Inspirational Sunday 2 - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

What it is about Great Blue Herons?  They are so majestic looking.  Evidently, I am not the only person to think so, as I usually see at least one quilt per show that has a heron in it.  Here are two quilts that are just as majestic as their subject matter.

This first one is called "The Visitor" by Susan King of Houston, Texas.

It is painted, appliqued, and quilted.  It was inspired by a photo supplied by Thomas Wrublewski.  The quilter says, "Little miracles happen very occasionally and, if we are lucky, we might be in the right place at the right time to witness one.  Here, this great blue heron is stepping from his world into ours and gives us an exquisite moment we will always remember".

That is well said.  I never seem to be in the right place at the right time.  I'm always 15 minutes late to everything, and some of the most amazing things I've seen have been from the window of a truck going 65 mph with no chance to stop and snap a photo to remember the moment.  What can I say?  I will keep trying.

This next one is so cool!  It is called Captain Kimo by Nancy Sterett Martin and Karen Sistek of Owensboro, Kentucky.

It was dye painted and machine quilted.  This quilt was inspired by a photograph taken by Captain Kimo.  It was hand painted on silk by both quilters and quilted by Nancy.

Just look at the detailed shot of the feathers.  It looks as if they used the fraying of the fabric to create the feathered look.  Brilliant.



Another feature I really enjoyed about this quilt was how they quilted a plaid-like texture into the background.



It really added some interest to the plain black background.

So both of these quilts were inspired by photos.   Have you ever created a quilt inspired by a photo?  What methods did you use?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen