Emerald and Green in 2014

March is the month of green, from the arrival of springtime in the northern hemisphere, to the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 17.  Today, we're featuring some exciting green quilts from the Houston International Quilt Festival and the American Quilters' Society show in Arizona.

Emerald City, 45 x 46,  by Norma Schlager (Danbury, Connecticut)

Norma says, "[This is] part of a series in which I explore different combinations of my hand-dyed fabrics and the use of my 'wonky' piecing to suggest buildings. I dyed 40 yards of fabric for this quilt."

Close-up, Emerald City by Norma Schlager

We really like the geometric spiral quilting pattern on the buildings in this quilt! This quilt is from her Configuration series (for more examples, see geometric art quilts.) In this quilt, Norma has tranformed the image of city buildings from being impersonal, standardized designs into warm, individualistic spaces with her gently curved lines, cheerful colors, and creatively shaped "windows".

Emerald City was purchased by Yale Maternal Fetal Center in New Haven, Connecticut for display in their waiting area.  For details, see Norma's  Exciting News.

Hiraeth by Kit Lang (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Kit notes, "I came across the Welsh word hireath online and discovered that one of its meanings is homesickness tinged with grief for the lost. I was struck by this concept and made a piece that reflected the little girl I once was......though she lives on in my heart, [she] is ...lost to me. As a child,  I spent nearly all my free time outside, especially in summer, when the seemingly endless sunny days allowed me to leave the house."  Look at all the imaginative animals who accompany Kit on her outdoors journey! This joyous quilt reminds us that it would be great to be young and carefree again.

Close up, Hiraeth by Kit Lang

Kit adds, "Little Kit lived in a pastoral world filled with all manner of friendly creatures real and imagined, and the sun shone lovingly on her face."  We love the feeling of childhood wonder and innocence that is portrayed here. Kit's work is quilted, painted, fused, stitched, and needle felted.

Crop Circle, Morgans Hill, 2 August 2009 by Joanne Shapp (North Pomfret, Vermont)

Joanne writes, "I was in England in 2009 and saw this beautiful crop circle. Everything about it reminded me of a giant quilt - complete with an Orange Peel [pattern] variation center medallion, surrounded by fancy pieced blocks and finished off with scalloped edges and picots ! It also had a stunning woven inner frame which added even more interest to the 'quilting' patterns of how the crop was laid down."

Close up,Crop Circle, Morgans Hill, 2 August 2009 by Joanne Shapp

Joanne adds, "This is one in a series of quilts I have made based on actual crop circles. It is always a wonderful challenge and great joy to translate the formations into quilts." We love the precision and detail of this intricately constructed creation. Joanne's work is machine pieced, hand-appliqued, and machine quilted.

Labyrinth, 13 x 13", by Sarah Ann Smith, Hope, Maine

Labyrinth is a miniature green quilt which was donated for silent auction in Houston. Sarah Ann writes, "This quilt was for our local Coastal Quilters challenge, with the them of  'Exit'.  I figured that an entrance and exit are the same, so I made this labyrinth ( a maze) and did bobbin work using Razzle Dazzle thread on the edge of the stone. The green fabric is one of my hand dyes....."

If you look closely, you can see the old Syrian proverb that Sarah Ann embroidered in cursive writing around the outside of the labyrinth, which reads, "Be humble for you are made of earth... Be noble for you are made of stars."  We think that this beautiful saying is perfect for the ethereal theme of Sarah Ann's intriguing work.

Mayapple (Podophyllum pelatum) by Judith Busby (Clifton, Virginia)

Judith notes, "Our forest floor was covered with mayapple plants with their big, umbrella shaped leaves. We appreciated the beauty of the plant, but never realized the importance of its medical uses. Podophyllum pelatum provides etoposide and teniposide, which are used against small-cell lug and testicular cancer as well as lymphomas and leukemia.' 

Close up, Mayapple by Judith Busby

Delicate white three-dimensional flowers give a lovely contrast to the sturdy, tropical leaves portrayed here. Judith's enchanting quilt was part of a display in Houston featuring plants used in healing arts and medicine. Her work is hand-appliqued and machine and hand stitched.

Green 2, 104 x 104",  by Eleanor McCain   (Fort Walton Beach, Florida)

Dr. Eleanor McCain is a physician, an internist whose quilts decorate the walls of the building where she practices medicine.  We like to think that her creations provide a wonderful point of conversation for patients and staff alike.  We'd love to see quilts in a medical office, as we think that quilts are so comforting and nurturing !

Eleanor's quilt was part of the Studio Art Quilt Associates exhibit at the 2014 AQS show in Phoenix.  Eleanor writes,  "Green 2 uses grid structure as a format for exploration of color and spatial relationships. The hand-dyed and commercial cotton fabrics are cut, machine pieced, and machine quilted."

Close-up, Green 2 by Eleanor McCain

Eleanor notes that some of her relatives are artists, and she was influenced by the work of her mother, a painter. These rich, color-saturated fabrics really provide a feast for the eyes! We normally think of green as a cool color, but when it is surrounded by butterscotch and lemon yellow, or maize and chocolate brown tones, green is capable of changing its personality and projecting a warm vibrant aura which can really heat up a room.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Color Play by Joen Wolfrom: Class review and giveaway !

~The Giveaway is closed... read on for our class review ! ~
We're here with a review of Joen Wolfrom's new online class,  Color Play for Quilters, and we are thrilled to be able to offer a free class to the lucky winner of this Giveaway.  As you may know, Joen Wolfrom is one of the most respected teachers on the subject of color and design.  She is a quilter, author, designer and photographer, and the owner of JWD Publishing.   We have admired Joen's work for a long time (in addition to her books, we love her Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool).  We also have been intrigued by Craftsy, which is a wildly popular new craft learning site.  We discovered that taking the class is like taking a 2-day quilting retreat, except that you can do it on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own home ! 

Northern Lights by Meredith Annett (Nova Scotia, Canada)

One of the things we like about Color Play for Quilters is that it does involve "play". There are 13 different lessons, and each lesson involves some aspect of playing with color and/or fabric. For example, Lessons 2 and 3 are devoted to creating your own color wheel and exploring the four color scales in the world of color: the pure color scale, tint scale, shade scale, and tone scale (you'll learn what these are, why they are important, and how to create them in paint and with fabric). Meredith Annett’s quilt "Northern Lights", shown above, provides an example of how shades enhance a design with their deep, dark beauty (a shade is created when black is added to a pure color).

Coriolis by Judy B. Dales (Vermont)

"Coriolis" by Judy Dales, shown above, is one of the quilts which Joen Wolfrom discusses in Lesson 4 (Value/Gradation).  Joen says that "Coriolis" is one of her favorite examples of the use of value gradation (moving the value of a color very gradually from light to darker or from dark to lighter). Joen shows how Judy has moved a wide range of values throughout her quilt, from light to dark to light across the surface of the quilt. This keeps the eye moving across the quilt, creating an exciting design !

Blue Ginkgoes by Norma Schlager (Connecticut)

In Lesson 5, Joen discusses color plans that work, and how to use them.  For example, in "Blue Ginkgoes", Norma Schlager has used a lovely complementary color scheme of aqua blue with orange-red.  In the class, Joen explains that what we learned in school may need some adjustment ! Do you remember learning that orange/blue and red/green were complementary pairs ?  Thanks to Joen's classes and books, we now know that orange is complementary to turquoise, red is complementary to aqua green, and orange-red is complementary to aqua blue.  These subtleties can make all the difference between a quilt that is simply OK and one that is truly stunning. 

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

In addition to color and value, Joen explains how to create certain illusions in your quilts, including Depth (Lesson 7). For us, one of the 'aha' moments in this class is that you can create an illusion of depth - such as you would see in a landscape - in a pieced quilt. Fabrics that are lighter and grayer ("toned") will recede, while fabrics that are darker and purer in color will advance. "Memories of Monet", above, is a deceptively simple design which Joen created by combining two historic nine-patch blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea. The marriage of these two blocks, and the careful application of color and value, creates four-pointed stars and softly-colored diagonal lattices set inside illusionary circles. Joen explains the illusion; she also has created several different sample quilt blocks so you can test the principles with your own fabric stash.

Reflections on the Pond by Joen Wolfrom

This beautiful quilt uses harmonious (analogous) colors of garden and water, moving from soft yellows to alluring violet. This is also an example of a visual illusion which Joen covers in Lesson 9: Luster. In "Reflections on the Pond", Joen uses value - a gradual shift from light to dark - to create luster. In the class, you will learn the difference between Luster and Luminosity and how to create these effects in your own quilts  !

In sum, we think that Color Play for Quilters has something for everyone.  For those who are left-brained, as we are, there is enough color theory to explain why different color schemes work, and to explain how to analyze fabrics that will produce a desired effect. For the right-brained among us, the class is filled with beautiful photographs of flowers and landscapes, as well as quilts, which Joen uses to illustrate the take-home points; another section of the class covers Visual Coloring, which is an intuitive approach to color in design.  In terms of the Craftsy platform, we loved the interactive nature of the class. For people who would rather learn "hands on" than by reading a book, Craftsy is the way to go. You can skip around if you want, fast forward or repeat sections, and ask questions as you go. For the serious quilter who wants to make more beautiful quilts, this class is a great value (only $39.99). We learned a lot, and we highly recommend this class!

~This Giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to everyone who entered!  The lucky winner of Color Play for Quilters will be announced tomorrow,  December 20, 2012. ~
How to enter this Giveaway: Under this post is the Comments section (click to expand if necessary). Leave us a brief comment there, explaining why you would like to learn more about color in quilting, and we'll add your name to the list of contestants ! Please make sure that we are able to contact you, either by your blog, website, or e-mail address. The Giveaway closes at noon EST on Wednesday, December 19. One winner will be drawn at random and will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 20. The lucky winner will receive a free class registration to Color Play for Quilters by Joen Wolfrom.

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

Spiked!

