Quilt Inspiration 2010: Flowers

In 2010 we had the privilege and pleasure of showing some glorious flower quilts, starting with a post called In Full Bloom. While many northern cities are now snowed in, these quilts remind us of spring. You can see each artist's distinctive style in the quilts with patterns (upper panel) as well as the original works of art (lower panel).

 

Row 1, L-R: Red Roses and Rose in a Vase, by Shelley J. Greener; Geraniums and Primitive Rose, by Edyta Sitar.  Row 2: Sunflower and Summer Rose, by Melinda Bula; Passion Flower and Roses, by Cleo Mounday. Row 3. Garden Flowers and Trio of Tulips, by Laura Wasilowski; Virginia Bouquet, by Pearl Pereira; Autumn Mums, by Frieda Anderson. Row 4: Poppy and Georgetown Poppies, by Carol Morrissey; Ashley's Flower Basket, by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly. Row 5: Botanical Artisan Basketry, by Janice Vaine; Plumeria and Iris, by Brenda Yirsa; Flower Basket Medallion, by Kim McLean. For more information, see In Full Bloom and Basket Quilts Part 2.

Original Art Quilts

Row 1: Spring Greetings, by Frieda Anderson; Tipsy Tabletop and Pair of Paphiodilum, by Dianne Vottero Dockery.  Row 2: Along Shaded Trails - Fuschias and Flowers Entwined - the Tulip and the Daisy, by Marilyn Stewart Stothers; and Peacock Flower, by Barbara Olson.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Harvest Quilts - Part 2

Today, we are continuing to admire some lovely quilts with the theme of a bountiful harvest. Join us for inspiration from these creative and attractive quilts which incorporate images of apples, pears, grapes, pumpkins and other fruits of the season. 

Horn of Plenty,  20 x 25, by Virginia Robertson

Virginia Robertson writes a delightful blog titled Old Dog New Tricks, in which she describes her real-life dream job.  She is the Quilting and Design Coordinator at Bali Fabrics, where she creates patterns for the vibrant Princess Mirah batiks line.  These batiks really sparkle in the vivid diamond border of salmon and violets hues, which perfectly showcase the grapes and pumpkin in the center of the quilt.  "Horn of Plenty" is available as a kit or a pattern at Virginia Robertson Designs. These bright, cheery colors would work well in any room to offset the loss of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere as the end of the year approaches.

Cornucopia Block, by Elly Sienkiewicz, stitched by Karen Pessia

Elly Sienkiewicz learned to quilt from her relatives in West Virginia, and she embraced it with a passion. One of the best known and most popular designers of appliqued Baltimore Album style quilts, she founded her  now famous Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy to share her love of both teaching and quilting.  In the Cornucopia Block shown above, stitched by Karen Pessia,  Elly's energetic and lively design really captivates the viewer, as grapes, peaches, apples, cherries, and anything else you can imagine leap out of the horn of plenty in a joyous arrangement. Her latest book, Elly Sienkiewicz's Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts: 25 Blocks, 12 Quilts, Embellishment Techniques has just been released this week. We can't wait to read it, as Elly's prolific designs and excellent instruction are such an inspiration to quilters everywhere.

Apple Still Life,  51 x 37, by Ellen Lindner

Displayed on the home page of Ellen Lindner's  Adventure Quilter website, these tempting apples are made with exquisite colors and precision. They  seem to jump rights off this beautiful quilt, as they are so lifelike and three dimensional. This quilt is an example of Ellen's double reverse applique process, and Ellen has published her own Double Reverse Applique E-Book, which can be downloaded immediately from the website. These e-Books are time-saving, convenient, and economical.

In order to make the beautiful "Apple A Day " block shown above,using the Double Reverse Applique E-book,  you'll need a  sewing machine capable of doing free motion quilting with dropped feed dogs and an appropriate presser foot. If you'd like to see another one of Ellen's beautiful still life designs, check out the July-August 2010 issue of Spaces Magazine, where Ellen discusses her background and inspiration for her fascinating art quilts.

Fall Memories, 34 x 26, by Edyta Sitar

Here's a raw-edge applique pattern from Edyta Sitar at Laundry Basket Quilts which uses the elongated, delicate, lacy shapes of leaves and stems to really dress up a rustic harvest theme. Edyta's elegant and pleasing still life arrangement is rendered here in  light-dappled Bali fabrics, but it would also look great in traditional prints. Edyta is a talented and prolific designer who always has something new and fun on her drawing board , including her recently published book, Friendship Strips and Scraps.  We've featured Edyta's inspiring creations several times before, including our posts titled Dresden Plate quilts and  In Full Bloom.

