Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 6

Welcome to my sixth installment of inspiration from the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. Descriptions were written by the artists.

Homage by Jacquie Gering

This quilt was made as an homage to teacher and artist Josef Albers. His book Interaction of Color has been a touchstone as I have learned about color and explored color. The quilt illustrates the color principle of making one color appear as two.

Fissures by Debra Jeske

The blocks were begun in a class on the slice and insert technique. I chose to group them together and surround them by plenty of negative space. The line of each of the solid green "sticks" was extended out to the edges, and the wonky spiral quilting emphasized those lines. More spirals were done in each section of the blocks to help the "sticks" stand out.

Entropy by Elisa Albury

My original idea for this quilt was the shapes and negative spaces that are created when dropping a container of ice cream sprinkles.

Made for inclusion in Minimal Quiltmaking by Gwen Marston (AQS 2014). I explored the concept of minimal design using these elements: unbleached muslin combined with small scraps, all set with the simplest units - the humble square. The quilt is simultaneously chaotic and ordered, a fabric representation of both expansion and contraction.

Citrus Wedge by Jennifer Carlton Bailly

Citrus Wedge was the first quit that I made just for me out of my favorite colors. Inspired by citrus fruit, I played around with a true quarter circle and scraps. Raiding my friends' fabric stashes to make sure this stayed truly scrappy, not one fabric is repeated. The bottom left red square is my signature. In every quilt I make, you'll find a red square.

Spiced Chai Quilt by Katie Blakesley

Traditionally, a full quilt of Tea Leaf blocks would start with a standard quilt layout of repeating blocks set in a grid with sashing in between them. In this case, a few key design changes - eliminating the sashing, using a larger than standard 12.5" block, and rotating several of the blocks so they aren't all facing the same direction - update this quilt for the 21st century. The quilt's neutral palette with a few pops of color creates dramatic focal points.

Didn't Get the Memo by Alissa Carlton

These improvisational pieced triangles lend movement to the quilt design. The quilting lines follow the edge of each triangle, and that one lil' orange triangle didn't get the memo that it is navy/gray day!

If you missed out on the first five posts, here they are:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 

Part 4

Part 5
Don't forget to get in on my giveaway too!

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 5

Have you seen my previous MQG Showcase posts? If not, feel free.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 

Part 4

My epic giveaway is another not-to-be-missed post, in case you're catching up on your blog reading or stopping by for the first time.

Modern X by Christa Watson

X marks the spot wit this bold, graphic quilt! I challenged myself to make a modern quilt from simple shapes iwi than obvious focal point. The pop of green draws the viewer in, and the minimalist quilting emphasizes the design.

Back to Basics by Meslissa Corry

This bold geometric design might look random, but take a closer look and you will see all kinds of secondary patterns start to emerge. I created this quilt for the Riley Blake Basics Modern Quilt Guild challenge. As the challenge was focused on basics, I designed this quilt using my three favorite basic quilting units, Half-Suare Triangles, Flying Geese, and the good old Square. The quilted spiral seemed like the perfect way to finish it off and soften all of those sharp points.

Summer Break by Amy Anderson

A desire to explore minimalist ideas combined wit ha need for a baby gift resulted in this quilt.

Off Center by Charlotte Noll

This quilt ws was designed for t he modern Quilt Guild Riley Blake Challenge. I added chevrons to the supplied challenge fabrics which have a white background. The front is appliquéd, the back is pieced. I machine quilted it with free-motion double lines.

Amazonia by Nathalie Bearden

When I was a child growing up in Brazil, I spent much time dreaming of adventures in the Amazon rainforest. For years, I read books about this magical land of undiscovered tribes and beholder of secrets to cure many diseases. I am grown now, and while my childhood dreams never came true in reality, in the imaginary, the dreams are alive. Amazonia is a modern quilt creation, my minimalist take on the mystical jungle. The gradated hues represent what one might find in the Amazon: ochre for the dirt and bark, green for the vast leaf canopy of the trees, white for the few rays of light that fight to penetrate the dense vegetation, and blue for the beautiful skies.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 4

 Welcome back to the show, the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at Houston Quilt Festival to be exact. See previous posts here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 

Get in on my epic giveaway here, and then come on back. I'll wait patiently.

