Quilt Fiesta! The annual Tucson Quilters Guild show (2)

It's quilt show time!  The annual Quilt Fiesta, held last weekend by the Tucson Quilters Guild in Arizona, is an outstanding show. We're rolling out some of our favorite photos.

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Helen Hardin - Between Two Worlds by Karen G. Fisher

 This original art quilt by Karen G. Fisher was awarded First Place in the Art Pictorial category.  Karen explains, "Painter Helen Hardin (1943-1984) was half Pueblo, half Anglo. Her Pueblo roots inspired her imagery and color palette. I’ve included her face, and the motifs and colors she used throughout her works, which are in museums all across the U.S."

We enjoyed this amazing detail, from decorative stitches to turquoise buttons and silver feathers, in these closeup photos. 

The Guardian by Stephanie Nordlin

The Guardian was award First Place in the One Person Small Pieced Machine Quilted. The design is semi-original with 3 rows from “Simply Seminole” and block from “The Seminole Patchwork Book.” We love the colors and the design, which highlights the Gambel's quail that live in the Sonoran desert. A male quail is shown watching out for the female and her chicks.

Stephanie Nordlin explains, "The Guardian started as a row-by-row challenge, but I added extra sections of desert, night sky and original appliques." The quilt was beautifully embellished with beads.

A Cactus Garden by Manya Powell, quilted by Creative Lines Quilting, LLC

What a wonderful quilt! Manya Powell entered A Cactus Garden in the Two persons – primarily pieced - hand or machine quilted category.  She says that the multiple types of cactus were fun to make!  The finished quilt was quilted by Creative Lines quilting. (Note: The pattern source was not identified, but the blocks resemble the Greenhouse quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, which has 5 different cactus blocks.)

Heart & Soul in a Quilt by Athena Taylor

Winner of First Place in the One Person Large Pieced Machine Quilted category, here is a gorgeous double wedding ring quilt featuring 42 fabrics. Athena Taylor says, "The applique is needle turned, with some of the birds having more than 50 pieces! The machine quilting was done on my sit down Q20 using ruler work." The closeup photos help show Athena's expert piecing, applique, and quilting.

Celtic Horse, Sleipnir by Jeanne Deloria

Jeanne Deloria says, "Sleipnir is Odin’s eight-legged horse birthed by Loki. It was not the Norse mythology that led me to choose this design, it was the feeling of movement that it evoked and its suitability to reverse applique." The border design is a perfect complement to the crossed motifs in the quilt's center.

 Copper Mountain Springs by Melanie Harris, quilted by John Harris

The colors, precise piecing, and stunning machine quilting really drew our eyes to this quilt. The colors and shapes were chosen to represent the beautiful Huachuca Mountains and big sky in Cochise County, Arizona. Quiltworx (Judy &Bradley Niemeyer) was identified as the pattern source; we recognize this as the inner section of Quiltworx' Iceberg Ridge design.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

International Quilt Invitational Exhibition 2019 - Part 2 of 2

"Out of this world" quilts from around the world are presented each summer at the Brigham City Museum of Art and History in Brigham City, Utah. We think you'll agree that each of these quilts is a masterpiece.

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Esfahan by Megan Farkas (New Hampshire, USA)

The inspiration for this quilt captured Megan Farkas' imagination two years before she felt she had the skills to actually attempt making it.  The design was inspired by a tile mosaic in the Jameh Mosque, Esfahan, Iran, and was based on a photo by Sebastia Giralt (used with permission). Completing it took three years of intensive work; Megan estimates it took at least 3.000 hours.

At first, Megan thought she might be able to draft a pattern based on the underlying geometry; she says this was overly optimistic.  She ended up creating one set of floral filigree templates for each block type. The completed blocks were reverse appliqued into a single piece of fabric. Esfahan was beautifully hand quilted by Megan herself.

Once There Were by Kathryn Harmer Fox (South Africa)

This quilt is a magnificent tribute to rhinos, which are an endangered species. Kathryn Harmer Fox used several photographs of both rhinos and birds to create this image. She says, "These glorious thundering behemoths are on the brink of extinction - the unreasonableness of it all saddens Kathryn to the core."

