Modern Quilt Month: Orange Blast!

July is Modern Quilt Month! We admire the many talented artists making their names in the modern quilt movement! Émilie Trahan is a textile artist and quilter living in Joliette, Québec, Canada. Fascinating curves, colors and shadows distinguish her Orange Blast. 

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, follow us on X/Twitter.  

Orange Blast, 78 x 82", by Émilie Trahan (Joliette, Quebec, Canada) @mili.tra  

Winner of a 1st Place ribbon in the Piecing category at the 2025 QuiltCon show, this was the first of a series of quilts by Emilie Trahan exploring the relationship of the color red with every other color. This quilt focuses on red and orange. Remarkably, this quilt was made entirely with upcycled fabrics (mainly bed linens) along with upcycled flannel sheets for the batting. 

Emilie says, "In this particular quilt, I was envying painters for their abilities to mix colors and make new ones.  So I attempted to make my own new colors with fabrics by combining stripes of fabric together."  Orange Blast was improvisationally pieced and machine quilted without a frame on a domestic machine.  

Image credits: photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Wit/Whim at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts (1)

During a recent trip to the Midwest we traveled through rolling hills and acres of corn, arriving (at last) at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts. The landscape and 1850s-era barn is part of the charm. We were blown away by this little museum!

The museum hosts exhibits of artists ranging from traditional to contemporary techniques. The current exhibit, Wit/Whim, explores the themes of play, family, and a sense of belonging, inviting visitors to examine the intricate ways these concepts intersect and influence our lives.

Lost and Fun (2024) by Émilie Trahan (Quebec, Canada)  

This large contemporary quilt really stands out against the weathered wood of the barn.  Émilie Trahan is known for her improvisational modern quilts inspired by nature and the world around her. Made with recycled cottons, Lost and Fun is an exploration of bright colors, shapes, and movement. There are fascinating juxtapositions of line and shape everywhere you look!

Gift Baskets (2021), assembled and quilted by Susie Brandt   

Finished and submitted by Susie Brandt, a faculty member of the Fiber Art Department at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Gift Baskets features hand- and machine-stitched basket blocks by multiple artists.*  

By way of history: Susie Brandt first formed a raffle quilt group at MICA in 2015 including MICA students, staff, and faculty. When the pandemic forced the group into isolation, they resumed their weekly meetings over Zoom. Word spread and more people from around the US joined the group from all walks of life. The finished works reflect their conversations about many subjects including society and culture, art, hope and gratitude, grief and joy. 

25,000 Moments (That Made Me Me), 2022-23, by Will Grimm (Pennsylvania)

This amazing work consists of 25,000 1-inch squares that were hand-sewn together over the course of Grimm's 25th year of life.  Moreover, it is constructed entirely from hand-dyed fabrics! Grimm used natural and synthetic dyes, indigo, rust, screen printing, block printing, and digital printing to create this stunning tapestry of vibrant colors and patterns.  

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Will Grimm began sewing at a young age under the guidance of his grandmother. He earned a BFA in Fiber from the Maryland Institute of College of Art in 2019, and is currently pursuing a MFA at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration with permission at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts. *Gift Baskets is by artists Tobyanne Suyemoto, Sarah Barnes, Marla Parker, Sharone Conteh-Morgan, Susie Brandt, Dr. Denise Bailey-Jones, Audrey Naiva, Glenda Richardson, Andrea Dixon, Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, Betty Racicot, Erika Carruth, Jane Khattak, Rosalind Robinson, Ursula Populoh, Nina Bova, Julia Racicot, Dr. Lowrey Sims, Will Grimm, JoAnn Dixon, Rodette Jones, Robin King, Susan Tuberville, Valeska Populoh, Sarah Barnes.

Modern Quilt Month: Improvisation! (5)

Here's part 5 (and the finale!) of our improvisation series. In quilting, improvisation refers to a freeform, intuitive approach to design where quilters create without strictly following traditional patterns, precise measurements, or pre-planned templates; it has its own category within modern quilt shows. We hope you enjoy these outstanding quilts.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on craft jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.    

Out of the Blue by Emilie Trahan (Quebec, Canada) @mili.tra

Winner of 1st Place in the Improvisation category at the 2025 QuiltCon show. This is the second quilt of a series that explores the relationship of the color red with every other color; this quilt focuses of red and blue.  "Originally started with the intention of being a 'small' wall hanging, this piece is a testament to the very nature of improvisation and how it can grow organically, and outgrow our conceptions, hopefully opening up new paths," says Emilie Trahan.  Amazingly, this piece is entirely made of upcycled fabrics (mainly bed linens) with upcycled flannel sheets as batting. 

Field Counts 3 by Susan Lapham (Virginia) @susanjlapham 

This piece reminded us of the artwork of Henri Matisse with its solid color shapes and smooth curves.  The artist, Susan Lapham, explains the title of her "Field Counts" series: "My father counted things.  Everything. The number of birds in a flock, trees in the olive grove, cows in the field.  We counted ants in a hill, spikes on a papyrus plant, leaves we raked up... Little did we know he was teaching us to communicate, observe, understand. To feel satisfied, content, and accomplished. He gave us a sense of order and routine and somehow we knew we were loved." 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Modern Quilt Month: Improvisation! (3)

In quilting, improvisation refers to a freeform, intuitive approach to design where quilters create without strictly following traditional patterns, precise measurements, or pre-planned templates. It has its own category within modern quilt shows! We hope you enjoy these photos of improvisational quilts.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on craft jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.    

Lifelines by Emilie Trahan (Joliette, Quebec, Canada) @mili.tra 

Winner of Judge's Choice award at the 2025 QuiltCon show, Emilie Trahan says this piece was created at a point of exhaustion, as she was working as a healthcare professional during the pandemic in 2022. "Whether you see it bursting and being torn apart, or being held and pulled together, this quilt explores how sinuous the lines of our destiny can be, and how a narrow lifeline could change everything," she says.

Lifelines was created with improvisational curve piecing. Amazingly, the quilt was made entirely of upcycled fabrics (mainly sheets and pillowcases), improvisational curve piecing, and machine quilting without a frame (domestic).   

Scattered Thoughts by Deborah Boschert (Texas) @deborahboschert 

Here is a lovely art quilt collage made by Deborah Boschert with a variety of techniques: machine applique, hand embroidery, machine quilting without a frame, printmaking, and surface design. Notice the chair, stitched in red, in the open space at the right of the quilt. Deborah says: "For me, the chair symbolizes the importance of stillness. And making space.  And the idea that clarity can come from rest."

Deborah explains the quilt title, Scattered Thoughts: "Even when I have the opportunity to sit quietly and observe everything around me, sometimes my thoughts are chaotic and interrupted. Other times they are ordered and predictable. I created this textile collage during a time when I was grasping for control and predictability. And yet I made something completely random, irregular and unexptected."   

Embers by Barbara Danzi (California) @barbdanzi

 

Embers was inspired by the warmth of a campfire and the glowing embers; the red hot hues bring the embers to life. Barbara Danzi says that Embers is a study in figure/ground composition, with the ground, or negative space forming shapes so similar to the figures. Embers was improvisational pieced  and machine quilted on a frame (longarm) with matchstick quilting.  You can see more of Barbara's fine art quilts at her website.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 QuiltCon show in Phoenix, Arizona.