International Quilt Invitational Exhibition 2019 - Part 2 of 2

"Out of this world" quilts from around the world are presented each summer at the Brigham City Museum of Art and History in Brigham City, Utah. We think you'll agree that each of these quilts is a masterpiece.

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Esfahan by Megan Farkas (New Hampshire, USA)

The inspiration for this quilt captured Megan Farkas' imagination two years before she felt she had the skills to actually attempt making it.  The design was inspired by a tile mosaic in the Jameh Mosque, Esfahan, Iran, and was based on a photo by Sebastia Giralt (used with permission). Completing it took three years of intensive work; Megan estimates it took at least 3.000 hours.

At first, Megan thought she might be able to draft a pattern based on the underlying geometry; she says this was overly optimistic.  She ended up creating one set of floral filigree templates for each block type. The completed blocks were reverse appliqued into a single piece of fabric. Esfahan was beautifully hand quilted by Megan herself.

Once There Were by Kathryn Harmer Fox (South Africa)

This quilt is a magnificent tribute to rhinos, which are an endangered species. Kathryn Harmer Fox used several photographs of both rhinos and birds to create this image. She says, "These glorious thundering behemoths are on the brink of extinction - the unreasonableness of it all saddens Kathryn to the core."

The quilt was created with assorted dress materials and sewing threads, using free motion machine embroidery, fiber embedment using scribble stitch, and quilting. The layering of fabrics and threads creates a gauzy, artistic image.

Zoologist's Quilt by Karen Miller (Oregon, USA)

Karen Miller's passion for Japanese stencil dyeing (katazome) is matched only by her love of nature.  Originally a marine biologist, she transferred her love of the natural world to art 22 years ago when she learned this amazing technique, used in Japan for 600 years. She hand cut a paper stencil and used it to apply a rice paste resist before indigo dyeing.  This quilt was made for an exhibit in Japan, thus the names of the animals are in English and Japanese around the border, as shown below.

The Trouble With Magenta - Hot or Not by Annelize Littlefair

Annelize Littlefair was inspired by the color magenta.  She asks, "What color is a car that is described as hot magenta?" That is the question she sought to answer, asking her friends to write on a piece of paper what color they thought it was.  She made the quilt using all the colors they suggested. She says that it took longer to stitch out the background of the outside border than it did to stitch the center section.

The materials used were radiance silk and kimono silk threads.  This stunning piece was created with machine quilting and freehand needlework. The whole quilt took around three months from start to finish, working on it most days.

Choose to Bloom by O.V. Brantley

Choose to Bloom is a delightful folk art sampler quilt made with an array of brightly colored fabrics and an impressive amount of detail: flowers, baskets, trees, leaves, animals, birds, fruit, and more. About the name, "Choose to Bloom", O.V. Brantley says: "I believe life is about choices.  We can choose to accept our circumstances or we can get busy changing them. We all bloom in different ways. How will you bloom?"

The quilt, based on a pattern by Kim McLean, was lovingly appliqued using a wide variety of fabrics to convey the diversity of choices.  The African fabrics give the quilt its uniqueness (see the closeup photo, above.)  It was custom quilted by Ina Sanders.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum.

International Quilt Invitational Exhibition 2019 - Part 1 of 2

"Out of this world" quilts from around the world are presented each summer at the Brigham City Museum of Art and History in Brigham City, Utah. It's always a delight to view the outstanding works of fabric art at this exhibit!  (If you're going, we also recommend the Idle Isle Cafe on Main Street for comfort food in an authentic diner setting.)

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Take Me to Church by Alice Beasley (California, USA)

The stunning art quilt is one of a series of underwater ballets created in fabric by Alice Beasley.  This one is based on Hozier's song [titled "Take Me To Church"] and Sergei Polunin's masterful dance interpretation of the same.  It was created with cotton and silk fabrics which were printed. The colors and textures of the fabrics, and the asymmetric border, lend a truly realistic underwater appearance to the scene.

On her website, Alice Beasley, says, " I find color, light, shadow, line and value in the pattern of ordinary household fabrics. From these I snip small pieces which I arrange and fuse into a figurative composition."

An Early Spring Day by Noriko Endo (Japan)

Noriko Endo's signature style can be seen in its full glory in this colorful art quilt. She says, "In an early spring, Noriko hiked and found that very fresh green leaves were peeking out and birds were singing songs." It is created with hand-dyed cotton and tulle. 

Reminiscent of an impressionist landscape painting from a distance, Noriko uses small fabric pieces (confetti) that are covered with tulle, then quilted.   Some accents are painted on top for a beautiful effect.

Moonset by Karen Miller (Oregon, USA)

Since beginning the study of katazome (Japanese stencil dyeing) in 1995, with the American master John Marshall, Karen Illman Miller has become an expert in this traditional Japanese dyeing technique. In this piece, dawn and the setting moon combine to make a cool and tranquil scene.  The stencil-dyed tree is the Oregon White Oak, the quintessential tree of the Willamette Valley (Oregon) where Karen lives.

Jester's Pond by Donna Deaver (Idaho)

Jester's Pond was inspired by a friend's backyard pond.  To stand at the edge, hearing the water trickle and the birds sing, brings about an indescribable peace.  The reflection of the sky, interrupted on the surface only by the gentle breeze on the water and the occasional appearance of koi, transports us from this busy neighborhood to a place deep within.

Donna has expertly created the real-life appearance of water and the reflection of leaves on the pond, using hand-dyed cotton, which is fused and stitched.

Misty Morning by Noriko Endo (Japan)

Most of Noriko Endo's work as a fiber artist focuses on landscapes.  She is interested in the idea of line drawing of objects with white polyester threads.  Her favorite subjects are woodland, trees and leaves.

The foxes and deer in this piece are drawn with thread painting, and the misty atmosphere was created with quilting lines of leaves.  The piece is created with hand-dyed cotton, luminescent fibers, tulle, and polyester threads.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.