Modern Quilt Month 2015 (part 3)

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 3 of Modern Quilt Month !

Galactic Nebula by Jean Smith, Florida

Jean writes, "Light swirling from the center of an energy source is portrayed in this quilt through colors and lines." A softly colored counter-clockwise spiral of light yellow with splashes of pale blue highlights the vibrant red and orange-red rays of this very intriguing modern quilt.

Jean's striking original design is machine quilted and made of cotton fabric, cotton backing, and various sizes of threads.

In this close-up, you can see the "nest" of threads from which the pieced rays, designed using freezer paper, emanate.

Traditions with a Celtic Twist by Anna Williams (New Zealand)

A well-known and well-respected "Kiwi" (New Zealander) quilt teacher and designer,  Anna won a blue ribbon at the Taupo Quilt Symposium in that country. Anna was born and raised in England, but moved to New Zealand after she and her husband were married. She says that she has been using digital cameras and computers to design her quilts, and recently has been doing work with Celtic patterns, a design that she really loves.  We were fascinated by this quilt, not only due to its superb workmanship, but also due to the unique offset border, which occupies only two sides of the quilt.

Close up, Traditions with a Celtic Twist by Anna Williams

The diversity of black and white fabrics that form the celtic knots provide excellent contrast to the quilted background.

Anna's fabulous original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted. In this close-up, you can see an amazing variety of wonderful quilting patterns.

Playing with Color by Sandi Snow (Lutz, Florida)

Playing with Color won the Best of Show award in the 2013 AQS GO!  quilt challenge.  Sandi Snow created the appearance of shadows with gray dotted fabric, giving the circles and strips a three-dimensional appearance.  Ombre fabric was used for the gray borders, making the border strips fade into the background of the quilt.

close up, Playing with Color by Sandi Snow

The surface was quilted with concentric overlapping circles, which were filled by quilting in a grid or with stippling.

Ovals and Circles and Squares, Oh My!, 37 x 37", by Diane Whittier (Shawnee, Kansas)

Diane designed a three-inch quilt block with curved shapes.  Then she hand pieced and quilted her design in bold, contrasting colors.  Orange blocks were placed in a trip-around-the-world arrangement.

Diane's reverse applique circle, and accurate, evenly-spaced hand quilting, can be seen in this close-up. A split complementary color scheme of watercolor blues, greens, and oranges provides the perfect background to showcase her expert needlework skills.

Carnival Winds by Cecilia Koppmann (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Cecilia explains, "The confetti, brightness, joy, and happiness that surround the February or March Carnival  celebrations in South American were the inspiration for this quilt."  Cecilia has done a great job of placing half-square triangles in a diagonal arrangement, as they appear to float on the breeze in a group of parading revelers.

Close up, Carnival Winds by Cecilia Koppmann

Black-and-white triangles were either pieced into the blocks, or folded and appliqued onto the surface with satin stitch.  Additional triangles were quilted onto the surface, along with satin-stitched lines shown in white thread.  The surface was embellished with glass tube beads.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Traditions with a Celtic Twist was from the 2015 World Quilt Show in Florida. Playing with Color, and Ovals and Circles and Squares, were from the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix.  Galactic Nebula and Carnival Winds were from the 2013 Houston IQF.