Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 1

We just returned from the Houston International Quilt Festival.  It's 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 some highlights of this fantastic show.

We're continually adding fun new items at very low prices to Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay site !

In the Mood for Love by Jing Chen (Beijing, China)

Created with machine piecing and machine applique, this quilt is inspired by a classic Chinese movie called In the Mood for Love (2000). The main colors in the quilt are red and black, which reflect the tone of the film and highlight the dramatic effect. Jing Chen says,  "The protagonist and background are dealt with in different tones, showing the nostalgia."  A closeup photo of the sepia-toned film strip image is shown below.

Ready by Danny Amazonas (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

"Ready" depicts a cat with an intense stare, ready to pounce!  It was part of a special exhibit called Freehand Patchwork by Danny Amazonas. He does stunning fabric collages using scraps and slivers of fabrics that are stitched to a background using invisible thread.

Fans of Kaffe Fassett will recognize many of these colorful fabric prints.  Danny says, "Since I'm using fabric to create my artwork, I want to maintain the beauty of the original fabric designs on each piece of fabric used. I was also inspired by hundreds of people, some of them great artists, family members, friends, and especially fellow quilters, who gave me kind words of encouragement and praise." We took many photos of this exhibit, and will show more of his work in upcoming posts!

The End of the Drought by Jan Reed (California, USA)

In the Embellished Quilts category, this small quilt captivated viewers with its beadwork representing drops of rain, some of which dangle off the bottom edge of the quilt.  Jan Reed says, "After worrying for 5 years over our severe water needs due to California's drought, imagine our wonder at finally seeing it rain... and rain... and rain.  It felt miraculous."

Jan Reed used machine applique, fusing, and hand embellishment, along with colored pencils and Neo Color 11 watercolor crayons to create this photo-inspired piece. Strands of seed beads are coiled to resemble a puddle of water inside the hand.

White Knight by Patt Blair (California, USA)

White Knight won First Place in the Painted Surface category within the World of Beauty exhibit.  Patt Blair says, "I love painting powerful animals... I had anatomy drawings for this piece for 3 years before I threw caution to the wind and improvised his mane, which I felt must be massive and majestic."

Jacuzzi Jazz by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry (Washington, USA)

The vortex in this quilt was inspired by the spiraling designs found in many fractals.  To create an eye-dazzling effect, Caryl used rainbow colors alternating with their complements, an arrangement she calls "intersecting color and value gradations."  The techniques used include machine piecing, hand dyeing, digital printing and painting with cotton fabric.

Slices of Opulence by Randa Mulford

Slices of Opulence won Best of Show in the special exhibit called  A Celebration of Color. The dazzling design was based on Tomoko Tohno's Orange Range quilt, published in the May 2008 issue of Quilter's Newsletter (free foundation piecing patterns can be downloaded here). While Tohno’s blocks had pieced centers, Randa redrafted the pattern so she could feature the radiating medallion designs and different colorways of Paula Nadelstern's beautiful (but out of print) Opulence fabric line.

Magic Towns of Mexico (Pueblos Magicos de Mexico), presented by Quilters de Mexico

Celebrating the 111 named “Magic Towns” of Mexico, more than 70 quilters worked to create this large, beautiful piece inspired by The Berne House Quilt. You can see a photo of the two quilts at the Quilters de Mexico Twitter page, @QuiltersMexico.  Quilters de Mexico representatives were on hand to discuss the upcoming 10th Quilt Expo in Mexico City in February, 2018.  It sounds like a fun show!

The richness of colors in the blocks bring to mind the unique look of these beautiful and historically-preserved cities.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Twelve days of Christmas quilts: Santa's Secret

Christmas 2015 is drawing near, and we wanted to share some of the amazing, gorgeous Christmas quilts we've seen this year. Thanks to the many quilters who have inspired us with their creations!  Here is Day five of  our series: Twelve Days of Christmas Quilts.  Also, we're featuring free patterns on Twitter for the holidays and beyond... please follow us @quiltinspire !

Santa's Secret by Ruby Koch

Santa’s Secret won 2nd place – pictorial, at the 2015 Arizona Quilters' Guild show.  It was inspired by a class, Working with Inks, with Patt Blair. Santa was created with Tsukineko inks and fabric marks on pfd fabric, then cut out and adhered to the background, and thread painted with a variety of threads. Ruby Koch says that her goal was to achieve shading and dimension - we think she did a beautiful job!

