Highlights of Quilt Arizona 2019! part 5 (the finale)

Here is the finale of our Quilt Arizona photos! The Arizona Quilters Guild has over 35 chapters, and they all get together annually for the show. The 2019 theme was Jewels of the Desert: "Every quilt is like a gemstone, the dancing colors play through patterns to endlessly fascinate and amaze. This year your quilt should convey Arizona's iridescent beauty, from golden sunsets and emerald cacti, to clear sparkling memories."

Note: 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 !)

Spring Cleaning by Patti Kupferer

This adorable small quilt has eight different mini quilts hanging from a clothesline. Patti Kupferer says, "The Gallon Bag Challenge [in my guild] required me to use the 12 different items/collections a fellow quilter had placed in the bag in a wall hanging." We enjoyed seeing the crocheted doll (in the lower left corner), the clothes line and pins, and decorative buttons.

Look at how tiny these little quilts are, compared to the gloved hand (below)!

Extra, Extra, Read All About It by Millie Burgheimer, quilted by Millie Burgheimer

Extra, Extra won a first place ribbon in the Mixed Technique category.  Millie Burgheimer based the quilt on a story of her dad selling newspapers.  The newsboys in this original design were created with thread painting.  The background is made of newsprint-themed fabrics.

Dresden Elegance by Gail Witt,quilted by Jessica Gamez
 

Dresden Elegance won the award for Exemplary Professional Machine Quilting, along with Third Place in the Mixed Technique category.  Gail Witt says, "I am inspired by Di Ford medallion quilts. My original design features hand appliqued center star, swirls and Dresden plates. Jessica Gamez' trapunto feathers and border Gothic arches are beautiful." Here are two closeup photos of her lovely quilting.

Treasures of the Southwest by Judith Tobias, quilted by Karen Toomey

This wonderful quilt features a hot air balloon, pueblo, saguaro cactus, and more.  The pattern is Enchanted Lands at SW Decoratives. Members of Quilts N More, a Fountain Hills (Arizona) group, created this quilt to donate to Quilt for a Cause which raises funds for research, education and treatment of breast and gynecological cancers. The beautiful batik fabrics lend so much beauty to this quilt.

See What You See Under The Sea by Magdalena Castillo-Cockrum, quilted by Eunice Hill

Magdalena Castillo-Cockrum won a First Place ribbon in the Pictorial - Non Original Design category for this collage-style quilt.  She says, "Turtles are beautiful and peaceful. I love watching them swim. Exploring fabrics to fulfill my expectations for this turtle was fun, exciting and adventurous. I am excited with my turtle’s uniqueness." The turtle brings to mind Laura Heine's Seawell Collage Sea Turtle design, enhanced with many other design elements and fabrics.

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

Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 2

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an awe-inspiring event, with more than 1,600 quilts on display, and over 60,000 visitors!! It's hard to describe the scale and visual impact of this event. Just weeks earlier, the Houston convention center served as shelter for more than 10,000 people displaced by Hurricane Harvey, yet the Quilt Festival was executed flawlessly! Here are more highlights of this fantastic show.

We've listed lots of lovely items at very low prices at Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay store !

Jake by Carol Morrissey (Texas, USA)

Jake was awarded 1st Place in the Art- People, Portraits, and Figures category.  Carol Morrissey says, "I showed my grandson the electric train I got for Christmas in 1956 and explained to him that it was not working. He held the train’s engine out to me and very solemnly said, “You can fix it.” I took a photo of him at that moment. After playing around with the photo digitally, I interpreted it in circles cut from my hand-dyed fabrics [and fused]."

Revive 1995.1.17 2011.3.11 by Miiko Kuwahara (Tokushima, Japan)

Thousands of hand-stitched hexagons make up the background of this quilt. The angel's hands and the bird stand out from the surface of the quilt, making them appear to fly.  About the title, Miiko Kuwahara says: "There were two big earthquakes in Japan, on January 17, 1995 and on March 11, 2011. Though I didn’t suffer, I wondered what I could do. It is : Don’t forget. I wanted to express that people who lose everything go forward again. Bird, the symbol of rebirth, just takes off."

