Batik Beauties (2)

We love batiks! Their striking beauty is enhanced by incorporating strong light/dark contrasts. These quilts provide numerous opportunities for the eyes to enjoy the intense colors of the fabrics.We hope you enjoy these photos.

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Margarita by Melanie Harris, quilted by John Harris

Gorgeous colors, contrasts, and piecing make this quilt really stand out! Melanie Harris says, "This swirling beauty looks like a blender, full of tropical flavors.  It's paper piecing from a Quiltworx pattern called "Pineapple"."  Check out the fabrics and quilting designs in the closeup photos, below.

 

Mod Box Blues by JoAnn Hinchliffe

This quilt design highlights a range of gorgeous blue batiks.  JoAnn Hinchliffe says, "This is another quilt I started during the pandemic. All the fabrics on the front are from my stash.  The pattern source is "Mod Box" by Colourwerx."  The quilting was beautifully done by JoAnn herself.

New York Beauty goes Hawaiian by Sara Quigley, quilted by Nancy Stovall

Batiks of all colors combine to make this dynamic, spiky quilt ! Sara Quigley says, "I had a blast making this quilt. I pulled out all of my batiks and sorted the light and darks.  It was fun putting contrasting colors together."  Pattern source: Karen K. Stone Quilts [book].

On Fleek by Valerie Greenwell

This sampler quilt is beautifully pieced and the quilting is out of this world!  Valerie Greenwell says, " 'On Fleek' is the smallest of three layouts in my newest book On Point: A Multi Sized Diamond in Square Sampler Quilt [2023].  I used a simple palette of batiks and densely quilted with a zentangle-like design.  There are over half a million quilted stitches and it took over 22 hours to quilt."

 

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Necktie quilts for Dad

Happy Fathers Day ! The silk necktie has achieved notoriety as the traditional Father's Day gift to Dad from his family. But what if Dad already has a closet full of ties?  Some quilters have turned neckties into brilliant works of art.   We hope you will enjoy these creations as much as we have. (This is a photo-intensive post... photos may take a minute to load!)

Recycled Silk Ties - No Necks Needed by Virginia Anderson (Washington)

This stunning quilt was made entirely from recycled silk ties and silk tie remnants from the Robert Talbott Tie Company.  Virginia Anderson says:  "I have been working on this quilt off and on for over 10 years ! I am happy to have finally finished it. It was great fun collecting all the silk ties. Piecing with silk is definitely a challenge!"  Her perfect piecing can be seen in the close up photo below.

We loved Virginia's selection of patterns and colors, with the primary red, yellow and blue hues dominating.  For the design she used the "Untitled" quilt pattern by Karen K. Stone.  Recycled Silk Ties was machine pieced and machine quilted and was exhibited at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.

close up, Universal Ties by Nancy Ota (San Clemente, California, USA)

Nancy Ota's Universal Ties is a gorgeous tumbling blocks quilt that was English paper pieced, hand stitched, and hand quilted.  The close-up photo above shows the way in which Nancy incorporated stars among the tumbling blocks, and the beautiful hand quilting.   The photo below shows the full quilt.

Universal Ties, 63 x 88" (2001)  by Nancy Ota

Universal Ties was shown in a special handwork exhibit at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.   Nancy Ota says,  "Silk neckties gave me the opportunity to work with luscious colors and the richness of silk.  Using the English paper piecing method allowed the silk to be managed.  I love handwork as it is both meditative and creative."  Here are some more close-up photos.

We've admired this quilt on the web, and it was wonderful to see the precise piecing and hand quilting up close. These silk tie prints are so much fun; in the photo below, note the American flag print which is next to a golf-themed print.

Nancy Ota has taught her English Paper Piecing methods to many other quilters; for more information see her Lectures and Workshops and her upcoming Schedule.

Fan Wheel or Wheel of Fortune quilt, 88 x 90", circa 1950

Recycling neckties (and other clothing) is a tradition among quilters.   This huge 1950's silk/satin necktie quilt top, seen on Ebay,  is impressive. The Fan Wheel / Wheel of Fortune variation starts with a Dresden Plate in the center.  Tie tails were used in the middle wheel, and the main ends of the ties were used in the outside wheel.   Two edges of the ties were rolled over with a hand sewn blanket stitch.

Carnival quilt, 58 x 58", by Stacey Sharman at Peppermint Pinwheels (California)

Stacey Sharman's spectacular Carnival quilt, made from tie silks and silk dupioni in every color of the rainbow.  On her website, Stacey explains: " I love mixing both vintage and new fabrics to create quilts that are simultaneously modern and traditional and are also absolutely unique."  Carnival was based on a pattern by Norah McMeeking from Bella Bella Quilts.  

Silk Orange Peel quilt, 63 x 63", by Stacey Sharman at  Peppermint Pinwheels

Stacey Sharman's Silk Orange Peel quilt was based on the contemporary Indian Orange Peel pattern by Karen K. Stone.  The silks were either samples or remnants - approximately 4.5 x 12" in size - from a factory that makes neckties.  Stacey says: "Foundation-pieced is the only way to go with silk quilting."

