Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 5

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an awe-inspiring event, with more than 1,600 quilts on display, and over 60,000 visitors!! We're sharing some final highlights of this fantastic show, before we turn our attention to Christmas!

Note: We've listed quilt patterns and vintage fine jewelry at very low prices at Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay store !

I Choose Joy by Cheryl Olson (Utah)

"I Choose Joy" was inspired by the natural beauty of birch trees. It was featured in a special exhibit, Nine Voices from One, curated by Jane Dunnewold. The exhibit features works by graduates of The Art Cloth Mastery Program, showing some of the finest works created by surface design artists today. Beginning with a hand-dyed silk backdrop, other hand-dyed cut pieces were fused onto the surface, then machine quilted. 

We liked Cheryl Olson's explanation of her quilt title,  "I Choose Joy", so much that we turned it into an image:

APPreciation: Ineka by Helen Godden (Australia)

Helen Godden says, “My muse is my daughter, Ineka. This quilt is based on a holiday photo from the dry Lake Hart. The glare from the dry desert salt pan requires sunglasses, even for a photo.” Helen altered the image with the Dreamscope phone app, then painted it with acrylic paint on cotton fabric.

Diamond Effervescence by Beth Nufer (Oregon) and Clem Buzick

Machine piecing and hand applique was used to create this brilliant original design. Beth Nufer says, “My inspiration was the silk fabric. The background fabric is a gradated cotton sateen. I wanted to incorporate the two fabrics together.” Clem Buzick's award-winning quilting can be seen in every element of the quilt.

Wild, Wild Plum by Carolyn Skei (Texas)

Carolyn Skei created Wild, Wild Plum with apps on her iPad.  It was inspired by a Hosui pear photogarph by Susanne Kaspar from The Great Book of Pears. Carolyn says, "My iPad experimentations yielded the outline and coloration for this quilt; fabrics and threads from my stash took it to the next level."

Carolyn used machine applique; fusing; hand and machine embellishment; hand and machine embroidery; and fabric collage techniques with commercial and hand-dyed cottons.

Balancing Act, 56 x 40", by Bodil Gardner (Denmark)

The woman in this whimsical quilt balances precariously on a seesaw, with the world on one end of the seesaw and a baby carriage on the other; a book and teacup are perched on her head. Bodil says, "In 1985 I made a quilt called Woman’s Life, a Balancing Act. So many wishes to fulfill, so many dreams to pursue, so little time of your own, little has changed since then. This 2015 quilt is on the same theme."  These lines are stitched onto the borders:

I would give you all the stars in the sky 

I would catch the drops from threatening clouds 

I would plant thornless roses by your way 

But would life be worth living then my child? 

Elements #12: Blue River by Michele Hardy (Colorado)

Elements #12: Blue River was shown in the special SAQA: Textile Posters exhibit. It depicts the colorful annual cycle of snowfall in the mountains, spring melt, runoff that replenishes the rivers, and water that gives life, summarized in the words Snow - River - Life. The fabrics were hand dyed, screen printed, fused, machine appliqued, and stitched.

Kazenobon by Masako Sakagami (Japan)

Masako Sakagami says, "I live in Yatsuo-machi, Toyama prefecture. Here I depicted the folk dance of the [traditional] Kaze no Bon festival."   The festival occurs at night, therefore Masako set the whirling dancers against a black background.  She used kimono fabrics along with machine piecing, machine applique, machine embroidery, painting, and free-motion quilting to create this masterpiece.

Gold and silver metallic threads stand out beautifully against the black background.

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

Celebrating Autumn Quilts

We love everything about autumn: cool nights,  colorful trees, falling leaves, and  apple harvest time.  We've picked out some of our favorite fall quilts from the past twelve months to share with you today.  We hope this season is filled with sunny days, warm memories, and quilt inspiration.

