Modern Quilt Month: A Study in Fillers

It's Modern Quilt Month here at Quilt Inspiration! We'll be posting a new modern quilt each weekday... we hope you enjoy our photos! Today's art quilt highlights the techniques of ice dying and circular quilting designs.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

A Study in Fillers by Athena Taylor

A Study in Fillers was made and quilted by Athena Taylor, using a quilting design inspired by Bethanne Nemesh. This stunning quilt won the Quilt Show Chair's Choice award. Both the front and back were custom ice dyed by Athena Taylor.

Athena says, "The quilting was done in overlapping double circles of various sizes, each filled with a different design.  This was very fun to do!"  

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona).

Modern Quilt Month 2022 (5)

We really enjoy modern quilts and examining the design elements that make the finished pieces come alive. Summer seems like the perfect time to feature contemporary quilts, so it's become an annual tradition at Quilt Inspiration. Here is part 5 (and the finale) of Modern Quilt Month for 2022!

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

Go With the Flow by Karen Neuendorf

This dynamic original design was made and quilted by Karen Neuendorf, showcasing a special technique.  She says, "The black felt top is cut away to expose the blue and then quilted.  Each circle is a quilt that is hand stitched to the quilt.  During the pandemic it reminded me to relax and Go With the Flow."

Social Distancing by Jane Wilcox, quilted by Cindy Stohn

Jane Wilcox won a blue ribbon for her original quilt, titled Social Distancing, which was entered in the Modern-Duet category at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show. She says, "I was inspired by a table runner to add a block here and there, some bright strips, and splashes of color." [Inspired by the Soho table runner by Busy Bee Quilt Designs]. Cindy Stohn's expert quilting adds tremendous interest, as seen in the closeup photo below.

Bubbly by Diane Hartman

Bubbly was made and beautifully quilted by Diane Hartman.  This "whole quilt" (made from a single piece of hand-dyed fabric) was inspired by the original hand dying, done in pink with a few areas of blue, and accented by appliqued circles.  She says, "Glitter HTV (heat transfer vinyl) was a fun addition". Diane's creative quilting added further bubbles and swirls, creating a frothy appearance that was admired by all the viewers.

Light in the Rainbow Tunnel by Becky Ripley

Here's a fabulous quilt featuring a watercolor effect in a rainbow of colors. Becky Ripley estimates that she used about 700 different fabrics to make this quilt! The watercolor effect begins with charcoal in the outer corners and graduates to near white in the center. Becky says that Light in the Rainbow Tunnel was inspired by a published design, Glowing Crazy Eights by Quilters Lumberyard, which Becky reduced to half size.  It was beautifully quilted by Becky herself.

The Blue One by Teresa Duryea Wong @third_floor_quilts

A collection of fabrics from designer Marcia Derse inspired Teresa Duryea Wong - to make The Blue One.  We were delighted to see this quilt in person at the 2022 QuiltCon show. Teresa says, "I loved the idea of cutting up over 2700 tiny patches of fabric and sewing them back together.  The pieces are cut improvisationally, and each bit of fabric has its own free motion quilting design. Just a few bits of red add some pop.  This piece was quilted by Teresa with a longarm machine.

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2022 QuiltCon show (The Blue One), the 2022 Quilt Arizona show (Social Distancing, Light in the Rainbow Tunnel), and the 2022 Tucson Quilt Fiesta (Bubbly, Go With the Flow).

Bougainvillea and Bouquets: Flower Quilts

Flowers are happy things, and we hope the flowers are blooming in your part of the world.  Capturing the beauty of nature in a quilt is every bit as difficult as creating a painting - and, according to friends who are both painters and quilters, the quilt takes more time!  Here are some fantastic flower quilts we admired at the recent show.

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

Bougainvillea in the Garden by Jillane Ocano

Jillane Ocano designed this whole cloth panel, then made it into a quilt!  She says, "I took a photo of bougainvillea in my yard and had it printed on cotton fabric (see below for source).  I double batted it and then free motion quilted this using six different thread colors. I began free motion quilting in January 2018."  This art/innovative quilt received an Honorable Mention award.

If you love the look of this panel, you can view and purchase it at Jillane Ocano's shop on Spoonflower (it's still available, at least as of May 2019)!

