All sewn up: Fruit and Vegetable quilts

We think that a quilt, wall hanging or table topper would be a great way to celebrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables. For the last two weeks we've featured quilts that honor the summer harvest, with colorful, ripe plums, peaches, tomatoes, carrots and more.   We're also showcasing some luscious apples from a previous post.  There's a style here for every taste, from traditional to modern, pieced or appliqued !

Above, Row 1:  Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith at Piece O' Cake Designs.  Row 2: Pearl's Garden by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs.  Row 3: Pieced Vegetables by Linda L. Frost at 13th Street Studio.  Row 4:  Pears, pineapple and apple by Laura Wasilowski at ArtFabrik.  For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

Above, Row 1:  Vegetable quilts by Lonni Rossi.  Row 2: Cornucopia by Elly Sienkiewicz, stitched by Karen Pessia; Apple still life by Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter.  Row 3: Apple of my eye by Debi Hubbs at Art Blooms; Cider Mill Road by Nancy Halvorsen at Art to Heart. For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

*Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  Patterns  and/or books are available for many of these quilts.  For our original posts discussing these quilts and artists, please visit the following links: Simply Delicious; Pearl's Garden;  Pieced Vegetables;  Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski; The Broccoli Quilt by Lonni Rossi; and Harvest Quilts - Part 2.

Exotic flower quilts (we're dreaming of paradise)

Here are the stunning flower quilts we've been writing about for the last week.   As you can see, each quilter has her own unique style.  These exotic flowers bring to mind Hawaii and other tropical climes.  We wish we were there (but this is the next best thing !)  We hope you've enjoyed the show too.

Image credits and links: Row 1, Sylvia Pippen, Sylvia Pippen Designs; Row 2, Eileen Sullivan, The Designer's Workshop; Row 3, Brenda Yirsa, at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company; Row 4, Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter; Row 5, Vyvyan Emery, Rosewood Quilts.

Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter

It's day 3 of our Exotic Flower Quilts series ! We've been admiring Ellen Lindner's photo-inspired quilts ever since we featured her Apple Still life (see our 2010 article on harvest quilts). Ellen Lindner's quilts ranges from pictorial still life to modernist abstracts, and she works in a freeform collage style which lends a natural look.  In addition to creating original art quilts for sale, she generously shares her techniques through workshops, videos, e-books, patterns, and online classes at her website, Adventure Quilter.

High Ti, 20 x 25", by Ellen Lindner

The ti plant was introduced to Hawaii and New Zealand by Polynesian settlers, and the tropical plants grow well in warm climates like Florida. High Ti is one of Ellen Lindner's newest photo-inspired quilts.  Her fabrics capture the colors and the variegated textures of the ti leaves. You can see the detail of the raw-edge collage and the machine quilting, below.

High ti, detail, by Ellen Lindner

You can also see the original photo that inspired the quilt at Ellen Lindner's Art & Creativity blog and at her Adventure Quilter Newsletter. Also check out Ellen's award-winning Ti Plants A-Glow -Glow, which was featured in the book 500 Art Quilts, by Lark Press.

Ripening, 51 x 33, by Ellen Lindner

In December, in Florida, the Christmas Palm Tree berries slowly change into the colors that give the palm its name. Ellen Lindner's beautiful quilt, called Ripening, was made with cotton fabrics, using raw edge collage and machine stitching.

For more information on Ellen Lindner, and for tips, classes and other resources, check out her website, blog and newsletter (also note that she has an online Color Class starting this Friday.... May 27 !)

Harvest Quilts - Part 2

Today, we are continuing to admire some lovely quilts with the theme of a bountiful harvest. Join us for inspiration from these creative and attractive quilts which incorporate images of apples, pears, grapes, pumpkins and other fruits of the season. 

