Flying High: For the Love of Birds

The International Quilt Show in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a fun place for us to visit last month! There were a number of special exhibitions and quilts grouped by theme, which we really enjoyed. Here are some of the highlights of this excellent show!

This visually exciting collection of art and contemporary traditional quilts celebrates our feathered friends and the many ways in which they help sustain our ecosystems.

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White Raven by Virginia Greaves (Georgia)

Virginia writes, "Legend holds that black ravens were kept at the Tower of London (shown in the background) to protect the monarchy. My piece presents a rare white raven and asks the question of what that would mean for the monarchy and the Tower."

 Close-up, White Raven

Virginia's excellent, detailed original design was machine stitched. We enjoyed learning about the legend of the ravens in protecting the monarchy.

The Lord of Birds: Hunting in Magnolia by Mary Jane Sneyd (New Zealand)

Mary Jane created her quilt based on a photo by Leo Thomas in Cologne, Germany. She explains, "I was blown away by the obvious bond between a young Kazakh woman hunting with her eagle in Mongolia. In a male-dominated activity, this woman is working to keep a 4,000-year-old traditional alive and has found a way to connect to her traditions and her roots. In Kazakh, 'qusbegi' refers to falconers and comes rom the words 'qus', meaning 'lord', and 'begi', meaning 'bird', thus, 'lord of the birds'. "

 Close-up, The Lord of the Birds

Mary Jane's fascinating quilt is fused, raw-edge appliqued, and plaited, with machine and hand quilting.

Cockles Magic Circle by Denise Griffiths (Australia)

Denise notes, "Most days, I have two cockatoos that visit me looking for seeds or crackers. I call them Mr. and Mrs. Cockles. The male one is especially friendly and quite a character. I could think of nothing nicer than to make this quilt for them. " 

Close-up, Cockles Magic Circle

Denise's colorful, enchanting quilt is an original design which is photo printed. We especially like the pretty pink and mauve floral embellishment in the upper left background.

 My Feathered Friends by Laura Ruiz (Florida)

Laura Ruiz comments, "My Feathered Friends began with an 8 x 10 colored pencil drawing that I drew, photographed, enlarged, and printed on cotton. I added patchwork, followed by ghosted patchwork, created with paintsticks to blend into the background color." 

Close-up, My Feathered Friends

Laura continues,  "Since I love both kinds of feathers, the quilted kind and the living kind, I thought I would combine the two."  Laura's enchanting creation is pieced, appliqued, machine quilted, stenciled, and digitally printed.

Pelican Rescue by Michelle Jackson (New Mexico)

Michelle says, "This [quilt] is to bring attention to and educate the public about those who rescue, care for, rehabilitate, and release wild birds, such as the pelican, so that they can thrive in their natural habitats.

Close-up, Pelican Rescue

Michelle very creatively portrays this pelican from a side profile, so that the bird's striking, dramatic plumage can be shown. Her lovely original design is done with raw-edge fused applique.

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Note: Many of the contributors to the Flying High exhibit are members of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

Our Canine Friends

Dogs are often our best friends, which explains why more than a third of all homes own at least one dog. As the book Marley and Me: says: "A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his.” Here's a tribute to our canine friends, as shown by some of our favorite dog quilts from the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

King Charles by Virginia Greaves (Georgia, USA)

We loved this handsome dog portrait by Virginia Greaves.  Virginia says, "This is my little contribution to the 2017 IQA Silent Auction. It’s from a picture I took some time ago, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that I saw in passing."

On her website, Virginia Greaves says: "Through the progression of years, my work has become more focused on portraits. I find them challenging when portrayed in fabric, both commercial prints and hand dyes, and I delight in finding that little spark in each individual and showing it in my work."

Cruisin' by Lea McComas (Colorado, USA)

This is the third in Lea McComas' series "A Dog's Life." She says, "This is a great way to spend an afternoon - the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and your human at the wheel." The composition was inspired by a photo taken by Alicia Urie of Boulder, Colorado.  The image was not printed to fabric, but was the inspiration for the pattern that was made and used for this piece.

Cruisin' was created with fused applique and thread painting.  Lea McComas used commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabrics; polyester organza; and a variety of threads to create this piece.

Daddy's Boy by Kay Donges (Georgia, USA)

Kay Donges says, "A trip to our local quilt store inspired me to create this quilt. The owner of the store had her dog, Chester, there because the dog gets upset when her husband has to travel. My husband had placed his jacket and hat on a bench by the door. We walked away, then turned around, and Chester was lying on the coat and hugging the hat."

Kay used fusible applique with cotton and suedecloth fabric to create Daddy's Boy.  She really captured the dog's emotions in those eyes!

Cookie? PLEEEZE Cookie! by Sarah Ann Smith (Maine, USA)

This little quilt was created by Sarah Ann Smith to honor her beloved pug.  Sarah says, "I wanted to try a portrait in completely non-representational colors.  For the Dallas Quilt Guild 2010 challenge, I used the opportunity to make our pug's portrait.  I selected lights, mediums and darks... the turquoise became the background, quilted with doggie cookies in his dreams."

