Black Friday: 2021 Gift Guide for Quilters

Looking for fantastic and cost-effective gifts for yourself, friends or family?  We've compiled some low-cost quilting books and vintage jewelry at the Quilt Inspiration shop on eBay.  CLICK HERE to see some of the goodies on offer.   Books in great condition are priced from $3.00 to $9.99. Also, scroll down to check out some wonderful gifts for quilters.

For the latest free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Quilt books at Quilt Inspiration from $3 to $9.99 : CLICK HERE

Vintage Jewelry at Quilt Inspiration: from $6 to $150 : CLICK HERE

 

Quilts of Gees Bend Jigsaw Puzzle, 1000 pieces - $15.00 : CLICK HERE

Feathered Stars 500 piece puzzle  - $13.49: CLICK HERE

"Hang It Dang It" quilt hanger:  Hangs quilts with only one point of attachment. $34.00 to $77.00. CLICK HERE for 3 sizes:> 21 to 35" or 35 to 63" or 63 to 104"

Door County Quilts Series by Ann Hazelwood.  ~$15.00 each. CLICK HERE> Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Barn Quilt coasters (set of 4), made in the U.S.A.: $20.99> CLICK HERE

Acrylic ruler set and non slip rings: $26.99> CLICK HERE

2022 Art of the Quilt Wall Calendar: $15.99>CLICK HERE

Credits: Photo montages are by Quilt Inspiration; products are available at our shop on eBay. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Quilt Inspiration will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Welcome to the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 4

Welcome to the Pacific International Quilt Festival! Due to time constraints, we could not view all the quilts this year! Therefore, we are showing a small sample of the quilts in this large show. Here is Part 4 of our photos with some outstanding creations.

Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, books, and collectible items !
For the latest free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Northern Harrier 30 x 30, by Carol Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Washington

Carol says, "In the Spring of 2020, a northern harrier (the large bird depicted here) lit just outside our kitchen window. We managed to open the window and snap several photos before it flew away." This quilt impressed us with its very realistic colors of nature and the minute, lifelike details of the harrier in surrounding nature.

Carol continues about her original design,  "To create the design for this quilt, I combined a tree photo and two photos of the harrier, then added digital painting to integrate the photos and simplify the background. The composition was printed on cotton fabric and heavily quilted to the level of thread painting."

Kimi in a Dangerous World by Elsa Meyer,  California, quilted by Marian Drain

Elsa's stunning art quilt is made very effective by the use of the lime green background which looks as if it is lighted from behind, so the praying mantis appears to be hidden among the foliage. Embedded on the insect's body are some very pretty butterfly motifs. Outlining the foreground shape in black gives extra high contrast to Elsa's original design. 

This imagery, inspired by political events, was designed to symbolize the power of the minority (represented by the dragonfly) against the powerful (represented by the praying mantis.)

Folk Art Fun in Baltimore, 68 x 68, by Tami Graeber, Arizona

 This year's theme at the Pacific International Quilt Festival was "The New Normal", and Tami addressed this theme by writing, "The New Norm for me is creating a traditional looking quilt with an innovative style."  Tami has utilized the early American "Baltimore Album" pattern and re-created it to make an original design with a great deal of southwestern personality and flair. We really love the border of whimsical, very artistic and varied flowers. 

First Place Award winner for Best Use of Color in a Traditional Quilt, Tami's lovely work is machine pieced and longarm quilted. With artful use of fabric paint, she has added bright, vibrant touches, which really brings the birds, butterflies, and fruit of the trees to life. 

Sicilian Summer, 81 x 81,by Claudia C. Myers,  Minnesota

Winner of the Third Place Award for Best Traditional Quilt, Claudia notes, "The making and machine quilting of Sicilian Summer took all of the time we were quarantined from the Covid-19 virus, and them some. I am fortunate that I have a large stash of fabric and thread so I didn't have to make a trip to the quilt shop to pick up the supplies."

Claudia adds, "I designed this quilt on Electric Quilt (EQ) 7 and made it trying out a new way of applique construction, rather than curved piecing." Claudia longarm machine quilted her spectacular original design, which she also machine pieced, machine appliqued, and hand painted.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Welcome to the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 3

Welcome to the Pacific International Quilt Festival! Due to time constraints, we could not view all the quilts this year! Therefore, we are showing a small sample of the quilts in this large show. Here is Part 3 of our photos with some wonderful contemporary creations.

Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, books, and collectible items !
For the latest free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Blame The Catnip, 42.5 x 53, by Katherine M. Dossman, Texas

Winner of a Judges Choice award in the Modern Quilts category, Katherine explains, "I am inspired by [painter] Piet Mondrian's use of bright primary colors and design."  Katherine has designed her quilt like an abstract painting, with different parts of the cat represented by squares, rectangles, and other geometric shapes. On the right, you can see the head, ears, body, and legs of the cat; while in the upper left is a large and distinctive paw print.

 Katherine adds, "I wanted to make a bright and cheery quilt of my cat and how silly she is after having a bit of catnip." Katherine's hand quilting on this work is fabulous, as is her hand-appliqued original design.

