It's Modern Quilt Month! (2)

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I. This is the second of FIVE posts. According to The Modern Quilt Guild, modern quilts often use bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and/or expansive negative space. Enjoy!

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Silk Parquetry Impression #2, made and quilted by Joyce Kaiser. 

 Original design.  This piece was created using a grab bag of silk strips from "Leilani Arts".  The raw edge strips were sewn to batik units onto a muslin foundation using Holoshimmer or gold thread. Beading of opposite corners [was] added to enhance the silk rectangles.

Gamma, made and quilted by Maria Barr

This quilt seems to vibrate with motion! Maria Barr says, "[This is] such a cool optical illusion, I almost changed the name to "Warp Speed Ahead"! Pattern source: Devon Iott (Miss Make). 

 Gridlock, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher 

This quilt appears to glow from within, thanks to the creation of intricate dark-to-light gradients.  Karen G. Fisher says, "Gridlock combines all six "grids" I've designed over several years (five of them are in my book*): Triple Sudoku, Matrix, Miriam's Grid, Triaxial, Graduated, and Herringbone." *Pattern source: Karen Fisher's own book, titled "Easy Grid Quilts".

Embellishing, a controlled color palette, and fussy cutting control the chaos. Above, you can see large beaded spirals; other parts of the quilt (shown below) are embellished with metallic buttons and gold trim. Southwestern design fabrics add to the intricate textures. 

Cool Porte Cochere, made and quilted by Kathy Kutansky

Here is an original quilt showcasing fabrics created through surface design! Kathy Kutansky says, "This spring I took a week long Zoom workshop with Pat Pauly.  Using screens, rubbings and direct painting, I created most of these prints. It's really fun to work with these unusual fabrics."

 Kites over Cabin at Night, made by Russ Beasley, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

This original black and white quilt is the essence of modern design, forming a tessellation. Russ Beasley only used black & white solids because he "loves simplicity".  He says, "I saw a similar picture on Google Art and thought it would be a great quilt. I configured a template for the kite and the square.  I concluded that partial seams [were] the only way to go. I then decided the rows would need to be constructed from the center out also with partial seams."  

The photo below shows the "kites" that make up the design.  Check out the perfect piecing!

Image credits and awards: Photos were taken at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show. Silk Parquetry Impression #2 won 1st Place in the Art Abstract category, plus a Judge's Choice award. Gridlock won 1st place in the One Person - Large Pieced category. Kites over Cabin at Night won 2nd place in the Modern Quilt category. Cool Porte Cochere won an Honorable Mention.

Tole Christmas

December is here and it's time to enjoy some Christmas trees!  Here is a lovely red-and-green Tole Christmas quilt.

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Tole Christmas by Denice Kitchen, quilted by Emmy Evans

As you can see, this is a tessellation quilt, wherein the negative space defines upside-down trees. Denice Kitchen says, "Two friends from my quilt group made this quilt and there was fabric leftover for a third! I was the lucky recipient.  After decades of piecing quilts, this is my very first Christmas quilt and I can't wait to display it this season." Emmy Evans' beautiful machine quilting makes this quilt extra special.

(Note: Tole Christmas is a free quilt pattern available at Moda Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download).

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Springville Museum quilt show (Utah).

Best of the Utah Quilt Show! (part 3)

Here are more outstanding quilts from the the 43rd Annual Springville (Utah) Quilt Show! This juried exhibition features quilts of all styles created by some of the State’s finest quilters. We are always impressed by the quality and beauty of the quilts by these Utah quilters.

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Mariner's Compass by Josephine Keasler, quilted by Wade Wardrop

This Mariner's Compass design is by Judy Niemeyer. Josephine Keasler says, "The use of color was a challenge and a tool in making this quilt. I wanted the color placement to have a balance around the compass. This was accomplished by using a dark and a light of the 8 colors and moving the colors one position over every time I added another layer."

We loved the intricate, filigree-like quilting by Wade Wardrop as shown below:

Tessellation by Jen Van Orman, quilted by Kaylene Perry

Jen Van Orman says, "This quilt represents what quilting is to me: an art form. Whether a quilt is meant to hang on a wall, be used on a bed, or go with a family to soccer games, it is a piece of art that provides comfort and beauty." The tessellation quilt pattern is by Alison Glass, done in an ombre version with fabrics by Vanessa Christenson.

Paricutin by Maria Hawkins, quilted by Becky Morganson

This brilliant French braid quilt is done in 12 gradated hues of yellow, orange and red. Maria Hawkins says, "Paricutin was named for a volcano that grew from a corn field in Mexico where I lived as a child. I love to work with batiks, the color black, and any bright fabric." 

Flowers to Towers - Island in the Sky by Peggy Harty

Peggy Harty lives in Moab, Utah, near Canyonlands National Park. Peggy says: "In 2014, Canyonlands National Park celebrated its 50th anniversary. Our guild picked that theme for our annual challenge. I used one of my own photographs to create this quilt." In the closeup photo below, you can see French knots that represent flowers.