The quilt was created with assorted dress materials and sewing threads, using free motion machine embroidery, fiber embedment using scribble stitch, and quilting. The layering of fabrics and threads creates a gauzy, artistic image.

Zoologist's Quilt by Karen Miller (Oregon, USA)

Karen Miller's passion for Japanese stencil dyeing (katazome) is matched only by her love of nature.  Originally a marine biologist, she transferred her love of the natural world to art 22 years ago when she learned this amazing technique, used in Japan for 600 years. She hand cut a paper stencil and used it to apply a rice paste resist before indigo dyeing.  This quilt was made for an exhibit in Japan, thus the names of the animals are in English and Japanese around the border, as shown below.

The Trouble With Magenta - Hot or Not by Annelize Littlefair

Annelize Littlefair was inspired by the color magenta.  She asks, "What color is a car that is described as hot magenta?" That is the question she sought to answer, asking her friends to write on a piece of paper what color they thought it was.  She made the quilt using all the colors they suggested. She says that it took longer to stitch out the background of the outside border than it did to stitch the center section.

The materials used were radiance silk and kimono silk threads.  This stunning piece was created with machine quilting and freehand needlework. The whole quilt took around three months from start to finish, working on it most days.

Choose to Bloom by O.V. Brantley

Choose to Bloom is a delightful folk art sampler quilt made with an array of brightly colored fabrics and an impressive amount of detail: flowers, baskets, trees, leaves, animals, birds, fruit, and more. About the name, "Choose to Bloom", O.V. Brantley says: "I believe life is about choices.  We can choose to accept our circumstances or we can get busy changing them. We all bloom in different ways. How will you bloom?"

The quilt, based on a pattern by Kim McLean, was lovingly appliqued using a wide variety of fabrics to convey the diversity of choices.  The African fabrics give the quilt its uniqueness (see the closeup photo, above.)  It was custom quilted by Ina Sanders.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum.

Happy Valentine's Day! (2)

Happy Valentine's Day 2019! We love this holiday, dedicated to friendship, love, and romance. Join us as we take a look at some of these red and white quilts which celebrate such a fun time of the year!

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Zen in Red by Marjory Peck, Arizona, quilted by Marjory Peck

Honorable Mention winner Marjorie notes, "I love the Zentangle drawings, but I am not a doodler. This is my version of doodling with fabric. The idea of only using two colors to make an applique quilt inspired me to do this design for the Arizona Quilters Guild theme challenge." (40th anniversary Ruby Extravaganza).

Close-up, Zen in Red

We really like how nicely  these red and white fabrics go together ! They are all the same shade of red, but there's so much variety in the type of prints displayed here. What a fun, lively project.

Red Licorice by Shirley Johnson, Arizona, quilted by Shirley Johnson

Shirley states, "[This is a] published design by Jill Finley. As my first-ever log cabin quilt, Jill Finley's 'Red Licorice' design is spot on for me; it's modernly old fashioned."

Shirley quilted this lovely work herself. She did a wonderful, precise job with both the applique and patchwork motifs.

Be My Valentine by Jan Redding, Arizona, quilted by Diane Pugh

Jan explains, "[The redwork embroidery] was a design from Bird Brain Designs. I  embroidered the redwork hearts by hand from the "Hearts and Flowers" pattern. I chose a simple nine patch setting to highlight the redwork." 

Close-up, Be My Valentine

Jan adds, "This quilt combines my two favorite things..quilting and embroidery." This intricate  redwork is beautifully done and stands out so well against the white background.

Red and White Explosion by Margaret Willingham, Colorado, quilted by Margaret Willingham

Margaret says of her original design,  "Simplicity. Elegance. Redemption. A dance of positive and negative space in red and white. I love the exciting simplicity of two color quilts. I love red, I love to applique and reverse applique by hand, and I love to hand quilt. "

Close-up, Red and White Explosion

Margaret continues, "This original quilt design with 17 unique bursting blocks inspired by architecture of the Victorian Era, brings together all these loves, just for the fun of it." Here's a close-up, above, of Margaret's very painstaking work, done with elegant, tiny stitches.