Grandfather's Flower Garden, 42 x 42", by Margit Kagerer (Arizona)

This original and beautiful necktie quilt won third place in the Theme category at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  Margit Kagerer says: “Grandfather went through his stash of neckties and revived them as flowers. He arranged the tips in hexagons like grandmother did for her garden.”  For more information about Margit Kagerer see Margit's Fiber Art.

Father's Day 1976 by Bette Haddon at Studio ArtQuilts (Florida)

This fascinating wall hanging was created by Bette Haddon, an award-winning quilt artist who lives in beautiful DeFuniak Springs, Florida. She used whole ties along with tie tips, labels, and buttons to create a highly textured surface.  We counted over 200 buttons and labels.

Ira's quilt by Bet Ison,  Home for Wayward Babydolls (Kentucky)

Ira's Quilt by artist Bet Ison was made with denim, velveteen, neckties, and brocade. The quilt uses the golden mean to make a Fibonacci spiral.  For more information on Bet Ison please see our 2011 feature article, Waste not, want not: a quilting tradition.

Necktie Wall Hanging, 16 x 20", by Nancy Gamon, as seen at Nancy Gamon on Flickr

 

This original wall hanging was made with about a dozen vintage neckties arranged to create a three-dimensional surface on a pieced background. Nancy Gamon is well known for creative use of recycled materials; at her online boutique at Etsy you can find ruffled scarves made from neckties, mixed media artworks and other creations.

Tie Repeat quilt by Louise Silk at Silk Quilt

Tie Repeat by Louise Silk is a wonderful work of textile art made with strips of neckties.  The emphasis in Tie Repeat is on the artistic juxtaposition of the patterns, colors and values of the silks, which are arranged in repeating sets of light and dark.

Judge's Ties by Louise Silk at Silk Quilt

This intriguing and dignified nine-patch quilt is enlivened by the stripes running vertically and horizontally through the blocks. The black squares in each of the nine-patch blocks "tie" the whole composition together.  You can see more of Louise Silk's creations, including many items made from reclaimed clothing, on Flickr and at SilkQuilt on Etsy.

Power Ties in Bloom by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood at Craft Sanity

For Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's  Power Ties in Bloom series, silk neckties were donated by West Michigan business men and community leaders.  Jennifer used the ties to create five different quilts with colorful, hexagon-shaped blooms. The series was exhibited at ArtPrize 2010.

Tie Quilt, 35 x 45", by Renay Martin at Purse Strings Patterns

Renay Martin wove together 56 different blue and red ties together to create this Memory Tie Quilt, then hand stitched them in place. She removed the labels from all the ties and re-applied them in various positions on the front of the quilt.  This quilt was featured by Deb Rowden at Deb Rowden's Thrift Shop Quilts.  Renay has developed a pattern for her technique; you can purchase it at Purse Strings Patterns.

Tie wall hanging by Nancy Sturgeon

Nancy Sturgeon created this lively wall hanging with twenty-four different ties. The shirt stripes used on either side of the ties create spinning pinwheels.   The tie labels were sewn along the border.  The block design is from a pattern in an out-of-print book, Quilts for guys: 15 fun projects for your favorite fella (edited by Cyndy Lyle Rymer; check for copies at Amazon). Nancy also made the beautiful quilt shown below.

Nancy Sturgeon's Tie Quilt, 52 x 52",  includes almost the entire necktie (tip, label, lining, and fabric) from 100 different ties.  Also, 140 tie tails were used to create prairie points along the edge.  It is fun to see all the different patterns and labels in this quilt!

If you are inspired to begin a necktie project you may be able to collect ties from friends, family,  or your local thrift shop.  A good source of neckties is Ebay, where you can find whole collections of vintage neck ties such as this one:

Image credits and links: Photos of  the quilts by Virginia Anderson,  Nancy Ota and Margit Kagerer were taken by Quilt Inspiration.  Quilts by Bet Ison, Nancy Gamon, Nancy Sturgeon, Stacey Sharman, Louise Silk, Bette Haddon and Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood  were previously featured at Quilt Inspiration with permission of the artists.

California Fall Quilt Show: Contemporary Quilts

Take a look at these  very interesting contemporary quilts from the 2013 Diablo Valley Quilters Show. We think you'll love the innovation and creativity shown here !

Garden of Paradise, 52 x 52", by Michelle Webber

Michelle notes, "This quilt was made using a Karen Stone pattern. My mini-group, The Blockheads, paper pieced most of the blocks. "  Michelle and her colleagues have done a great job of paper piecing these luminous and exotic flower designs, using apricots, corals, peaches, and periwinkle hues.

Our Squirrel - Day and night, 17 x 14", by Barb Mahan

Barb says, "We have squirrels in our yard all year round. They eat our fruit and birdseed. This is my second night and day quilt."  We  loved the thread painting done in shades of taupe, beige, and gray which depict this cute little creature so realistically.

Here's the back of Barb's wonderful work, done against a dark background. Now you can see why she refers to this wall hanging as a "night and day" quilt. 