Sarah Ann Smith was one of two debut artists in the Rising Stars exhibit at International Quilt Festival Houston 2017. You can see a photo of Sarah with her dog on her website.

Green Dog with Orange Ball by Cindy Cooksey (California, USA)

Cindy Cooksey says, "Inspiration can appear like graffiti, often unbidden, and it is the job of an artist to recognize and interpret it however she can. In this case, I was inspired by the soulful gaze and graceful pose of my sister-in-law's dog, Gaia.  I attempted to elevate her into an iconic figure, and I added the orange bll, just because she seemed to need one."

Cindy achieved a wonderful modern art effect with her choice of colors, fabrics and motifs. Green Dog was hand embroidered, machine appliqued and quilted, and painted.

Puppy Love by Lea McComas (Colorado, USA)

Lea McComas says, "There is nothing so pure and joyous as the unconditional affection of a new puppy.  We should all wag more and bark less."

Puppy Love was created with fused applique using commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabrics.  The thread painting was done with cotton and polyester thread.

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

Birds on quilts: painted, printed, appliqued and stitched

Here's a quilted tribute to the seemingly endless variety of birds that exist in the world of nature.  Today, we're bringing you some outstanding quilts with very life-like representations of birds.

The White Raven, 40 x 32", by Virginia Greaves (Georgia, USA)

 Virginia states, "Legend holds that black ravens were kept at the Tower of London to protect the monarchy. My piece presents a rare white raven to the Tower and ask the question of what that would mean for the monarchy and the Tower."  Inspired by a photo  by Mike Yip of the white ravens on Vancouver Island, Virginia used machine applique and machine quilting  to create this striking piece. We really admire the intricate details in the bird's feathers and especially in the creation of the Tower in the background.

Botswana's Beautiful Bird, 31 x 32", by Barbara McKie (Connecticut, USA)

Barbara writes, "While in Botswana, Africa, on safari in the spring, I photographed a colorful bird, and it inspired this quilt." The bird, a Lilac Breasted Roller, is highlighted against the pale blue dye-painted background.  Barbara has done a wonderful job of conveying the stunning colors of this exotic bird with her combination of digital imagery and quilting. 

Close- up, Botswana's Beautiful Bird by Barbara McKie

Barbara notes that her techniques include photo transfer, dye-painted silk, machine applique, and quilting. Each section of the bird was finely stitched in a different color to match the underlying image.

Eagle Eyes by Margery Hedges (Texas, USA)

Margery notes of her original art quilt,  "I enjoy doing close-up views of animal faces, and this look of intense concentration makes you feel as if you are really face-to-face with this awesome eagle."  Margery's techniques include hand painting with jacquard textile acrylic paint,  machine thread painting, and quilting on cotton fabric. We are impressed with the fierce, compelling look Margery has captured on the eagle's noble countenance.

Did You Wash Your Beak?  by David Taylor, Colorado, USA..

David Taylor's applique quilt was inspired by a photo by Steve Byland.  David notes, "Bird have always been my favorite subject matter to turn into quilts. I hope I captured the attitude of the mother bird, as she looks appalled at her baby's manners. I spent weeks debating with myself over the background color, and ultimate stayed true to Steve Byland's photo."

Close up, Did You Wash Your Beak?  by David Taylor

Winner of a Judges' Choice Award by Carolie Hensley at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival, David's materials include commercial cotton prints and purchased, hand-dyed, painted fabrics.  In addition to the details on the birds, we admired the leafy textures in the background of this quilt.  David will be teaching his techniques at the March 2015 Empty Spools seminar.

Wild Goslings, 24 x 32", by Cherrie Hampton,  Oklahoma, USA

Second place winner in the Wall Quilt category at the 2013 Pacific International Quilt Festival, Cherrie states, " "I took a jump into art quilting when I began learning about paint and other product to apply color to fabric. Without patterns to follow, I feel the freedom to create fiber art which, although built on a traditional quilting background, expands that framework to personally expressive art using my fiber fixation."

Close up, Wild Goslings by Cherrie Hampton

We love the realistic look of these darling babies as they sit in repose amongst a beautiful background reminiscent of a Claude Monet impressionist painting.  Cherrie expertly created her original piece using ink painting, machine applique and free-motion quilting. Angelina, net and other embellishments were added.

Cock of the Walk, 39 x 58", by David Taylor (Colorado,USA)

Third place winner for Pictorial Art Quilts at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival,  David notes, "This is my second rooster quilt, and this one has a whole lot more attitude. Finding the perfect hand-marbled fabrics was the key to the feathers......that, and amassing enough different red "textured" prints for his wattle."

