Quilts for Dia de los Muertos! (Day of the Dead)

Dia de los Muertos  (Day of the Dead) is celebrated throughout Mexico and in some other parts of Latin America. It coincides with November 1 and 2, which are All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

The purpose is to demonstrate love and affection for deceased family members, whose spirits are thought to return to the household to greet the loved ones.  We're featuring some of the most colorful and whimsical Day of the Dead quilts that we have seen over the last few years. 

Disparity by Karlee Porter (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Blue-ribbon winner for Best Surface Design at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, Karlee remarks, "The inspiration for this design was the word "Disparity."  The skull was used as a centerpiece to remind the viewer that all life comes from something that must someday die.

Close-up, Disparity by Karlee Porter

Karlee's techniques for her original design include hand and machine embellishment, digital and professional fabric painting, and couching. 

Close-up, Disparity

For materials, Karlee used satin backing, printed wholecloth fabric, and two layers of Warm and Plush batting. Her intricate, finely detailed quilting patterns really give this striking image a great deal of energy.

El Muerto by Barbara Sferra (Cincinnati, Ohio)

A member of SAQA ( Studio Art Quilt Associates),  Barbara provided this lovely rendition of  El Muerto to the 2017 Benefit Auction, SAQA's premier fund-raising event.  Its proceeds benefit SAQA's exhibition and education outreach programs.

Close-up, El Muerto

Elegant and precise couching stitches provide a colorful embellishment for this lighthearted,  grinning countenance.

Flor de Muertos by Betty Busby (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Betty Busby is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and a member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. Her work depicts a young woman with long flowing locks and an elaborate earring.  She appears to be looking through a flower-bedecked portal from the spirit world into the earthly realm as she prepares to join her loved ones for a family visit on Dia de Los Muertos.

Close-up,  Flor de Muertos

In this close-up of Betty's mini-quilt,  you can see the circular/ diamond shaped design motif around the subject's eye serves as a complementary shape to the circular shapes of the small flowers surrounded the border.

My Inner Yogi by Debbie Schulze (Taos, New Mexico)

Debbie explains, "This is what you get when you combine a physical therapist, a yoga instructor, and a quilter. I found the Kaffe Fassett to be plenty whimsical enough to complement my happy, wacky, yogi."

Close-up,  My Inner Yogi

Debbie adds that her design source was her love of yoga, addiction to bright colors, and the lovable Mr. Chillingsworth, a top-hat wearing skeleton from Andover Fabrics.  Her techniques include machine piecing, fused applique, and machine quilting.

Close-up,  My Inner Yogi

Even this admiring kitty cat is done in imaginative polka-dot fabric, with an equally comical purple face and ears.


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

Modern Quilt Month: Contemporary Art Quilts

In our eyes, the most fascinating modern quilts are art quilts. Much as traditional artists use paint and canvas, contemporary quilt artists choose to express themselves with original works in cloth and thread.  These pieces are meant to be displayed on walls.  As described in The Art Quilt by Robert Shaw, the art quilt movement began in the 1960s, and it has continued to evolve, expand and flourish in the present.  Here are some brilliant works of art from recent shows.

The Power of Yellow, 24 x 60", by Yvonne Porcella (Modesto, California)

Yvonne Porcella is a pioneer of the art quilt movement.  Her works are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the M.H. de Young Museum of Art, and other leading institutions. The Power of Yellow is a reflection on Vincent van Gogh and France. We loved the saturated colors, freehand forms, and the jaunty stance of the figure in this piece.  Yvonne explains: "I’ve been to France numerous times and am always thrilled when I see an older man with a hat, walking, remembering... In Arles we saw the yellow house [and] stood on sidewalk tiles witnessing what Vincent had painted. Suddenly the park was filled with townspeople in full costume, women dressed in yellow, men positioning their horses... What an exquisite moment!"

close up, The Power of Yellow by Yvonne Porcella

 

Yvonne Porcella founded the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) in 1989.  You can see Yvonne talk about the history of the art quilt movement at the 25th anniversary SAQA conference at YouTube.  To celebrate the silver anniversary, she will have a solo exhibit called Yvonne Porcella, Once and Again, at the 2014 Houston International Quilt Festival.  Last but not least, her newest book, a memoir, will be published in Fall, 2014.

