Joy of Handwork: The Quilts of Zena Thorpe

Explore the beauty of award-winning quilts from the artist Zena Thorpe. Her hand quilted and applique quilts have been exhibited around the world and she has been recognized as one of the hundred best quilters in the twentieth century. In 2003, Zena was inducted into the Master Quilters Guild, an institution of the National Quilting Association.

Zena's work was featured at the recent 2022 International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City. Here are some exquisite quilts from the Joy of Handwork exhibit.

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Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness by Zena Thorpe

This original design was inspired by a tapestry in Lincoln Cathedral, England. The quilt is in the style of the medieval French Mille Fleurs (thousand flowers) tapestries. The flowers are all wildflowers, and many are featured in Zena Thorpe's book, Beautiful Wildflower Applique.  Zena explains that the French medieval tapestries usually had a life form of some sort in the work.  In the detail photo below you can see the magnificent lion surrounded by bees.

Renaissance by Zena Thorpe

Renaissance was inspired by a sixteenth century embroidered valance shown in a Dover book.  Adonis was the Greek god of rebirth and renewal of vegetation each spring, and this he quilt symbolizes the annual renaissance. Some of the amazing details of the hand applique, quilting and embroidery can be seen in these closeup photos.  

Exuberance by Zena Thorpe

Exuberance is hand appliqued, embroidered, and quilted, and the name fits the feeling you get from admiring this quilt.  Zena says that she appliques fantastical flowers because they are so much more exciting to her than real ones. "I think nature does a wonderful job of creating her flowers and I cannot compete with nature, so I make up my own flowers." You can see Zena discussing this award-winning quilt during a 2016 AQS interview on YouTube.

 A Quilters Crest by Zena Thorpe

This little quilt is so much fun! Since many organizations have a coat-of-arms or crest, Thorpe felt the quilt world should have its own. A Quilter's Crest design incorporates all of the components of an official coat-of-arms but adapted to the art of quilting. The "charges" on the shield represent some of the tools of the trade, i.e. pins, thread, scissors, and also the hazards of the trade, drops of blood or "gouttes de sang." The motto on the scroll is Latin for "Always Quilting."

Sunbonnet Sue is shown in a sweet crocheted dress and carrying a quilted bag. Another of our favorite details was the hand, below, wearing a thimble and holding a needle pulling thread. The ends of the "bolts" of fabric are even embroidered with the words, "100% cotton" (shown below).

Kells - Magnum Opus by Zena Thorpe

This quilt was inspired by the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript produced by Celtic monks around 800 A.D. The quilt was given the NQA Masterpiece Award in 2003.

The book of Kells records the gospels of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with an ornate title page for the beginning of each of the gospels. Thorpe used the title page from the Gospel According to Luke as the major inspiration for the quilt. All of the Celtic knot interlacing strip designs were taken directly from the Book of Kells, requiring many yards of bias strips to create.

Fun and Fancy by Zena Thorpe

Fun and Fancy is another original design, inspired by various books and magazines. Zena Thorpe says, "When I was a small child, I would ask my mother as she was working on her projects, "What are you making that for?" She would reply, "For fun and fancy!"  This quilt was fun to make, and it turned out fancy." the circles in the inner border add to the playfulness of this outstanding design.

Pageantry by Zena Thorpe

Upon completing To England With Love, which we featured earlier this week, Thorpe realized she had not included the art of heraldry in it. Pageantry would be the remedy. The Oxford Guide To Heraldry defines heraldry as "...art with special rules and methods, a system of symbols denoting prominent families and institutions, a display of pageantry and an invaluable aid to understanding history and genealogy." The quilt is covered with hand appliqued motifs, each one rendered in great detail to bring the art of pageantry to life.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

Happy Valentine's Day !

As a theme, hearts and valentines are beloved by quilters around the world.  Here are some beautiful quilts from Japan and the United States.  Happy Valentines Day on Friday, February 14 !

Gathering Hearty Roses by Aiko Miyata, Norimi Tashiro, Nobuko Kotani, Reiko Terui (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan) - 2013 Houston IQF

Second place winner for Group Quilt, these quilters write, "This is a group quilt done by four members who have been quilting together over twenty years. We put each favorite color of hearty roses together and made a wish that we can work together forever." All the hours of loving work in using these beautiful pastels and pure clear solid colors has really resulted in a spectacular creation.

Close up, Gathering Hearty Roses

Look at the fabulous bouquet that has been created within each heart ! The pattern was designed by Kathy Namajima, and the group used hand applique and hand quilting techniques on cotton fabric. 

