JWD Publishing Blog

While at Houston for the 2012 Quilt Market, I had a chance to walk through the prestigious IQA quilt show at the George Brown Convention Center. Time was short, so I wasn’t able to see all of the quilts. While walking the aisles, I felt like a little kid in a candy store—-everything was calorie free, but I felt like I was on a sugar high from visual stimulation. Each  quilt used color uniquely, as you will see from this sample of quilts. Some were brilliantly colored with pure hues; others were autumnal; and some provided a quiet beauty.  Here are six of the quilts (not in any order). I have placed a handful of others on my website’s NEWS blog (www.joenwolfrom.com).  I plan to put additional quilts up on my website next week too. I may put some additional quilt images in this color blog too. If so, I’ll email you. Have fun gazing at these quilts—-even if they are not the “real” thing.

Enjoy these wonderful quilts—

Four Seasons by Leslie Rego, Sun Valley, Idaho

Sometimes we become so engrossed with the strongly colored quilts that attract our attention so easily that we can pass by a work of art that is soft and subtle. These latter quilts often have a beauty that speaks to the soul.  I found the quilt Four Seasons  one of those rare beauties. It is simply enchanting.   

Leslie’s comment about this quilt is this:  My work reflects the passing of time in nature. I particularly love the transitions between the seasons, finding the to be metaphors for our own lives.  I find the winter grasses to be lovely and the snowy passage to spring to be full of promise. I believe that the very last faded bloom of summer flowers are gentle and tender, and the muted browns of late autumn are lovely and rich.

Leslie dyed her fabric, screen printed, an d hand painted, using soy wax resist. Her materials included cotton silk fabric, textile paints, MX dyes, and a variety of threads.

detail of Four Seasons

Isn’t this beautiful?  I think it’s spellbinding.

Rainbow Lorikeet by Helen Godden, Latham, ACT, Australia 

Helen explains that the Rainbow Lorikeet soars swiftly and with grace through the tree tops like a colorful dart. The bright primary colors of this Australian parrot are captured in detail, painted on the white silk sateen, and surrounded by a burst of rainbow graded stitching.

Helen created this quilt through hand painting and free-motion machine quilting.  She used silk/cotton 40/60 sateen, wool batting, hand-dyed backing, polyester and poly cotton thread, and Lumiere by Jacquard paints.

I love the subtle background and the quilting. It’s so beautiful. Here’s a close-up, so that you can see more clearly the intricasies of this quilt.

New Mexico’s Turquoise Trail by Vicki Conley, Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico

 Vicki took a photograph in northern New Mexico inspired this quilt. Many traditional adobe houses and buildings throughout New Mexico have window and door frames painted turquoise. The Turquoise Trail originally referred to the many mines in the state, famous for their beautiful turquoise stories. Today it is a National Scenic Byway going from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Vicki used cotton, cotton and wool batting, polyester invisible thread, and metallic thread.

 Mabel —–1952  REO by Susan Cane, Canaan, Connecticut

This quilt is so filled with spirit and imagination. Not your typical quilt by any means, but certainly one that pulled at my heart. Susan created this wonderful quilt from a photograph taken of the first antique truck she and her husband purchased together. She used edge-turned machine applique, machine quilting, and a small amount of painting.  Susan used commercial and hand-dyed cottons, as well as Ultrasuede.

Vitamin Quilt by Hiromi Suzuki, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

Hiromi believes that tropical flowers with bright colors make people happy like vitamin supplements do. She wanted to make all people happy when they see this quilt.  It’s true. This quilt is a happy quilt. I love the subtle value changes and the beautiful design created through hand appliqué and hand quilting. Thank you Hiromi for this lovely quilt.  (This quilt was designed by Kathy Nakajima.)

A Bit of a Lime Shakeup by Karen Kielmeyer, Bella Vista Arkansas

A Bit of a Lime Shakeup is a bright, spirited quilt filled with lots of energy.  This quilt was one of the most vibrant in the show.  Congratulations, Karen, on an exciting quilt. I apologize that I have very little information about this quilt. However, it appears to me that this quilt has a lot of points that look pretty perfect—-and a lot of work.  It looks pretty amazing.

I hope you enjoyed these beautiful quilts. If you want to see a few more, you can go to my website www.joenwolfrom.com.  I have a small group of IQA quilts there now and will add more next week.  They are shown on my “news blog.”  Enjoy.

Happy quilting!

Joen

Text and photography copyright   © Joen Wolfrom

The copyright of the quilts shown in this post remains with those artists who created these works of art.

Joen is a color enthusiast who teaches and lectures on color. She has written three color books: Color Play, Visual Coloring, and The Magical Effects of Color. Her Studio Color Wheel is used to illustrate color concepts in many of these blog posts. She is also the designer of the 3-in-1 Color Tool. Her new book Adventures in Designis now available. Joen’s newest design tool, the Magic Design-Ratio Tool has just been released. All books and products are published by C & T Publishing.