More May Flowers !

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, 

"one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”*

Flowers have a language all their own.  They evoke memories and emotions, and may symbolize hope and love. In quilting, flowers provide the ultimate challenge in color and design.  Here are some exemplary quilts that inspire us.

Receiving Grace, 65 x 37", by Elizabeth McDowell Heagy (Ontario, Canada)

Elizabeth Heagy says, "The Echinacea stands strong, radiant in the love of its Creator.  This study depicts a moment of spiritual enlightenment."
Receiving Grace won First Place, Art – Naturescapes, Pictorial at the 2017 National Canadian Quilters' Association show. It was created with machine piecing, hand and machine applique, hand and machine embellishment, and painted with Jacquard Textile colors.  

The background was appliqued, pieced, and quilted simultaneously, using tulle as a third layer. The tulle protrudes from the top and bottom edges of the quilt and creates a natural setting for the flower. The flower petals stand out from the surface of the quilt.

Honeysuckle by Elizabeth Habich (Massachusetts)

Elizabeth Habich was inspired by the exuberance and vivid colors of honeysuckle growing against a fence in Bar Harbor, Maine.  For the background, Elizabeth used an experimental piece she had made with black Procion MX dyes. The honeysuckle itself was created with hand-dyed fabrics by Elizabeth Habich and others, as well as commercial solid colors. She says, "Melinda Bula's fusible applique technique made it possible."

Tulipa by Karen Ponischil (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Tulipa was inspired by beautiful tulips given to Karen Ponischil by her niece as a birthday surprise.  Karen's fabric painting, thread painting and free motion quilting perfectly conveys the smooth texture of the tulip petals; see the closeup photo below.

Karen Ponischil creates quilts using whole cloth painting or raw edge appliqué. She then uses thread painting to bring the quilt to life. For more inspiration see Karen's online gallery.

The Implication of Red by Hsin-Chen Lin (Tainan City, Taiwan)

This quilt's title, The Implication of Red, is explained by Hsin-Chen Lin as follows: "Although red represents joy and happiness, it is also a symbol of stirring emotions.  For women in the Chinese-speaking world, the color red is like an invisible frame.  Our traditional values teach us to tolerate a variety of unhappiness for the sake of keeping happy lives for the majority.  Such uncertainty stops us from pursuing dreams."

Hsin-Chen Lin is President of the Taiwan Art Quilt Society. She created this piece entirely by hand; it was hand-pieced, appliqued, quilted, embroidered, and embellished.  The incredible detail of the quilting, embroidery and embellishment can be seen in the closeup photo below.

In Full Glory by Akiko Kawata (Osaka-City, Japan)

Akiko Kawata showcased brilliant hollyhock flowers against a strip pieced background.  She says, "I wished to express the beautiful hollyhock flowers in their full glory, stretching to the bright blue summer sky." In Full Glory was machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted; and hand embroidered.  The flowers and leaves were bordered with solid fabric to add emphasis. The magenta and green hues create a beautiful complimentary color scheme.

Summer in the South, 41.5 x 38.5", by Ellen Lindner (Melbourne, Florida)

Heavy with blossoms, the arching branches of Crepe Myrtle trees grace the Southern U.S. all throughout the summer. Their colors and shapes delight all who see them. Ellen Lindner created Summer in the South with fusible raw edge collage and machine stitching.

For more information on this and other works of art see Ellen's website, Adventure Quilter.

Pop Up Posies, 57 x 57", by Erin Russek (Colorado)

Erin Russek says, "I am continually inspired by folk art and the natural world.  I wanted to create a quilt of flower blocks set on point with scallops for leaves... I enjoy working with brightly colored prints and creating cheerful quilts." Pop Up Posies features 5 different applique blocks, a large scallop applique border and beautiful flowers throughout.

The flower blocks are Erin's own design and are hand appliqued (a complete pattern is available).  She also created a scalloped border with plenty of white space for Karen McTavish's beautiful quilting (see the closeup photo below).

Credits:   *Quote from The Complete Fairy Tales by by Hans Christian Andersen.
Photos were taken at the 2018 Road to California show (Pop Up Posies) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Quilt Arizona ! Part 4

Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Guild in Mesa, Arizona.  Here's Part 4 of the highlights of the show, plus some of our personal favorites.

Please note: We're continually posting free patterns on Twitter !  Check us out @QuiltInspire.
 
Desert Sisters by Skye McDonald

Skye explains, " [I sewed] strips [in desert colors] joined by curved piecing. There is a small inset piece at the bottom."  We loved the gorgeous colors and lines done in gentle waves, which are so evocative of the rolling desert foothills.
Design inspiration:  Intuitive Color and Design by Jean Wells Keenan.

Closeup, Desert Sisters by Skye McDonald

Skye finished the edges of her quilt with a facing, then she appliqued it to another solid quilt, so that the piece has more depth. She quilted this beautiful work herself, using a stationary machine.

Windy Point by Krista Zeghers

Krista says, "Gnarled cedar tress atop Mt. Lemmon, in Tucson, Arizona, were the inspiration for this original design wall quilt." These clear, softly hued fabrics work together perfectly to  give this quilt such a refreshing, elegant look! .