Broken Bars by Rebecca Roach

This quilt is inspired by a marquetry cabinet seen in Brooklyn. It made me start thinking about deconstructing classic Amish Quilt patterns. So, it's a lit bit Brooklyn, a little bit Lancaster County, and one of my favorite quilts ever.

The White Rainbow by Shruti Dandekar

This quilt is my idea of what colors will look like to a blind person! Reading Danielle Steele's Sisters Prompted me t make this quilt, in which trapunto dots have been used to "write" the names of colors in Braille onto a white fabric. The best part is that these names can be "read" by touching the quilt!

Namaste by Cheryl Olson

The traditional pattern of interlocking circles has many interpretations, I am reminded of my yoga practice gathering energy, bringing it center and finding peace. With the updated approach and fresh look that I designed, one feels a sense of unity and peace with endless circles that seem to go on forever. The thin bias strip twisted in a circled knot almost gives this quilt a Celtic feel. I loved using appliquéd bias strips.

Boxed In by Elizabeth Dackson

Boxed In is a twist on a traditional Nine Patch block applying a change in scale, as well as playing around wit the symmetry of the block. There are two layers of Nine Patches, and a giant Nine Patch block, built of asymmetrical Nine Patch units. I dug into my scrap box for this quilt, not only for the prints, but for the whites as well. I used four different shades of white, Log Cabin style, around the giant Nine Patch block. I so often ignore my scraps of white because it's tough to match them up, but I actually like the subtle tonal changes of white throughout the quilt.

Star'd by Kristy Daum

For a St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild challenge, we invited members to modernize the beloved Ohio Star block. My solution was to subtract a key component with each rendition of the block. Using bright colors, one can clearly see the variances, yet this destruction is calmed by the use of Flying Geese which help to move your eyes around the quilt. This creates a piece that is viewed as one whole concept rather than individual Ohio Star blocks.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 3

Thanks for joining me for the continuation of my Modern Quilt Guild Showcase tour. For previous posts, see:

Part 1

Part 2

Tune In Next Week by Chawne Kimber, Quilted by Pamela Cole

This quilt originated as a Modern Quilt Guild fabric challenge sponsored by Michael Miller. The gray print reminded me of the stellated Sputnik satellites and early television antennae. Hence, it inspired this improvisational mid-century modern graphic design. The irregular, but always rectangular (often Log Cabin) shapes bounce up on the blank field with a sense of new vigor. Other regions of the design are playful deconstruction of the architecture.

City Center by Angie Henderson

Design Source: "Modern Log Cabin" by Art Gallery Fabric Staff in the Generation Q Magazine, January-February 2014 Edition
The colors in Jay McCarroll's Center City fabric and the pattern "Modern Log Cabin" seemed to be a perfect match. I followed the pattern for a few rounds then just started doing my own thing.

Folded Flock by Jenna Brand

Inspired by origami cranes, this quilt used improvisational piecing to create a flock of geese as well as arrows to signify movement.

Spiraling Out of Control by Christa Watson

Spiraling Out of Control is an explosion of line and color against a non-traditional background. It epitomizes my philosophy of imperfections, along with my enthusiasm for the modern quilting movement. Sometimes I feel like my ideas are spiraling out of control, and it's all I can do to keep them contained.

Pick Up Sticks by Becky Goldsmith

As a kid, I played with pick up sticks. This design reminds me of those colorful piles of skinny plastic sticks. It's also a little like an explosion, or lifeworks! I love the motion in this quilt! This quilt will be published by C&T in my upcoming book, The Practical Guide to Color.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 2

Welcome back! More wonderful quilts and their accompanying descriptions from the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase in Houston, TX follow. If you missed my first post, you may want to check it out.

Disruption by Barbara Lockwood

I have long been fascinated by tessellation's, especially Escher's work. This is a piece based on a traditional Chines porcelain design, but I wanted to disrupt the orderliness and infuse the quilt with energy. I did this by changing up the colors, and the stitching naturally flowed from that design choice.

Pixel Pusher by Caro Sheridan

"A pixel is the smallest component unit of any digital image. As a photographer, I began thinking of quilts in the same way by breaking a classic Four Patch block into its base component, the square. Rather than manipulate the pixels into a recognizable image, I amused myself with the interplay of light and dark to create movement."

