Move over cards, come in quilts

Hi there.
Quilting is more than you might think it is.  It ranges from bed quilts, to art quilts, and accessories, and also from traditional to modern-contemporary.  Have a look and decide for yourself.

Over the past few months I have been concentrating on my quilting.  I have a lot of completed quilt tops known as UFO's in the quilting world - UnFinishedObjects.  Our local guild has a Biennial Exhibition in May so I decided to get some finished for that.
 I don't think I have a particular style, but it certainly is not hard-core traditional, and leans toward more contemporary style.  I love triangles in all their forms and am also learning more about stitching quilting designs.

I made this quilt top while we lived in the UK (2007-2009) and this influenced my choice of fabrics.  I used muted colours because the light is different there, and it seemed right.  They are certainly not New Zealand colours.  However I really enjoyed working with these colours at the time.










For this one, I tried quilting designs  I had never used before like ruler-work and feathers.  I did a lot of un-sewing along the way, but am very pleased with the result.

Leaking Cauldron pattern.













This is called an art quilt.  It still has the basic structure of a quilt (3 layers of top, batting, backing) but is constructed with freedom from a pattern and uses various other techniques and materials as the supporting act.
This is called "A Walk in the Bush", and is inspired by NZ bush.  The underlying geology, water, flora etc is combined to create a whole feeling of NZ bush.

Entirely my own design.







I made the top of this quilt and started quilting it a long time ago (maybe 2003 or 4) but only just finished it for the exhibition.
Originally I didn't even like it and put it away, I think mainly because they are not colours I personally like.  However I am glad I resurrected it.  The 3D image is really effective and I reckon it would look great in a building foyer where there is some space to see it properly.


Mary Jones pattern.

Sometimes we just like to do teensy projects after completing a big one, so I did some oven mitts for my daughter.

Martha Stewart design.

 

This is the second bed-quilt I ever completed.  I made it for my little granddaughter Rhiannon.  I like the off-centredness of this design which isn't too babyish and will still be ok when she is a teenager.
I guess the key thing for children's quilts is to make sure the backing is suitable for later in life, so it is able to be reversed when they grow up.

The techniques are piecing and applique.

I like this quilted handbag for dragging around my crochet projects, it sits upright and accommodates whatever shape is inside it. The wee triangles of colour are just there for "zing".  I love the bright lining too, it has inspiring messages on it and always makes me feel happy to look inside.

This is a pattern by a NZ company: Patches and Cream.

Another art quilt using batik fabric - Positively Purple.  This is kind of a free-cutting slice-and-dice technique it has patches of beading along some of the strips, which doesn't show well in the photo.












I hope this shows a little of the scope of quilting in the present.  Quilting is certainly not like it was even twenty years ago.
I like it when you leave me a comment, even if you don't like it.  Cheers, Carol.