St. Patrick's Day and Celtic Quilts

Next week is St. Patrick's Day, which honors the patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century A.D.  Here are some quilts we've admired featuring Celtic designs, symbols, and the color green!

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

Celtic Fox by Kathy McNeil (Washington, USA)

Celtic Fox won first place in the Art-Whimsical category at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival. The fox sits on a new moon, accompanied by an owl and hare.  Kathy's original design was created with hand applique and machine embroidery; cotton fabrics were used, along with velvet and commercial trims.

Kathy McNeil says "The Celtic Fox symbolizes a need to think quickly, to employ cleverness and wisdom.  Often described as cunning, that word comes from "kenning" meaning "to know and understand.  In Celtic mythology the fox takes on the role of a shape-shifter... associated with transformation and the need to take a new approach to our lives."

Medieval, 46 x 31", by Karen G. Fisher (Arizona)

Medieval was awarded first place in applique at the 2017 Quilt Arizona show, along with honorable mention at the Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Karen Fisher says, "I love medieval art, so I combined Celtic knots, dimensional pieced-work squares, and tile designs. 

This award-winning quilt is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted by Karen G. Fisher.

Emeralds and Lace by Karin Crawford (Utah)

Karin Crawford says, "Ireland is the Emerald Isle and I have loved traveling there and seeing all the green.  This Triple Irish Chain is every shade of green and white.  It makes me think of emeralds and lace."

Emeralds and Lace was quilted by Kim Peterson, whose outstanding work particularly shines in the border elements.

Celtic Dreams by Nanette Sturgill (Utah)

The large central panel of this stunning quilt is a piece of hand dyed cloth.  The central applique design is taken from a copper bowl uncovered in Italy dating from circa 200 BC; they are zoomorphic representations of birds.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Arizona Quilters Guild show (Medieval), the 2017 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Emeralds and Lace, Celtic Dreams) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival (Celtic Fox).

Modern Quilt Month 2016 - part 2

Welcome to Modern Quilt Month 2016! We've enjoyed seeing the modern quilts at various shows, and summer seems like the perfect time to feature these fun quilts. Here is part 2 of our series!

Branching Out, 48 x 58", by Mary Kay Davis (Sunnyvale, California)

Mary Kay Davis has been a fairly traditional quilter all her life.  Branching Out was her way of dipping into the world of modern quilting.  It reflects her mother's design aesthetic, which was very forward thinking at the time.  For more information see Mary Kay's website at Threads on the Floor.

Blue Ribbons, 54 x 54", by Judy Mercer Tescher (Pendleton, Indiana)

This is Judy's modern take on the classic blue and white quilt.  She always wanted to make a blue and white quilt and now she has!

Star Light, Star Bright by Nanette Leigh Sturgill (Murray, Utah)

This quilt is a takeoff on a traditional Mariner's Compass star. The bright colors give the design a modern twist!   The applique elements are hand appliqued, and the quilt also includes some machine buttonhole stitching.  The beautiful hand quilting reflects the design of the applique.

Black and White Crayons, 44 x 56", by Lynne Tyler (Goffstown, New Hampshire), quilted by Chris Ballard

Lynne Tyler says, "What better way to emphasize using all the colors than by limiting the options?  This original, free-pieced design was fun to make!" The quilt has 52 different black and white fabrics, 10 different white-on-white and 9 different black-on-black fabrics. For more information see the original post at Lynne's website, Patchery Menagerie.

Celestial Orbs, 63 x 63", by Sylvia Schaefer (Athens, Georgia)

Sylvia Schaefer began with the Robbing Peter to Pay Paul block for this design.  The stars feature many of her favorite modern fabrics!  The center stars are paper pieced for accuracy.  You can read about the design and construction at Sylvia Schaefer's website, Flying Parrot Quilts.  The Celestial Orbs pattern can be purchased at Craftsy.

Earth and Sky, 42 x 46", by Linda Bingham (Rio Vista, California)

Linda Bingham chose this pattern of intersecting circles to represent the cycle of life.  She says, "Like the intersecting of the earth and sky, the circles of life continually spin."  The design source was the Intersecting Rings pattern by Cathie Hoover.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona and the 2015 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Star Light, Star Bright).