All Boxed In, 60 x 60", by Nancy Bourns

Nancy writes, "All these featured fabrics (except two Marcia Derse fabrics) [were] created by me, with lovely quilting done by Kamala Alahan." The quilt artist has created a beautiful split complementary palette of soft amethyst, raspberry, purple, burgundy, and lime green hues.

Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters, 53 x 57", by Linda Fribley

 The Gee's Bend Quilters of Alabama live in a remote community of about 750 people, where most residents are descendants of  African-American slaves of the 17th-19th centuries.  They have become renowned for their amazing abstract quilt designs in bright geometric colors. Working with almost no resources, often in severe poverty, they have created a most imaginative and innovative design style.

Close -up, Homage to Gee's Bend Quilters by Linda Fribley

Linda notes, "I am a printmaker as well as a quilter. The images are from my etchings of a Gee's Bend Series of prints, photographed and scanned into Photoshop, then printed by inkjet onto Printed Treasures fabric. " We enjoyed Linda's tribute to an important and distinctive aspect of  American textile arts.

Nature's Mythical Fantasy, 105 x 96", by Jerry Theobald

Jerry states, "This quilt started with white fabric, which was dyed and then printed on, from lino carved plates. The printed images were then quilting using glow-in-the-dark thread on the back side."

Close up, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We really liked these dreamy,  exotic creatures whose presence created a truly magical ambiance on this vibrantly colored quilt.

Back of quilt, Nature's Mythical Fantasy by Jerry Theobald

We're showing the back of Jerry's quilt so that you can see the fabulous detail of the longarm quilting  work done by Jerry himself. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Some summery quilts

At the recent 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show we saw some quilts whose beautiful colors of orange and raspberry sherbet, periwinkle blue, lemon yellow, and sage meadow green, reminded us of the joys of nature during the summer season. We hope you like them as much as we do.  And, if you're working on a quilt this season, please let us know in the Comments below !  We love to read about your latest creations.

Grandma’s Stellar Array by Ann L. Petersen

Second place winner for Mixed Techniques -Small Quilts, Ann says, "This was a challenge quilt using an Oriental print. I thought the background looked like Civil War reproductions, so I made a traditional-looking quilt." 

Close up, Grandma’s Stellar Array by Ann L. Petersen

 

Here, you can see Ann's excellent and accurate piecing of the tiny diamonds in the feathered star blocks.

Through Hubble’s Window by Alicia Sterna

Honorable Mention winner for Art/Abstract Quilts, Alicia notes," [This quilt was] originally conceived as an exploding flower inspired by Peggy Martin's Millenium Star. The final design reminded me of images sent back from the Hubble Telescope." We think that the black and deep blue backgrounds really create a dramatic "deep space" effect for this quilt.

OMG- A Million Tiny Pieces by Joan McNamara

Third place winner in the Large Pieced Quilts category, Joan writes, " I love this miniature piecing. Thee are over 15,000 pieces in this quilt and 40 different fabrics- 100% cotton, with wool batting." The design,  "Omigosh", is by Sue Garman.

Close up, OMG- A Million Tiny Pieces by Joan McNamara

Take a look at the pretty nine-patch sashing which separates the larger, traditional Monkey Wrench or Churn Dash squares ! The nine patches that create the chains are 1-1/2" finished, as are the half square triangles. The little four patches on point are 1" finished. With the refreshing white background, this large quilt provides the perfect decor for a summertime bedroom.

From Sunup to Sundown by Barbara Jansen

Honorable Mention winner for Best Use of the 2013 Theme, "Trends and Traditions", Barbara states: "Traditional quilting is honored in the familiar blocks revived over decades of American quilting. Batik colors and patterns reflect the global influence in today's fabric trends."

Close-up,  From Sunup to Sundown by Barbara Jansen

Barbara's very interesting and well-designed center motif of native women carrying their baskets and their children in the traditional style contrasts perfectly with the contemporary New York Beauty blocks on the outside border of the quilt. There's so much to see in this very eye-catching quilt.

Summer Kaleidoscope by Valene Sattler

Summer Kaleidoscope is part of the Red Rock Round Robin Challenge, where one quilter begins a quilt design, then other quilters add to the quilt and eventually complete it.  The split complementary colors of orange, blue, green, and lavender create a lovely effect and remind us of taking an outside stroll in the summer twilight.

In the close-up below, notice how the semi-trapunto butterflies float gaily and almost ethereally in the closely quilted periwinkle sky background.

Close-up- Summer Kaleidoscope by Valene Sattler

Check out the tiny ladybugs, adorned with small beads, which carefully make their way among the tall grasses. The multi-color border of narrow strips creates a cheerful, lively effect and adds to the quilt's personality.

Watermelon Smiles by Sharon L. Angelo

Sharon writes, "Tedious paper piecing done, I beamed with relief and celebrated with some juicy watermelon. Upon finishing the quilt, I broke into an enormous grin."  We can certainly empathize with Sharon, as we've experienced the sense of accomplishment and relaxation that comes with completing a major quilt project.

This distinctive design is known as "Rattlesnake" by Karen Stone; for further information, please see Wanda Hanson's "Exuberant Color" blog.


Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.