Bird & Basket by Susan S. Norris

We love the colors in this striking wall quilt, with its inner rainbow border. Susan Norris says, "Bird and Basket was hand appliqued and hand quilted on a lap, from a pattern  I got years ago by Nancy Pearson." (The pattern was called English Garden Basket.)  It has a batik sky background with vivid colors for the flowers, baskets and first border. The basket was made from fabric with stripes that resemble reeds.

Still Life Bouquet by Jo Ann Kilgroe, photo by Quilt Inspiration

We admire the design, applique and quilting by Jo Ann Kilgroe in this lovely work. The background quilting was divided into two sections with a diamond pattern on the left, suggesting the appearance of a window. Jo Ann says, "I drew up a beautiful floral arrangement in a wonderful vase.  Then selected the exact colors I wanted from my stash of batik fabrics." 

The quilt was made with fused applique on a pieced background. Jo Ann's precise machine quilting can be seen in the closeup photo above.

Garden Delight by Brenda Stanway, quilted by Debbie Newell

In this delightful quilt, every basket has different shapes of flowers! Brenda Stanway says, "I started on a pattern and did not like it, used just the basket and developed the appliques.  My first original design."  The flowers were hand appliqued and they have embroidered stems.  Debbie Newell's professional quilting enhances this design, which won Honorable Mention in the Applique - Small category.

Big Dreams Come True by Barb Tatera

Barb Tatera won Third Place for Big Dreams Come True, which is a whole cloth quilt with gorgeous quilting by Barb.  She says, "This quilt is a [fabric] panel designed by Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero and digitally prnted by Hoffman Fabrics.  It was so much fun quilting all of the feathers to make the petals really pop!"
As of this post, you can still see the fabric panels in various colors on the Hoffman California Fabrics website.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Quilt Arizona show.

Happy Thanksgiving To All

Happy Thanksgiving from Quilt Inspiration! We're very grateful for all our wonderful followers who have joined us during these past eight years ! We'll be spending a few weeks entertaining family and friends, then we will return to this blog and to eBay. Please stay tuned, and we'll see you soon. 

We hope you will enjoy this photo of Margaret Solomon Gunn's award-winning quilt from the recent Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Persistence, 40 x 40", by Margaret Solomon Gunn

Persistence, by Margaret Solomon Gunn, was chosen as Best Wall Quilt at the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2018. She writes, "This original design was an act of persistence from the quilting with contrasting threads to the funky binding. Sometimes the quilter needs to play!"

We think that "Persistence" is spectacular, with a stunning radiant glow. Margaret explains that she started with a piece of silk from her collection, intending to do a wholecloth design on the longarm machine. She  named her quilt "Persistence" partly because one of her challenges involved changing the center medallion, which you can see above. Margaret mentions that she quilted it and unpicked it several times.

Finally, she appliqued a small circle to the very center, then embellished it with crystals around the outside of the circle. If you look at the very center, you can see the crystals. Margaret further enhanced her work by using black thread to emphasize the individual sections of the quilt.  We congratulate Margaret on her breathtakingly successful work. 

For more information on her work, see Margaret Solomon Gunn's blog at Quilts of Love.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Bonita McFadden at the 2018 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

A Winter Whole Cloth Extravaganza - Part 2

Whole cloth quilts, done in icy white or pale pastels, remind us of winter.  Here is the second part of our series.  Capturing the texture of quilting in a photograph is really challenging, especially with white-on-white quilts.  We hope that our photos will convey some sense of  the magnificent quilting by these artists.

All My Rowdy Friends by Ann McNew

Ann writes about her original design, "A wholecloth designed to represent many different quilting styles, each round is dedicated to a different friend's taste. I wanted to use as many longarm rulers as possible. My challenge was to keep the quilting looking cohesive throughout the quilt."

Close up, All My Rowdy Friends by Ann McNew

Look at the fabulous variety of feather patterns that Ann created. Each one is unique, yet they all fit perfectly into the overall design.

Close up, All My Rowdy Friends by Ann McNew

In this close-up you can see Ann's precision work on the "Greek key" style quilting motif which adorns the diamond-shaped center medallion.

Bella Be Blue by Rebecca Stewart-Bartell, Australia

Rebecca notes, "This wholecloth was inspired by my blue and white china collection, as well as my quilting heroes Libby Lehman, Sharon Schamber, and Sue McCarty.  I have combined all the things I have learned from them to make my quilt."