Revive was made entirely by hand with hand piecing, hand applique, hand beading, hand embroidery, and painting.   In this photo you can see the lace that decorates the angel's gown gown.

Eve by Candice Phelan (Florida, USA)

Candice Phelan says, "Humans have created masks to celebrate significant cultural rituals for millennia. This African mask celebrates Mitochondrial Eve, named by the scientific community to represent the mother of the human race, based on the fossil record, DNA evidence, and migration studies.

Eve is made with machine applique; fused applique; hand embellishment; painting; hand guided, track-mounted applique, thread painting, and quilting using African and other cotton fabrics along with various threads; silk; satin; ribbons; yarn; buttons; and oil paint.

The Monumental Way by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz (Montana, USA)

This stunning piece was the headliner in a special exhibit titled Rising Stars: Karlyn Bue Lorenz. Karlyn says that a snow-filled, cold winter in Montana inspired her to create an atmosphere of the warmth of the desert based on her photos. This stunning quilt was machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted.

She says, “I don’t know how one could take a class [from] Katie Pasquini Masopust and not say to yourself, 'I have to try it!' [Caryl Bryer] Fallert-Gentry’s gradated fabrics gave life to my vision."

Come Into Bloom by Eun-suk Lee (Chungbuk, Republic of Korea)

The glistening lotus pond was expressed in a shimmering triangle pattern with satin fabric. The Korean traditional pattern, Wadang (lotus flower), was created with machine embroidery and quilting.

Eun-suk Lee used machine piecing, machine embellishment, machine embroidery, original digitized embroidery, free-standing lace, and cutwork to create her masterpiece. The materials used included polyester satin fabric, polyester and silk thread, tulle, and wool batting.

Llums by Montserrat Forcadell Blasco (Catalunya, Spain)

“Llums” means “lights.” Montserrat Forcadell Blasco says, "My intention was to create a quilt with light effects on it, therefore the shape of the quilt creates a color and light loop. I wanted to create an effect that would immerse the spectator. Her techniques included fused applique and machine embellishment.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Highlights of the 2016 AQS QuiltWeek / 4

The 2016 AQS QuiltWeek in Phoenix, Arizona was one of the best shows ever!  With hundreds of quilts and very special exhibits by renowned quilters, it was an incredible show. Here are some more of our favorite quilts.
Please note: We're continually posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out @quiltinspire. 

Swimming Upstream, 44 x 33”, by Naida Koraly (Cape Carteret, NC)

This mermaid with her flowing locks appears to be swimming with ease! We admire Naida's split-complementary color scheme of golden yellow with hues of cerulean blue to violet. Naida's lovely quilting can be seen in the closeup photo below.

The description reads:  "Naida was arranging pieced squares for a bed quilt and making a small mermaid art quilt when she realized that the two needed to be merged into one. The bed quilt was put on hold and Swimming Upstream emerged."  Naida says that the quilt pattern was by Sarah Maxwell and Delores Smith at Homestead Hearth.  

Summer Storm, 48 x 34”, by Peg Collins (Alamosa, Colorado)

Peg Collins’ used her hand dyed cotton fabrics to create this Summer Storm, which was designed in the style of Dutch painter Ton Schulten. Peg's houses are set among brightly colored fields and surrounded by groups of monochrome trees. The piece was laid out and fused in place, then quilted. Ton Schulten (born 1938) is known for his landscapes that are painted using bright blocks of color. 

We love the sky in Summer Storm. The driving rain was depicted with parallel quilted that appear to have been overstitched for emphasis.  On her website, Peg explains: "One problem that I had is that I decided the lines of rain didn't show up as much as I wanted. I added more lines in a lighter thread color."

Following Mommy, 32 x 31”, by Barbara Barrick McKie (Old Lyme, Connecticut)

Barbara McKie's work is instantly recognizable for the way in which she merges digital photography with quilting to create artistic portraits in fabric.  On her website, Barbara explains: "My love of surface design, photography, and computer graphics, and my travels have influenced my work to make it unique in the art quilt world."  While in New Zealand, Barbara photographed two baby sheep following their mother up a hill where she was sitting. The effect is so realistic, it is like being in the scene.