Batiks and stars: a match made in heaven

We love batiks, and we suspect we're not alone. Thus we've been on a quest - an odyssey, you might say - to hunt down the types of patterns that really showcase the overwhelming beauty of batik fabrics. We came up seeing...stars. The spiky points of the stars provide numerous opportunities for the eye to perceive the color contrasts in these designs. Visual advisory: you may need sunglasses!

Tropical Whimsy, 75 x 95, by Kristi L. Parker, at Chicken Soup Designs



Twelve brightly colored mariner's compass stars adorn this sunny quilt, designed by Kristi Parker. The stars are interspersed with tropical leaves, which are appliqued on a sunny yellow background. Meanwhile, playful geckos scamper around the blue-green border. The centers of the stars have modern motifs, including spirals, zigzags, and circles. The tropical motifs fit perfectly with the look and feel of the batik fabrics, and has us dreaming of the tropics. For the pattern, see Chicken Soup Designs.


4th of July, 54 x 71, by Judy Niemeyer



The 4th of July quilt by Judy Niemeyer, above, is a star in the quilting world (pun intended). The six inner star blocks, which are divided into quadrants that are offset from each other, have concentric rings as in a fireworks display; each ring is made of a different type of star. Hoffman Batiks were used to make the quilt, which has over 400 paper-pieced star points (but who's counting?) You can even see the quilt in different color combinations, using a flash animated feature called color-changing quilts. For the pattern, see Judy Niemeyer Quilting at the Quiltworx website, here.


Check Out The Stars, 64 x 80, by Marilyn Foreman, at Quilt Moments



The beautiful quilt by Marilyn Foreman, above, uses 28 luscious Artisan Batiks, including apricot, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, and other flavors (er, colors). The stars, squares, four-patch blocks and half-square triangles are cleverly arranged in groupings of complementary colors and values, creating eye-pleasing patterns. The pattern, which appears to be complex, is simple to piece. The pattern for "Check Out the Stars" can be obtained at Quilt Moments.


The Colourful Quilt, 53 x 53, by Jacqueline de Jonge, at Be Colourful



In designing "The Colourful Quilt", above, Jacqueline de Jonge has fulfilled the promise of her design studio's name: Be Colourful. This quilt has it all: curved shapes, New York beauty arches, and flying geese, which whirl around the stars. The quilt was done in Hoffman batiks, and Jacqueline says that the fabrics themselves inspired her design. You can read about "The Colourful Quilt", and see it in more colors and colours, on the website here. The website also lists sources of Jacqueline's fantastic patterns.


Heat Wave, 43 x 43, by Norma Schlager



Norma Schlager is an award-winning fiber artist whose quilts are often distinguished by their use of saturated hues and vivid contrast, as in "Heat Wave", above. This magnificent quilt, with its undulating waves and New York Beauty stars, was a first Place winner and Judge’s Choice Award at the Vermont Quilt Festival. We love the diagonal setting, which adds a dynamic quality to the design. You can read about the quilt, and view details of the precision piecing, at Norma's website (click on the gallery called Heat). Also, you can read about her explorations in fiber art on her blog, here.

Spiral Lone Star, by Jan P. Krentz



There are not enough adjectives to describe "Spiral Lone Star" by Jan Krentz, above, so we'll stick with: dazzling. The quilt is a marriage between a Texas star and a New York Beauty. Stars adorn all four corners of the quilt, and burst forth from the inner corners of the Texas star. A purple spiral cuts a swath through the orange Texas star, providing added visual excitement. The quilt is featured in the book and dvd by Jan Krentz, entitled "Lone Star Quilts and Beyond".

Nine Beauties Dancing, 63 x 63, by Nicole Gunson for Pieceful Expressions



We love "Nine Beauties Dancing", above, which is an original design by Nicole Gunson. Nicole combined and redrafted two different blocks - New York Beauty and Glorified Nine Patch - to create a modern, playful design unlike any we've seen. Circles surround the stars, giving a kaleidoscope appearance to the quilt. The beautiful batiks, which are in cool shades of blue, blue-green and violet with pink accents, are enhanced by the black background, which sets off the curves and the points of the stars and nine patch blocks. This winning pattern can be obtained at Pieceful Expressions.

Rays of Hope and Royal Radiance, by Carol Doak





At times, beauty lies in simplicity. Carol Doak's "Rays of Hope" and "Royal Radiance", above, are simply elegant. The beauty of the stars themselves is enhanced by the batik fabrics and royal blue backgrounds. To view "Royal Radiance", see Carol's gallery, here; to read about Rays of Hope, click here. In addition, Carol has written a book on Mariner's Compass Star designs, featuring 24 different star patterns: a wealth of inspiration.


Image Credits and Links

Tropical Whimsy, courtesy of Kristi L. Parker at Chicken Soup Designs.

Check Out The Stars, courtesy of Marilyn Foreman at Quilt Moments

The Colourful Quilt, courtesy of Be Colourful in the Netherlands

Heat Wave, courtesy of Norma Schlager. Her fiber art can be seen on her website and at Fiber Revolution.

Nine Beauties Dancing, courtesy of Pieceful Expressions.

Rays of Hope and Royal Radiance, courtesy of Carol Doak.