People and Portraits: Art quilt exhibit

The People and Portraits exhibit celebrates the expressiveness of the human face in stunning quilts created by an international array of artists. The diverse designs focus on a variety of both emotional states and the ways in which people interact: contemplation, joy, community, work and play. This outstanding exhibit is appearing at AQS QuiltWeek throughout 2016.
NEWS NEWS NEWS ***We've just launched our Ebay Store, where you'll find quilt books, magazines and patterns at LOW introductory prices... check out some items on our sidebar!

Windblown, 25 x 39", by Maria Elkins

Maria Elkins says, "My goal was to merge a contemporary art quilt with traditional quilt elements. I modified traditional quilted feather motifs to suggest strong winds blowing across a stormy sky. I repeated similar motifs in her hair. In the sky is the outline of a traditional quilt block called Windblown Star."

Thank You for the Flowers, 46 x 65", by Sonia Bardella (Italy)

Sonia Bardella says:  "One day, while at the hairdresser’s, I was intrigued by an old photograph I saw in a magazine of two young people kissing, seen from above. Although the photo was taken during wartime, all you could see was the couple’s love. A few months later, I was moving into a new house and heard my dog bark. I went to the window and saw my son below in the garden kissing his girlfriend. I immediately thought of the photograph I’d seen in the magazine. I had to fix the moment in a quilt!"

Homeless Love, 34 x 24", by Mary Pal (Canada)

Mary Pal says, "The texture and line of sculpted cheesecloth first draws the viewer in and then invites them to look beyond the surface of the work to the stories of those often overlooked: the homeless, the elderly, the ordinary. From a photo by Clint Colbert."

Addressing Hair, 62 x 48.5", by Viola Burley Leak

Viola Burley Leak says, "This quilt addresses the versatile styles that black women use in hair design. It also incorporates some of the tools used to style, color, and straighten hair."

The Nine Muses, 34.5 x 28.5", by Ulva Ugerup (Sweden)

Ulva Ugerup says, "This was meant to be a traditional nine patch log cabin quilt. But then, late at night, there was a big hullaballoo at my front door, and there they were: nine very dressed up ladies who claimed to be The Nine Muses, demanding to take their place in my quilt!"

We Were All There, 43 x 130", by Lori Lupe Pelish

This is a photo of one quilt within a four-part, 43 x 130" piece. Lori Lupe Pelish says, "Dignity and respect for our history comprised of extreme goals and sacrifice is the foundation for this piece. A seamless flow of time as people unite and quietly remember." To see the full piece please visit the gallery at Lori's website, lorilupepelish.com.

Image credit: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona. The People and Portraits exhibit is based on the companion book, Art Quilt Portfolio: People and Portraits. 

Two-million-view milestone: Part 3

~ Stay tuned for our Free Pattern Day this Friday, June 21 ! ~
Quilt Inspiration recently hit a major milestone, with over 2 million page views.  We're taking the time to say THANKS to the many talented artists who inspire us all.  We initially planned a 2-part retrospective, but we couldn't resist sharing some of our favorite applique designs and some never-before-seen photos from our archive.  So, here is Part 3 of our retrospective.

Flower Basket Medallion by Renee Caswell, design by Kim McLean

We first featured Kim McLean's glorious Flower Basket Medallion in a July 2010 post, Basket Quilts Part 2. We were excited to see this design in person, in a beautiful quilt by Renee Caswell, which won 2nd place in the Applique-Large division at the Arizona Quilters Guild 2013 show. Here is the basket detail:

... and the complete quilt:

Renee's quilt was done with machine applique, using "happy Kaffe Fassett fabrics", as you can see below.

The Flower Basket Medallion pattern and fabrics, and other glorious Kim McLean designs, are available at Glorious Color.

Snake Charmer by Pamela Allen 2008 Road to California quilt show

Pamela Allen is an award-winning artist, quilter and teacher based in Ontario, Canada.  The fantastic quilt shown above, "Snake Charmer", was exhibited at the 2008 Road to California quilt show.  On her website, Pamelart, she explains: "I hate vacuuming. The machine is loud and heavy and anyway the house needs cleaning again in a weeks time! I want to conjure up a magical Hoover that does my bidding. If only I could turn a mindnumbing task into an exotic past time!"

In the closeup of the Snake Charmer face you can see the detail of the raw edge applique, hand embroidery, and exotic ephemera; her hair is adorned with colorful safety pins, and she is wearing a necklace of clothspins with bright beads.  As shown below, aluminum hair rollers decorate the side of the skirt. 

We first featured Pamela Allen's work in an April 2011 post, Humorous Quilts: Three Women at the Hilton. "Three Women at the Hilton" won Most Humorous Quilt at the Road to California, 2010.

Illuminated Alphabet by Zena Thorpe, 2008 Road to California show

Zena Thorpe is an award-winning artist whose achievements include membership in the Master Quilters Guild established by the National Quilting Association. At the 2008 Road to California show, where this quilt won 1st prize in its category (traditional large applique). In her artist's statement, Zena says: "I have long been fascinated by the ancient illuminated manuscripts which usually began with a large embellished capital letter."