Funky Junk by Renee Tallman

This quilt started as a turquoise pieced top that I hated. I cut it up and sewed it back together seven times, and took it out of the garbage at least twice. In the course of this quilt's life, it has been cut down from a 60" square, appliquéd, un-appliqued, and has had white borders, and has hd pieced borders. This final layout was inspired by a quilt I saw at a show about 20 years ago. I don't know the name of that quilt's maker, but never forgot her giant Drunkard's Path blocks and large-stitch quilting. I've decided that it is now finally acceptable and I quite like it.

Las Ventanas by Kristin Shields

This quilt was inspired by the colors of New Mexico. I created each improvisational block as if it were looking out a window.  imagined rolling hills with the sea i the distance, flower fields and sunsets. The simple straight-line quilting enhances the vertical nature of the windows.

Anni Albers' Orange Chair by Martha Peterson

I made this quilt for the Seattle Modern Quilt Binary Challenge in which we were challenged to make two-color quilts. An e-mail ad wit hanna Albers' designs led me to explore her textiles and designs. Her graphic and linear sensibility inspired this quilt using red and white Half-Square Triangle blocks in a non-traditional setting with irregular negative space. A maverick orange chair block found itself in the quilt.

Fade into Gray by Stephanie Ruye

This quilt was designed for a very special person, whose name inspired the whole quilt, from the colors selected to the design and quilting. Originally titled  50 Shades of Grayson, the title was modified to something a bit more comfortable. The quilt is pieced in many shades of gray fabric with punctuations of the recipient's favorite colors. The quilting reflects the piecing and connects the larger areas of negative space.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 1

Welcome to my tour of the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the Houston Quilt Festival. I am including the information that was presented on the show labels so you can learn a little more about the quilters, their process, and what inspired each piece. I'll present the exhibit in several installments for fear of inspiration overload. Enjoy!

Avalon Sunrise by Colleen Wootton

For many years I have favored using geometric shapes in my graphic designs, creating two and three-dimensional works for corporate America. I print my designs onto cloth and quilt them as you would a would a wholecloth quilt. I use computer technology to create original designs with bold geometric patterns, then integrate fiber traditions like stitching to create rich texture on the design's surfaces.

Blue Circle Quilt by Kim Eichler-Messmer

This circle quilt is my take on the traditional drunkard's Path pattern. I like quilt that a bold, graphic, and organized. For this quilt, I took my favorite part of the Drunkard's Path, the circles, and made a complimentary color quilt using only circles. The fabric was all hand-dyed by me.

Cycles 2 by Leanne Charley

I spend part of my summers on an island in the Northern Pacific, off the coast of Canada. While I was at the coast, I thought a lot about just being in the moment, about being still enough that the hummingbirds let you see them, and about spending more time being, not always doing. The colors are taken from the sun drenched northern Pacific Ocean beach palette. The texture is meant to evoke weather eroded rocks, driftwood, cliffs, and shells. I hope you might also think of waves, tides, wind, and even rain and ocean storms.

Sunburst Quilt by Tara Faughnah

This quilt was based on an improvisational quilt score from the Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Lynn Wood. The assignment was to create strip pieced sheets of fabric, each different from one another, and then sub-cut these to make a final quilt. All fabrications and designs were meant to be decided by me. I loved the idea of using a traditional pattern along with the string pieced blocks of different values to create a non-traditional quilt.

Grand Canal by Casey York, Quilted by Ann McNew

Garden designers of the 17th century used principles of forced perspective to create vistas that appeared endless. Inspired by the Grand Canal of the gardens of Versailles, designed by Andre Le Norte, the radical foreshortening of the forms in this quilt evoke the same sense of infinite perspective that the gardens were meant to convey. Thile this quilt suggests three-dimensional space using the most minimal of shapes, it nods toward the opulence of the French Golden Age court with its intricate quilting and reverse-rounded corners.

Colorado 4 x 4 by Stephanie Ruyle

This quilt is the result of the Colorful Colorado Quilt Challenge sponsored by Free Spirit Fabrics. The title, layout, and design are my interpretation of things that make Colorado wonderful, the Four Corners region, four-teeters, four seasons, and Colorado's commitment to green energy by four-blade wind tourbines. The sponsored fabric had to be visible on the front, any other fabrics could be added.

Melon Ice by Amy Friend

This quilt is  foundation pieced with solids and suppressed blocks to create a bold geometry design with clean lines. Depending on how you look at this quilt, secondary designs emerge. The quilting is done in concentric circles, beginning at the lower right of the quilt's center to soften the geometric look.