Apple of My Eye,  18 x 16, by Debi Hubbs

We've all heard the nursery rhyme about the blackbirds baked in the pie, but here they are, in a comical twist, standing on top of the fruit instead of inside it.   The cinnamon red batik border, the apricot print background,and the dark inner border go together beautifully. This quilt is constructed using the raw edge fusible applique technique, and the pattern contains Debi Hubbs' easy to follow instructions, a full size layout guide, and pieces already reversed for applique. It's available at  Debi Hubbs Art Blooms Online Store, where you'll see many other fun patterns for sale.

Cider Mill Road,  50 x 62,  by Nancy Halvorsen

Cider Mill Road is comprised of 16 apple blocks, each one happily sporting a whimsical spiral which adds light and contrast to the pattern. This pattern book which also includes pillows, table runners, aprons, and hot pads, is available at Nancy Halvorsen's Cider Mill Road products page. You'll also find other fun Art to Heart patterns and Nancy's fascinating books. We love this charming fabric from Benartex, and we were glad to see that a Cider Mill Quilt Fabric Pack is available at Erica's Quilting website, which includes the fabrics to make one quilt top.

Dresden Plate Quilts

Dresden Plate Quilts occupy a remarkable place in quilting history because of their unique round shape and their ability to use even the smallest scraps of fabric to make a balanced, orderly, eye-catching pattern.

Judy Anne Breneman of Patterns From History tells us that the Dresden Plate block was named after the ornately decorated tableware of Dresden, Germany; and these quilts brightened many a household during the Great Depression of the 1930's. The pattern is still popular today, since all types of fabric can be combined together to produce a cheerful, pleasing quilt which brightens even the simplest of rooms. Judy is offering a free Dresden Plate pattern, with several variations, to help you easily get started on a fun project.

Dresden Plate Pillow by Allison Harris

Allison Harris, creator of the popular website CluckCluckSew, displays a pretty Dresden Plate Pillow that provides a great example of the construction of this popular block. She uses fabrics in very small,  colorful calico type prints, reminiscent of the fabrics of the 1930's and 1940's.  In this case, Allison used a sturdy plastic template from EZ Quilt to cut out 20 small segments, then she seamed them and joined them in a circle. After appliquing them to the pillow fabric, she added the red center and carefully machine stitched around the edge.

Allison chose Dresden Plate segments that are pointed on the ends, but as you will see in quilts displayed below, it's possible to create segments which are rounded, flat, or alternating sizes at the tips.

"Lollipops" Quilt Pattern, 40 x 40 by Edyta Sitar

Edyta Sitar, author of the fascinating Friendship Triangles and Hop To It books, shows us a contemporary Dresden Plate quilt, using rich, deep batik colors. This is an updated look, as solid colors or tonals are used in place of small calico prints. Because the blocks are set against an intricately patterned neutral taupe background, they really seem to "pop" from the surface of the quilt. Edyta's carefully written, thoughtful instructions will help you produce this gorgeous quilt. For more "yummy" items, including Edyta's fabric collection for Moda, kits, patterns, and embroidery software, see her Laundry Basket Quilts website.

Dresden Plates by Jenny Reynold

Are you ready for a trip " down under"? Well, let's go !
From Brisbane, Australia comes this lively quilt from Jenny Reynold, who belongs to the Queensland quilt guild, otherwise known as QLD Quilters. Jenny has done a marvelous job of sewing vibrantly colored large Dresden Plates with  beautiful smaller "baby plates" as a means of evenly spacing her quilt blocks. This is a clever way of accurately setting the large blocks without creating too much negative space with the off-white background.  Notice that Jenny has carried out the feeling of rounded movement by creating a scalloped edge, whose curves match the round blocks. For more wonderful quilt photos, as well as the announcement of their upcoming quilt show from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24, 2010, please visit the  QLD Quilters website in Australia.

Sunflower Baby, 42 x 46, by Darcy Ashton

In this adorable baby quilt, the Dresden Plates are treated as sunflowers, with green print stems and leaves. Darcy has appliqued and embroidered faces for the center of each flower. The centers are gently stuffed with fiberfill to help them stand out from the rest of the quilt. Note that Darcy carried out the Dresden Plate theme to the corners of the quilt, where partial plates tie in the corners with the center design. For this and other inspiring books and patterns, take a look at Darcy's wonderful Ashton Publications website.