We first featured "Illuminated Manuscript" in a September 2010 post called The ABCs of Quilting:  Alphabet Quilts. The patterns are detailed in Zena Thorpe's book, Beautiful Alphabet Applique, a 64-page book which contains the full-color illustrations and elaborate appliques for all 26 letters of the English alphabet.  Each letter is a work of art!

Lily Rosenberry by Sue Garman, quilted by Denise Green

Sue Garman is a preeminent U.S. (Texas) designer of applique quilts with traditional motifs. The name of this quilt, "Lily Rosenberry", is no secret: the quilt is full of lilies, roses, and over 1000 berries! This beautiful quilt is based on a traditional block, but it is set with an unusal swag border.  We first featured this quilt in a November 2010 post called Inspired by Red and Green. For more information see Sue Garman's blog; the pattern is available at Quakertown Quilts.

Friends of Baltimore by Susan Garman and colleagues

"Friends of Baltimore" by Sue Garman was the first place winner for Group Quilting at the 2011 Houston International Quilt Festival. Sue Garman notes, "Although inspired by many old Baltimore Album quilts, I designed this quilt to suit my own desire for a uniquely elegant quilt." We featured this beauty in a November 2011 post, Houston International Quilt Festival - Part 3.  The pattern and BOM kit are available at Quakertown Quilts.

Teacup, 42 x 42", by Maria Elkins

Maria Elkins designs highly original art quilts that range from the abstract to highly realistic portraiture.  We featured her work in a January 2011 post, Maria Elkins Art Quilts. "Teacup", shown above, was created in 2002, when her quilt guild challenged its members to create a quilt using only blue or white. Maria says that she machine pieced the curves of the cup and saucer, then used a print fabric of blue and white plates to cut out, fuse, and machine applique them.  For more information see her website, Maria Elkins Art Quilts.

Image credits:  Photos of Lily Rosenberry and Teacup are by the artists and are used with permission.  The other photos are by Quilt Inspiration and, with permission, by G. Weake.

Houston International Quilt Festival - Part 3

Calling all cowgirls (and cowboys)! Saddle up your pony and ride with us to the International Quilt Festival for Day 3 of more beautiful creations. Which ones are your favorites?  We always love to read your comments.

Please note: We strictly followed all rules for quilt photography, and we took pictures only where they were permitted.  We decided to post some of these photos in extra large size so you can see the detail.

Best of Show Award,  Harmony Within, by Sue McCarty, Roy, Utah

The $10,000 prize for Best of  Show 2011 goes to Sue McCarty, who writes, "As a gift for my husband, I created this quilt to reflect our life together. All the motifs are symbolic of the harmony two different sentient beings can find within marriage. The dragon on the upper right prefers to float about in a world of creativity, while the fisherman at the bottom left is more down to earth. The center area encompases a home together, with space for each individual."  

This magnificent pieced and appliqued work took 900 hours to complete. To add extra sparkle and shimmer, Sue used 15,000 yards of metallic gold thread and 4,200 Swarovski crystals. Truly a show-stopper, this quilt was constantly surrounded by dozens of admirers.  Unfortunately, we were able to get only this one photo, as the white glove volunteer man and the eager hordes agreed to step aside for only a few seconds. For close-ups and additional information, please see the website for the International Quilt Association. Also, you can read about Sue at the Gammill Professional Quilting Artist page.

World of Beauty Award, The Loading Dock by Mary Buvia, Greenwood, Indiana

The $7,500 World of Beauty Award goes to Mary Buvia, who used 78 different colors of Fairy Frost fabrics, reverse applique, couching, piping, embellishment, and iridescent film snowflakes to create a charming Santa's workshop filled with toys, as Santa prepares to depart from the North Pole on Christmas Eve. 

Close-up of  The Loading Dock by Mary Buvia

We loved the precise and crisp attention to detail which showcases Mary's flawless workmanship in this mostly hand-stitched work.  She has dedicated this quilt to her late husband Bob, whom she cared for during his illness, and who saw this quilt almost finished.You can read about Mary Buvia at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show 2011 Teachers Page.

Master Award for Contemporary Artistry, Windblown, by Maria Elkins, Maria Elkins Art Quilts, Beavercreek, Ohio

Winner of the $5,000 Master Award for Contemporary Artistry, Maria notes of her original design, "This quilt is inspired by a dear friend who has stood firm and remained joyful despite the various challenges she has had to face in her her young life. " Maria used machine quilting and hand painting with ink, paintsticks, fabric markers, and gel pens on top of the polyester and metallic threads. If you click on the image to expand it, you will be able to see some of the fabulous quilting patterns, which resemble swirls and gusts of wind.

A Memory of Old Friendship by Tomoko Tsunoda and 11 friends, Tokyo, Japan

Third place winner for Group Quilting, Tomoko says, "We made this quilt because one of our quilt friends is leaving the quilt class. We have been enjoying making quilts together for over 15 years. In honor of our friendship, I put in her favorite flowers and used cheerful colors. I will never forget our friendship."

