Quilt Inspiration classics: Aquarium quilts and seascapes

This week, we're going positively aquatic! Today's quilts will make you feel that you can dive right in to the underwater scenery. The quilts we're showing include fish, turtles, and other sea-dwelling creatures, in settings that evoke the color and movement of the sea. What a way to keep (your) cool !

Koi, 40 x 68 (or miniature Koi, 11 x 13), by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs

Carol Morrissey is renowned for her vibrant, artistic designs. We love "Koi", above, by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, with its orange and red fish cavorting among stylized blue waves. The miniature version (11 x 13) features a single koi, which would make a beautiful motif within an Asian-inspired quilt.   Another stunning aquatic quilt is "Follow Me", below, which measures 40" x 50". The giant green sea turtles are so realistic...the turtle in the foreground appears to be swimming right towards us!

For more aquatic designs by Carol Morrissey, check out Swim Party,  Clown School (with a school of clownfish, of course), and Standing Room Only, to mention just a few ... we're particularly fond of  The Toad ( formerly known as Prince) (!)  Her patterns can be found on the patterns page at O Carol Designs. 

Seascape I and Seascape II,  by Marjan Kluepfel

Marjan Kluepfel is a fabric artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the world.  The inspiration for her magnificent seascape quilts comes from her scuba diving trips on reefs around the Hawaiian islands, and Australia. Seascape I is in a private collection, but Marjan offers a pattern for the dreamy Seascape II, which is shown above. The brightly colored hand-dyed fabric, which blends from blue-green up to yellow,  creates the impression of the sun penetrating the ocean depths; and the textural embellishments really bring the reef to life.   Marjan teaches some great workshops, including one devoted just to seascapes.  Her work can be viewed in her online galleries.

Blue Lagoon, 41 x 41, and Sandhill Cranes, 67 x 63, by Louisa L. Smith, at Quilt Escapes LLC

Louisa L. Smith is a fabric artist, designer, and teacher, whose work has been described as "painting with fabric".  The radiant Blue Lagoon is an example of a "creative nine-patch" quilt, while Sandhill Cranes uses a special curved diamond template; these are just two of the projects in the One Patch Plus book by Louisa L. Smith and Lisa Harris. In these quilts, a few dramatic elements are appliqued on top of pieced backgrounds that evoke the sea and sky. As in all of Louisa L. Smith's art quilts, the colors and values of the fabrics are expertly blended to create a sense of depth and movement (witness the beautiful blue Cycloid II).  Also check out her classes and lectures, which include "The Wonderful Art of Stripping"!

Beach Walk, 59 x 73,  including Whale Watch, by McKenna Ryan, at Pine Needles

Beach Walk has become a seascape classic; we especially like the Water Ballet (jellyfish) and the Whale Watch block, shown above...okay, we like 'em all.   Her other aquatic series include Sea Breeze, which includes a cute pufferfish (Koo Koo Puff); and her newest design, Something Fishy.  And here is something fun about the Pine Needles site:  you can send a free electronic postcard of any quilt block to a friend (how cool is that?)  Check it out by clicking on the exquisite LOVE quilt block (or if you happen to know someone who is snooty, consider sending The Snooty Sisters !

Aquarium Art Quilts: For even more inspiration,  take a quick peek at a few quilts by these outstanding quilters (you'll be glad you did): Janice Potter's Lion of the Sea;  Jean Baardsen's Raffle Reef and aquarium quilts;  Mary Butler's  Into the Deep;   Betty Busby's aquarium quilts at bbusbyarts;  Debra Harry's aquarium and mermaid quilts; and Stacy West's underwater gallery.

Fish samplers:Hmmm, a fish sampler sounds like something on a sushi menu (sashimi, anyone?) But of course we're talking about fish sampler quilts. See the Under The Sea series by Barbara Bieraugel, who lives in Hawaii (lucky devil). Now someone just has to design a sushi sampler quilt so we know what to order at the sushi bar!

