Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 - Day 5

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Layla, 42.5 x 44.75, by Holly Adame, California

Holly says, "Layla was created in a Rod Daniel class taken at Empty Spools Seminars in Asilomar, California. He taught us to turn a photograph into fabric art. Thread painting was used to enhance Layla. The original photo was taken by my husband, an amazing shot of a leopard sitting in a tree just behind us. She seemed to be surveying the animals on the Savannah below, contemplating which one would make a tasty lunch."

We really admire the intricate thread painting here, which elegantly portrays the shadows and nuances of Layla's face and eyes. Holly's original design is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Ladies of the Sea, 87 x 87, by Shirley Tchou, Ohio

Shirley writes, "I fell in love with Sue Garman's pattern for Ladies of the Sea 10 years ago, especially with the borders. That is how long it took me to complete this quilt."

Shirley adds, "After appliqueing the blocks, I postponed quilting it until I felt competent enough in my free motion quilting skills to perform a good job. I felt my quilting skills progressed significantly while quilting it. I am pleased with the results."  And, we'd like to add that we are amazed with the results, which are most stunning !  This is one of those quilts which will always be a treasured heirloom.

Bloomin Dahlias, 57 x 25, by Melanie Missin, United Kingdom

Melanie notes, "My inspiration was big, bold, fluffy, colorful Dahlias. The background was Procion dyed, and some faux trapunto was used to enhance the flower shapes. The 3D petals were made using interfacing organza and transfer dyes, 264 in total- hence the name "Bloomin" ! The cord in the center was handmade and machine stitched.

These cheerful flower petals convey such a crisp, three-dimensional effect that they almost pop right off the quilt ! The organza fabric gives the petals a pretty transparent effect, just as if the sunlight were shining through them. Melanie's original design is machine pieced, machine applique, and sewing machine quilted.

Our California, 67 x67, by Karla Dellner, California, quilted by Shireen Hattan

Blue ribbon winner for Best Visual Impact in the New Quilts of Northern California category, this very creative quilt of California landmarks really does have something for everyone. If you look around the outside of the circle, you'll find: the State Capitol building in Sacramento, the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, the Los Angeles skyline, and the "painted ladies" Victorian homes of San Francisco. Inside the circle, among other places, you can spy the Disneyland castle and the Santa Barbara Mission.

Karla's lovely work is all hand-appliqued! She comments, "I am hooked on wool applique, almost as much as I love quilts that reflect my family's and my own experiences and pasions. Wool felt applique and embroidery allow me to create highly pictorial quilts full of texture, wonderful color, and personal meaning. Thank you [to quilt designer] Wendy Williams for your inspiration!"

Quirky Collections, 46.5 x 57,  by Dianne Dowd, New Zealand

 

Diane explains, "This was a wonderful online class with the amazing Helen Godden, who designed this quilt. My first experience of fabric painting, this was an interesting challenge [and] great fun learning to trace, paint, and quilt using black homespun, Lumiere paints,  and heaps of free motion quilting. Diane's charming work is machine pieced and sewing machine quilted.

These Matyroshka dolls ( classic Russian folk art nesting dolls) here look adorable. We love the brilliant complementary colors in these blocks.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Welcome to Modern Quilt Month ! part 4

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I., and we couldn't be more excited about these fun quilts!  So, what makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space.  This is the fourth of five feature posts.

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 !

Angles by Penny Morris

Penny notes, "This quilt top is made entirely of silk. [It was] inspired by exercises in Jean Wells' book Intuitive Color and Design. 

Penny quilted this beautiful work herself. These rich, color-saturated fabrics in cool hues, complemented by elegant gold accents all work perfectly together. 

My Rooster by Mona Adams

Mona explains, "This design is by Helen Godden, called Year of the Rooster. The rooster is painted on fabric and embellished with fabric applique. This is my first endeavor into the world of painting on fabric."

Mona herself quilted this very eye-catching, intriguing work. All of the varied quilting patterns really  add a three-dimensional look to this contemporary project.

