Undulation 1-1-2011, 49 x 49, by Rita Vautrin
Winner of the second place award in the Scrap Quilt category, this work really caught our eye because of the perfectly coordinated rainbow colors. Quilter Rita Vautrin used almost 200 different fabrics to construct the quilt. Notice how the vivid paper-pieced border perfectly compliments the solid black background and serves as a great showcase for the Bali fabrics. The border is from 'Crystals' by Mark Lipinski as published in Quilters Home, January 2008. Jacqueline de Jonge’s pattern, Stars in the Night, makes a perfect center for this cheerful quilt.
Finally the Amaryllis Blooms, 50 x 43, by Jean Estes (quilted by Jackie Bradley)
Jean Estes says she is pleased with her second attempt to get the bursting-with-life scarlet flower to look right (hence the quilt name, 'Finally the amaryllis blooms' !) We particularly liked the red-and-gold Asian fabric which makes the amaryllis pot look so real. The quilt pattern is by Lennie Honcoop at Dutch Quilter.
Thirteen Colonies – Stars of the Revolution, 79 x 60, by Mae Adkins
We've always loved the Burgoyne Surrounded pattern, with its tiny squares. Mae Adkin's red, white and blue quilt was designed for the 2009 National Quilt Museum contest in Paducah, Kentucky. Chosen as one of the 18 finalists, "Thirteen Colonies" was tour for 18 months. This quilt is featured in the AQS book, Burgoyne Surrounded: New Quilts from an Old Favorite
. Which reminds us: the latest New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest has been announced (basket quilts !) with an entry deadline of November 2011.Long Grove, 38 x 52, by Georgia Thorne
Are you wondering about the large red and blue ribbon with the gold center which hangs at the left hand side of this quilt? It's the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame award, which was presented to "Long Grove", a quilt deemed worthy of special recognition. The recipient is included in the Friends of the Arizona Quilters hall of Fame for the current year, and is featured on the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame website. Quiltmaker Georgia Thorne will also be invited to display the quilt at the 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Event, Sunday, September 25, 2011, in Prescott, Arizona.
It's difficult to see in the photo, but in the detail just above, these houses actually stand out about two inches from the quilt. They are stabilized with either stiff interfacing or perhaps thin plexiglass, so that they don't lose their shape. Georgia Thorne says: "Growing up in the Midwest, I was influenced by the many layered landscapes." She used various techniques and textures to portray the fields, rolling hills, and the small town of Long Grove, Illinois.
By the Light of the Silvery Moon, 37 x 40, by Arleen Logan
Arleen Logan says that this fantasy art quilt began with embroidered fairies and moths (you can see the tiny fairy, below). The iridescent bugs were incredibly lifelike, and about 2 inches across; they were made using water soluble fabric and tulle, then appliqued on branches and leaves. .
The quilter did a wonderful job of setting the mood of a magical night by juxtaposing the ephemeral fairy and sparkling butterfly with the creepy-crawlies shown below. This quilt shows a wonderful sense of movement, where the forest comes alive after sundown.