Eyes, 59 x 57, by Karen Foster and colleagues, California. Machine quilted by Sharyl Sheppard

Another Judges' Choice award winner, Karen notes, "[This is a] collaboration with my bee mates to create  improvisational blocks in a style of their choosing. Finished just in time for 2020, it's the perfect sight to gaze upon."  We find it fascinating that each member of this quilting bee designed an entirely different abstract eye, yet each block fits in perfectly with the theme of the quilt.

Karen adds, "They brought my vision to life, and I look forward to staring at it for years to come." Karen and the "Bee Sewcial" group's work is an original design which is machine pieced and machine quilted by Sharyl Sheppard.

Angel Fish Collage by Joy Troyer, California

Joy writes, "Lots of small pictures [are]  from fabric fussy-cut and fused to make the main fish. Other fabrics are cut to create the environment. Couched yarn [is used for the] outline."

So many fun applique motifs appear in Joy's work, that it's almost like looking at an "I Spy" quilt! Butterflies, cats, flowers, sunbeams, cabbage roses, and lively fish all add to the whimsical, energetic effects shown in this amazing work.

Loving Klimt, 50 x 61, by Kimberly Lacy, Colorado

Kimberly writes, "Circles, squares, and spirals were common design elements used by [19th and 20th century Austrian painter] Gustav Klimt. This quilt is a playful collection of these design elements painted on a pieced background of dupioni silk."

Kimberly's vibrant, spectacular original design is machine pieced and machine quilted. Dupioni silk is the perfect medium for this creation, as it is so color-saturated that each small detail is very distinct and noticeable. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Welcome to the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 2

Welcome to the Pacific International Quilt Festival! Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we could not view all the quilts this year! Therefore, we are showing a small sample of the quilts in this large show. Here is Part 2 of our photos.

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, books, and collectible items !
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Free Wheeling, 66 x 66", by Claudia Clark Myers

Here is an outstanding quilt by Claudia Clark Myers. We love optical illusion quilts, and this one is expertly done, from its design and construction to its glorious use of color. Winner of a red ribbon in second place in the Innovative Quilts Category, Free Wheeling is a three-dimensional "fool the eye" depiction of static, moving and broken wheels. It is Claudia's original design, made using a combination of paper piecing and applique construction.

Claudia explains that Free Wheeling was made for, and accepted into the National Quilt Museum's traveling exhibit, New Quilts from an Old Favorite.  But then, that exhibit was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.  This masterpiece is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.  You can see more of Claudia's work at her website, Claudia Clark Myers quilts.

To The Moon and Back by Sharlene Van Rooy, quilted by Holly Casey Quilts

This fun quilt was featured in the special New Quilts of Northern California exhibit at PIQF, and it really made us smile! It was a challenge quilt sponsored by Pinnacle Quilters of San Benito County (California). Sharlene says, "The quilt represents our love of camping and includes many memories from our travels.  The camper in the middle is placed within a compass that points north, south, east and west.

Each quadrant has highlights of Sharlene's travel and camping experiences. The couple is depicted above, all decked out with their binoculars, canteen, and hiking stick. Sharlene says, "The quilt represents our love of camping and includes many memories from our travels.  Now that we are retired, the compass indicates that we will be heading East."

Spring Harmony, 52 x 58", by Kathy McNeil

Spring Harmony was awareded a Blue Ribbon for First Place in the Innovative category at PIQF.  The quilt is a tribute to Japanese gardens, which are a feast for our eyes in the spring.  Kathy says, "Enter through the Torii gate, sit by the stream, waltz across the bridge and find a place to fall in love again."

Kathy McNeil is renowned for her landscape and portrait quilts with their exquisite, realistic detail. The red bridge and pagoda are precisely rendered in this piece.  Kathy has a way of using print fabrics to realistically depict landscape elements, such as the rocks, flowers, and trees in this landscape. You can see more of her beautiful work at her website, Kathy McNeil Art Quilts.

Blooms and Feathered Friends, 42 x 42", by Linda Bergmann, quilted by Lin Squires

A gorgeous rendering of a Sue Spargo design, Blooms and Feathered Friends is hand appliqued using Australian Wool. Each element stands out brilliantly against the dark background, creating an explosion of color. The lively birds and flowers are elegantly embroidered. 

Linda Bergmann says, "Applique is very relaxing but also very time consuming." We can only imagine the hours that went into this delightful creation with its numerous fabric and thread colors, stitch types, and French knots.  It won Honorable Mention at the very competitive PIQF show.

Ebb and Flow, 82 x 75", by Liat Rorer

This original design is by Liat Rorer, who used variations in hue and tone to depict movement, keeping your eye flowing from one section to the next. Liat says, "The recent world events have created a constant ebb and flow, moving from fear and depression to moments of love and hope... Ebb and Flow represents this by moving from dark to light and warm to cool in unexpected ways, while our eye tries to find a clear image."

The quilt was machine pieced and longarm machine quilted in meandering lines (see the closeup below.) You can find Liat Rorer's creations at Liat Quilting on Instagram.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.