The Past is Precious, 36 x 52”, by Claire Kerr (Scottsdale, Arizona)

The Past is Precious is a wonderful juxtaposition of colorful steer skulls with classic feathered star blocks. The steer skull is very symbolic of the Southwest where Claire Kerr lives. Claire chose bright colors to contrast with the deeper background.  For the underlying design, she used the Feathered LeMoyne star pattern from Electric Quilt (EQ7).  Each skull was embellished with a turquoise and silver pin as shown below.

In My Mind 2, 38 x 56”, by Eunsuk Lee (Cheongiu-si, South Korea)

This fanciful quilt was embroidered with dozens of different stitches and designs, inviting the viewer to look more closely.  Eunsuk Lee used a traditional Korean motif pattern for her design. The description reads, "In My Mind 2 expresses the tangled thoughts in Eunsuk’s mind through embroidery and free-motion quilting." Through searching the web we discovered that Eunsuk is a Bernina educator in Korea (no wonder!)   You can find her on Facebook and on Pinterest.   

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Highlights of the Pacific International Quilt Festival - Part 5

We had a fabulous time at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival, the largest quilt show on the Pacific coast of the U.S.  Beautiful quilts were displayed from around the world. All the quilts were designed and constructed at a high level of talent. We are showing some prize winners, but we also will be showing some real gems that did not win. For a complete list of prize winners in the World Quilt category, please click here. Last week, we featured Part 4; and now, here is Part 5!

Summer in Norway, 36 x 40", by Charlene Dakin (Lafayette, California)

Charlene notes of this original design, "While visiting  [the town of ] Undredal, Norway, I was inspired by the lovely church siting beside the great fjords. I purchased a small watercolor painting, and with the permission of the artist, re-created my Norway experience in this quilt."

Charlene adds, "I began my quilt in a class with Kathy McNeil at the Empty Spools Seminars in Asilomar, CA and completed the many small houses later at home. " Undredal is known for its small stave church , which is lovingly depicted here in this enchanting, elegiac scene amidst the natural splendor of the fjords. Charlene's charming work is machine pieced and appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Song of the Sea, 49 x 36", by Kathy McNeil (Tulalip, Washington)

Blue ribbon winner for Best Wall Quilt, Kathy says," I had no idea where my lovely sea creature would take me. She ended up in an art nouveau design playing with / or eating her little friends." We were impressed with the textures shown on Kathy's quilt, and the lifelike sense of motion created by the waving tentacles.

At first, this sea creature (perhaps an octopus?) is a little startling with its other-worldly eyes, and then it started to grow on us,as it has such a humorous look to it.  Kathy's very creative original design is hand appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Pop Corn, 31 x 47", by Jan Soules (Elk Grove, California)

Jan explains, "This quilt began in a class with Lenore Crawford. I used one of my favorite California State Fair photos as an inspiration. I worked on one section at a time, and it was exciting to see the photo come to life in fabric. Now I can make fabric popcorn!"

Very pretty thread painting in clear colors of butterscotch and lemon yellow really make this applique "pop."  Jan's vibrant, energetic original design is machine pieced and appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Foldy Rolly Patchwork Pzzazz, 65 x 65", by Jennie Rayment (Emsworth, Hampshire, UK)

Jennie writes, "All the designs are named after fireworks and can be found in Foldy Roldy Patchwork Pzzazz - each design is created from simple shapes, and the folded edges are rolled to create curves. [These are] nine of the amazingly manipulated and totally ingenious designs that can be found in Jennie's book. The border is just rectangles and squares - it is the way they get folded that creates the effect -- magic !

Lovely split-complementary colors of green, blue, yellow-orange, and tangerine characterize these fascinating blocks. To see more of her innovative work, or to purchase books and DVD's, please check out Jennie Rayment's website.

Misty Mountain Pond, 76 x 78", by Renee Perlman (New Fairfield, Connecticut), quilted by Christian Lane Quilters

Renee's stunning quilt is paper pieced and machine pieced. Nine Mariner's Star blocks are each encircled by a ring a flying geese triangles. Such balanced, elegant symmetry is very pleasing to the eye.

