Here's Day 3 of magnificent creations by the quilters at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California ! This year's theme is "Indie", short for the word "Independence."
Magnolia, 63 x 63", by
Sylvia Gegaregian
Sylvia writes, "My independence allows me the freedom to reach out of the box with a new challenge or technique that is thrilling, yet daunting. This quilt was constructed with hand dyed cotton satin and hand dyed cottons and a few commercial fabrics."
We really like how the graceful shapes of the tree branches on the outer border are mirrored by the quilting pattern, as they convey an elegant sense of three dimensions.
Close-up,
Magnolia by
Sylvia Gegaregian
In this close-up, you can see the detail of the beautiful machine quilting. Sylvia notes, "[This quilt] has two layers of batting - the bottom layer is cotton and the top is wool. It was quilted with silk thread. The center flower and tree trunks were quilted with 30 weight rayon threads."
Shattered Face Quilt by
Kathryn Harmer Fox, East London, South Africa
Kathryn states, "I needed to demonstrate some of the techniques I teach in my workshop entitled, 'Using Your Sewing Machine as a Creative Tool'. So, I sketched an eye onto a scrap of canvas and began teaching. My students offered me the pile of scraps left over from the workshop, and I completed "Shattered Face" on my return to my own studio. I used fiber embedment with scribble-stitch, free-motion machine embroidery, and quilting in this work."
Close- up,
Shattered Face Quilt by
Kathryn Harmer Fox
In this close-up, you can see the single teardrop with outline stitch on the face, which is an important part of this very moving and intriguing work.
The Unicorn's Garden, 60 x 61", by
Eileen Campbell , Kew, Australia
Eileen says: "[This is] one in a series of fantasy quilts designed around unicorns. The background fabric is subtly shaded Japanese kimono silk, and I wanted bright, happy colors on it. The three-dimensional birds were made separately with padded bodies and some of the wings left free. Appliqued, embroidered, and quilted on a domestic machine. "
Close up,
The Unicorn's Garden by
Eileen Campbell
Look at the excellent background quilting done on a domestic, stationary sewing machine! It really helps the unicorns with their metallic gold manes and tails to stand out in the foreground of this enchanting work.
Naturally Crazy, 67 x 67", by
Linda Steele, Park Orchards, Australia
Blue ribbon winner for Best in Country- Australia,
Linda Steele has created a dynamic show-stopper in this hand-appliqued and hand-embroidered quilt. On her website,
Linda Steele Quilts, she explains, "[This is a] hand-embroidered crazy quilt featuring Australia in the centre, surrounded by 12 other countries or continents, including North America, South America, South Africa, China, Japan, India, Egypt, New Zealand, England, Scotland, and Spain. I was asked to teach Quilting All Over the World, but I thought it too large and the circle setting too difficult, so I designed a new quilt with a simpler setting and smaller size."
Close up,
Naturally Crazy by
Linda Steele
In this close-up of the center medallion, you can see some of the fabulous, embellishment, as well as a tribute to the wildlife of Australia. We love the delicate flowers and butterflies, plus the little green frog who is so full of personality.
Cactus Flower, 30 x 32", by
Darlynn Evans
Darlynn notes, "My independence as a woman enables me to freely express myself artistically. I believe this is exemplified by the creativity, originality, and flare of my art. This piece is constructed by using fusible applique." We love the color-saturated "ice cream sherbet" look of the raspberry, tangerine, and lemon yellow hues of the flower.
Close-up,
Cactus Flower by
Darlynn Evans
In this pretty machine quilted work, Darlynn has a created a perfect satin stitch around each petal of the cactus flower to provide texture and realism. The thread ties represent the spines on the cactus and provide interesting visual detail.
Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.
