Blue Moon River

Monday, November 8, 2010

2010 International Quilt Festival, Part 4

“Return of the Grackle” by Diane Rusin Doran
won third place in the Digital Imagery category
http://www.dianedoran.com/

“Return of the Grackle” was perhaps my favorite piece at Festival this year. It is very magical looking, and creates such a wonderful, mysterious mood. I love the colors, especially the little bits of pinky-purple in the grackle’s wing. There is a lot of movement in this piece, too, from the branches that arc diagonally across the piece, and from the angle of the bird and the way he is looking up and over to the upper left corner. Up close, there is a lot of texture, too. Here is a detail shot:


“Return of the Grackle” by Diane Rusin Doran

“Drifting Currents” by Leslie Rego
http://www.leslierego.com

“Hanging by a Thread” by Nadine Sanders
and the Hanging By a Thread Quilt Group
won first place in the Group category

“Leafing Large” by Laura Wasilowski
http://www.artfabrik.com/

“Feel the Chill” by Nancy Sterett Martin
http://www.quilt-patches.com

“Adobe Shadow Dance” by Michelle M. Jackson
http://quiltfashions.com/fibar-art-gallery/

“Long Road Home” by Peggy Parrott
http://www.peggyparrott.com

“Wrapped In Gentleness” by Hiromi Yokota won second place
in the Merit Quilting, Hand category

“Wrapped In Gentleness” (detail) by Hiromi Yokota

“Daffodils” by Barbara Holtzman

“Backgammon” by Liza Prior Lucy
and Kaffe Fassett, quilted by Judy Irish
http://www.gloriouscolor.com/
http://www.kaffefassett.com

“Spring Revival” by Deborah Kemball

“Spring Revival” (detail) by Deborah Kemball

“Doors Across Austin” by Kathy York
http://aquamoonartquilts.blogspot.com/

“Visions of Fairy Tales Danced in My Head”
by Margery Hedges http://www.hedgesstuff.com

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment on this post before noon EST on Monday, November 15. Tell me which of the quilts in this post you liked best, and why. I'll pull one name at random and send that person this HandiQuilter tote bag, and a DVD from their “Quilter's Academy” series called “Longarm Basics: Series One – Crosshatching” (26 minutes).

There’s still a bit more Quilt Market loot to give away in my next few posts, so please come back for a chance to win!

WE HAVE A WINNER! Laura T. won the tote bag and DVD.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Don’t Look Now!

Let me introduce you to Kellie Wulfsohn of Don’t Look Now! Her designs stopped me in my tracks at Quilt Market last week. Cheerful and whimsical, Kellie’s designs feature flowers and leaves, trees, butterflies and smiling children swirling across the surface of her quilts, which nearly always have white, cream or light-colored backgrounds. Aren’t they charming?

Her booth was light and airy, with darling fabric garlands draped across the poles.

“Worry Dolls”

Her designs are very contemporary and fresh, with a distinctive look I love. Kellie hails from Melbourne, Australia, and you can see more of her patterns, and purchase them here.

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment on this post before noon EST on Sunday, November 14. Tell me what you think of Kellie’s designs. I'll pick one name at random to win this bag made with Northcott Fabric’s Stonehenge fabric line, and their cute pink and white breast cancer awareness apron (shown above). Note that these items have nothing whatsoever to do with Don’t Look Now! designs. I just have a bunch of stuff from Quilt Market that I want to give away to my loyal blog readers.

There’s still a bit more Quilt Market loot to give away in my next few posts, so please come back for a chance to win!

WE HAVE A WINNER: Christa Irell won the tote bag and apron!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

2010 International Quilt Festival, Part 3

Here is more wonderfulness from International Quilt Festival. Enjoy!

“Mystique”by Sharon Schamber won Best of Show and $10,000
http://www.sharonschamber.com/

“Mystique” (detail) by Sharon Schamber

“Ambrosia” by Gina Perkes won first place in the Innovative Appliqué category.
http://www.gperkes.fatcow.com

“Sew Is Life” by Barbara Korengold
http://www.gazette.net/stories/11032010/bethnew203837_32544.php

“Sew Is Life” (detail) by Barbara Korengold

“Wings” by Rory Ross won an honorable mention in the Innovative Appliqué category.