Close up, Cock of the Walk by David Taylor

David's original design was inspired by a photo by Robert Churchill. It was created with commercial cottons, purchased hand-dyed, painted fabrics, and variegated cotton thread.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

It's Raining Cats and Dogs: Part 1

The 2013 Houston IQF had a special, juried exhibit called "It's Raining Cats and Dogs".  This exhibit was among the most popular of the entire show.  In addition, there were some fantastic miniature cat quilts, such as "Princess Daphne", shown below. These skilled artists used either photo transfers, applique, or fabric paints, combined with masterful thread painting. We are in awe of their talent!

Princess Daphne, 23 x 14", by Karen Ponischil (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Karen Ponischil is a graphic designer by day and an art quilter by night. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and four (yes, four) kitty cats. Karen says: "My husband has encouraged me to do projects other than flowers. We had along discussion about this one evening in my studio. I thought, “what else could I do?” I looked over to see this face looking at me from the top of my fabric shelf… perfect!"

close up, Princess Daphne by Karen Ponischil

 
"Princess Daphne" was whole cloth painted, thread painted, and the blue area was hand appliqued and free motion quilted. This piece, which is only 14" high and 23"wide, won honorable mention in the Art-Miniature category at the 2013 Houston IQF.

Georgia by Mary Ann Vaca-Lambert (Austin, Texas)

Mary Ann has a BFA in studio art/ceramics and MA in drawing and printmaking; she has worked in many different artistic media, often incorporating textiles. Starting in 2006, she has focused on studio quilts and has started exhibiting her work.   This piece, "Georgia", was juried into "It's Raining Cats and Dogs".  The cat was drawn and painted, and the texture was enhanced with thread painting. As shown in the close up photo below, Mary Ann created a third dimension with whiskers that protrude from the quilt!

close up, Georgia by Mary Ann Vaca-Lambert

Mary Ann says:  "Georgia is the head of the household, so she thinks. She is a very strong-willed 'senior kitizen'. She had been abandoned as a one-year-old before she came to live with us in 1998. she has become my husband’s shadow and sticks to him like Velcro."

Tiger by Jeannie Palmer Moore (Escondido, California)

Jeannie Moore is a lifelong artist/watercolorist, graphic designer and professional art director; she is the author of the Mixed Media Quilt Art DVD.  She says that "Tiger" was inspired by a photo of her cat, Tiger, who was basking in the sun: "I’ve always loved having my Tiger alongside of me while I work in my studio. This is a tribute to her for 16 years of unconditional love, purrs and cuddles... I thought it would be fun to do a subtle background combining modern quilting with my newspaper transfer".

close up, Tiger by Jeannie Palmer Moore

We were intrigued by the artistic effects in this piece, which make it appear as if Tiger is sitting on an actual quilt.  The cat appears to be subtly drawn on the quilt in a watercolor style, while the thread painting adds the texture of real fur.  Jeannie explains: "Recently my quilts are taking on a more painterly style with the use of Tsukineko inks. I also enjoy combining the inks with my mixed media techniques. With the addition of stitching on the painted fabric, the animals come alive."

Firecracker, 29 x 25", by Virginia Greaves

Virginia Greaves is an award-winning art quilter who focuses on portraits.  "Firecracker" was shown as part of the "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" special exhibit at the Houston show.  Virginia explains the inspiration for this piece: "My mom was grieving the sudden loss of her Maltese recently and was given a Yorkie to love… when a visitor comes, she gets so excited, she acts like she is going to explode, just like a firecracker."

close up, Firecracker by Virginia Greaves

The close-up photo shows the hundreds of miniscule strips of fabric, in many different values of brown and beige, which were appliqued to create the dog.  On Virginia Greaves' blog, she explains: "In case anyone wants to know — yes it really is an applique piece. This is NOT a photograph — this is NOT an inkjet printed piece. It was insanely difficult but I feel like I’ve solved a difficult puzzle."

Caught in the Act, 32.5" w x 29"h,  by Barbara McKie

Barbara McKie has had many careers (see her bio here); in addition to being a professional quilt artist, she has consulted in the computer field.  Barbara carries her interest in computer graphics into her art quilts, which often feature her photographic images. She says, "I urged my cousin’s cat, Taz, to come to the kitchen sink to drink, and she obliged as I captured her in this funny pose."

close up, Caught in the Act by Barbara McKie

We are amazed by the results, which combine the realism of photography with a quilted surface. It is the uncanny look of the cat's eyes, which appear to be staring right out from the surface of the quilt.  Also check out the silvery stream of water as it hits the cat's pink tongue.  Barbara added to the realism by using trapunto on the cat's features. The face is heavily thread painted with tiny stitches.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Houston IQF.  The special exhibit included fabric animal postcards, donated by hundreds of quilters, which were sold to benefit Houston's no-kill animal shelter, Friends for Life.  To read more see the article at the Houston Chronicle. and the original call for postcards at Pokey's Ponderings.