Red Regale by Kristen Webb, Utah, quilted by Kirsten Webb

Kirsten remarks, "I love red and white quilts, and Red Regale is the latest one. The block design was adapted from a block seen on Pinterest. This was a new challenge for me to create my own quilt and then set it on point. I left large neutral spaces for longarm quilting, which I did myself."

Close-up, Red Regale

Kirsten concludes, "I can honestly say this is my quilt from start to finish. I love quilting; it fills me with content and happiness."
Both the patchwork and longarm quilting here are gorgeous. Kirsten has selected fabric that is a highly saturated, very substantial shade of red in order to give maximum contrast to the background.  

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2018 Road to California show (Red and White Explosion), the 2018 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Red Regale), and  Quilt Arizona! (Zen in Red, Be My Valentine, and Red Licorice.)

Best of Utah quilts: The 2018 Springville show ! part 3

We had lots of fun seeing the pretty quilts at the 45th annual Utah Quilt Show in Springville, Utah. It's a juried show, featuring quilts of all styles and sizes. We hope you enjoy the "eye candy" below !

Note: For great deals on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - We're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter.

Joci at Meiji Shrine by Sandra Rindlesbach - Award of Excellence

Sandra notes, "Joci at Meiji Shrine is adapted from a photo of my daughter while on vacation in Japan. The quilt is completely thread painted with over 100 threads. It was started in a class by [art quilter] Jennifer Day. This is my first thread painted quilt. "

Close-up, Joci at Meiji Shrine

In this exquisite quilt, you can see every detail of Joci's face. We really admire Sandra's amazing work.

Everlasting by Helen Butler (Best of Show)

Helen explains, "This multi-faceted quilt has been year in the making and finishing. Begun in 2014, the Coxcomb pattern has intrigued me, as I was drawn to its circular design and secondary pattern. The coxcomb flower is known as an "Everlasting", being one that when it dies, it does not lose its color or shape."

Close-up, Everlasting

Helen adds, "Last, not but least, this quilt, as my family knows, has literally been everlasting in its completion, and now it's done. AMEN. This original design quilt features trapunto, stuffed work, thread play, piping, couching, and needleturn applique. Quilted on my domestic machine."  Many congratulations to Helen upon the completion of her stunning work, with such intriguing shapes and beautiful quilting.

Autumn Migration by Margo Faccini

Margo says, "I couldn't resist the wonderful colors in this [fabric] line, so I bought several yards of several pieces and have ended up with two fall colored quilts."

Close-up, Autumn Migration

We really like the center medallion of long-stemmed flowers, which is set off so nicely by the flying geese inner border. Margo's pretty work perfectly captures the moods and colors of a sunny autumn day.
  
Magnificent Mola by Ellina Poulson, quilted by Kim Peterson (Award of Excellence)

Ellina writes, "I purchased the mola several years ago in Midway, UT and then struggled with ideas to frame it. It finally came together this year."
Ellina is referring to the  textile with the circular motif in the very center of the quilt. 

detail

In this close-up of the center motif, you can see the gorgeous colors and patterns that went into its construction. Ellina adds, "The quilting by Kim Peterson exquisitely sets off the design."

Deep Blue by Aftyn Schwab, quilted by Carol Rawson

Aftyn states, "Deep Blue" is a one block wonder quilt, but it is an original design. I didn't want a normal one block wonder quilt in the way they are usually made. I wanted something completely different and organic - like the ocean. The organization of the blocks is inspired by the ocean. The lightest blocks are near the top, where the sun penetrates and causes [the water] to be lighter."
(Based on One Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts by Maxine Rosenthal)

Close-up, Deep Blue

Aftyn continues, " The symbolism between my quilt and the ocean is similar. As you go deeper in the ocean, the colors deepen due to the absence of light. This is the effect I wanted to replicate in my quilt. I chose to do the ocean because I absolutely love it. I think it's gorgeous, mysterious, endearing, and captivating. This quilt was made entirely by me, with my Grandma Evans as my technical advisor." This is such an energetic,  pretty quilt, with a perfect selection of fabrics to depict the myriad hues of the ocean against a background of sandy and gray neutrals. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Heart quilts for Valentine's Day!