Apple Scrapple by Rhonda Borders and members of the San Luis Valley Quilt Guild (Colorado)

This wonderful fall quilt has pieced, appliqued and embroidered blocks.  Rhonda Borders says, "I won a set of basket blocks in our local quilt guild.  They formed the basis of an original design using apple patterns from several sources." 

close up, Apple Scrapple by Rhonda Borders

The embroidered basket blocks surround a tree bearing colorful leaves and apples.  The quilting was done by Peg Collins (Alamosa, Colorado) who quilted swirls in the white background around the appliqued leaves and apples, echo-quilted the clamshells, and used a leaf design in the green plaid strip (see the closeup photo below).

Autumn Faery, 31 x 31", by Diane Hansen

Autumn Faery won first place for Art / Painted or Digital Images at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show and Honorable Mention at the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix, Arizona.  Diane Hansen says, "I used Tuskineko inks and about 30 colors of thread to complete this quilt." The project was inspired by a calendar art image by her favorite artist, Linda Ravenscroft, with permission.

close up, Autumn Faery by Diane Hansen

We admired the beautiful autumn colors and detailed quilting in Autumn Faery, which was started in a fabric painting workshop by Patt Blair.   Diane Hansen says that she fell in love with painting after taking the class.  To see a photo of the work in progress, see the post at Patt Blair's blog.

Double Duty by George Magee, quilted by Mary Vaneecke

Double Duty won first prize and a blue ribbon in the Large Pieced Two Person category at the 2014 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  George Magee did a wonderful job interpreting the design in autumn colors of russet, green, gold and caramel.  The design is by Carrie Nelson at Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and the quilting is by Mary Vaneecke.

close up, Double Duty by George Magee,  quilted by Mary Vaneecke

George says, "Working with the different colors used in this quilt and organizing them in a pleasing arrangement was quite a challenge. I enjoy making tops using traditional piecing, and I appreciated Carrie Nelson's use of log cabins and flying geese." Within the log cabins,  Mary Vaneecke quilted the octagon shapes with a design resembling a sunflower.

September Song by Jane M. Rua

Winner of an Honorable Mention award at the 2014 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show, Jane notes that her quilt is inspired by a class taught by Rita Blocksom, using Gloria Loughman's Quilted Symphony book. We enjoyed this quilt, which features large leaves, boldly outlined with prominent veins, as they drift through the air. Jane has quilted very intriguing leaf patterns into the dark green outer border, which emphasize the motif of swirling movement.

Close up, September Song by Jane M. Rua

Golden yellow, silver, and charcoal gray together are an innovative color combination which provide a contemporary, refreshing feel to this work. We like Jane's choice of patterned batik fabrics for the neutral background.  The leaves are finished with blanket stitching.

Texas Gold by Vickie Owen

Texas Gold was part of "The American Tradition", a show within a show at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  Vickie explains, "My first quilt, made 30 years ago, was a Texas Lone Star. It wasn't too bad, although my color choices have definitely changed over the years ! I love the Lone Star pattern and fell in love with [the color combination shown here], so I was excited to create this quilt when I found the pattern in an old magazine."

Close up, Texas Gold by Vickie Owen

 

Vickie has added a circle of slate blue and white floral print fabric diamonds a few rows out from the center.  They  provide a  midway focal point and draw the viewer's eye towards the symmetrical patterns of appliqued leaves. Vickie's  work is machine pieced and appliqued. She adds, "The Lone Star design is one of the oldest and most recognizable quilt designs, and thus appropriate for "The American Tradition" exhibit.

The Falling Leaves of Red and Gold by C.J. Fuhrman, quilted by Rose Maynes

C.J. notes that her quilt was started in 2004 and finished in 2013. (We all can certainly relate to the fact that our most impressive project sometimes take years to complete !) It was originally made for the 2004 fall meeting of the Arizona Quilters' Guild, but it wasn't quilted until 2013. CJ's work was inspired by the Cabin Cozy pattern in the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

Close up, The Falling Leaves of Red and Gold by C.J. Fuhrman, quilted by Rose Maynes

Here's a wonderful example of two very traditional patterns which look great when juxtaposed. The bear's paw center blocks work perfectly with the log cabin blocks which surround them. Both the  lacy white longarm quilting design on the outer border and the curved pattern on the blocks show up really well without overpowering the angular patchwork.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Two-million-view milestone : Part 1

Quilt Inspiration recently hit a major milestone, with over 2 million page views.  We're very pleased, and we think it's time to say THANKS to the many talented designers who inspire us all.   Join us for a two-part retrospective with a few of the artists we've featured.