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Arizona Quilters' Guild show.

Perfect Pet Quilts - part 2

Have you ever made a quilt of the image of your pet?  We love our furry friends and are always drawn to quilts that celebrate cats and dogs. Smile along with us, as we present Part 2 of some of our favorite pet quilts !

Maynard, 54 x 81", by David Taylor (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

David notes, "Maynard was adopted from a photo shot by my friend Hilary Spillane of her bulldog. I love the way Hil captured the stark white of a winter's day in Northwest Colorado." We can almost sense Maynard's curiosity to see what's ahead  as he pushes his short little legs through the drifts of new-fallen snow.

Close up, Maynard by David Taylor

David continues, "When I saw the image, I knew I had to turn it into a quilt, as I had been eager to try a white-on-white quilt. Of course, I ended up using different colors of thread to quilt the snow and sky - lavender, green, tan, and a lot of blues."

Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr, 31 x 34", by Nancy S. Brown (Oakland, California)

Nancy states, "The source of my quilting energy and my inspiration are all of the wonderful animals of the world. This quilt depicts the happy family of Cassidy and Chase ( Rhodesian Ridgebacks), Mashatu ( a Savannah cat), and JasPurr ( a gray and white cat). Nancy has used beautiful and subtle gradations of neutral colors to depict this elegant and attractive family of canines and felines.

Close up, Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy has perfectly captured dog Cassidy's extremely handsome face and soulful brown eyes! Her original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.

Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan (Florida)

Sandi writes, "Bathtub Beach is my favorite spot on [Florida's] Treasure Coast. I have spent a lot of hours face-down, snorkel-up, enjoying all the creatures on the living reef in the naturally protected and warm water. My design evolved from the literal 'bathtub' on the beach. A banner-flying bi-plane seemed Florida-appropriate for the lettering. The mouse as pilot...well, why not?  The cat's face is from A Year of Cats... in Hats! by Sheila Haynes Rauen."

Closeup, Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan

Sandi continues, "I hope this quilt makes you smile as much as Bathtub Beach makes me smile."  We love the lighthearted humor in this quilt, and we think the quilting, especially the fun bubble pattern on the bathtub and the sand, is very appropriate for this delightful piece.

Family Resemblance, 39 x 31", by Patt Blair (Mount Baldy, California)

Patt tells an interesting story of how she was inspired to create Family Resemblance: " I did this piece as encouragement to students to 'Just try it !'  This was a royalty- free clip art contour drawing [on the internet], for which I searched for animal coloring tips. I first thought the highly wrinkled bulldog was the mom (I was getting angry!)  but later learned this was three generations of English bulldogs." 

Close up, Family Resemblance by Patt Blair

Patt explains that her work was created by hand-dyeing and hand-painting solid white finely woven cotton to create the images of the dogs. She then used her domestic sewing machine for quilting the foreground and the background. She adds,  "I am mostly inspired by things with a heartbeat".  Her inspiration and talent is certainly evident in the very expressive lines and movement she gives to these bulldogs. Patt's work allows us to see their loveable personalities hiding just underneath their serious faces.

Cornered by Wendy L. Starn (Alexandria, Louisiana)

Wendy says, "In August of 2008, my son found a tiny kitten under the hood of the car, covered in grease and fleas. He cleaned her up, and she won his heart, as well as the scorn on our other two cats. Boris, the black cat is determined to be Alpha male, and is also proud of his prowess at catching (catnip) mice."

Close up, Cornered by Wendy L. Starn

Wendy adds, "Moose, the orange cat, is the mighty hunter of lizards and bugs, who is afraid of everything.. Oslo, the kitten, sleeps, dreaming no doubt of how best to annoy her two big brothers."
Wendy's vividly colored background blocks,  which showcase the cats perfectly, are comprised of variations of the "Puss In the Corner" pattern. Her very creative work is hand-stamped with feline images, thread-painted, and collaged.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration of Maynard (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr (at the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Festival); Bathtub Beach (at the 2015 World Quilt Show in West Palm Beach, Florida); Family Resemblance (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); and Cornered (at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival).