Inspirational Sunday 1 - via the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach 2013

Ah where to begin.....there were so many beautiful quilts at the show.  Usually I try to group the quilts into categories for sharing - modern, applique, subject matter of art quilts, etc.

This Sunday, I would like to start off by sharing a few quilts that I thought were exceptionally striking to the eye!  Nothing like BIG visual impact to kick things off.

This one is called "Wrath" by Dianne Firth of Turner Australia.

You could spot this one from across the convention center, but it was the up-close view that was interesting. It did not look pieced, at least not how we would think to do it.   It is actually torn strip collage, machine stitched (where I am not sure) and machine quilted.  I expected to see seams at each turn of an angle, like a log cabin type of construction, but what I saw was raw edges.  The straight-line quilting really helped everything stay in place and helped define the straight edges.

The quilter says this about her inspiration, "From an environmental perspective, but using a human term, wrath can be used to describe the uncontrollable forces of nature that wreak havoc on humankind through fire, flood, cyclones and other disasters.  The colour red is symbolic of these forces and the fractured circular motif is symbolic of the turmoil."

The next one is like a big floral bulls-eye...

It is called "Flower Extraordinaire" by Jean Smith of Naples, Florida.  It is pieced, beaded, and free motion quilted.  She says, "I have been designing and creating quilts with fabric rays radiating from a center point.  I took my technique to the next level using an overhead projector, freezer paper and 400 scraps of fabric.  My flower grew on my design wall with circles and prairie points."

One thing I liked seeing upon closer inspection is that the rings don't line up perfectly.  I think it adds to the visual impact and feeds the radiating feel that she was going for.

I hope you don't get tired of seeing flowers on quilts!  One of the larger exhibits was spring themed, so there were lots of flower quilts!  In fact, I think I will share a few more next week!

Have you made a quilt recently with big visual impact?  Tell me about it.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen