all had with each issue. The words "We celebrate good times" were created with couched yarn as shown below.

Different candle styles, fabrics, and dark & light backgrounds make this quilt a work of art! The finished piece was machine quilted (hand guided) by Christiane Ermke herself. 

*Image credits: Created by quilters in the Christiane Ermke Group: K. Selbmann, R. Kirchner, C. Nimmrichter, C. Essmann, C. Augustin, C. Roeseler, C. Funk, M. Dunckel, K. Gurezka, I. Preussler, I. Betsch, B. Fietz, K. Vierling, K. Schleicher, & A. Huetig-Braun, quilted by C. Ermke. Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Sew Whimsical! The Quilts of David Charity

We first were introduced to the quilts of David Charity at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.  David and Patricia Charity are husband-and-wife fiber artists working in Prescott, Arizona.  While sharing a studio, they have developed unique styles and outstanding bodies of work. Here are two of David's cartoon quilts, winners of top awards in the Theme category: Sew Whimsical.

Surf or Turf, made and quilted by David Charity 

David’s cartoon fiber art masterfully twists idioms and common phrases to create playful, thought-provoking pieces that delight the eye and mind. Winner of a blue ribbon in the Sew Whimsical (Theme) category at the show, Surf or Turf is a fun spin on whether you like meat or fish. Which will the monster fish pick?  The three fish who are terrified at the prospect of being lunch?  Or will it be the sea horse that appears oblivious to what is about to happen? (Note the sea "horse" which clearly belongs more on land than under the sea!)

David Charity always wanted to be a cartoonist, and decided to express his love of the art form through quilting. As shown with Surf and Turf and with Parrots of the Caribbean, below, his cartoon fiber art masterfully twists idioms and common phrases to create playful, thought-provoking pieces that delight the eye and mind. 

Parrots of the Caribbean, made and quilted by David Charity  

Winner of Second Place in the theme category, here is a really fun take on the beloved Disneyland ride called Pirates of the Caribbean with its memorable song: "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me." Who didn't love that ride and song? 

So many cute details can be seen here, including the smiling crab in the lower left of the piece, and the peg-leg parrot enjoying a bottle of rum. David says: "Growing up in Southern California we were able to visit the park often.  I took the ride idea and put my cartoon twist on the theme song.  What would a bunch of shipwrecked parrots do on a deserted island?" With his hook for a hand, eye patch, jaunty hat and sword, this Parrot of the Caribbean is ready to take on any and all challenges!  

 

Please visit David and Patricia Charity's website, From Edge 2 Edge, to see portfolios of their work and read about their backgrounds, awards, and upcoming events!

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show. 

The Quilts of Russell Barratt

Russell Barratt, a London textile artist, uses secondhand fabrics and repurposed used clothing to make quilted artworks that are colorful, bold and expressive. We were so excited to see several of his works at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts!

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Timeline/Tempus Fugit (2021) by Russell Barratt (London, UK)

Russell Barratt's work is often inspired by memories of domestic life. The hues of the Nescafe advertisement are echoed in this modern hand-quilted composition. Notice the pants leg with its pocket placed horizontally at the top of the piece, above. It's fascinating to contemplate the selection of fabrics and how they are combined to create this contemporary piece. 

 Oh My Giddy Aunt! (2023) by Russell Barratt

Fitting the exhibit's theme of Wit/Whimsy, the title of this quilt - "Oh My Giddy Aunt" - is a British expression used to convey surprise, shock, or exasperation. It's a playful, old-fashioned exclamation, often used humorously to avoid stronger language.

The centerpiece of the quilt is a recycled shirt with the main parts removed, leaving just the seams, collar, and placket with buttons. We love the texture that is added by hand quilting stitches.  

Selfie (2020) by Russell Barratt  

Russell Barratt says that recycling is key to his practice.  There is so much to see here! The fronts of two shirts were used here, a baseball shirt and - to the right and underneath that - a more formal buttondown shirt, complete with buttons, and a digital fabric print of bananas. Additional touches include the cartoon panel used in the right border, and the giant polka dots that overlay the piece.  Scroll down for closeup photos! 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Wit/Whimsy exhibit at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts in July, 2025.

Intersections: A Utah Surface Design Group Showcase (1)

Surface Design encompasses the coloring, patterning, and structuring of fiber and fabric. This involves processes such as dyeing, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, and papermaking. The Utah Surface Design Group is a group of artists who are dedicated to this genre. Here are some highlights of their 2024 exhibit — titled Intersections — at the Brigham City Museum.

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Crossed Squares (2023) by Roxanne Bartel. 

Crossed Squares is part of a series of quilts that explore the "intersection" of traditional quilting with abstract design. As Roxanne Bartel explains, "In this series, I am using four-patch traditional quilt blocks as a foundation paired with contemporary abstract design. My works are often color studies - here I am using the analogous colors red, orange, and yellow, with small accents of the complements (blue, purple)."

Roxanne creates her own palette of over-dyed fabrics through dying, bleaching, painting, and resist with cotton, silk, and re-purposed Japanese kimonos.

Girl in Tree (2022) by Rosanna Lynne Welter.

This evocative piece represents the intersection of time, memory, and childhood dreams. Rosanna Lynne Welter asks, "Those glorious, halcyon childhood days — was there magic in your life back then?  Special places you could go to dream your future?"   

Girl in Tree was created with whole cloth cotton, painted rayon, rayon thread, fabric inks, and beads.  The original artwork was sketched on whole cloth cotton, stitched, then painted with fabric inks.

The colorful autumn leaves were painted with fabric inks and hand cut, then attached with fusible and beading.

Becoming More Me (2021) by Judy Elsley.

The top left square of this quilt has the word "Becoming", and the bottom right square says "More Me".  Judy Elsley says, "The quilt documents my long, slow process of embracing and celebrating who I am, including my flaws and weaknesses. I see my job as a constant striving to become the best version of myself. It took me years to shift from the idea of perfection to this gentler and kinder approach as I make my way through the world."  

The quilt is composed of a harmonious selection of hand-dyed and printed fabrics.  It was machine quilted and beautifully embellished with beads, along with hand stitching with embroidery thread.

Bittersweet (2024) by Sheryl Gillilan 

Sheryl Gillilan says, "In the Buddhist tradition, the so-called "eight worldly winds" swirl around us all, buffeting our lives with an ever-changing cycle of positive and negative influences. There is no way to escape these bittersweet winds, or to know when they will intersect with our lives to foment chaos or engender bliss."  

The central portion of this quilt "represents my personal encounters with the winds, which have both gently wafted over me and unleashed ferocious storms." The chosen Scrabble words give a fascinating portrait of the personal identity, values, and conflicts that have influenced Sheryl's life and work.

Sheryl says, "As in the game of Scrabble, my life is an ongoing practice of using the letters and words that have blown my way to piece together a life that... ultimately anchors me in this world." 

Sheryl used commercial and hand-dyed fabrics, with stamped ink letter printing.  This piece was machine pieced and quilted.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum (Brigham City, Utah).
 

World Painters Challenge / 2

If you were asked to create a work of fiber art representing a work of a famous painter, or to make a design of your own choice in the style of that painter, what would you create?  This World Painters Challenge was issued to groups of quilters in Japan, France and the U.S (for details, scroll to the bottom of this post.) This outstanding exhibit is touring AQS QuiltWeek throughout 2016; here is Part 2.

Pablo Picasso

Jan Potter, Oregon  

Jan Potter selected a portrait that Pablo Picasso did of  his friend, the photographer Dora Maar, in 1937. Jan tried to feature the simplicity of style that Picasso used in creating two aspects of the face simultaneously: both facing the viewer and in profile. Jan's techniques include raw edge applique, hand and machine stitching, textile paints, stamping, and surface embellishment.  

Claude Monet

Mireille Schaal, France

In this interpretation of Monet's "Water Lilies", Mireille Schaal focused on placing bright spots of blue and green hues, with a touch of pink here and there to capture the look of blossoms on the pond. Mireille's techniques and materials include silks, laces, ribbons, tulle overlay, free motion quilting, machine applique, hand embroidery, and acrylic paint.

Alphonse Mucha

Linda M. Steller, Oregon 

Linda M. Steller writes, "I chose Dance from Mucha's The Arts series. As a longarm quilter, I love the long flowing lines of many of Mucha's works, especially the hair of many of his female subjects. I used powdered pigments mixed with fabric medium for the base painting and then shaded in with Derwent Inktense Pencils.  I love how the color blooms when those pencils are exposed to moisture."

Edgar Degas

Bethanne Nemesh, Pennsylvania

Bethanne Nemesh states, "Many of Degas' ballerinas were painted at practice, at rest, or when they were socializing before a performance. My ballerina captures this same feeling in her resting stretch. I used a two tone wholecloth approach: one to capture the ballerina and the other to place her, as if she were actually.....a painting, in a gilt frame. The fabric is silk dupioni with polyester and silk threads. "

Utagawa Hiroshige

Maki Shimada, Japan

For her subject, Maki Shimada chose the cherry blossoms featured by the artist Utagawa Hirosige. Because Maki lives close to the house where Hiroshige used to live, she feels as if she and the painter have seen the same cherry trees. Maki notes that in creating this work, she felt the superb elements of nature.

Kanou Eitoku

Kuniko Saka, Japan

Kuniko is impressed with the ability of the painter Eitoku, who lived from 1476 to 1559 and created Chinese-style figures of lions. Eitoku was an artist on retainer to two warlords, Nobunaga Oda and Hideyosi Toyotomi; and his works flourished in their service. Eitoku was given both Oda's and Toyotami's crest of family in appreciation for his work. Kuniko admires the heroism of both warlords in this turbulent time in Japan's history.

Marc Chagall

Daphne W. John, Oregon

Daphne W. John explains, "I begin a project with a specific idea or theme in mind. The final result may be quite different as the fabric has a way of shaping itself and saying to me, 'Nope - try it another way!' I find it very difficult to define 'art'. If pundits throughout the ages haven't been able to agree on a definition, why should I try? My hope is that my work will cause the viewer to think, to laugh, to feel something!"

Joan Miro

Ginny Steller, Oregon

Ginny Steller says that although some of Joan Miro's artwork is childish with a sinister twist, she wanted to represent his work in a lighter moment. She used dark lines, solid colors, and defined shapes. Ginny wishes a very happy day in the garden to the kitty cat shown here.

Paul Cezanne

Yolande Guibert, France

This work by Yolande Guibert features the French post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, who painted  Mount Sainte-Victoire, in the Provence region of southern France.

Raoul Dufy

Chantal Gruais, France

Chantal Gruais wanted to highlight the tastes and themes of the French painter Raoul Dufy, who liked to depict music, horses, racetracks, and open-air scenes of nature, such as golden wheat fields.

The World Painters Challenge

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona.

Modern Quilt Month 2015 (part 2)

We've designated  both July and August as Modern Quilt Month 2015. We've enjoyed seeing the modern quilts at various shows, and summer seems like the perfect time to feature these fun quilts. Here is part 2 of Modern Quilt Month !

Blockade, 31 x 47, by Martina Hilgert-Vervoort , Germany

Martina explains about her original design,  "We face the world smiling; it's just a facade. We don't allow for much of our inside to show on the outside. That's self-protection-- at least, that's what we are convinced of. Sometimes, we set up barricades, which make it almost impossible to communicate with our environment. It's hard to.....overcome blockages."  We admire this quilt for its superb sense of texture and its lovely monochromatic shades of blue, with contrasting yellow-orange.

Close up, Blockade by Martina Hilgert-Vervoort

Martina continues, "I constructed my quilt by integrating 3/8' narrow strips of fabric. I used mono-filament thread for quilting in order to achieve the structures I envisioned." Martina's quilt is comprised of hand-dyed cotton fabric, which was pieced and quilted on her domestic sewing machine.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

Third place winner in the Pieced Modern Quilts category in the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild Show,  this work is a collaboration quilt inspired by quilt teacher Andi Perejda's class,  "Circle of Illusion."  The circle, flying geese pattern, and quilting was contributed by Evelyn. The Mariner's Compass in the center and more quilting was contributed by Chris.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

Beautiful "ice-cream sherbet" colors of tangerine, apricot, peach, and lemon provide a dynamic contrast to the dark background. This design reminds us of a beam of light traveling through the night sky to an unknown world.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

We really admire the accurate piecing and workmanship which adds to the "op art" visual effect of "Intra-Galactic Journey."

Who Won in London 2012, 46 x 48", by Caroline Wilkinson, United Kingdom

Caroline notes of her original design,  "My inspiration was triggered by the London Olympics in 2012. My idea was to celebrate this exciting event with a quilted piece which suggested a race to the viewer."

Close up, Who Won in London 2012 by Caroline Wilkinson

Caroline continues, "Swimming was my special interest, which influenced my choice of colors. The quilt is made with fabrics dyed at home and commercial cottons." Her work is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted. The base layer of strips is pieced, and the the upper layer of little strips is shifted slightly to give a zig-zag movement to this intriguing pattern.

Color Explosion by Kathy Kent (Virginia)

Color Explosion received the third place award for pieced quilts in the AccuQuilt Go Challenge at the 2013 AQS Quilt Week in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The requirement for the challenge was that all the pieces had to be cut on an AccuQuilt machine. Kathy has been sewing since she was 11 years old and reports that she has compiled a huge fabric stash. She has used a great collection of light and dark values here to give a sparkling, watercolor wash effect to this eye-catching modern quilt.

Close up, Color Explosion by Kathy Kent

Kathy enthusiastically notes, "I love all of the steps to making a quilt, ......and the best part, hand quilting." She hand quilts all her creations, and this one is beautifully done in a traditional grid pattern.

Charming Chevrons, 46 x 54",  by Christa Watson (Nevada)

Christa notes that she loves solid fabrics with lots of machine quilting. She was inspired by "bold and beautiful [Kona cotton] solid charm squares."  This was her first attempt at making a modern quilt (in 2012) and she quilted it on an older Bernina.  It was exhibited at AQS Quilt Week 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Close up, Charming Chevrons by Christa Watson

These vivid solid colors show an excellent contrast and distinction between the  edges of chevrons. A PDF pattern and instructions is for sale in her ChristaQuilts Pattern Store. We recognize this design, created from half-square triangles, as the traditional Amish "Streaks of Lightning" pattern.  The newest version of the quilt will be in a brand new colorway and layout designed by Christa.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 World Quilt Show in Florida (Blockade and Who Won in London), the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix (Charming Chevrons and Color Explosion) and the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Intra-Galactic Journey).