May Flowers

May is for Mother's Day... and flowers! This year, Mother's Day is celebrated on Sunday, May 13. We like to think of  Mother's Day as a tribute not only to mothers, but to the creative force of humankind. In a way, when we create a quilt, we bring to life our own artistic capabilities. Happy Mother's Day to all of us !

Unfurling by Frieda Anderson (Illinois, USA)

Unfurling won First Place in the Innovative Pieced category at the Houston International Quilt Festival. Frieda Anderson is known for her artistic quilt designs.  She says, "I am fascinated by pattern and color, and in particular, I love the imagery of trees and leaves.  I work with my own hand-dyed cotton and silk fabrics and enjoy the deep rich saturated colors I achieve dyeing my own fabric."

Unfurling was inspired by the landscape of the Midwest, where Frieda Anderson lives.  Her hand dyed cotton fabric is responsible for the beautiful colors. Silk, rayon and cotton thread were used. Frieda sells her fabric, quilt patterns, kits and other unique items at her website: Friestyle.

All Dressed Up by Pat Durbin (California)

Pat Durbin says, "[Begonias] just intrigue me with their frilly pedals and edges tinged with color.  The flowers were painted on cotton fabric (with So-Soft paint), thread painted and then heavily quilted.

Sunflowers by Charlotte R. Freeman (California)

A bouquet of frilly sunflowers come to life in this striking design, based loosely on an old note card image. The Perky Nine Patch border is machine pieced and is a Donna Lynn Thomas design.  The gold quarter-inch inner border creates a visual break separating the dark background from the pieced border.

Full Bloom by Pamela Burke (North Carolina)

This hibiscus was created with fused applique using commercial fabrics.  Pamela Burke says, "To me, the hibiscus is one of the most beautiful flowers.  I love taking pictures of them and wanted to recreate one in a quilt.  The contrast and depth of the throat of the flower is always amazing to study."

The English Garden by Tomoko Takeuchi and 8 Friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

This large wall quilt is filled with a profusion of flowers, all created with hand applique.  Tomoko Takeuchi and 8 friends created this masterpiece.  The design source is the famous Japanese quilt artist, Kathy Nakajima. Tomoko says, "We had a very hard time creating the feeling of visual perspective, although it was a great experience for all of us."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2018 Road to California show (Sunflowers) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.