“Wings” (detail) by Rory Ross

“GO! Be Dazzled” by (my friend and Houston roommate!) Sarah Vedeler
won first place in the Computer-Aided Machine Embroidery category
http://sarahvedelerdesigns.com/

“Grape Hyacinth” by Margo Fiddes
http://www.margoquilts.com/

“Grape Hyacinth” (detail) by Margo Fiddes

”Wings and Feathers” by Mark Sherman won third place in the Innovative Appliqué category
http://www.remarkablequilts.com

“Circular Motion” by Becky Goldsmith won a Judge’s Choice Award
http://www.pieceocake.com/

“Icing on the Cake” by Linda Roy won second place in the Mixed Technique category
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/sep/21/totally-hooked/

SAQA’s “Sightlines’ exhibit, from afar (photography of individual pieces is not permitted)
http://www.saqa.com/about.php?ID=1699

“Mary Simon Revisited’ by Nancy Kerns won The Founders Award and $7,500.

“Mary Simon Revisited’ (detail) by Nancy Kerns

“Folk Art for Jean” by Marian A. Woods

“Folk Art for Jean” (detail) by Marian A. Woods


“Katrina I” by Sandy Gregg http://www.sandygregg.com from the “Still We Rise Again” exhibition celebrating the resilience of the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

“Circles of Life” by Linda French won first place in the Mixed Technique category
http://www.longarmfinishingtouches.com/

“Circles of Life” (detail) by Linda French

“Flower Road” by Hideko Kubota

“With You” by Miyuki Hamaba

“Bon Appetite New Orleans” by Jennifer Day
from the “Still We Rise Again” exhibition
celebrating the resilience of the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

“Bon Appetite New Orleans” (detail of beignets) by Jennifer Day
from the “Still We Rise Again” exhibition
celebrating the resilience of the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

“Bon Appetite New Orleans” (detail of crawfish) by Jennifer Day
from the “Still We Rise Again” exhibition
celebrating the resilience of the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Friday, November 5, 2010

Felted ball bracelet

I just finished making this cute bracelet, using a kit by Handbehg Felts I purchased at International Quilt Market last week. You can buy a kit just like it on their Etsy shop here. It retails for $39. Kinda pricey, but it includes all the beads, findings and the 50 wool felted balls, which are pretty expensive on their own.

The kits come in four finishes (silver, gold, antique copper, or gun metal). If you want a bracelet with a specific color of felt balls, you can buy the findings separately from the felt balls.

It was pretty easy to put together, but you do need to know some basic jewelry skills, such as how to open and close a jump ring, and how to roll the wire at the ends of the beads. And you need small jewelry pliers. The bracelet is surprisingly light to wear, but makes a big fashion statement!

International Quilt Festival, Part 2


“New York Jazz” by Patricia Mayer & Karen Watts won first place in the Traditional Pieced category

Here are more beauties from the 2010 International Quilt Festival in Houston!

“Dancing Granny” by Neva Waldt
http://www.artdollsbyneva.com/

“Time for a Nap” by Pearl Gonzalez

“Metropolis in Bloom” by Kathryn Botsford

“Are They Real?” by Jan Campbell
From the ArtBra exhibition
http://www.artbra.org/

“The Bayeax — Tapestry to Quilt — Sample” by Pam Holland
http://web.mac.com/pamholland3/Pam_Holland_Designs/About_Me_1.html

“The Bayeax — Tapestry to Quilt — Sample” (detail) by Pam Holland

Here is info from Pam about this piece, as listed on the card next to it: "The Bayeux Tapestry has been my passion for the past 5 years. I am in the process of creating the entire tapestry as a quilt. It is 238 feet long. This piece is my sample to work out the technicalities of making a quilt from a tapestry. I have illustrated with pigment ink to create dimension in the quilt. Techniques: Satin stitch appliqué, free motion quilting. Materials: Cotton fabric, batting, backing. Design source: Illustrations by Pam Holland from the Bayeux Tapestry, 1066."