Eye of the Storm by Peggy Martin

'Eye of the Storm' by Peggy Martin is an excellent example of a medallion quilt, where there is one large circular or symmetrical object in the center, surrounded by concentric rings or diamonds which draw the eye inward. For more information on this storm-at-sea quilt, see our March 2011 post, Eye of the Storm.

Surprisingly Red by Jacqueline de Jonge

Beautiful roses, soft pastels and warm reds are brought together in perfect harmony in this stunning quilt pattern by Jacqueline de Jonge. The medallion is surrounded by an undulating wave of skinny New York Beauty points.  For more information see our December 2011 post, Christmas around the world: The Netherlands.

Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith

"Simply Delicious" was the second block-of-the-month pattern at Piece O'Cake Designs and it is still going strong. This classic quilt was inspired by vintage botanical prints from the 1800's.  For more information see our August 2012 post, Simply Delicious.

Diamond Wedding Ring by Judy Niemeyer

 

In Judy Niemeyer's  clever Diamond Wedding Ring quilt, the pieced arcs are arranged in a triangle shape, with a star in the center.  Judy says that this pattern is great for both the beginner and advanced quilter.  For more information see our February 2013 post, Wedding Ring Quilts Part 2.

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

"Memories of Monet" is a deceptively simple design by color expert Joen Wolfrom.  Joen combined two historic blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea, in an analogous color scheme. For more information see our December 2012 post, Color Play by Joen Wolfrom.

Magnolia Quilt by Sue Spargo

The gracious old homes and flower gardens of  Magnolia, Ohio, inspired Sue Spargo to create her enchanting "Magnolia" quilt. Sue's folk-art imagery reflects her multi-cultural background and her fascination with folk art from around the world. For more information see our September 2010 post, Our Town Part 2.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

All sewn up: Fruit and Vegetable quilts

We think that a quilt, wall hanging or table topper would be a great way to celebrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables. For the last two weeks we've featured quilts that honor the summer harvest, with colorful, ripe plums, peaches, tomatoes, carrots and more.   We're also showcasing some luscious apples from a previous post.  There's a style here for every taste, from traditional to modern, pieced or appliqued !

Above, Row 1:  Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith at Piece O' Cake Designs.  Row 2: Pearl's Garden by Pearl P. Pereira at P3 Designs.  Row 3: Pieced Vegetables by Linda L. Frost at 13th Street Studio.  Row 4:  Pears, pineapple and apple by Laura Wasilowski at ArtFabrik.  For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

Above, Row 1:  Vegetable quilts by Lonni Rossi.  Row 2: Cornucopia by Elly Sienkiewicz, stitched by Karen Pessia; Apple still life by Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter.  Row 3: Apple of my eye by Debi Hubbs at Art Blooms; Cider Mill Road by Nancy Halvorsen at Art to Heart. For links to our original posts, see the footnote*.

*Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  Patterns  and/or books are available for many of these quilts.  For our original posts discussing these quilts and artists, please visit the following links: Simply Delicious; Pearl's Garden;  Pieced Vegetables;  Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski; The Broccoli Quilt by Lonni Rossi; and Harvest Quilts - Part 2.

Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski

Multi-talented artist Laura Wasilowski lives in Elgin, Illinois, where she displays her gorgeous work on her Artfabrik website. Laura teaches workshops and seminars, produces luminous hand-dyed fabrics and threads, writes books, designs kits and patterns, and creates beautiful quilts using a number of fusible applique methods that she developed.   Here are some of Laura's vibrant quilts with a fruit theme that really caught our eyes.

Folk Art Pineapple, 15 x 18, by Laura Wasilowski
 

These pure colors of nature remind us so much of Hawaii, with lush green pineapple fields surrounded by the blues of the ocean and the sky. You can purchase the pattern separately, or Laura also offers both the pattern and the fabric kit together on her patterns page at Artfabrik.  Based on the eye-catching design, this is definitely a pineapple with personality.

