The CIRCLES quilt challenge (2)

We love quilt challenges!  One of the best we've seen recently was the CIRCLES challenge, which has been traveling the country. Put on by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), the challenge was to create an original piece (up to 20") using the provided yellow and blue fabric cut into circles. There were so many creative entries. Which are your favorites?

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Circular Fusion by Maribeth Schmit (Cedarburg, WI)

Circular Fusion is a fun exploration of traditional and modern quilt design and techniques.  The blue and yellow circles (the theme of the challenge) are used as punctuation, the focus being on the asymmetrial circular design.  The straight-line quilting adds order to the design.

 Double Complements by Andi Perejda (Arroyo Grande, CA)

Complementary colors add interest to artwork, as do fascinating fabrics! Andi Perejda says,  "I decided to add complementary colors to our blue and yellow colors, using fabrics I had printed and/or dyed.  So, violet and orange were used in conjunction with blue and yellow.  Thus, a double-complementary color scheme was born!"

Inspired by Joan Miro by Linda Rasmussen (Monrovia, CA)

Joan Miro was a famous 20th century artist who combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy.  Linda Rasmussen says, "When I saw the colors that were to be included in this piece and the challenge of a cricle theme, I searched the internet for art that featured circles and bright colors.  Who popped up but Joan Miro?  One of his pieces inspired me to make this quilt.  I loved the color and the abstract nature of his piece... this is my interpretation.)

Circling the Sun by Cindy Seitz-Krug (Luna, NM)

 

Circling the Sun shows the planets in their orbits, with fabric chosen to represent their appearances.  A corner of the sun was placed in the upper left, and thread painting was used to denote heat and flares emanating from the sun.  The names of the planets were quilted next to their image as shown below.

 Dot-Dot-Dot by Phyllis Manley (Plymouth Meeting, PA)

A really interesting clamshell design, where colorful circles punctuate the curves of the black-and-white clamshells. Phyllis Manley says, "Working with circles is not always a challenge. I enjoyed using the "fused interfacing method" to make clamshells, then applique onto the background.  I did not want the quilting to interfere with the design, so outlining the circles was an easy choice."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

Modern Quilt Month 2015 (part 2)

We've designated  both July and August as Modern Quilt Month 2015. We've enjoyed seeing the modern quilts at various shows, and summer seems like the perfect time to feature these fun quilts. Here is part 2 of Modern Quilt Month !

Blockade, 31 x 47, by Martina Hilgert-Vervoort , Germany

Martina explains about her original design,  "We face the world smiling; it's just a facade. We don't allow for much of our inside to show on the outside. That's self-protection-- at least, that's what we are convinced of. Sometimes, we set up barricades, which make it almost impossible to communicate with our environment. It's hard to.....overcome blockages."  We admire this quilt for its superb sense of texture and its lovely monochromatic shades of blue, with contrasting yellow-orange.

Close up, Blockade by Martina Hilgert-Vervoort

Martina continues, "I constructed my quilt by integrating 3/8' narrow strips of fabric. I used mono-filament thread for quilting in order to achieve the structures I envisioned." Martina's quilt is comprised of hand-dyed cotton fabric, which was pieced and quilted on her domestic sewing machine.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

Third place winner in the Pieced Modern Quilts category in the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild Show,  this work is a collaboration quilt inspired by quilt teacher Andi Perejda's class,  "Circle of Illusion."  The circle, flying geese pattern, and quilting was contributed by Evelyn. The Mariner's Compass in the center and more quilting was contributed by Chris.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

Beautiful "ice-cream sherbet" colors of tangerine, apricot, peach, and lemon provide a dynamic contrast to the dark background. This design reminds us of a beam of light traveling through the night sky to an unknown world.

Intra-Galactic Journey by Evelyn Link and Chris Lynn Kirsch

We really admire the accurate piecing and workmanship which adds to the "op art" visual effect of "Intra-Galactic Journey."

Who Won in London 2012, 46 x 48", by Caroline Wilkinson, United Kingdom

Caroline notes of her original design,  "My inspiration was triggered by the London Olympics in 2012. My idea was to celebrate this exciting event with a quilted piece which suggested a race to the viewer."

Close up, Who Won in London 2012 by Caroline Wilkinson

Caroline continues, "Swimming was my special interest, which influenced my choice of colors. The quilt is made with fabrics dyed at home and commercial cottons." Her work is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted. The base layer of strips is pieced, and the the upper layer of little strips is shifted slightly to give a zig-zag movement to this intriguing pattern.

Color Explosion by Kathy Kent (Virginia)

Color Explosion received the third place award for pieced quilts in the AccuQuilt Go Challenge at the 2013 AQS Quilt Week in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The requirement for the challenge was that all the pieces had to be cut on an AccuQuilt machine. Kathy has been sewing since she was 11 years old and reports that she has compiled a huge fabric stash. She has used a great collection of light and dark values here to give a sparkling, watercolor wash effect to this eye-catching modern quilt.

Close up, Color Explosion by Kathy Kent

Kathy enthusiastically notes, "I love all of the steps to making a quilt, ......and the best part, hand quilting." She hand quilts all her creations, and this one is beautifully done in a traditional grid pattern.

Charming Chevrons, 46 x 54",  by Christa Watson (Nevada)

Christa notes that she loves solid fabrics with lots of machine quilting. She was inspired by "bold and beautiful [Kona cotton] solid charm squares."  This was her first attempt at making a modern quilt (in 2012) and she quilted it on an older Bernina.  It was exhibited at AQS Quilt Week 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Close up, Charming Chevrons by Christa Watson

These vivid solid colors show an excellent contrast and distinction between the  edges of chevrons. A PDF pattern and instructions is for sale in her ChristaQuilts Pattern Store. We recognize this design, created from half-square triangles, as the traditional Amish "Streaks of Lightning" pattern.  The newest version of the quilt will be in a brand new colorway and layout designed by Christa.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 World Quilt Show in Florida (Blockade and Who Won in London), the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix (Charming Chevrons and Color Explosion) and the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Intra-Galactic Journey).