Modern Quilt Month 2018 (4)

What makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space. We hope you enjoy our selections!

P.S. For bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !

In Awe of the Beauty and Power of Water by Pat Hilderbrand (Missouri)

Fascination with the wildly changing attributes of ocean waters led to this portrayal of water's sparkling beauty, along with its incredible power.  This piece was created with hand-dyed cotton, shiny and metallic-finished fabric, production print fabric, batik, invisible polyester thread and metallic thread. Pat used machine piecing and applique in the construction.

Neuron, 37 x 53", by Hope Wilmarth (Texas)

This original design was inspired by a sculpture, Neuron by Roxy Paine, at the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 
She says, "A neuron is beautiful when seen abstractly as it might appear through the lens of a microscope.  A sense of connectedness is created by random [quilted] thin lines behind the artist's reproduction of this vital nervous system cell."

Hope Wilmarth created Neuron with cotton fabrics and acrylic paint.  Her techniques included machine piecing and applique, fusing, painting, and burning with a hot knife.

Red Violet Structure by Cheryl Costley (Florida)

This contemporary art quilt was inspired by the children's book Mr. Pine's Purple House, which Cheryl Costley used to read to her children.  Streaks of golden yellow provide dramatic focal points amidst the red violet, periwinkle and green background. The design was created improvisationally, using machine piecing and quilting. 

Dialect by Lyric Kinard (North Carolina)

Echoes of Asian and contemporary arts are reflected in this black, white and red art quilt by Lyric Kinard.  She says, "I have explored circular shapes and grids as part of the visual language, techniques such as shibori and paint on cloth, and ideas such as order versus chaos throughout my career." Dialect was machine pieced and quilted, painted, and dyed.

Pole Dance by Claire Victor (Arizona)

Pole Dance received a blue ribbon for First Place in the Pieced-Small Quilt category at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show. It is an original design by Claire Victor, who wanted to create a 3-dimensional effect.  Note the expert fabric shading which creates a sense of dimension in the tumbling blocks. The quilt was English Paper Pieced and domestic machine quilted by Claire herself.

You can see another quilt by Claire Victor, called Entanglement, in a 2017 post at Quilt Inspiration.

African Dance Free, 72 x 60",  by Ann Robinson (California), quilted by Pat Bailey

Ann Robinson says, "My African fabric collection is growing... I needed to get busy and use some of it.  So, when I saw the pattern which was perfect to showcase my collection, I picked out ten fabrics and went for it.  [I am] feeling good about the results."
We recognize this design as one of the BQ (Big Quilt) patterns at Maple Island Quilts.

Image credits:  Photos were taken at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show (Pole Dance), the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival (African Dance Free) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Modern Quilt Month 2018 (3)

What makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space. We hope you enjoy our selections!

P.S. For bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !
 
Skyline by Linda Sullivan (California). Quilted by Teresa Silva.

Linda explains, "Mesmerized by the 3-D designs and secondary patterns I discovered while studying a 1930's blueprint of the Chicago skyline, I set out to contemporize these isometric shapes into a large-scale quilted wallhanging for our home office."

Linda's techniques include machine piecing and quilting, plus embellishing and paper piecing. If you focus on this wonderful quilt for a few minutes, you will start to see all several different forms of three-dimensional shapes which look like floors or cubes of the buildings.

The Golden Window by Cecilia Koppmann (Argentina)

Cecilia says, "People usually say that cities are boring and grey, but for me, Buenos Aires (the capital of Argentina) is so vibrant, that I find it colorful."

Cecelia's techniques include machine piecing, quilting, and applique. With the warm colors shown in the windows and the way that the houses are snuggled next to each other, Cecilia's rendition of he city shows it to be a happy place, full of light and energy.

Be Someone by Hope Wilmarth  (Texas)

Hope states, " 'Be Someone' is a phrase I see frequently, sprayed on an overpass while driving into downtown Houston. The phrase touches me spiritually, practically,and personally. It inspired me to use it to continue a series of work begun a year ago that employs a technique of stacked lettering. "

Hope's intriguing and artistic original design is machine appliqued, quilted, and painted. The tiny squares of the quilting provide the perfect juxtaposition to the bold, rounded motifs of the foreground.

Neighbors by Melanie Tuazon (New Jersey)

Melanie explains, "Neighbors is inspired by the shapes and shadows made by my house's blinds as the light moves through the house each day. I made it during a time when there was a lot of fear in our community, so some blinds are more open than others. Some face other windows, while others turn away."

Melanie's work, which is machine pieced and quilted,  has fascinating contrasts and depths of color. These design elements show the window blinds as being both protectors against outside dangers and guardians which allow sunlight in to warm the interior living space. 

Shine a Light by Hillary Goodwin  (California)

Hillary comments,  " 'Shine a Light', 'Be the Change', 'Bring the Positive'......This quilt and design were a call for action to me after the depressing reality of our polarized post-election country. I decided in the quilt and in my life to concentrate less on criticizing 'the other side', and instead on spending more time volunteering in my community, being a better neighbor, and lending my voice
to those causes and people in need."

Hillary adds, "We all have something positive to bring to our community, regardless of political party, religion, etc. This quilt is a reminder of that goal and the powerful potential of our collective action." Hillary's thoughtful, eye-catching, and reflective work,  done in colors of apricot, peach, and tangerine, is machine pieced and quilted. 

Reconstructed Color by Petra Soesemann (Ohio)

Petra says, "Reconstructed Color was inspired by the fabric itself: yardage in a vibrant, multi-colored plaid pattern. Despite the jewel-tone colors, I found the plaid pattern to be too predictable. I cut the fabric into small squares, so that each square captured four different colors. I then reassembled the squares in less predictable and more dynamic composition."

Petra's original design is machine pieced and quilted. The results of her work show a gorgeous quilt, radiating light and color.

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