Close up, Bella Be Blue by Rebecca Stewart-Bartell
 

Rebecca's techniques for her elegant, vintage-inspired creation include free-motion longarm machine embroidery, hand-guided longarm quilting, and corded binding. For materials, she used cotton fabric, metallic thread,  Superior Bottom Line thread,  and hot fix crystals.

Close up, Bella Be Blue by Rebecca Stewart-Bartell
 

Bella Be Blue is Rebecca's original design. In this close up, you can see one of the four darling little birds that appear to be floating and drifting through each side of this quilt, as well as the glittering embellishments that adorn the inner borders.

Blue Ice by Inger C. Blood, California

Inger writes of her lovely original design, " This whole cloth quilt was quilted on my Bernina 820 on constant speed, without the stitch regulator engaged. It was [first] dawn out by pencil on paper, quilted, then painted after the quilting was completed. "

Close up, Blue Ice by Inger C. Blood
 

Inger continues, "[My] inspiration was a National Geographic TV program about Alaskan glaciers. I was fascinated by the color of the ice. This quilt is # 2 ( winter) in a series of four.

Close up, Blue Ice by Inger C. Blood

Blue Ice was displayed at the 2014 Pacific International Quilt Festival in California, where it attracted  many admiring viewers. Look at this gently scalloped outer border, whose curves mirror the half-fans of the inner border. Hundred of sparkly crystals really add shimmer to this quilt.

Field of Feathers by Jane M. Rua

Jane notes,  "This is my completed project for my Craftsy.com class,  "Beyond Basic Machine Quilting",  taught by Ann Petersen. This was my first serious attempt at free-motion quilting".  We think Jane did an outstanding job at creating this elegant depiction of a spring flower garden, replete with a charming dragonfly.

Close up, Field of Feathers by Jane M. Rua
 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

A Whole Cloth Winter Extravaganza - part 1

Whole cloth quilts, done in icy white or pale pastels, remind us of winter.  We've never done a feature on whole cloth quilts, perhaps because capturing the texture of quilting in a photograph is really challenging, especially with white-on-white quilts.  We hope that our photos will convey some sense of  the magnificent quilting by these artists.

Winter by Laurie Weiner

An Honorable Mention winner at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival, Laurie notes, "I designed this quilt after being snowed in for five days, due to impassable roads, on Whidbey Island, [in the state of ] Washington. One gets to contemplate winter at its best -- clean, pure, and beautiful."

Close up, Winter by Laurie Weiner

 

For her original design, Laurie's techniques include cut-away trapunto and free motion background stitching. The cotton sateen fabric is hand-dyed, with poly batting for trapunto. Her use of deeper colored cotton thread really helps the  viewer see the details of the barren, graceful branches.

Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

Jenny writes, "I love my Northern California landscape-- it gives me daily joy. The slightest breeze brings movement to the grasses; bees, humminbirds, and dragonflies are frequent visitors. I wanted to capture the beauty and texture that I enjoy on the daily morning stroll through my garden,"

Close up, Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

Jenny's  lovely work is free motion quilted, with cotton sateen, wool batting, cotton, silk binding, and cotton and silk thread.She won the second place award for Most Innovative Quilt at the 2014 Road to California Quilt Show.

Close up, Morning Breeze by Jenny K. Lyon

We really liked this magical butterfly and other animals outlined in deeper colors, which float through the windy sky and add to the sense of continuous movement.

Alabaster Feathers by Debbie Stanton

A blue ribbon winner in the "Quilting Green" category at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild Show, Debbie states,  "I found this vintage cutwork linen tablecloth in a thrift shop. I hand-sketched feathers around the embroideries. No stencils were used.

Close up, Alabaster Feathers by Debbie Stanton

These quilted swirling feathers perfectly enhance the antique, elaborate look of Debbie's enchanting original design.

Swan's Song by Lisa Calle

First place winner in the Best Machine Quilting category at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival, Lisa notes, "My father, George Swan Hagstoz, Jr., passed away in October of 2011. This quilt is my tribute to him. His initials are in the center, with 12 teardrop motifs surrounding them. These teardrop motifs represent his wife, three children, and eight grandchildren."