Closeup, Windy Point by Krista Zeghers

Krista continues, "I used all of my own hand-painted cotton, raw edge appliqued on black fabric, to suggest pen and ink with a watercolor wash." To us, this quilt suggests a lovely stained glass window, with sunlight shining behind it. Krista quilted this herself, using a track mounted machine.

Mama Loves You Baby by Monika Hancock , quilted by Debbie Stanton

Third Place winner in the category of Pictorial Quilts, this fun, sophisticated work shows a long-necked mother giraffe, bending down to touch her baby giraffe. Monika writes, "[I] found this pattern at the Road to California Quilt Show, and it seemed to be very challenging. It was!"

Closeup, Mama Loves You Baby by Monika Hancock

We really admired this fabulous, precise workmanship of both the foreground and background, which was quilted by Debbie Stanton.  Monika adds, "The quilting gave it the background it needed. [Some of the] background looks like leaves, which is very intense quilting without being overbearing." Monika's design inspiration was Love From Above at Treglown Designs. The pattern, by Keri Duke, is based on original artwork by Charley Harper.

Dale's Sunflower by Charyl Garman

Honorable Mention winner in the Pictorial Quilts category, Charyl notes, "I fused multiple layers of fabric over one another and quilted with accenting color to represent a picture of a sunflower taken by my husband." The split-complementary color scheme of orange, yellow, and green, combined with a dark purple center gives a dazzling, eye-catching look to this work. Charyl was inspired by a Fabulous Flowers workshop taught by Melinda Bula.

Closeup, Dale's Sunflower by Charyl Garman

Charyl's thread-painting technique looks terrific here! Charyl quilted this work herself, using a stationary machine.

Tabitha Trip to Bear Lake by Kimberly Murray

Kimberly won First Place for Best Theme Quilt of 2016. This year's theme was "Traditions", and Kimberly made this quilt to depict her family's tradition of going on vacation to a scenic lake each year. Kimberly states, "Tabitha is the 16 foot turquoise blue teardrop-shaped travel trailer that my husband and I take camping. She is shown [on this quilt] near the pond." ( Please see bottom closeup photo below).
Kimberly was inspired by the pattern,  I Met a Moose at Bear Lake by Jackie Robinson.

Closeup, Tabitha Trip to Bear Lake by Kimberly Murray

Kimberly did a fabulous job of hand-quilting this work herself.  Among everything else, we love the little pine tree outlines that are carefully hand-quilted in dark green.

Closeup, Tabitha Trip to Bear Lake by Kimberly Murray

And here is "Tabitha" herself, the little blue camper-trailer on the middle right, the home-away-from-home that provides so many happy vacations for Kimberly and her husband !

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Highlights of the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona / 1

The 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona was one of the best shows ever!  With hundreds of beautiful quilts and some very special exhibits, there was plenty of eye candy to fill our memory sticks.  Over the next few weeks we'll be sharing photos of our favorite quilts from the show.
Please note: We're continually posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out @quiltinspire.

Yellow Sky, 58 x 42", by Shirley Gisi (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Since the show was in Arizona, it seems perfect to lead off with this Southwestern abstract landscape with its angular cliffs and art deco clouds.  Visually and technically stunning, Yellow Sky was awarded the blue ribbon in the Wall Quilts-Landscape category.  The description says, "The Southwest theme offers an opportunity to use vivid colors which Shirley loves." The angular cliffs reminds us very much of the style of the renowned Arizona painter, Ed Mell.

A Passion for Purple, 37 x 32", by Andrea Brokenshire (Round Rock, Texas)

A Passion for Purple was the second-place winner in the Wall Quilts - Landscape category. Andrea Brokenshire specializes in appliquéd botanical quilts, and her work is photorealistic, larger-than-life, and simply luminous.  It is nearly impossible to tell that this flower is made with pieces of fabric.  We took several close-up photos to show the way in which Andrea creates texture through quilting. 

Look to the West, 41 x 51", by Leah Gravells (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

The colors of the sunset inspired Look to the West, which  drew a crowd of admirers, all debating how the quilt was made.  It turns out that Leah blended two hundred 3/4" strips to create this original design.  She used the quilt-as-you-go technique to piece the strips, which were absolutely, perfectly, straight.

Leah says, "The prairie earth is reflecting the colors in dot batik fabrics... look closely to see all the dots." The dots make the quilt almost shimmer from a distance.

My Brunette Whig, 87 x 87", by Gail Stepanek and Jan Hutchison (New Lenox, Illinois)

My Brunette Whig, which was entered in the Large Quilts - Longarm Machine Quilted category, won BEST OF SHOW.  This quilt is made of Whig Rose blocks on a brown background, so Gail named it, 'My Brunette Whig'.  As you might expect, this quilt is perfectly executed in every way - design, applique, and quilting. Thanks to some excellent lighting at the show, Jan Hutchison's award-winning quilting really stands out on the dark background.