Close-up of A Memory of Old Friends by Tomoko Tsunoda and 11 friends

This lovely quilt is all hand-appliqued, hand-embroidered, and hand-quilted. Tomoko and her group did an outstanding job to create the flawless echo quilting patterns around each block. 

Friends of Baltimore by Susan Garman and colleagues, Friendswood, Texas

First place winner for Group Quilting, Sue notes, "Although inspired by many old Baltimore Album quilts, I designed this quilt to suit my own desire for a uniquely elegant quilt. Four dear friends each appliqued a block when a serious family illness diverted my attention away from the quilt's completion."

Close-up of Friends of Baltimore by Susan Garman and colleagues

The needleturn applique method and foundation piecing were used to create the blocks here. The entire piece was then hand-quilted. Notice the extremely accurate tiny sawtooth red and white sashing and borders, which gives this intricate heirloom quality work an especially cheerful and lively look.  For more information see Sue Garman's blog.

The end of the Blues

We're wrapping up "The Blues" with a look at the dazzling quilts we've featured over the last two weeks. And, we've come to a few conclusions. First, we love the color Blue, in all its manifestations. Second, we are captivated by bold graphic designs with high contrasts: there is nothing bland about these quilts! Finally, just looking at these quilts makes us feel serene and hopeful... which means that color psychology is for real!

Top row, L-R: Bachelor’s Wedding Ring, by Eric Gunson, at Pieceful Expressions; Kaleidoscope, the 2010 ASIJ Auction Quilt by Julie Fukuda and colleages, as seen at My Quilt Diary; Yuletide Snowflake design, by Joanna Figueroa, at Fig Tree Quilts (the quilt shown was made by Connecting Threads). Row 2: Glowing Splendor, by Barbara Cline, at Delightful Piecing; Teacup, by Maria Elkins, at Maria Elkins Art Quilts; Embroidered Japanese Crests, by Susa Glenn, at Susa Glenn Designs. Row 3: Victorian Gingerbread, by Janice Lee Baehr, at Pacific Rim Quilt Company; Albers at Sea, by Debra Levin, at the Empire Quilters Guild; Delft Storm, by Ionne McCauley, at Ionne Quilts.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Maria Elkins Art Quilts

At Original Art Quilts by Maria Elkins, this gifted artist explains that more than half her fabric stash is blue and white. We imagine that this is true of many quilters, as there are so many different shades of blue ; and neutral white is such an important component of quilt backgrounds and foregrounds.

Teacup, 42 x 42  by Maria Elkins

We think that teacup quilt patterns are really adorable and so much fun, because they are a chance to get in touch with our "inner child" and hark back to our girlhood days of playing "tea party" with our dolls and stuffed animals clustered around us. The enchanting, highly original, "Teacup" quilt above was created by Maria Elkins in 2002, when her quilt guild challenged its members to create a quilt using only blue or white. In addition, there was one blue and white fabric which everyone had to use; and that is the fabric on the upper right and left hand corners of the quilt.

Maria explains at her website that she machine pieced the curves of the cup and saucer, then she used a print fabric of blue and white plates to cut out, fuse, and machine applique them.  They form a row of fanciful scallops around the perimeter of the plate. On fabric, she  hand painted the hepatica flowers and the water surface of the teacup, then she appliqued them to the cup and saucer, using rayon rattail cording for the centers of the flowers. She stenciled the scrollwork using Setacolor and Lumiere paints. This magnificent work was then quilted with metallic, rayon, and invisible threads.

Evening Star, 31 x 39",  by Maria Elkins

Evening Star looks exactly like a photo, but it is actually a "quilt within a quilt".  An outstanding example of Maria's portraiture quilts,  "Evening Star" was made in 2002 for a quilt show with the theme of  "Night Sky" in Dayton, Ohio. As explained in Maria's blog, it depicts Maria's oldest daughter pointing  out a constellation to her sister, while both are wrapped in a lovely Amish star quilts. Maria created the girls' hair and sweater by using Tsukineko colored inks on commerically printed fabrics. She quilted their hair with rayon and mettalic threads. To create the star quilt, she fused multiple fabrics onto a single piece of fabric, which is the sashing between the stars.  She also quilted the sky with black metallic thread.  As a dazzling finishing touch, Maria attached small rhinestones to create the sparkling stars of the sky. 

In addition to creating her unique, innovative, quilts, Maria also gives lectures and presentations. She is also the author and producer of a wonderful DVD,  Making Faces, available at the Interweave Store (also, check out the Interweave coupon page).  In this workshop, Maria, teaches how to edit and embellish  your photos with computer software to create fashion portraits with fused applique. She then explains how to use a photo to draw faces on fabric with colored pencils, pens, fabric paints, or inks.

Image credits:  The quilt images are the copyright of Maria Elkins and are shown with the generous permission of the artist.