Dakota Sunset by Marian Murdock

Recipient of a blue ribbon and Award of Excellence, Marian Murdock says: "Dakota Sunset is my depiction of the beautiful sunsets on the prairies of South Dakota at the time when the buffalo roamed free. The Native American culture is also represented in this quilt." Dakota Sunset was quilted on a domestic machine with some very creative designs including feathers and tepees.  We are seeking the source of this great design.

Kaffe Pinwheels by Charlene Nelson

Charlene Nelson says,"The pinwheels are made from some Kaffe Fassett fabric that I had bought in Houston one year. I made paper pieces for the pinwheels and constructed them using the English paper piecing method. They are appliqued onto solid backgrounds. Many of them are hand-dyed fabrics that were in my stash. The checkerboard backgrounds are quilted with Magnifico thread."

Rainbow Furrows by Barbara Colton, quilted by Dixie Sargent

I had always wanted to do a log cabin quilt and decided to use up my scraps to do it. Fortunately, I had enough rainbow colors to make this without buying much extra. The setting is ‘straight furrows’ but since I used rainbow colors, I call it ‘Rainbow Furrows.’”

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Things with Wings

As a subject for a quilt challenge, "Wings" evokes images found in literature, art and our imaginations. It brings to mind butterflies, birds, bees and other winged creatures that enliven our skies.   In compiling the collection, we were inspired by the Quilters' Innovative Design challenge at the 2015 World Quilt Show, but we've included several other fabric art works featuring Things with Wings. 

Butterfly - Barbulètè, 32 x 47", by Lucia Schnog (Curaçao)

Butterfly - Barbulètè was exhibited in the International category at the 2015 World Quilt Competition in Florida. Lucia Schnog says, "[The quilt was] inspired by the blooming of the Ixora – or “Faya Lobi” in our native Papiamentu. It attracts lots of beautiful butterflies."

The butterfly wings were hand appliqued.  The creative, knitted flowers really stood out in this creative piece.  Their color perfectly matches the Ixora flowers that inspired the piece. The large embroidery stitches (upper left) add texture to the leafy forms.  In the upper left you also can see the beading on the butterfly's eye.

Magical Wings by Candice Phelan

Magical Wings was exhibited in the Quilters' Innovative Design (QID) "Wings" challenge.  QID is an advanced art quilt group in Florida.  The intricate pattern of the butterfly wings reminds us of a stained glass window.   The iridescent look of the wings was created with metallic threads and yarn which can be seen in the close up photo below.

Candice Phelan is also a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). You can see more of her beautiful work at her website, Fiber Art Vision.

Butterfly Ballet by Barbara A. Stewart

Butterfly Ballet has a modern, graphic appearance, which we really enjoy.  The depiction of butterflies in shades of gray really emphasizes the shape, structure and design of the various butterfly wings. Some of the shading was created with applique, while other "spots" were created with stitching, as shown below.

Bad Hair Day by Martha A. Nordstrand (Arizona)

The incredible applique work, fanciful stitching and embroidery really stand out in this colorful quilt by Martha Nordstrand.  She says, "This quilt is a combination of Mola-like birds decorated with embroidery threads using many types of stitches. It is my version of a Crazy Quilt Mola-Style!"

Martha Nordstrand is an award-winning quilter and teacher who has developed her own method of detailed applique.  You can find more information about her technique, along with galleries and pattern books, on her website:  More Quilts Please.

The B Quilt:  Bananas, Birds, Blossoms, Butterflies, Bees, Buttons by Judith Roderick (New Mexico)

This bright tropical quilt was inspired by Judith's many trips to Hawaii. She says, "I combined two of my painted scarves and then added other tropical elements, such as butterflies and hummingbirds... It was a delight to create a high desert dweller’s version of a spring: a green, fertile, busy blooming tropical paradise."

This quilt was hand painted, stenciled, stamped, and machine quilted. We love the colorful buttons that decorate the butterflies and border of this quilt. Judith explains, "The rainbow-blended border of this piece gave me the opportunity to use every possible color of button that I had."

It's All About the Birds, 39.5 x 34.5”, by Toby Gluckstern

Toby says, "This is my second quilt inspired by Escher’s technique of tessellation. I am intrigued by how the birds fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. By using different shades of gray and white, I was able to make some of the birds hide in the background, until you get close."

In this close up you can see the tessellation, along with the quilted wings, whimsical expression and yellow beaks on the birds. The background was quilted in a chevron design, which sets off the birds around the edges.  This quilt was exhibited in the Shades of Gray quilt challenge at the 2015 Florida quilt show.

Sweet Nectar, 31 x 31”, by Barbara Kilbourn (Michigan)

This huge bee is definitely larger than life! This wonderful quilt was inspired by a photo taken by Barbara Kilbourn’s daughter, Anna, in Florida. Barbara loved the way the bee was curled around the flower.   We love the orange and black pattern on the bee's body, the use of batiks for its head and legs, and the quilted pattern on the wings.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 World Quilt Show (Lucia Schnog, Candice Phelan, Barbara A. Stewart, Toby Gluckstern); the 2014 Road to California (Martha A. Nordstrand); the 2014 AQS quilt show (Barbara Kilbourn); and the 2013 Houston IQF (Judith Roderick).