We're sending hearts and flowers to all quilters via this post ! Here are some beautiful quilts to warm your heart and inspire your own creative projects.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry. We are Top-Rated Sellers !
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Hearts and Nine by Ilene Atkins (Ontario, Canada)

Hearts and Nine was selected for the special exhibit, A Canadian Nine Patch Celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday, shown at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival. The quilts were selected to represent Canada’s history, geography, and culture as expressed by each artist.

Appliqued hearts, placed in white blocks, are used to define the outline of a large heart in this quilt. Ilene Atkins says the heart theme was inspired by Canada's incredible "diversity, acceptance, wide open spaces, and friendly cities, along with many cultures and varied communities." Many different fun fabrics were used to construct the blocks.

Heart Sampler by Laurene Sinema, 1992, quilted by Una Jarvis

Heart Sampler, with nine different hearts, was in a special exhibit of Laurene Sinema’s work at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show. Laurene was a published author and she founded the Arizona Quilters Guild. It is entirely hand appliqued, hand quilted, and adorned with a border of heart-shaped leaves.

The pattern for this quilt was published in Laurene’s 1992 book, Applique! Applique! Applique! (still available in used books on Amazon).  The book teaches applique and decorative stitches, reverse applique (mola), stained glass and Celtic applique, Hawaiian, broderie perse, and shadow applique.

Heart Throb by Kris Lovetro, quilted by Debbie Stanton

Kris Lovetro says, "I had such a good time making this quilt, I made six of them, but this one in Kaffe Fassett fabric was the most fun." We love the way Kris set the pixelated heart within a neutral field composed from two different cream colored fabrics. The floral squares were quilted in back-and-forth loops, while the neutral background was quilted with an overall design of small hearts, shown below.

You can see more examples of pixel heart quilts at Blue Elephant Stitches; there is a free pattern for a bed size pixel heart quilt at Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

My Valentine by Angie Oswald

This cheerful quilt is hand appliqued, embroidered, and hand quilted. We loved Angie Oswald's choice of fabrics, which included some 1930s reproduction fabrics.  Angie says, "Hand work has become my favorite part of the quilting process."  My Valentine was exhibited at the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show; we're still searching for the design source.

Yo Yo Hearts by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild (Utah)

Yo yos make a great take-along project! In this clever but simple quilt, each heart was created from 16 yo yos.  The blocks and hand quilting were done by Linda Boyer, Marianne Breitenbeker, Cecile Eden, Kathy Lyon, JoAnn Mildenhall, Dawn Mumford, Cathy Prows, Diana Shurtlett, and Becky Young. It was made for the Ruby Jubilee of the Utah Quilt Guild, and exhibited at the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Hearts and Flowers by the Knotts Quilting Bee Guild (Utah)

Another beautiful hand quilted piece in Utah's Ruby Jubilee exhibit! This sampler quilt combines pieced sawtooth stars, an appliqued vintage heart (in the center), four redwork embroidered baskets, a flying geese inner border, and appliqued flower vines on the outer border. The charming redwork embroidery really stood out on this quilt. (We're searching for the pattern source.)

Grandma's Love by Charlene Day, quilted by Connie Myers

This quilt was made with red and white gingham fabric; the small gingham squares were embroidered so as to create the shapes of hearts, then machine quilted. Connie Myers says, "My mother created 14 chicken scratch squares and I created the final two and pieced it. Mom saw the finished quilt 3 days before she died." Grandma's Love was shown at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show.

Image credits:  Photo were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, Springville (Utah) Quilt Show, and Quilt Arizona show.