Close up, Swan's Song by Lisa Calle

Lisa's strikingly beautiful original design is enhanced by the occasional  rows of straight, parallel quilting lines. They  provide a pleasing contrast to the delicate teardrop motif symbolizing the members of her father's family.

Renaissance by Theresa Fetch

Theresa explains, "This quilt was designed paper, transferred to the fabric, quilted, and bound. After binding, it was hand-dyed, and Shiva Paintsticks were applied to the entire top. " These elegant, intricate circular motifs seem to us to be inspired by the work of master artists of the  Italian Renaissance. The motifs  really catch the viewer's eye and draw it towards the ornate center medallion.

Close up, Renaissance by Theresa Fetch
 

Theresa's intriguing original design is created with cotton sateen fabric, Hobbs wool batting, and Superior thread. Shiva Paintstiks give a luminous iridescent patina to her work.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Best of the 2014 Pacific International Quilt Festival - Day 2

The Pacific International Quilt Festival, known as PIQF, is the biggest quilt show on the west coast of the United States. In this series, we're displaying some of the fabulous, innovative, and just plain fun quilts we saw there.  This year's theme is  "The Whole Nine Yards", meaning "to show maximum effort in work or play."  Here is Day 2 of our photos.... let us know which quilts are your favorites !

Chinese Journey in Three Parts by Stephanie Crawford, United Kingdom

Best of World prize winner in the World Quilts category, Stephanie says, "This quilt was inspired by an extraordinary trip to China to visit my son, who was living in an ancient temple precinct in a remote part of Hubei. I have three outstanding memories of our journey together from Beijing to Wudang, and this triptych represents them. "

Close-up, Chinese Journey in Three Parts by Stephanie Crawford

These breathtaking views show us a stunning view of the scenery of China, along with some graceful and regal architecture. Stephanie continues about her original design,  "This quilt is wholecloth. It was painted and machine appliqued, then free motion quilted. "

Ruby by Kay Donges, Georgia, U.S.A.

Kay notes, "My quilt goes the whole nine yards by incorporating applique, piecing, and embellishments in order to create a stunning portrait of a mysterious woman. The brightly colored border provides a great contrast to the sophisticated deep black background of this intriguing portrait.

Close-up,  Ruby by Kay Donges (Georgia, U.S.A.)

Kay's original design uses beads, an earring, and jeweled stones are used to embellish the exotic beauty of Ruby. 

The Grapes by Aliza Inbar, Israel

Aliza writes, "One of the seven symbols of Israel is grapes. The grapes represent the richness of the land. They were the inspiration for this quilt. The background is log cabin with fusing on the top and machine quilting. We especially enjoyed the beautiful composition and symmetry of the grapevines and the fruit on Aliza's quilt.

Close-up, The Grapes by Aliza Inbar

The split-complementary color scheme of mauve, violet, aqua green, and yellow-orange really highlights the contrast between the background and the grapevines. Aliza's work is machine appliqued, machine pieced, and machine quilted.

The Peaceful Ones by Denise Havlan, Illinois

First place winner in the Innovative Quilts category of the World Quilt Competition, Denise notes, ["This quilt depicts] two Hopi maidens enjoying the morning sun." Denise has done an outstanding job of  displaying the dignity and serenity of these two Native Americans against the background of their high desert homeland. 

Close-up, The Peaceful Ones by Denise Havlan

Shimmering gold highlights enhance the traditional hairstyle of this Hopi maiden. Denise's original work is machine pieced, hand and machine appliqued, and machine quilted.

Close-up,The Peaceful Ones by Denise Havlan

These prickly-pear cacti sparkle with pretty crystals, and the cactus blossoms show an eye-catching variation of pinks, reds, and violets.

Mount Rushmore by Mary E. Barry, California

Mary writes, " Deciding to make a trip to Mt. Rushmore, I told my husband we needed to do a road trip. It was so impressive! I took many lovely photos to make the quilt, then came home and hand dyed lots of fabric to use with some stash fabric. I then dedicated it to our cherished freedom."  Note that Mary has added the word "Liberty" in block letters at the bottom;  and the bald eagle, the U.S. National Emblem, soars through the sky at the top of the quilt.

Close-up, Mount Rushmore, by Mary E. Barry

Here is a close-up of the stately countenance of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Mary has chosen the perfect shade of gray fabrics which almost perfectly match the gray stone of Mr. Rushmore. Her original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration