Piecing It Together

Since piecing is one of my favorite parts of making a quilt, I always look forward to this category….

This quilt is an amazing example of a pineapple quilt……

It moves up the scale when you see it in perspective…..

It was TINY!!

Paula Nadelstern is well known for her piecing, but this quilt of hers blew my mind completely!!

As an example of the work, these are two of the blocks….each a “kaleidoscope” four-patch…..

There are over 14,000 pieces in the background of this next quilt…..

This is what the maker says about this next quilt…. “The design started with a geometric pattern of lines and shapes that were repeated over the surface. A perspective technique was then used to create a realistic illusion of depth and make the pattern pop out of the quilt surface. This portrays a more lifelike image and helps draw you into the quilt.”

I absolutely LOVE this design!!!

This quilt was awarded the Third-Place ribbon…..

This quilt won the Second-place Ribbon…..

“Flying in Circles” by Dena Angela Miskel

….and this was the Blue-Ribbon winner…..

The fabrics in each block are the same. The color difference is achieved by using different colors of thread for the quilting. I have seen this technique before and it is SO effective!!

Speaking of colors….tomorrow we are celebrating the color RED!!!! Come back for more..

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Large Pictorial – Part Two

Today let’s take a look at the second part of the Large Pictorial Quilts from the International Quilt festival!!

We live with a bevy of deer in our neighborhood so this quilt appealed to my senses…..

I was intrigued with how Nancy used snippets in her trees…..

Michael and I have visited many places similar to this and I love how the scene has been depicted in fabric…..

“Serenity In Sintra” by Karlyn Bue Lohrenz

This best descriptor of this next quilt is “STRIKING”.

There were so many details in this next piece…..

“Windmills and Pinwheels” by Joanne Baeth

Look at some of them……

These chickens were so much fun……

When my friend Linda looked at this quilt, she said “that looks like Keukenhof Gardens”….and it was indeed!!

“Keukenhof Gardens” by Mary Anne Fontana

It was made from a photograph professionally printed on fabric and then quilted.

This final quilt was probably my favorite in the category……

“Buddy” by Hiroko Miyama, quilted by Masanobu Miyama

These quilters have had similar quilts in past shows and I absolutely LOVE their work. It is always whimsical and realistic.

One of my readers made an interesting comment about professionally printed fabrics that have been quilted. She wondered if they shouldn’t be in a “Wholecloth” category. I hadn’t thought of them as such but it certainly makes sense.

What do you think??

Tomorrow we will have a look at the winners (and others) in the Pieced Category. Stay tuned…..

If you don’t want to miss my personal tour of the International Quilt Festival, be sure to subscribe…….

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Large Pictorial – Part One

Today we are starting on the Large Pictorial quilts that were displayed at the International Quilt Festival.

This quilt was a Blue-Ribbon winner…..

To see more of her lovely floral quilts, check out this post from a few weeks ago…..

Contemporary Painted Florals

I love the colors in this quilt……

….and the maker (Brent McGee) was easy to pick out…..he was wearing a jacket made out of the same fabrics!!

This next quilt was based on a photo taken in the Shenandoah National Park…..

The whimsical nature of this Moose invites you to look closer…..

Look at the “fur” on his chin…..

….and the quilting in the background…..

Hollis Chatelain always produces amazing quilts and this is no exception…..

Look at this threadwork……

I still can’t quite wrap my head around how Cynthia England pieces these quilts……

Finally for today, this Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry “color wheel” of Herons was a joy to view…..

“Confabulation” by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

That’s half of my favorites….the rest will be shown tomorrow!!!

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Small Pictorial – Part Two

Yesterday, we explored several of the quilts in the Small Pictorial category at the International Quilt Festival. Here are a few more!!

I like the peaceful sensation that flows out of this quilt…..

The scarf extending off of the quilt is a sweet touch!!

This next quilt proves that ANYTHING can be a quilt inspiration!! The maker did an excellent job, especially with the beard’s texture…..

I also like that the background has an “unfinished” look, furthering the idea behind this quilt…..

You look at certain quilts and IMMEDIATELY know who made them. This is another classic from Kestrel Michaud. She makes full use of the technologies available to her and, in this quilt, digitally cut the applique pieces!!

This next quilt was awarded a Blue Ribbon and it was DESERVED!!

We spoke to Judith Phelps at length as she told us about her process for making this quilt….

I came away with one “a-ha” moment….. To achieve greater dimension, she uses matte threads for the background areas and rayon or other “shiny” threads for the top threads.

She also used matching threads on the front and back so that the horse can be seen from either side…..

This next quilt was my visual favorite…..

Have a closer look at the MANY pieces that went into the dress…..

Finally, the serenity expressed in this quilt spoke to my heart……

The light source behind the gate emphasized the “Path of Silence”!!

Well…there you have my favorites from the Small Pictorial Division.

Tomorrow we will tackle the LARGE ones!!

If you don’t want to miss my personal tour of the International Quilt Festival, be sure to subscribe…….

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Small Pictorial – Part One

Have you noticed how Pictorial Quilts have become all the rage? As proof, pictorial quilts comprised two of the largest categories at IQF. These are some of the ones in the “small” division…..

The artist’s statement for this first quilt was so cute…. “This started out to be a cowgirl quilt. Then I decided it needed a fence, a horse, and a couple of kids. As the story developed, the little girl had an attitude because she was mad at her brother for hiding the carrot and teasing the horse. All the horse wants to know is “Where’s My Carrot?”!!

Can’t you just see her mind creating the story as the quilt grew?

This next quilt was quite small and I loved the bounty of ribbon flowers.

This is how I want my flower gardens to look…..a cacophony of colors!

This “sisters” quilt came from a photo that sat in the maker’s studio for 10 years…….

I can certainly identify with this statement. Sometimes you just have to wait until you are ready to use that one inspiration!!

This quilt makes me want to go hiking again…..

“Woodland Stream, Early Spring” by Sandra Mollen

…while this one makes me long to return to Venice……

The reflections in the water were so well done and the quilting was unbelievably tiny…..

This next quilt was made with professionally printed fabric and then quilted with Isacord embroidery thread. The thing that made this quilt stand out to me was the 3-dimensional look to the dog……

It looked as if she was about to hop out of the quilt and join me on the show floor.

Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry has re-invented herself over the years and this new technique is one of my favorites. It contains all sorts of fabrics, including hand-dyed, painted, digitally printed, and professionally printed.