Simple shapes in quilting

Last week we featured top designers whose easy-to-piece quilts feature simple shapes: squares, rectangles and/or triangles. The results are simply beautiful ! The original articles are: Simple dimensional shapes:  Joen Wolfrom Designs; Simple modern shapes: Esch House Quilts; Simple shapes, jelly rolls and i Candy; Simple shapes by Diana and Laura; Simple shapes in fabulous fabrics; and Simple shapes: jelly roll quilts and other confections.  Links to the designers' sites are below the photos.

Row 1: Joen Wolfrom, at JWD Publishing.  Row 2: Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts.  Row 3:  Stephanie Sheffield, Amy Walsh and Janine Burke, at Blue Underground Studios. Row 4: Laura Nownes and Diana McClun, at Laura Nownes. Row 5: Pamela Goecke Dinndorf, at Aardvark Quilts.  Row 6: Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs.

Simple, modern shapes: Esch House Quilts

When we first came across Esch House Quilts, Debbie Grifka had just revealed a quilt called Ephemeral Elegance.  A few months later, the quilt became an award-winner, receiving a blue ribbon in its category at the 2011 AQS show.  Often using solid colors and simple shapes, Debbie Grifka's modern, minimalist quilts are fresh and original. Here are a few of her great designs.

Madeline, by Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts

"Madeline" is made with Debbie Grifka's newest pattern, "Spell It Out", which is available in 5 quilt sizes.  A full alphabet of letters in upper and lower case are included in the pattern, so you can personalize the quilt by spelling out any text you want in the margin !  The modern baby quilt is shown below.  You can read about "Spell It Out" here, and about "Madeline" here.

Shadow Boxes, 60 x 90", by Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts

This bold, graphic quilt with its simple-to-piece shadow boxes would be beautiful in any color scheme, and can even be made with fabric scraps in medium and dark values.

Third Street Quilt, 12 1/2 x 48 1/2", by Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts

Debbie Grifka designed these houses for easy construction.  She says:  "I have always loved house quilts, but the blocks have too many pieces -- so I simplified mine to just six pieces."  In addition to this table runner, you can see a wonderful quilt made with the blocks on the Esch House Quilts blog.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Debbie Grifka at Esch House Quilts.

Red, White, and Bold

The red-and-white quilts we've shown so far have featured red elements on a white ground. Today's thoroughly modern quilt reverses the trend, with white squares that provide a high contrast to the square red field. We love this quilt, which is emblematic of Debbie Grifka's bold, graphic style.

Bold, 40 x 40", by Debbie Grifka at Esch House Quilts

This quilt displays all of the core elements of good design. Notice that the vertical column has seven squares, while the horizontal row has five squares (the "rule of odds" suggests that an odd number of subjects in an image is more interesting than an even number.)  Also, exact bisections of the picture space have been avoided.  This quilt does have a focal point (can you identify it?) Finally, the pure red space that makes up the bulk of the quilt is the equivalent of 'negative space', but it is not 'empty space'. Check out the quilted diagonal lines; some of them are set at oblique angles.

Red is a color that is thought to raise the heart rate, but this red quilt is almost soothing. The fabric has a low luster, which makes it seem to absorb light. Debbie Grifka explains: "When I decided to make Bold, I just knew I had to use a Cherrywood Fabrics red. The subtle colors and texture were just what I needed. I didn't want to order over the internet since I really wanted to see the color. So my friend and I drove to the International Quilt Festival in Chicago, where they were vending, and back in one day (10 hours round trip) mostly so I could get that fabric! I still think it was worth it - a little crazy, but worth it."

The pattern for Bold and other modern quilt designs can be obtained online at Esch House Quilts.

Image credits: The image of Bold is shown with the generous permission of Debbie Grifka.

tree wrapup

Can you imagine twelve different ways of depicting a tree in fabric?  For the last 12 days, that's been our challenge.  We set out to locate 12 quilts that would stimulate new ideas about quilting, and about  realistic vs. abstract representations of objects. Here is our "tree wrapup"...

Here are the links to the original posts:
Top row, L-R: An Evergreen Bias, by Debbie Grifka; O Tannenbaum, by Ricky Tims; A Christmas Tree, by Anna Grossnickle Hines
2nd row, L-R: Ginkgo Christmas Tree, by Ann Fahl; Santa Baby by Molly Shannon, based on a design by Janet Nesbitt; Ode to a Christmas Tree, by Lyn Mann
3rd row, L-R:  Oh Christmas Tree, by Kellie Wulfsohn; Winter Deluxe, by Jane Sassaman; Baubles, by Louise Papa
Bottom row, L-R; Alpine Wonder, by Mary Lou Hallenbeck; Four Seasons, by Laura Blanchard; Sage Country Christmas Tree, by Laura Estes

An evergreen bias

It's the 10th day of our "12 days of Christmas trees", and it just keeps getting better! What we love about Quilt Inspiration is that it can strike unexpectedly. Like the day we stumbled upon Esch House Quilts, the home of modern designer (and rising star) Debbie Grifka.  Her clever "evergreen bias"  defines the essence of a winter tree that is decorated for the season. 

An Evergreen Bias, 24 x 30, by Debbie Grifka, at Esch House Quilts

This little tree uses a graduated bias technique that Debbie Grifka developed to make the tree go from wider at the bottom to smaller at the top. It is also a perfect example of her approach to modern quilting:  "For me, modern quilting often has a somewhat minimalist approach to design. The designs are graphic and bold. They often look simple to make, but are not necessarily so. In addition, many modern quilters use negative space in a way that neither traditional or art quilters usually do."

Visit Esch House Quilts to see all of Debbie Grifka's modern quilt patterns.  Also check out her Project Modern entry:  Ephemeral Elegance.  (It'll knock your socks off !)

Image credits and links:  The image of "An Evergreen Bias" is shown with the generous permission of Debbie Grifka.