I was working in the Innova Longarm Quilting Booth at the HQMS Show in Salt Lake City, Utah this week end and took a few minutes away from selling to snap a few pictures of some of my favorite quilts. The quilt exhibit was amazing this year with a variety of quilts from traditional to art to liberated in style and construction. This quilt was one of my favorites. It was created from an image of a bird that was photographed in Africa. The colors were acheived with the use of disperse dyes and heavy thread painting especially on the body of the bird. The detail was incredible and this large quilt had the look of a live bird in its natural habitat.
I like the contrast of colors and the abstract look of this mini quilt. The pieced background was broken with the lines of the fused raw edge applique and had the look of trees. This quilt was an amzaing art piece, very similar to some of the pieces I saw in galleries on my recent trip to New York City. The use of "untraditional" fabrics added to the interest of this quilt and it was heavily stitched to give it even more depth and additional color.
There are always a few show stopping quilts that you just have to pause and look at, just to take in all of the details and to dream of making a quilt of that calibur "someday"! From the intricate scrolling victorian workwork to the hairs of the cat and the feathers of the bird I loved taking time to study every inch of this quilt. The colors of the flowers and vines were blended in such a way that they appeared to be handpainted even though it was all appliqued and pieced. The quilting really added to the dimension and depth that you felt as you were looking at the quilt from across the hall or just a foot away.
I am always drawn to quilts that incorporate unusual fabrics. Although I love all of the fresh modern prints and contemporary designers in the quilt world, I love so many different types of fabrics. I am fascinated with the use of what many designers now call "found" fabrics and the use of silks, woolens and even synthetics (heaven forbid!) in todays quilts. I imagine that the maker of this quilt must have traveled to Guatemala and wanted to use the colorful handwoven fabrics found there in this beautifully handstitched, pieced and appliqued quilt.
The new modern abstract quilts seem to be a perfect canvas for unbelievable quilting! This quilt is an example of how a fresh modern quilt can and should be quilted. The variations of stitching patterns was amazing and the extraordinary use of color and the placement of the random piecing was very dramatic
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If you are looking for inspiration for longarm quilting, this is the show! These are just a few examples of the quilts and the fabulous quilting that inspired me during the three day show! Each and every quilt in the show was a joy to look at and offered something new to think about and prompted new ideas and possibilities of future quilts. I couldn't wait to get back to my studio and sketch. It didn't take me long to be pulling fabrics and piling them up on my worktable to begin new projects. I can't wait to cut into the neatly stacked piles and begin the process of turning these fabrics into quilts that I can get on my longarm. My father could never understand the concept of cutting fabrics up so you could sew them back together again.....I guess it's just because..... I can......Now to get to work!!!!
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