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  This article was first published at Quilt Inspiration on August 9, 2010.

Quilt inspiration 2010: Houses

Did you know that 2010 was our first year blogging? That might explain why we've spent a few days recalling some of our most popular themes.  This is our last "recap" post, before we start a fabulous New Year of inspiration (tomorrow !)

In 2010 we did a series called "Our Town", featuring quilts with schoolhouses, homes, and entire villages.  Methods of construction ranged from log cabin to stained glass, traditional and foundation piecing, and appliqué. As a Realtor would say: We hope you see some houses you like !

Row 1, L-R: Row Houses, by Flavin Glover; Magnolia Quilt,  by Sue Spargo; Hillside Houses,  by Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark; Welcome Home, by Alex Anderson. Row 2: Little Houses, and Little Old One Room Schoolhouse, by Ruth Powers; Little Amsterdam,  by the North Sea Quilters; Pedestrian Friendly, by Pat Dicker. Row 3: Wonky Houses, by Carol Morrissey; Firelight and Chimney Smoke, by Martha Milne;  There's No Place Like Home, block and full quilt, by Sonya Chinn. Row 4: Night before Christmas quilt and block, by Sue Garman; Welcome to the North Pole, by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins; Waiting for Santa, by Lynette Anderson. Row 5:  Up on the Housetop quilt and detail, by Cynthia England; and It Takes A Village, by Pippa Moore.

*For more information, see the following articles:  Our Town, Our Town Part 2, Our Town Part 3, Our Town Part 4, Our Town Part 5, and Our Town Part 6.

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.

Our Town

This time of year, the school bells ring again for so many of us and our children.  While researching an article on traditional Amish "schoolhouse" quilts,  we found so many darling quilts with houses, that we decided to expand our post to include all kind of wonderful house patterns.

A house on a quilt is a symbol of our community and our lives together in society. It's no wonder that house quilts remind us of comfort and the togetherness of family, friends, and neighbors.

Welcome Home, 64 x 64, by Alex Anderson,at Alex Anderson Quilts

Here's a delightful neighborhood of cheerful houses done in russet and gold. Internationally-famous designer Alex Anderson has brightened the traditional fall quilt by adding contemporary colors of aqua blue and rose pink which make the maple leaves and houses sparkle against the dark background. Easily pieced using half square triangles, "Welcome Home" has become a classic best-seller from JWD Publishing. You can view all of Alex Anderson's books and patterns at Alex Anderson Quilts.

At The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, you can sign up for podcasts with instruction from other top name quilters, contests, a block-of-the-month program, a fabulous quilt galley, and a store full of wonderful products and DVDs. Take a look, as it's great fun to browse through all these goodies.

Little Old One Room Schoolhouse,  23 x 27, by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

The traditional schoolhouse of the American frontier, complete with a bell tower, beckons us back to learning, as leaves swirl in the early autumn breeze.  Prolific quilt designer Ruth Powers offers this charming scene as a pattern on her website, along with so many other beautiful patterns.

Little Houses, 48 x 60, by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

Ruth writes, "Much of my work is inspired by nature;  my daily walks fill my senses with color and design possibilities." In creating Little Houses, Ruth has done an excellent job of selecting different blues and greens for the sky and earth, while selecting the complementary colors of bright orange and orange-red for the homes. Ruth notes that this is a great pattern for using up fat quarters and scraps, so let your imagination run wild, and let the stash-busting begin ! Ruth also composes a very interesting blog, where she updates everyone about her latest projects and patterns.

Hillside Houses, 29 x 36 by Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark

We love the idea of a village of houses nestled cozily together, their rooftops peeking out from one another. Daphne Greig was very kind to give us some background on this enchanting quilt. She writes: "Bright houses perched on a hillside are the inspiration for this quilt. You will see these along the coastlines of Italy and Greece and even in Newfoundland. The piece was designed for my book, co-written with Susan Purney Mark, Simple Stained Glass Quilts, Krause Publications, 2008. Our unique "whole cloth" technique makes construction of stained glass quilts easy and less labor-intensive than other methods."  Autographed copies of the book are available through Daphne's website, http://www.daphnegreig.com/.