Color Chip Collage by Laura Wasilowski

Lively pears spill right out of the woven basket, just waiting to be picked up as a snack. Notice how the curved white stitching against the dark blue background gives a great sense of energy to this work. Laura teaches this collage as a one day workshop in using simple fusing techniques to create a pictorial or abstract small quilt. No sewing machine is needed ; and for a small kit fee, Laura provides a hand-out and her stunning hand-dyed fabric. We think that this workshop would be so fun and inspirational !

Prelude to Pie, 46 x 46", by Laura Wasilowski 
 

Laura writes, "Inspired by family, friends, and home, I create stories in cloth. My narrative quilts begin with unique, hand-dyed fabrics. These become whimsical wall pieces that reflect a joyful and colorful life." Her original "Prelude to Pie" quilt features a big bowl of apples sitting on a virtual tablecloth, surrounded by more apples that float in space. The blue sky backdrop gives this scene a surreal quality which we love.  This quilt is for sale on Laura's Artfabrik portfolio page.

Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts by Laura Wasilowski

Laura's book, Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts has easy-to-follow directions and patterns for making 11 fused applique and embroidered projects, including this adorable cozy cottage, a houseboat, lighthouse, and windmill.  There's a chapter on how to select stitches and do hand embroidery for fused art projects,  as well as a chapter on how to do a time-saving smooth finish wrapped binding. This intriguing book is a wonderful way to practice your fusing and embroidery skills together, while making some really pretty small quilts.

Note : In addition to Laura's Artfabrik website, please check out her fun blog. She details her adventures as a guest instructor on a European cruise, along with many helpful tips about quilt making.

Image credits: Images shown are with the generous permission of the artist.

Pieced Vegetables

We're continuing our series on fruits and vegetables, and today we are featuring textile artist Linda L. Frost, whose website is at 13th Street Studio. Linda's work ranges from reproducing antique quilts to creating abstract pieces, and her quilts have been exhibited in galleries and quilt shows throughout the U.S.   Her beautiful vegetable quilts were inspired by Ruth B. McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables.

Carrot, 17 x 37", by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

Linda Frost's explorations of pieced vegetables began in 2008 with the opportunity to show some quilts at her local organic/health food market. She decided it would be a good time to make some of the quilts in Ruth McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables. We love the carrot, above, with its interesting fabrics; the carrot appears to be visible underground, with just the carrot tops showing in the light blue sky fabric;  the carrot top is quilted to mimic the texture of leaves.

Yellow Pepper by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

The sinuous shapes of the yellow pepper are clearly shown in this art quilt by Linda Frost.  She has enhanced the lines of the pepper with echo quilting.  Linda's artistic fabric selection extends to the border, which incorporates strips in a variety of colors and patterns.

Artichoke, 36 x 37", by Linda Frost at 13th Street Studio

This is the third vegetable quilt that Linda Frost made to exhibit in her local Mercantile. It is also from Ruth McDowell's book, Pieced Vegetables. At 36 x 37", this artichoke is larger than life! Linda used some purple acrylic paint to shade the tips of each of the artichoke petals-before they were sewn together... and then also used some fairly heavy stipple quilting in purple thread to help with the shading.

Ruth B. McDowell's book includes our favorite vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, onions, peppers, and more. Pieced Vegetables joins Ruth's other books, including Pieced Flowers and Piecing: Expanding the Basics.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Linda L. Frost. The quilts shown here are in private collections. She is the author of the book, Happy Birthday Kansas! A Sampler Quilt Celebrating 150 Years on the Prairie. Her work was also featured in Martha Sielman's Art Quilt Portfolio: The Natural World and in several books by Barbara Brackman; for more information, please visit 13th Street Studio.  For additional inspiration also see Linda's photostream at Flickr.