Guiding Star by Hildegard Pressesky

Hildegard states, "This small quilt ( size 28" x 36") was made in memory of  [fellow quilter] Carol Current , who left me the triangular scraps and who taught me so much about life, friendship, and quilting. [It is] machine pieced and hand quilted."   We admire the lovely workmanship and precision that went into Heildgard's thoughtul work.

Emiliania Huxleyi by Frances Murphy

Red ribbon second place winner in the category of Best Art Abstract quilts, Frances writes, "Emiliania Husleyi was inspired by the Emiliania Huxleyi algae in our ocean that not only help in the formation of could cover and precipitation, but also absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

Frances herself quilted this fascinating and original work, with the striking aqua hombre background fabric which provides a very realistic image of sunlight shining into the water from above.

Classy Clams by Penny Morris

Third place yellow ribbon winner in the category of  Best Hand-Quilted Quilts, Penny says, "The top is 100% silk. It is hand embroidered and hand quilted."

Clamshell pieces in these pretty and restful hues are the perfect design motif for showcasing all the different stitches here. We always enjoy seeing fabulous handwork like Penny has accomplished on this project.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show (Guiding Star) and the 2019 Quilt Arizona show (all others.)

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.

Cutting down the tall poppies

According to Wikipedia, Tall Poppy Syndrome describes a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticized because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers. If a person has low status themselves, or is lacking in self-esteem, they are more likely to want to see "tall poppies" cut down.  Some people may take an active part in the process as a form of bullying. Helen Godden has created a brilliant, award-winning quilt that focuses attention on Tall Poppy Syndrome. 

Cutting Down the Tall Poppies by Helen Godden (Latham, Australian Capital Territory, Australia)

Helen Godden says, "My Australian culture includes a tradition that we are not so proud of. The art of  Cutting Down the Tall Poppies can be seen in all levels of society from politics to the school yard and even quilt groups!” On her blog post she explains, "The viewer does not see [the poppy cutters] at first, as you look at the pretty poppies and then you see them and think... hang on a minute, what is going on... the little pint- sized figures are sawing and cutting and snipping and axing and chain sawing and digging and even using TNT to Cut Down the Tall Poppies."

close up, Cutting Down the Tall Poppies by Helen Godden

The close up photos show Helen Godden's gorgeous free motion quilting. Cutting Down the Tall Poppies was one of 22 quilts selected from around the world for the 2013 Traditions Quilt Competition at the Houston International Quilt Festival. It won a 2nd place ribbon and a $1000 prize. 

The tall poppies were painted in pretty pastel shades on a graded jade green backdrop. The quilting on the flowers themselves is intricate, with the stamens on the orange flower, above,  detailed in black thread.

In the above photo, can you see the quilting in the lower left corner that looks like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? Each section between the flower stems was quilted in a different, unique design.

We weren't aware of the term Tall Poppy Syndrome until we saw Helen's quilt, but we sure do recognize the phenomenon. Tall Poppy Syndrome is associated with  envy and resentment.  A closely related term is schadenfreude, which means to gloat at another person's bad luck.   See the fascinating article called Tall poppies, deservingness and schadenfreude and The national hazard of workplace bullying:  implications of an Australian study.  Americans are not immune, as discussed in Sorrow So Sweet: A Guilty Pleasure In Another's Woe (New York Times).

Helen Godden is an ambassador/educator for Handi Quilter.  She says:  "I came into this quilting world with no previous sewing experience or restrictive rules and that seems to have been to my advantage... I have received awards both nationally and internationally and am enjoying teaching and sharing my ideas with others. Doing my own thing and taking my own path works for me. I like to leap outside the square and love inspiring others to step into new territory. I teach Free Motion Machine Quilting and Liberate Quilters from the Ditch and open their eyes to endless possibilities." Helen offers quilt patterns and books on free motion quilting. For more poppies, see Helen Godden's Tall Poppies wall hanging pattern.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.