Horn of Plenty,  20 x 25, by Virginia Robertson 
 

Virginia Robertson is an artist who has been working in the fabric industry for 30 years. She and her husband, Lynn, have a publishing company of fine books and patterns at Virginia Robertson Designs. She also has designed thousands of fabrics for different fabric companies, and she has been the art director for Bali Fabrics for the last six years. In "Horn of Plenty" the batik fabrics really sparkle in warm hues which showcase the pumpkin, grapes and leaves in the center of the quilt.  "Horn of Plenty" is available as a kit or a pattern at Virginia Robertson Designs.

Cornucopia Block, by Elly Sienkiewicz, stitched by Karen Pessia

Elly Sienkiewicz learned to quilt from her relatives in West Virginia, and she embraced it with a passion. One of the best known and most popular designers of appliqued Baltimore Album style quilts, she founded her  now famous Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy to share her love of both teaching and quilting.  In the Cornucopia Block shown above, stitched by Karen Pessia,  Elly's energetic and lively design really captivates the viewer, as grapes, peaches, apples, cherries, and anything else you can imagine leap out of the horn of plenty in a joyous arrangement. Her latest book, Elly Sienkiewicz's Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts: 25 Blocks, 12 Quilts, Embellishment Techniques has just been released this week. We can't wait to read it, as Elly's prolific designs and excellent instruction are such an inspiration to quilters everywhere.

Apple Still Life,  51 x 37, by Ellen Lindner

Displayed on the home page of Ellen Lindner's  Adventure Quilter website, these tempting apples are made with exquisite colors and precision. They  seem to jump rights off this beautiful quilt, as they are so lifelike and three dimensional. This quilt is an example of Ellen's double reverse applique process, and Ellen has published her own Double Reverse Applique E-Book, which can be downloaded immediately from the website. These e-Books are time-saving, convenient, and economical.

In order to make the beautiful "Apple A Day " block shown above,using the Double Reverse Applique E-book,  you'll need a  sewing machine capable of doing free motion quilting with dropped feed dogs and an appropriate presser foot. If you'd like to see another one of Ellen's beautiful still life designs, check out the July-August 2010 issue of Spaces Magazine, where Ellen discusses her background and inspiration for her fascinating art quilts.

Fall Memories, 34 x 26, by Edyta Sitar

Here's a raw-edge applique pattern from Edyta Sitar at Laundry Basket Quilts which uses the elongated, delicate, lacy shapes of leaves and stems to really dress up a rustic harvest theme. Edyta's elegant and pleasing still life arrangement is rendered here in  light-dappled Bali fabrics, but it would also look great in traditional prints. Edyta is a talented and prolific designer who always has something new and fun on her drawing board , including her recently published book, Friendship Strips and Scraps.  We've featured Edyta's inspiring creations several times before, including our posts titled Dresden Plate quilts and  In Full Bloom.

Apple of My Eye,  18 x 16, by Debi Hubbs

We've all heard the nursery rhyme about the blackbirds baked in the pie, but here they are, in a comical twist, standing on top of the fruit instead of inside it.   The cinnamon red batik border, the apricot print background,and the dark inner border go together beautifully. This quilt is constructed using the raw edge fusible applique technique, and the pattern contains Debi Hubbs' easy to follow instructions, a full size layout guide, and pieces already reversed for applique. It's available at  Debi Hubbs Art Blooms Online Store, where you'll see many other fun patterns for sale.

Cider Mill Road,  50 x 62,  by Nancy Halvorsen

Cider Mill Road is comprised of 16 apple blocks, each one happily sporting a whimsical spiral which adds light and contrast to the pattern. This pattern book which also includes pillows, table runners, aprons, and hot pads, is available at Nancy Halvorsen's Cider Mill Road products page. You'll also find other fun Art to Heart patterns and Nancy's fascinating books. We love this charming fabric from Benartex, and we were glad to see that a Cider Mill Quilt Fabric Pack is available at Erica's Quilting website, which includes the fabrics to make one quilt top.