Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 5

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an awe-inspiring event, with more than 1,600 quilts on display, and over 60,000 visitors!! We're sharing some final highlights of this fantastic show, before we turn our attention to Christmas!

Note: We've listed quilt patterns and vintage fine jewelry at very low prices at Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay store !

I Choose Joy by Cheryl Olson (Utah)

"I Choose Joy" was inspired by the natural beauty of birch trees. It was featured in a special exhibit, Nine Voices from One, curated by Jane Dunnewold. The exhibit features works by graduates of The Art Cloth Mastery Program, showing some of the finest works created by surface design artists today. Beginning with a hand-dyed silk backdrop, other hand-dyed cut pieces were fused onto the surface, then machine quilted. 

We liked Cheryl Olson's explanation of her quilt title,  "I Choose Joy", so much that we turned it into an image:

APPreciation: Ineka by Helen Godden (Australia)

Helen Godden says, “My muse is my daughter, Ineka. This quilt is based on a holiday photo from the dry Lake Hart. The glare from the dry desert salt pan requires sunglasses, even for a photo.” Helen altered the image with the Dreamscope phone app, then painted it with acrylic paint on cotton fabric.

Diamond Effervescence by Beth Nufer (Oregon) and Clem Buzick

Machine piecing and hand applique was used to create this brilliant original design. Beth Nufer says, “My inspiration was the silk fabric. The background fabric is a gradated cotton sateen. I wanted to incorporate the two fabrics together.” Clem Buzick's award-winning quilting can be seen in every element of the quilt.

Wild, Wild Plum by Carolyn Skei (Texas)

Carolyn Skei created Wild, Wild Plum with apps on her iPad.  It was inspired by a Hosui pear photogarph by Susanne Kaspar from The Great Book of Pears. Carolyn says, "My iPad experimentations yielded the outline and coloration for this quilt; fabrics and threads from my stash took it to the next level."

Carolyn used machine applique; fusing; hand and machine embellishment; hand and machine embroidery; and fabric collage techniques with commercial and hand-dyed cottons.

Balancing Act, 56 x 40", by Bodil Gardner (Denmark)

The woman in this whimsical quilt balances precariously on a seesaw, with the world on one end of the seesaw and a baby carriage on the other; a book and teacup are perched on her head. Bodil says, "In 1985 I made a quilt called Woman’s Life, a Balancing Act. So many wishes to fulfill, so many dreams to pursue, so little time of your own, little has changed since then. This 2015 quilt is on the same theme."  These lines are stitched onto the borders:

I would give you all the stars in the sky 

I would catch the drops from threatening clouds 

I would plant thornless roses by your way 

But would life be worth living then my child? 

Elements #12: Blue River by Michele Hardy (Colorado)

Elements #12: Blue River was shown in the special SAQA: Textile Posters exhibit. It depicts the colorful annual cycle of snowfall in the mountains, spring melt, runoff that replenishes the rivers, and water that gives life, summarized in the words Snow - River - Life. The fabrics were hand dyed, screen printed, fused, machine appliqued, and stitched.

Kazenobon by Masako Sakagami (Japan)

Masako Sakagami says, "I live in Yatsuo-machi, Toyama prefecture. Here I depicted the folk dance of the [traditional] Kaze no Bon festival."   The festival occurs at night, therefore Masako set the whirling dancers against a black background.  She used kimono fabrics along with machine piecing, machine applique, machine embroidery, painting, and free-motion quilting to create this masterpiece.

Gold and silver metallic threads stand out beautifully against the black background.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

People and Portraits: Art quilt exhibit /2

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.
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A Winter Story, 81 x 65", by Yoshiko Kurihara

Yoshiko Kurihara says, "This piece is one of my works on the subject of the four seasons. Clowns are flashing smiles in the show, but if you look inward you may find a heavy covering of sad and icy snow."

Serenade, 52 x 40", by Carol Goddu

A lady is serenaded by a band of boy musicians. This quilt was inspired by 15th century French and German tapestries and illuminated manuscripts.

One Last Look 1952, 20 x 16", by Lora Rocke

Lora Rocke says, "I created the face of a young woman, newly married and setting out on a new life. I hope to convey all of the emotions of her adventure. She is leaving home and all that she has known for the unknown. She is daring to create a life for herself, her husband and her children."

Hmmm, 51 x 51",  by Pat Kumicich

Pat Kumicich says, " The 2008 presidential primaries had [such] a plethora of candidates it was hard to decide for whom to vote."

Dreaming of You, 39 x 38", by Bodil Gardner

The description of this wonderful quilt reads: "Was it the tender caress of her lover or merely a shepherd and his flock passing by?"

Dream, 83 x 66", by Yoshiko Kurihara

Yoshiko Kurihara says, "A clown is one of my favorite themes since I feel the desolation and the sadness of life hidden in a clown’s funny and humorous performance. What kind of dream will the tired clown have after a long day of work?"

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is a caretaker for her own family or who is a caretaker for another family. We hope you have time on Mother's Day to take a quiet break with a cup of refreshment as this mom below is doing !

Harmony by Bodil Gardner, Lystrup, Denmark. Exhibited at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival

In this delightful quilt, we see a mother taking a moment of repose with her children outdoors on a sunny day. Bodil writes, "As the mother of four children, I often find myself returning to the theme of this quilt." She continues from her biography, "I have been making patchwork pictures since the beginning of the 1980's. I started originally with ceramics, but....because it was more acceptable to sit at the living room table and sew -- nobody could see whether it was anything useful -- I began making patchwork."  Bodil's work is raw-edge appliqued and machine quilted.

Close-up, Harmony by Bodil Gardner

We love the way that Bodil sews circular pieces of red or pink fabric onto the faces to give them those cute  rosy cheeks !  Her characters are depicted with such whimsy and lightheartedness.

From her biography, Bodil explains, " I have not had any artistic training and was brought up to be the practical one in a creative family.....Most of the pictures have a purpose and have been months in the making. I never draw them but plan them thoroughly in my head before cutting out and fastening with pins. Then follow days of weeks where I move colors and figures around before I begin to sew....Material is bought at flea markets or arrives as gifts. Faded, well-used cottons are fascinating and nice to work with. "

Close-up, Harmony by Bodil Gardner

Who couldn't help but smile at this delightful face with its happy grin, quirky nose, and wide-set blue eyes !  Bodil notes, " My hope is that by exhibiting, I can give other women courage to exploit their own creativity. Most of them have a sewing machine and some remnants of material -- no need to invest in expensive gear."
On Mother's Day and always, we wish you the gift of some time each day to express your own artistic talents in the way that brings you fulfillment and happiness.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Day 11: Christmas in Scandinavia

Every year on December 13, Santa Lucia is celebrated in Scandinavia.The Lucia tradition can be traced back to St Lucia of Syracuse, a martyr who died for her faith in 304. The festival is also a symbol of the coming return of the sun and the lengthening of days. Danish artist Bodil Gardner, who is known the world over for her art quilts, created this delightful piece called Santa Lucia.  It was a showstopper in the "Traditions" exhibit at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Santa Lucia, 51 x 62", by Bodil Gardner (Denmark)

On Saint Lucia day in Sweden, lights are turned off and girls dressed in white, carrying candles and singing the Lucia song, are led in procession by the Lucia bride with candles in her hair. Bodil Gardner has incorporated the lyrics of the Lucia song in her quilt. We were captivated by the figures in this quilt: their large and expressive eyes, rosy cheeks, and the textures of their hair.  It is her use of a flat perspective that makes us feel as if we are seeing every aspect of their faces; although we are viewing them from the side, you can see that their mouths are open in song.

close up, Santa Lucia by Bodil Gardner (Denmark)

Bodil Gardner has been making patchwork pictures since the early 1980's.  She works with second-hand fabrics, mostly cottons,using applique techniques.  The dog in this quilt was created with a brocade-like print, and the Lucia dresses were created with a textured lace fabric that may have been a dress or tablecloth in a former life.

On her website, Bodil says: "Material is bought at flea markets or it arrives as gifts. Faded, well-used cottons are fascinating and nice to work with." "My hope is that by exhibiting I can give other women courage to exploit their own creativity. Most of them have a sewing machine and some remnants of material - no need to invest in expensive gear."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  For more information on Bodil Gardner's work, including techniques and a gallery of quilts, please visit her website at Bodil's Patchwork Pictures.