Vintage Dresden Plate pattern,  81 x102,  by Marti Michell

This sunny quilt pattern has a charming basket medallion in the center, which is actually a Dresden Plate bouquet of flowers in a basket. Instead of the standard square block setting for Dresden Plates, the blocks are set "en pointe", creating a pretty diagonal effect. As a bonus, this pattern also comes with a really cute Dresden Plate Homecoming Wall Hanging pattern. You can purchase the pattern at From Marti Michell: Home of the Perfect Patchword Templates.


Dresden Plates, 52 x 65, by Marsha Bray and Candy Grisham

A well-known quilt teacher and designer, Marsha writes that she had many pieces of  monochromatic blue scraps left over from a previous project, so she started handpiecing Dresden Plate blocks to see how many she could complete. She also chose a diagonal,  non-traditional setting these blocks, which look beautifully balanced and very symmetrical, next to their sawtooth border.  The sophisticated navy and white contrasting colors add to the dignified  and elegant effect of this quilt. For more stunning quilts and creative ideas, visit Marsha Bray's website.

Round Robin Raffle Quilt by West Virginia Quilters, Inc.

For their Quilt Festival from June 24-26 2010, quilt guilds throughout West Virginia lovingly pieced this fabulous 93" square raffle quilt, with a very original variation. The Dresden Plate blocks are constructed in one half and three quarters round sizes to form part of the quilt's  inner border. This  variation  creates a flowery complement to  the appliqued vine as it dances around the center  patchwork. If you're near Summersville, WV from June 24-26, be sure to visit the festival and enter the raffle. Raffle tickets are a bargain:  $1.00 each or 6 for $ 5.00.

Dresden Plate With Bows, by Kingston Heirloom Quilters

Here's a Dresden Plate quilt whose fanciful and lively swag border matches the blocks and carries out the circular motif.  Located in Ontario, Canada, the Kingston Heirloom Quilters are known for their elaborate borders, and this quilt is no exception. The deep blue print from the center of the plates is used for the bows of the border. The gold fabric of the bows between the plates is also used in the scallops of the border. 27 members contributed over 400 hours of work to complete this quilt, which was later raffled. For more of their beautiful work, please see the KHQ website.

Additional resources:  For more excellent information and inspiration, take a look at these books:
Thoroughly Modern Dresden by Anelie Belden at Anelie's Quiltworks; 
Dresden Plate Quilts: A Simplified Method by Wendy Gilbert and Merritt Voigtlander;
Dresden Plate: New Quilts From An Old Favorite by Shelley Hawkins; and
Dresden Plates of Distinction by Sharon Stroud; her website is here.

In full bloom

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." ~Claude Monet

We went looking for quilt ideas for Mother’s Day, and came up with a virtual garden of inspiration. The outstanding artists featured here have used their fabrics as palettes, creating vivid floral tableaux. You’ll find tulips and iris, passion flowers and poppies, sunflowers and roses and more, in distinct artistic styles. Moreover, these works of art are accessible to quilters everywhere, thanks to easy-to-follow patterns. We fell in love with every one of these quilts, and hope you do too!

Geraniums, 20 x 22, by Edyta Sitar, at Laundry Basket Quilts



Primitive rose, 25 x 30, by Edyta Sitar, at Laundry Basket Quilts



Laundry Basket Quilts: Edyta Sitar was born in Poland and raised in Germany before coming to the U.S. Her love of nature and of quilting inspired her to create her beautiful floral designs, including Geraniums and Primitive Rose, above. Her marvelous raw edge applique designs also include Daffodils, Chrysanthemums, Tiger Lilies, Tulips, and many others. All of the Laundry Basket Quilt patterns, including raw edge, patchwork, and traditional applique designs (including Midnight Blooms) are available on the website, here. (And by the way, Laundry Basket Quilts designs fabrics for Moda... see the collections here).


Flowers are love's truest language.
~ Park Benjamin


Rose in a vase, 18 x 22, by Shelley J. Greener, at SJ Greener Quilts



Red roses, by Shelley J. Greener, at SJ Greener Quilts



SJ Greener Quilts: Shelley J. Greener is an award-winner quilter and designer, who has won accolades for her quilts and for her innovative construction techniques. Her original floral and still life designs, including her Rose in a Vase (shown above), Apple Basket, and Flores Brillantes are wonderfully realistic. Also don't miss seeing the floral applique in Shelley Greener's stunning Blue Lace quilt, which was designed for the 2007 Dutchess Heritage raffle. "Blue Lace" has gorgeous applique blocks in three styles, in vivid shades of blue and violet (a pattern book is available!) To view more original works, see her gallery and quilts for sale pages.


Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Sunflower, 18 x 18, by Melinda Bula, at Melinda Bula Designs



Summer rose, 25 x 25, by Melinda Bula, at Melinda Bula Designs



Melinda Bula Designs: Melinda Bula is a renowned artist and designer, who first became known for her original hand silk screened wallpapers and fabrics. Since 1996, Melinda has focused on quilts (her first love). Her best-selling book, Cutting Garden Quilts, contains patterns for a rose, pansies, clematis, coneflower, and apples... and a wealth of visual inspiration. Her truly Fabulous Fusible Flower patterns include Sunflower and Summer Rose (shown above), Geranium and Yellow Daisy, and others. Melinda Bula's book and patterns, including the (also fabulous) Tea for Tulips, can be obtained here.


I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
~Emma Goldman


Garden Flowers, 14 x 18, by Laura Wasilowski, at ArtFabrik



Trio of tulips, 10 x 13, by Laura Wasilowski, at ArtFabrik



ArtFabrik: Laura Wasilowski is a contemporary quilt maker, author, teacher, and creator of luminous hand-dyed fabric and thread. Her quilts have been featured in museum collections, exhibits, and books. Garden Flowers and Trio of Tulips (above), as well as Wild Rose and Blue Cosmos are just a few of her newest patterns. Also see her delightful Cat and Flower (to mention just one of our favorites; click here to see all of her patterns). Laura also provides fusing tips and books for fun, fast, and fearless fusing. Be sure to peruse Laura's extraordinary hand-dyed fabrics here (her fabrics are used by many leading textile artists). For even more inspiration, view the ArtFabrik galleries.


My first memory is of the brightness of light ... light all around. I was sitting among pillows on a quilt on the ground... ~ Georgia O'Keefe


Georgetown Poppies, 20 x 30, by Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs



Poppy, 36 x 48, by Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs



O Carol Designs: Carol Morrissey designs quilts and patterns, teaches classes and workshops, and hand-dyes fabrics. Her love of quilting, gardening, photography are all reflected in her fantastic flowers and other quilt designs. In addition to her perfect Poppies, shown above, her floral designs - which are made for fusible applique - include exquisite iris, pansies, and bluebonnets. Entire gardens of blooms are represented in her April and July patterns. Also we can't help but mention two more of our favorites: Grand Gerber, which measures 57.5" square, and Sue's cactus, a beautiful cactus flower. Carol's complete list of patterns can be viewed here.


I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty. ~ Georgia O'Keefe

Passion Flower, 42 x 44, by Cleo Mounday, at Cleo's Designs



Roses, 41 x 59, by Cleo Mounday, at Cleo's Designs



Cleo's Designs: Cleo Mounday draws on her background of photography and interior decorating, and her love of gardening, to inspire people to find colors they love around them and to include them in their lives through clothing and quilts. Her realistic, colorful flowers are larger than life: in Roses (above), which measures 41 x 59, the largest rose is 16" x 14" and is made of 18 pieces of fabric. Cleo's other elegant designs include hollyhocks and hydrangeas, fuchsias (which come with a little hummingbird!), her wonderful water lilies and koi, and many other favorite flowers...to browse a complete gallery of Cleo's Designs, visit her pattern page, here.

To plant a garden is ... to believe in summer, to have faith in tomorrow, to have hope in the future. ~ Anonymous

Iris, 14 x 23, by Brenda Yirsa, for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company



Plumeria, 19.5" x 24", by Brenda Yirsa, for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company



Brenda Yirsa is a pastel artist and oil painter whose work depicts landscapes, portraiture, and abstracts. She has designed quilt patterns for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company based on her original paintings. Her designs create a sense of depth through shading and layering of the fabrics, making us feel as if we can reach out and touch the flowers. Her glorious iris (above), tulips, and rose are among her newest patterns. On the tropical front, we are particularly partial to her brilliant plumeria (above), hibiscus , and bird of paradise. For a complete list of her patterns, visit the online store. For more information on Brenda Yirsa's original artwork, visit her gallery.


A beautiful garden is a work of heart. ~ Anonymous

A beautiful quilt is a work of heart. ~ Quilt Inspiration


Image Credits : All images are used with permission of the artists.