What Shall We Do by Junko Hashijume (Saitama, Japan) - 2013 Houston IQF

This quilt is from the World of Mother's Dream exhibit of designs by Reiko Kato, sponsored by Quiltmania.  Junko writes,  "[These] Sunbonnet Sues are framed by hearts. I put the hearts at random."  A gingham border gives an especially cozy, folk-art touch to this quilt that contains very popular figures from the world of Amish patterns. 

Close up, What Shall We Do by Junko Hashijume

Here's a close-up  of Junko's wonderful applique work which surrounds the adorable sunbonnet children. Horizontal quilting with decorative stitches provides a nice contrast with the curved forms of the valentine hearts and the outlines of the children.

The Love Quilt by Christine Nelson - 2014 Tucson Quilt Fiesta

We enjoyed all the various backgrounds and quilting patterns, which brought so much visual interest to this original design done in pinks, purples, and oranges. Christine writes of her art quilt, "Children expressed what thought love was. Their ideas are so perceptive and thought provoking. I had to share them and what better way than to incorporate them into a 'Love' quilt." We certainly agree with this quilt artist !

Close up, The Love Quilt by Christine Nelson

Here's a close-up of some of the embellishment around one of the very sweet messages written by children.

A Cascade of Hearts by Joelyn Fevurly (Leavenworth, Kansas), quilted by Theresa Ward,  shown at AQS Phoenix - 2014

This quilt won the Out of the Box Quilting Award in the GO! Have Fun Quilt Challenge sponsored by AccuQuilt.  Joelyn used the heart and scallop dies from AccuQuilt.The hearts were finished with a candlewick stitch in the embroidery hoop.

Close up, A Cascade of Hearts by Joelyn Fevurly

We really enjoyed the way that the hearts cascade in color as they move down the quilt, along with the fanciful feather-and-swirls quilting by Theresa Ward.

Vintage Valentine by Sherall Donovan, 2014 Tucson Quilt Fiesta

And finally, the very best Valentine's Day present we can think of : a quilt gift for your "sweetie", no matter who he or she is. Sherall notes, "I am dedicating this quilt to my wonderful husband of 50 years, Pat Donovan. From an unknown author: 'Love put the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a heart.'"  Sherall's fabulous creation is primarily hand-appliqued.  This Vintage Valentine quilt is based on the design by Verna Mosquera at The Vintage Spool.

Close up, Vintage Valentine by Sherall Donovan

Elegant deep rose pinks, whites, and soft tan colors along with painstaking hand quilting all combine to form what appears to us to be a very Victorian-themed vintage  quilt, adorned with very cheerful flowers.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Stay tuned for more valentine quilt favorites later this week!

Sunbonnet Sue joins the Foreign Service...

... and visits 60 countries!  For real.  Except that the real adventure belongs to Mona Kuntz, who is a member of the U.S. Foreign Service.  Mona's blog, Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting, is both a quilting journal and a travelogue.  She explains:  "While Debra Kimball’s Sunbonnet Sue book will be the basis of my quilt, the quilt will be the story of my nomadic life…well, in a Sunbonnet Sue kind of way…. In any case, it looks like I’ll have to draft many of my own Sunbonnets for the countries I’ve visited – I guess that will be the tricky part." 

Sunbonnet Sue plucks the harp in Paraguay, by Mona Kuntz at at Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting

This is Mona's first original Sunbonnet Sue pattern! In this lovely block, Sunny Sue represents Paraguay,  wearing a well-known version of folkloric dress. Mona explains that the skirt has two deep ruffles marked by tiny vintage rickrack, and her hair is full of broderie perse flowers.  The Paraguayan harp is a cultural icon;  it represents Paraguayan pride in their country and in their people. You can read the fascinating story of Paraguay, and see the photo that inspired the block, at this post.

Sunbonnet Sue potters around in Honduras, by Mona Kuntz at Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting

In another delightful block by Mona Kuntz, Sunbonnet Sue embodies one of Honduras’ native peoples, a Lenca woman holding a hand sculpted Lenca pottery rooster. She’s wearing what amounts to as the current Lenca style, a dress with a pleated skirt and minor decoration at the cuff and collar.  A colorful headscarf protects her head from the heat and keeps her hair out of the way.  You can read about the Lenca people, who live in the high mountains of Honduras, at this post.

Sunbonnet Sue dances 'La Vaquita' in Nicaragua, by Mona Kuntz at Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting

Sunbonnet Sue looks very festive in her bright red dress trimmed with vintage pink rickrack and wearing a red hat covered in flowers. In this original design by Mona Kuntz, the dancer carrying "La Vaquita" is wearing a red huipil or dress and the dancer’s clothing and hair are bedecked in masses of flowers. To read about the festivities and their significance, see this blog post.