Pearl's Garden Quilt

Pearl Pereira of P3 Designs lives in Southern California, has been sewing since she was 6 years old, and creates some of the loveliest applique patterns we've ever seen.  Since August is the month that many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are  harvesting home-grown fruits and vegetables or shopping for them at local farmers' markets, we're featuring the charming "Pearl's Garden Quilt."

"Pearl's Garden Quilt", size 54 x 60 , is comprised of twelve 9" x 12" appliqued vegetable blocks, accompanied by embroidered herbs and inked lettering. In addition, this quilt features four smaller  6 x 9 blocks of very cute appliqued insects, embroidered herbs, and inked lettering. The four smaller blocks can be seen in close-up at the gallery page of P3 designs.

The "Pearl's Garden" pattern contains easy to follow instructions for the embroidery and inking of the vegetable and herb names, plus full size patterns for hand applique of the very realistic looking vegetables.

The sophisticated renderings of the vegetables are juxtaposed against a patchwork background of soft ecru,  natural linen beige, vanilla, and pale taupe fabrics, which give a homey, comforting look to this quilt. Here's a great opportunity to use neutral hue remnants of  quilt backing or fat quarters from former quilt projects. Depending upon your decor, you could also select background fabrics of pale, icy green or soft pale silvery gray. 

We especially love this block above, because as owners of a carefully-tended home grown tomato plant, we think Pearl has done a perfect job of drawing these lifelike leaves and blossoms. Pearl has chosen just the right shade of sage and olive green batik fabric for this plant. However, you could also make these blocks in tiny calico prints or monochromatic tone-on-tone fabrics, depending upon the selection from your stash.

Note : Pearl Pereira and her colleague Nancy Avidon teach at many well-known workshops and seminars throughout the year, including hosting a fabulous quilt cruise to Hawaii in the spring of 2013. For more information and more gorgeous patterns, please see Pearl's home page of P3 Designs .

Image credits: Images shown are with the generous permission of the artist.

Simply Delicious

In the middle of August, in North America, the markets are overflowing with colorful, ripe cantaloupes, peaches, tomatoes and more. We think that a quilt, wall hanging or table topper would be a great way to celebrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables.  We decided to share a few block-of-the-month quilts that are among our all-time favorites.  So let's get started... with Simply Delicious.

Simply Delicious by Rebecca Goldsmith at Piece O'Cake Designs

"Simply Delicious" was the second block-of-the-month pattern at Piece O'Cake Designs and it is still going strong. We love this classic quilt, which was inspired by vintage botanical prints from the 1800's.  There are twelve different blocks depicting fruit with descriptive names, such as Perfect Pomegranate, Plump Peaches, Choicest Cherries, and Purple Plums.

Purple Plums, 16 x 16", Block 5 of Simply Delicious at Piece O'Cake Designs

In Purple Plums, the colors of the plums varies from red-violet to deepest purple, reflecting the plums at various stages of ripening.  The fruits are appliqued on a four-patch background of blues and neutrals, giving a soft, vintage look to the finished quilt.  Each block finishes at 16" including the small sashing squares, which add to the appearance of gingham. 

Luscious Lemons, Block #4 of Simply Delicious at Piece O' Cake Designs

Each individual block would make a charming wall hanging.  We are particularly partial to Luscious Lemons, above, with its cheerful color scheme.  It would be fun to pick out the fabrics for this block! Check out the beautiful block posted by Penny Sanford, and the work-in-progress by Wanda at Scrap Happy Quilting.

Choicest Cherries, Block #16 of Simply Delicious at Piece O'Cake Designs

We've always loved the look of vintage botanical prints, and "Choicest Cherries" is another of our favorite blocks. For more quilt inspiration, check out the stunning finished Simply Delicious quilts posted by Cotton Kapers and Pine Belt Quilters (Ollie Jean Lane trunk show).

Rebecca Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins are the co-founders of Piece O' Cake Designs, and Linda says that Simply Delicious is one of her all-time favorites from her Piece O' Cake partner (see the interview with Linda and Rebecca at the Robert Kaufman Fabrics blog,  The Swatch and Stitch.)

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Rebecca Goldsmith.