Wonky Houses, 44 x 60, by Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs

Wonky Houses is an irresistible quilt pattern, because the fairy-tale cottages and trees at their lilting angles provide such a whimsical, fun effect. Carol Morrissey created this quilt as an easy paper piecing pattern, with clearly understandable directions and full size paper templates. The triangles that dance through the quilt and the vibrant orange-red border against the blue sky really make this dazzling pattern "pop". What a great opportunity to use up bright fat quarters and scraps.   Carol notes that "variety is the key to success of this quilt". For more great patterns, and a fabulous gallery of photos, visit  O Carol Designs.

Firelight and Chimney Smoke, 62 x 50, by Martha Milne, at machinequilter

Martha Milne, who is based in the UK,  constructed this beautiful Amish-style schoolhouse quilt out of jewel-tone remnants. She had just completed a Jewel Box quilt for her daughter, and fell in love with the jewel tones against the black. The light and bright windows in this quilt give the inviting illusion of a warm, glowing hearth within, which beckons us inside. She writes: "I did want to create the effect of light shining in the darkness. The idea was for each house to have its own personality. I had fun playing with my fabrics to achieve this." Extensive instructions and an easy-to-follow pattern can be found at Popular Patchwork and Quilting.  Martha is renowned for her machine quilting; to see the quilting detail, click on the image of the full quilt, or the photo below.

Martha Milne is an inspiring teacher, because she believes that everyone can learn to do machine quilting; see her fascinating video on You Tube. Also don't miss her demonstration of The New English Quilter, which converts your home sewing machine into an affordable version of a professional long arm machine  (it's also available in the US !)  At Martha's machinequilter website you can purchase The New English Quilter, the first of a series of Line Dancing DVDs, and the amazing JUKI sewing machine (have you heard of it?)

Last but not least... here's Martha Milne's "Little Houses in the Big Woods".  This quilt was published in Popular Patchwork in 2007 (subscriber access).  The quilting was done with a Juki machine and the New English Quilter. The detail of the red houses, and the quilted chimney smoke, can be seen on Martha's blog.

More Houses: Teacher, author, and quilt artist Freddy Moran is internationally acclaimed for her unique and original house quilts. You can see brilliant photos and read about her designs in Freddy's House: Brilliant Color in Quilts.  In addition,  from her quilt images, Freddy has created House Party Quilts Gift Wrap, which would make a lovely gift in itself ! 

Don't miss Our Town Part Two, where we show more stunning quilts with houses.

Aquarium quilts and seascapes

This week, we're going positively aquatic! Today's quilts will make you feel that you can dive right in to the underwater scenery. The quilts we're showing include fish, turtles, and other sea-dwelling creatures, in settings that evoke the color and movement of the sea. Plus, we're providing all the links to patterns which you can use to create your own underwater fantasy. What a way to keep (your) cool ! (note: at the bottom of the post there are two quiz questions... if you know either of the answers, please leave a comment.)

Koi, 40 x 68 (or miniature Koi, 11 x 13), by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs

Carol Morrissey is renowned for her vibrant, artistic designs. We love the classic "Koi", above, by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, with its orange and red fish cavorting among stylized blue waves. The miniature version (11 x 13) features a single koi, which would make a beautiful motif within an Asian-inspired quilt.   Another stunning aquatic quilt is "Follow Me", below, which measures 40" x 50". The giant green sea turtles are so realistic...the turtle in the foreground appears to be swimming right towards us!

For more fabulous aquatic designs by Carol Morrissey, check out Swim Party,  Clown School (with a school of clownfish, of course), and Standing Room Only, to mention just a few ... we're particularly fond of  The Toad ( formerly known as Prince) (!)  This spring we also featured some of Carol's glorious flower quilts in an article called In Full Bloom... take a peek at that article to see her luscious orange poppies. The patterns can all be found on the patterns page at O Carol Designs. 

Seascape I and Seascape II,  by Marjan Kluepfel

Marjan Kluepfel is a fabric artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the world.  The inspiration for her magnificent seascape quilts comes from her scuba diving trips on reefs around the Hawaiian islands, and Australia. Seascape I is in a private collection, but Marjan offers a pattern for the dreamy Seascape II, which is shown above. The brightly colored hand-dyed fabric, which blends from blue-green up to yellow,  creates the impression of the sun penetrating the ocean depths; and the textural embellishments really bring the reef to life.   Marjan teaches some wonderful workshops, including a workshop devoted just to seascapes!  Her work can be viewed in her online galleries where you can feast your eyes on all of her extraordinary art quilts.  

Blue Lagoon, 41 x 41, and Sandhill Cranes, 67 x 63, by Louisa L. Smith, at Quilt Escapes LLC

Louisa L. Smith is a fabric artist, designer, and teacher, whose innovative work has been described as "painting with fabric".  The radiant Blue Lagoon is an example of a "creative nine-patch" quilt, while Sandhill Cranes uses a special curved diamond template; these are just two of the projects in the One Patch Plus book by Louisa L. Smith and Lisa Harris. In these gorgeous quilts, a few dramatic elements are appliqued on top of pieced backgrounds that evoke the sea and sky. As in all of Louisa L. Smith's art quilts, the colors and values of the fabrics are expertly blended to create a sense of depth and movement (witness the beautiful blue Cycloid II).  If you would like to learn more, check out her classes and lectures, which include such subjects as "The Wonderful Art of Stripping"!

Beach Walk, 59 x 73,  including Whale Watch, by McKenna Ryan, at Pine Needles

NEW!  Beach Walk is McKenna Ryan's brand new series quilt, and we're so pleased to have the opportunity to showcase this design. We especially like the Water Ballet (jellyfish) and the Whale Watch block, shown above...okay, we like 'em all.  The kits for Beach Walk will be released this month, and you can get all the details at the Pine Needles website - the home of McKenna Ryan Designs.  Another delightful aquatic series by McKenna Ryan is Sea Breeze, which includes a cute pufferfish (Koo Koo Puff) and other denizens of the deep.  And here is something fun about the Pine Needles site:  you can send a free electronic postcard of any quilt block to a friend (how cool is that?)  Check it out by clicking on any of the above links, or click on the exquisite LOVE quilt block (it's on our sidebar this week).  (p.s. If you happen to know someone who is snooty, you might want to send her The Snooty Sisters e-card... be sure to type in "just kidding" in the message line!)

Aquarium Art Quilts: For even more inspiration,  take a quick peek at a few quilts by these outstanding quilters (you'll be so glad you did): Janice Potter's Lion of the Sea;  Jean Baardsen's Raffle Reef and her aquarium quilts;  Mary Butler's  Into the Deep;   Betty Busby's aquarium quilts at bbusbyarts;  Debra Harry's aquarium and mermaid quilts; and Stacy West's underwater gallery.

Fish samplers: Hmmm, a fish sampler sounds like something on a sushi menu (sashimi, anyone?) But of course we're talking about fish sampler quilts. Check out the Tropical Fish Paradise sampler by Leslie Kane, and the Under The Sea series by Barbara Bieraugel, who lives in Hawaii (lucky devil). Now someone just has to design a sushi sampler quilt so we know what to order at the sushi bar!

Quiz Question 1:  In quilting, what is a "sushi roll"?

Quiz Question 2: What, or who, is a "surf quilter"?

If you know the answers to either of our quiz questions, leave us a comment below, and stay tuned... the correct answers will be posted later this week!

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

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.