The Forest, 85 x 81", by Misik Kim (Seoul, Korea)

The Forest by Misik Kim is a stunning hand-stitched piece that was published in Martha Sielman’s book Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2: Major Works by Leading Artists. The piece consists of overlapping reverse-appliqued circles within squares, done in autumn colors that complement the blues and grays.  The appliqued elements fade to white against the beautiful hand-dyed background. Misik explains, "Mt. Keryong is famous in Korea for the beautiful scenery and the colors of its forest. Misik has lived near this mountain for several years and this work reflects a mountaintop in autumn from a bird’s eye view."

close up, The Forest by Misik Kim

We saw The Forest in person at the SAQA exhibit within the 2014 AQS Quilt Week.  Misik Kim has been working as a professional fiber artist since the mid-1980's. She has exhibited internationally in invitational and juried exhibitions.  For more information on her work, see Viewpoints 9 : An International Collective of Fiber Artists. The Forest is currently available for purchase at the SAQA store.

Cheers by Pat Kroth (Verona, Wisconsin)

The title of this quilt, Cheers, perfectly describes the feeling conveyed by the many squiggles and confetti-like squares that cover the hand-dyed fabric. Pat Kroth explains her inspiration: "Growing up in a family of four children, we had our share of “spilled milk” at the dinner table...  Now when the drinks overturn, it’s become a family tradition to laugh, stand up and toast “Cheers!"

Cheers by Pat Kroth

As an artist, Pat Kroth has worked in a variety of media: painting, printmaking and photography.  Her innovative fiber art pieces have been included in many group and solo exhibitions.  For more information see Pat Kroth Fiber Art and SAQA.

Indian Summer, 34 x 40", by Karlee Porter (Clinton, Utah)

Indian Summer was inspired by the traditional Indian henna tattoos that often adorn an Indian bride on her wedding day.   We loved the elaborate quilting designs on this contemporary whole cloth quilt, which was made with Karlee Porter's own hand-dyed fabric.  The machine quilting was done using black thread, which stands out against the pastel hues of the background.

Indian Summer by Karlee Porter

Additional quilting was done in yellow and orange threads, such as in the lotus blossom shapes in the lower left of the close up photo.   Karlee specializes in creative, original computerized quilting designs and modern digitally-designed fabrics.  Indian Summer was exhibited at the 2014 AQS Quilt Week.  For more information visit Karlee's website at Karlee Porter.com.

Autumn Canopy, 39 x 48", by Tim Harding (Stillwater, Minnesota)

Autumn Canopy is a piece from Tim Harding’s "Crushed Grid" series, done in his signature reverse applique technique, which creates a three-dimensional surface.  We were fascinated by the texture and painterly quality of this piece.  He uses saturated, iridiscent silk colors to create a rich, lit-from-within quality. As in Autumn Canopy, Tim's abstract art compositions subtly reference the landscape, reminding us of an impressionist painting.

close up, Autumn Canopy by Tim Harding

The brilliant blues of the silks peek through several layers of folded/crushed squares in autumn hues of gold, russet and green.  Autumn Canopy was published in Martha Sielman’s book Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2: Major Works by Leading Artists; it is being exhibited in the SAQA Masters II exhibit within AQS 2014. As of this post, this piece is available for purchase at the SAQA store.

ArtFabrik, 51 x 51", by Laura Wasilowski (Elgin, Illinois)

ArtFabrik is not only the name of this outstanding, colorful piece but also of Laura Wasilowski's website. We loved the composition, which depicts a huge paintbrush creating a swath of color.  The description of ArtFabrik reads: "Laura is a dyer. Color is both her work and her pleasure. Her work is to change plain, white fabric into something colorful. Her pleasure is to make the cloth colorful art."

close up, ArtFabrik by Laura Wasilowski

Laura's beautiful fabrics and quilting can be seen in this close-up photo. ArtFabrik was published in Masters Art Quilts Vol. 2, and shown in the SAQA Masters II exhibit at the 2014 AQS shows.   Laura Wasilowski has inspired many other quilters with her hand-dyed fabrics and threads, art quilt patterns and workshops; for more information see ArtFabrik. ArtFabrik (the quilt) is presently available for purchase at Laura's website.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. The Power of Yellow by Yvonne Porcella was shown in the 2013 Dinner At Eight Artist's exhibit in Houston.  Cheers by Pat Kroth also was photographed at the 2013 Houston IQF.  For more art quilt inspiration, see our Contemporary Quilts board at Pinterest.