Sunbonnet Sue Squeezes Grapes in Greece, by Mona Kuntz at Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting.  Pattern by Debra Kimball

In this block, Sunbonnet Sue wears a toga and honors Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. The lazy Susan stitches add texture and dimension to the grapes, and the embroidered stars on the toga add another interesting element. In the post about Greece you can even find Mona's tips on the best quilt shops in Athens.  Mona says: "I hope I’ve inspired you to quilt, to embroider, to applique, to travel to Greece and see the sights, or simply to drink more wine and occasionally behave like a wild woman!"  Read the whole story here.

Sunbonnet Sue visits the Great Wall of China, by Mona Kuntz at Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting . Pattern by Debra Kimball.

Sunbonnet Sue is having a real adventure in the Far East, but luckily she’s taken along her red Chinese lantern to light her way!  Mona says:  "Beijing is a fabulous city — I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the area where we stayed was sleek and modern, but with unexpected twists — like Snack Street, where we watched tourists chomp on scorpions, snakes, crickets, grasshoppers, and other tasty 'snacks' that I can’t name."  To read more about China and the Great Wall, click here. 

Mona's original Sunbonnet Sue blocks include El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, America, and Paraguay (so far), and she has created many adorable blocks inspired by Debra Kimball's International Sunbonnet Sue (below).  To see them all, check out Sunny Sue Applique and Quilting. 

Image credits:  Images of Sunbonnet Sue blocks are shown with the generous permission of Mona Kuntz.

Funny Sunbonnet Sue !

~ The May Giveaway starts Monday, including Hoffman fabrics ! ~

It's our ultimate Humorous Quilts post and we think you'll love these Sunbonnet Sues. Of course, Sue dates from the 1800's, and she is a highly respected icon in the traditional quilting world. But some creative quilters have given thought to what Sue might be doing if she were here today....

Sunbonnet Sue meets her modern counterpart, 16 x 16, by Dorothy Day, for the Alliance for American Quilts

Dorothy Day says: "I can just see stocky Sunbonnet Sue when she sees a super thin model in this day and age". Dorothy used calicos for Sue’s clothing, and batik for the modern girl and the background. The quilt was made for a "New from Old" contest (see Quilt Index Record 1-6-FC).

Sunbonnet Sue sends text messages on her cell phone, 16 x 16, by Bonnie MacGregor, for the Alliance for American Quilts

We love the combination of traditional redwork and the modern theme. Hand embroidered redwork, fabric pen, machine pieced and machine quilted. (see Quilt Index Record 1-6-14C).

A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue, by Christine Porter and Darra Williamson, published by That Patchwork Place/Martingale Publishing

Sunbonnet Sue can schuss!  This quilt was made as a sample for the 2011 book,  A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue: 12 small quilts.  At Amazon you can see a preview of each quilt-of-the-month. Our favorites are March Madness (Sunbonnet Sue shoots hoops) and July (Sunbonnet Sue at the barbecue!)

Sue kicks the Snowman, by Natalie S. from South Dakota, at Bad Sue Quilts*

Once in a while, Sue does something bad.  In fact, there is an entire website devoted to Sue's bad behavior, based on contests held from 1997-2005.  Let's just say that kicking the snowman is the least of Sue's infractions.  You can also see Sue drags her quilt through the mud; Sue colors on walls; Sue shaves her cat; and many, many more. Of course we know that Sue is not a bad person; she just makes bad choices. :-)

Chain Gang, by Rosalie Gray, at Quilts Kingston 2008

Does this remind you of the opening scene in O Brother, Where Art Thou?  We're always afraid that this will happen at the quilt show. Not that we would touch any quilts, oh no, not us.   "Chain Gang" won a blue ribbon for most humorous quilt at the Quilts Kingston show.

Also, don't miss the hilarious articles by Barbara Brackman: Sunbonnet Sue's Dark Side and Sunbonnet Sue Wrecks.

Sunbonnet Sue variations

These books have some really cute Sues. L-R: A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue, by Christine Porter and Darra Williamson (mentioned above); International Sunbonnet Sue, by Debra Kimball; Sunbonnet Sue and Scottie at Play, by Suzanne Zaruba Cirillo.
*The Sunbonnet Sue blog, the Sunbonnet Sue website, and the Home of Bad Sunbonnet Sue are the websites of Kim Bunchuck.

Joke of the day.  What do you get when a quilting icon takes legal action against a famous doctor?  Answer:  Sunbonnet Sue sues Who ?