The Misty Mountain Pond quilt pattern is by Bradley and Judy Niemeyer.  Here is the closeup photo:

This variegated color quilting thread done in a feather pattern looks so pretty on the deep rose red and red violet batiks, surrounded by cream color and light blue points.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Best of the 2015 Springville (Utah) Quilt Show (part 1)

We enjoyed our fun trip to the 42nd annual quilt show at the Museum of Art in Springville, Utah. It was very professionally staged and contained some outstanding works of quilting art. Here are our favorites and award winners from top quilters in the state of Utah.

Midnight Wedding Star by Josephine Keasler, quilted by Carole L. Sturgis

A blue ribbon Award of Excellence winner, Josephine states, "Several years ago, I purchased two jelly rolls (strips of fabric that are 2.5" wide), a bright and pastel version of the same colors. When I saw this  pattern, I decided that it was... perfect for my treasured jelly rolls." We loved Josephine's breathtaking quilt, whose cohesive look is achieved by her careful positioning of fabric colors in each block. This is the Bali Wedding Star quilt pattern by Judy Niemeyer. Josephine specializes in paper foundation piecing by this designer.

Close up, Midnight Wedding Star by Josephine Keasler

Jospehine continues, " My friend [Carole Sturgis]  offered to quilt if for me on her home sewing machine and asked me what I wanted quilted on it. "  Each wedge of the double wedding ring was quilted with a small heart and feathers.  The black background was quilted in royal blue thread.with feathers that curve around, ending in hearts.

Dresden of the Sea by Diane E. Miller

Winner of a Judge's Choice and Viewer's Choice award, Diane says, "Quilt teacher Kaye Evans' 'Kaffe and Friends' class made Dresden plate blocks, and we then had to design a quilt using the blocks we had made. It was my idea to incorporate them into a sea scene. "

Close up, Dresden of the Sea by Diane E. Miller

Diane achieved spectacular effects by cleverly displaying her Dresden plate blocks as shells and  sea ornaments in a very decorative underwater world.

Close-up, Dresden of the Sea, by Diane E. Miller

Batik turtles peacefully drift through the seaweed above. The "echo" quilting pattern which follows the outline of the seaweed, enhances the languid, dreamy sensations that are exuded by this fascinating scene.

Worlds Without End by Sharon Aposhian Wright

Another blue ribbon Award of Excellence winner, Sharon notes, "While at the Houston International Quilt Festival, I saw a quilt made by sisters Sue Nickels and Pat Holly  for the Libby Lehman  Benefit Auction. I was captivated by the richness of Dupioni silk, the challenge of making the circles appear as lighter versions of the background fabrics, and the exercise of designing twenty-five different quilting motifs."

Close up, Worlds Without End by Sharon Aposhian Wright

Sharon continues, "I quilted this on my Bernina 440 machine, using silk thread and wool batting." This gorgeous color-saturated silk background reflects the light with a soft glow and shows off Sharon's stunning workmanship.  

Paokalani African Tulips by Karin Crawford, quilted by Pat Gorelangton

Karen writes, "The African Tulip tree has beautiful large blossoms and is one of my favorite motifs in traditional Hawaiian-style quilting.  The pattern was commissioned of John Serrao of the Paokalani School of Hawaiian Quilting in Honolulu. [I] modified the pattern by adding more blossoms and opening the center.  An open center symbolizes a connection with heaven. The batik and ombre fabric was selected for uniqueness and color. It was quilted in the traditional Hawaiian style of echo quilting."  We really admired the graceful,  elegant design of this lovely pattern.

For a close-up photo of this quilt, and more Hawaiian designs, see our Hawaiian Quilts board at Pinterest.

Melissa Wedding Quilt by Katherine Porter, quilted by Virginia Gore

Katherine exclaims, "This girl loves color!"  All [my] grandchildren receive a wedding quilt. For Melissa, I knew it must have vibrant color."  This quilter has certainly been successful in selecting colorful  split-complementary tones of orange, blue, green, and purple, then creating vibrant, eye-catching borders.

Close up, Melissa Wedding Quilt by Katherine Porter, quilted by Virginia Gore

Katherine adds, "The medallion is from the book Material Obsession 2, the rest is original design, and the applique is needle-turn."  We love this cheerful little folk-art bird among the flowers, whose wing contains the same intriguing paisley fabric as the border.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.