On her blog, Jan Hutchison explains that My Brunette Whig was quilted with several colors of Wonderfil metallic thread; dark brown, copper and red. She also used Superior So Fine and Aurifil threads.

Kiku, 53 x 67",  by Sandy Clark (Fresno, California)

Kiku was awarded Third Place in the Wall Quilts - Longarm Machine Quilted category. Sandy Clark found this technique in the book Tile Quilt Revival: Reinventing a Forgotton Form by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley.  The scalloped border echoes the rounded shapes of the applique pieces.

Sandy quilted this beauty with overlapping circles reminiscent of a double wedding ring, then filled the circles with feathers, bubbles and arcs. Even the small spaces between the applique pieces were quilted, and crystals were added for sparkle.

September, 34 x 44", by Cindy Seitz-Krug

Cindy Seitz-Krug was the featured artist at the show, and the extent of her mastery was evident in the many quilts shown in the special exhibit.  This quilt really drew our eye with its realistic depiction of an elk.  Cindy says, "Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about elk. I used Melinda Bula's fusible applique technique to create this magnificent bull. There are approximately 100 different fabrics in this quilt."

On her website, Quintessential Quilting, Cindy explains that making the quilt even more beautiful through quilting is the part she enjoys most. "I quilt all of my quilts on a Bernina 440 QE."

Come a little closer, and you can see that the thread painting on the elk was done in various shades of brown and beige that both matched and blended the underlying applique shapes with each other...

Quilted spirals in the sky remind us of the September winds that herald the coming autumn...

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.  Stay tuned for more quilts from the 2016 AQS Quilt Week!

Happy (quilted) Holidays! The Best of Christmas 2014 (part 3)

There's something about the December holidays and the art of quilting that goes together perfectly. Maybe it's the opportunity to share our creative talents and ideas with others in the spirit of the season. In that spirit, we're showing a very festive collection of quilts each week until Christmas. Here is Part 3 !

Spirit of Christmas, 61 x 54", by Cathleen Anderson (California), 2014 PIQF

Cathleen Anderson says, "I used The Whole Nine Yards in various techniques of embellishing... I put my own twist to this pattern and had great fun with the quilting." This quilt is based on a pattern by Melinda Bula in the book Candy Cane Lane: Quilts and More to Sweeten the Holidays (That Patchwork Place).

Close up, Spirit of Christmas by Cathleen Anderson

Cathleen Anderson made this fantastic quilt with hand and machine applique, paper piecing, chenille, couching, yo-yos, hand beading, fixed crystals, 3D application and machine embroidery.  We loved the MERRY CHRISTMAS greeting spelled out in fabric tags.

The Royal Firs, approx 22 x 37", made by Marilyn McGinnis,  quilted by Rose Flannigan, 2014 AZQG

Marilyn McGinnis says, "These stately firs reflect the beauty of batik fabrics.  What a great way to use my scraps and attempt beading for the first time!" The beading, which is not visible in this photo, was done along the edges of several of the miniature trees.  The quilt was inspired by the Jeweled Forest pattern by Renee Peterson.

Will It Be A White Christmas? 26 x 34", by Kellie Willey, 2014 RCQG

This quilt really puts us in the Christmas spirit! Kellie Willey won a blue ribbon in the Pieced-Medium category for her adaptation of the First Snow quilt pattern by Tina Curran.   Kellie says "I reduced the pattern to 65% and rearranged the blocks.  It was fun picking through my Christmas stash and adding decorations to the trees."

Close up, Will It Be A White Christmas by Kellie Willey

We loved seeing all the cute beads and fussy cut blocks in the tiny houses.  In the red house above you can see gingerbread men in the windows and on the rooftop. The green house has a candy cane roof with rick rack trim; a snowman, mouse and cat are peering out of the windows.

 Angels Among Us, made by Felicia Brenoe, quilted by Lisa Sipes, 2014 AZQG

Felicia Brenoe says, "I love the idea of loving and protective angels all around us. [This quilt is] hand appliqued and embroidered, and longarm quilted."  Peace, Joy, Hope, and Love are appliqued on the quilt.

close up, Angels Among Us by Felicia Brenoe

In this block an angel places a golden star atop the Christmas tree as children, holding hands, look on. Felicia Brenoe's lovely feather quilting can be seen throughout the design.  For some close up photos of the angels, see Felicia's website at Felicia's World.

Baltimore Christmas by Sue Maitre, quilted by Linda Hrcka, 2014 AZQG

This stunning quilt won First Place in the Applique-Large category, and Exemplary Machine Quilting - Track Mounted, at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  Sue Maitre says, "Being a Santa collector, I knew Baltimore Christmas had to be a part of my collection."  The Baltimore Christmas pattern is, of course, by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs.

Close up, Baltimore Christmas by Sue Maitre, 2014 AZQG

We enjoyed the outstanding applique and quilting by Sue Maitre and quilting by Linda Hrcka, respectively.  Check out the feather quilting coming out of Santa's pipe: it is done in charcoal thread to represent smoke. And what would Christmas be, without a Partridge in a Pear Tree?

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.