Welcome to November

One of the best sayings to help us navigate the world is, One Day at a Time.  But to celebrate the seasons - and quilting - we like to focus on one month at a time!  

In that spirit, Shabby Fabrics offers a fun themed wall hanging project for each month of the year. Pick one of your favorites, or make the whole series to enjoy.

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

Give Thanks, 10.5" x 24.5", by Shabby Fabrics

As the Shabby Fabrics website explains, the Give Thanks wall hanging is the perfect way to remind yourself, your family, and your guests of our many blessings. Enjoy the harvest colors, pumpkins, and turkey in this design, and remember to Give Thanks. 

Image credits: Shabby Fabrics.

Celebrating Autumn Quilts

We love everything about autumn: cool nights,  colorful trees, falling leaves, and  apple harvest time.  We've picked out some of our favorite fall quilts from the past twelve months to share with you today.  We hope this season is filled with sunny days, warm memories, and quilt inspiration.

Apple Scrapple by Rhonda Borders and members of the San Luis Valley Quilt Guild (Colorado)

This wonderful fall quilt has pieced, appliqued and embroidered blocks.  Rhonda Borders says, "I won a set of basket blocks in our local quilt guild.  They formed the basis of an original design using apple patterns from several sources." 

close up, Apple Scrapple by Rhonda Borders

The embroidered basket blocks surround a tree bearing colorful leaves and apples.  The quilting was done by Peg Collins (Alamosa, Colorado) who quilted swirls in the white background around the appliqued leaves and apples, echo-quilted the clamshells, and used a leaf design in the green plaid strip (see the closeup photo below).

Autumn Faery, 31 x 31", by Diane Hansen

Autumn Faery won first place for Art / Painted or Digital Images at the 2014 Arizona Quilters Guild show and Honorable Mention at the 2014 AQS Quilt Week in Phoenix, Arizona.  Diane Hansen says, "I used Tuskineko inks and about 30 colors of thread to complete this quilt." The project was inspired by a calendar art image by her favorite artist, Linda Ravenscroft, with permission.

close up, Autumn Faery by Diane Hansen

We admired the beautiful autumn colors and detailed quilting in Autumn Faery, which was started in a fabric painting workshop by Patt Blair.   Diane Hansen says that she fell in love with painting after taking the class.  To see a photo of the work in progress, see the post at Patt Blair's blog.

Double Duty by George Magee, quilted by Mary Vaneecke

Double Duty won first prize and a blue ribbon in the Large Pieced Two Person category at the 2014 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  George Magee did a wonderful job interpreting the design in autumn colors of russet, green, gold and caramel.  The design is by Carrie Nelson at Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and the quilting is by Mary Vaneecke.

close up, Double Duty by George Magee,  quilted by Mary Vaneecke

George says, "Working with the different colors used in this quilt and organizing them in a pleasing arrangement was quite a challenge. I enjoy making tops using traditional piecing, and I appreciated Carrie Nelson's use of log cabins and flying geese." Within the log cabins,  Mary Vaneecke quilted the octagon shapes with a design resembling a sunflower.

September Song by Jane M. Rua

Winner of an Honorable Mention award at the 2014 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show, Jane notes that her quilt is inspired by a class taught by Rita Blocksom, using Gloria Loughman's Quilted Symphony book. We enjoyed this quilt, which features large leaves, boldly outlined with prominent veins, as they drift through the air. Jane has quilted very intriguing leaf patterns into the dark green outer border, which emphasize the motif of swirling movement.

Close up, September Song by Jane M. Rua

Golden yellow, silver, and charcoal gray together are an innovative color combination which provide a contemporary, refreshing feel to this work. We like Jane's choice of patterned batik fabrics for the neutral background.  The leaves are finished with blanket stitching.

Texas Gold by Vickie Owen

Texas Gold was part of "The American Tradition", a show within a show at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  Vickie explains, "My first quilt, made 30 years ago, was a Texas Lone Star. It wasn't too bad, although my color choices have definitely changed over the years ! I love the Lone Star pattern and fell in love with [the color combination shown here], so I was excited to create this quilt when I found the pattern in an old magazine."

Close up, Texas Gold by Vickie Owen

 

Vickie has added a circle of slate blue and white floral print fabric diamonds a few rows out from the center.  They  provide a  midway focal point and draw the viewer's eye towards the symmetrical patterns of appliqued leaves. Vickie's  work is machine pieced and appliqued. She adds, "The Lone Star design is one of the oldest and most recognizable quilt designs, and thus appropriate for "The American Tradition" exhibit.

