Fun in the Sun: Day 7 of the Arizona Quilters' Guild Show

What could be more entertaining than a show full of beautiful quilts?  Here we go for Day 7 of  "Fun in the Sun"  from the 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show. You be the judges and let us know which ones are your favorites, in the Comments section below. 

Lilies, 50" x 35", by Rita Blocksom

These beautiful day lilies make an excellent subject for a quilt, as so much of the detail of their intricate petals, stamens, and pistils shows up perfectly. Second place winner in the Art/Painted or Digital quilts category, Rita writes, "This is from a digital image I took outside my dad's back door at the family farm in Illinois." The quilt is made on one sheet of fabric, not tiled like so many digital quilts are done.  Rita has been been teaching imagery on fabric for 20 years; you can see her website at Rita Blocksom.com.

Close up, Lilies by Rita Blocksom, quilted by Sharon Brooks

Sharon Brooks' excellent longarm quilting skills really show up here, especially on the gorgeous blended hues of reds, corals, and pinks which create a striking monochromatic and analogous color scheme.

Sundance, approximately 12 x 12", by Christy Schliesmann

Blue ribbon winner for miniature quilts, Christy says,  " The Cindy Richards design uses twenty different fabrics cut into 325 pieces, giving a twirling effect around the golden sun." 

Close up, Sundance by Christy Schliesmann

These tiny, perfectly sewn pieces measure anywhere from one-fourth inch to one inch long in a great display of Christy's workmanship.

Wild Woman by Donna Goldbeck

Donna says of her self-portrait, "The 3-D effect was achieved using yarn colors and textures. The paint makeup gives her [face] the wildness that I may have secretly longed for when I was younger." This quilt really appeals to the tactile senses with the juxtaposition of dozens of different yarn types, colors, and thicknesses.

Little Amsterdam by Marilyn Wood

Marilyn notes, "This pattern is from the [ North Sea Quilters of ] the Netherlands. The flowered fabrics in the houses and border are antique Dutch reproduction fabrics from Amsterdam, my husband's favorite city."  Marilyn's striped border adds to the lively, upbeat personality of this charming quilt.

Close up, Little Amsterdam by Marilyn Wood

Floral fabrics are perfect for portraying the highly stylised, almost baroque facades of traditional Dutch and Flemish architecture.

Jeremy's Quilt by Joan McNamara

Joan says, of her quilt in the Nearly Insane pattern, " I did this to learn to piece. Each block was drafted from a picture and some 6" blocks had over 280 pieces. Over 100 fabrics were used."  Joan has truly created a fascinating array of challenging block patterns, using predominantly reds and purples against a soft taupe background.

Close up photos, Jeremy's Quilt by Joan McNamara, quilted by Jessica (Jones) Gamez

Here's a montage of the intricate and precisely sewn 6 " x 6" blocks, many of which contain more than 50 pieces of fabric.

Quilt Inspiration has previous featured the Nearly Insane quilt pattern, which was inspired by an 1870's sampler quilt by Salinda W. Rupp.  In recent years, the Nearly Insane pattern has been re-created and popularized by quilt teacher and author Liz Lois. We've never seen a Nearly Insane quilt in person; it was fascinating to see Joan McNamara's quilt!

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Arizona Quilters Guild Show 2011, part 5 (of 5 !)

It's the grand finale, and we have five more beauties to show you.  We hope you've enjoyed the show (and let us know your favorites !)

Log Cabin Cubicles, 21 x 18, by Margit Kagerer

Margit Kagerer says she loves the log cabin block and all its variations, and we love everything about this piece, which won 2nd place in Miniature Quilts.  The entire quilt is only 18 inches across, and the log cabin strips were less than 1/2" wide! Margit chose the perfect light-medium-dark value fabrics to give a strong 3-D effect.  Little red centers and diamonds enliven the quilt.  You can see more of Margit's beautiful work at the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at her website:  Artrageous Fibers.

Unleashed, 36 x 36, by Rita Blocksom (quilted by Sharon Brooks)

"Unleashed" is a lively fabric collage that includes a masked lady (celebrating Mardi Gras), musical notes, the Blues, and the word "French".   What we like about this quilt is the spontaneous, free-form design which fits the festive theme.  Rita Blocksom says:  "The quilt represents all of the things we enjoy in New Orleans, that have been changed as a result of Hurricane Katrina".  The piece won 2nd place for applique (professional-small quilt).  You can see more of Rita's work at her website; and you can see her other award-winning Arizona Show quilt, called "Moab", at Rita's blog.

Owlish Insomnia, 50 x 50, by Carol Carpenter (entered in the Theme category - Along the Desert Highway)

In "Owlish Insomnia", Carol Carpenter used broderie perse and trapunto to depict owls in various states of sleep.  The fanciful owls appeared to be cut from a single fabric motif that looked vaguely familiar.... and we finally were able to place it:  the 2009 full moon forest collection by Tula Pink.  The owls were embellished with beadwork (below; click to see the detail).

This is a really simple but creative use of broderie perse.... the technique has unlimited potential!

Flying Flower, 46 x 37, by Nancy Swanson

Nancy Swanson's own photo from a butterfly house inspired this original design. The butterfly was more than  12" wide, allowing for the detailed treatment of the wings with raw-edged applique and thread painting.  The subtly textured background seems just right; it provides the textures of bark and leaves without detracting from the butterfly. 

Mexican Star, 40 x 40, by Toni Quintana

Toni Quintana's orchid-and-violet quilt really sparkles, and we loved her clever use of gold lamé for the centers of the 9-patch squares. What is interesting about this quilt is the way in which the star points are slightly curved. This is a dimensional piecing technique, designed by Annette Ornelas, which consists of layering and inserting folded fabric pieces into the seam line of a pieced unit or block. The technique is described in Peeled Back Patchwork: Curves without Piecing, and the Mexican Star pattern can be purchased at Southwind Designs.