The Falling Leaves of Red and Gold by C.J. Fuhrman, quilted by Rose Maynes

C.J. notes that her quilt was started in 2004 and finished in 2013. (We all can certainly relate to the fact that our most impressive project sometimes take years to complete !) It was originally made for the 2004 fall meeting of the Arizona Quilters' Guild, but it wasn't quilted until 2013. CJ's work was inspired by the Cabin Cozy pattern in the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

Close up, The Falling Leaves of Red and Gold by C.J. Fuhrman, quilted by Rose Maynes

Here's a wonderful example of two very traditional patterns which look great when juxtaposed. The bear's paw center blocks work perfectly with the log cabin blocks which surround them. Both the  lacy white longarm quilting design on the outer border and the curved pattern on the blocks show up really well without overpowering the angular patchwork.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilt Show catch up: Part 4

~The September Giveaway is coming soon. Stay tuned !
We found so many photos that we never published from the 2013 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show that we're extending our catch-up into another week. We hope you enjoy viewing these quilts as much as we did.

Zuni by Patti Friesz and Scrap Rats

Here's a wonderful bargello quilt done in a southwestern pattern with vibrant earth and sky hues. Patty says, " [In] the Queen Valley (Arizona) Scrap Rats Quilting Club, each member participated in making this quilt. It's our 2013 Opportunity Quilt and raises funds for the Queen Valley Fire Authority."  The pattern is from Traditions with a Twist by Blanche Young and Dalene Young Stone.

Walk in the Woods by Elaine Filyk

Here's a very interesting quilt featuring images of nature created by the cyanotype process.  An object is placed onto  fabric treated with chemicals to make it light sensitive, then the fabric is exposed to ultra-violet light. As the image develops, it creates a silhouette effect. In this case, Elaine has used blossoms, flowers, leaves, twigs, and other objects of nature to create the blocks of her quilt.

Close up, Walk in the Woods by Elaine Filyk

Elaine says, "These unique textile cyanotypes (like a blueprint process) represent a collage of images from around the world surrounding our cottage in Canada." The pretty border fabric in watercolor tones really enhances the emphasis on nature and the outdoors.

Autumn Glory by Trudy Cowan

Trudy notes, "[This quilt] gloriously proclaims October in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Hand-painted, heat-mealted, fusibles, machine lace leaves, and free-motion stitching, padding, texturing, and rock beads all add scenic depth." With her excellent craftsmanship,  Trudy has attached the leaves to provide a striking three-dimensional effect,  lending the illusion that the leaves have just left the tree and are fluttering in the breeze.

Pirate's Treasure by Cindy Phare

Just like Walt Disney's "The Little Mermaid", a scuba diver ventures "under the sea" and discovers an enchanted world.  Cindy writes, " I would love to go diving one day and see  a pirate party in Davy Jones' locker with crabs having a sword fight on the ocean floor."

Close up,  Pirate's Treasure by Cindy Phare

A rhinestone eye patch adorns this octopus who presides over an ancient shipwreck. There's a great deal of whimsical detail on Cindy's very charming quilt.

Close up,  Pirate's Treasure by Cindy Phare

Cindy even found little gold coins to cement inside the treasure chest. These fun embellishments give this quilt a lot of sparkle and originality.

Tracking the 6" Bear Paw by Sharon Mayer, quilted by Jessica (Jones) Gamez

Blue ribbon winner for Best Pieced Large Quilt, Sharon Mayer's fabulous work appears to be a Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt.  Over one hundred 6" traditional blocks are joined together "en pointe", surrounded by black sashing, which gives this quilt a vintage Amish look.  The amount of labor and planning required to construct this quilt is most impressive.

Close up, Tracking the 6" Bear Paw by Sharon Mayer,  quilted by Jessica (Jones) Gamez

At the top of the photo, you can see the tiny bear paw block, just to the left of the red basket. We are amazed by Sharon's expertise in accurately piecing these intricate blocks. Sharon notes, "Thanks to family and friends for inspiration (and fabric); [This was a challenge].... it includes my favorite [Bear Paw] block, which doesn't finish at 6 inches without the dreaded word : "math" !

Image credits: All photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild show