Post for Susan Canadian Abroad!

Susan was wondering in my comment box recently how I was going to use this gorgeous fabric in my hexalong quilt

The fabric is designed by Kaffe Fassett and I think Susan pointed it out to me so I duly bought it at the Cotton Patch stand at FoQ.


The flowers were not quite big enough or far apart enough to be a simple block on it's own

or I would have had to sacrifice too many others and I like my fabric to go as far as it can so what could I do?






Look in Marti Michell's Six is for Hexagons book of course and seek inspiration - this is what Marti and I came up with...

Hope you like it Susan!?   Have to say this one is very bright using one of the solids I bought for my little house blocks...might need to tone it down a little in future.

Last visit to the Festival of Quilts 2011!

Have a comfy seat and enjoy the view of the other photos I took....

Being a sometime gardener I couldn't pass this one by.  One of my favourite times in Spring is when I see fern fronds uncurling and this was so effectively recreated using velvet I think....

Now that is some serious applique!  Loved it!

I am sure I have seen this rhino before somewhere...ah yes....

The original was engraved in 1515 by  Albrecht Duerer without the benefit of having seen one!  But a great rendition in fabric!

This quilt is called Homage to Henri - I assume Henri Matisse looking at those cut out shapes.  Lively quilt in colour and shapes!

Now a totally different feel with a Bauhaus tribute.  Very calm, very graphic.

Another blue and white quilt with a dash of daring red - the colours of the flag of the Netherlands and this slice of a windmill.  Drama and detail sketched in by quilting in black. 

Next were some stunning Japanese quilts by Yokisho Katagiri - I loved them all.  Such detail, such use of colour, space and asymmetry

The Japanese do seem to derive great inspiration from the natural world.  The photos are not great - my apologies - I did not seem to manage a head on shot but lots of people wanted to look in awe and wonder at these beauties.  The quilts themselves were absolutely fantastic you will have to believe me and as far as I could tell made from silk....

Hope you liked my sample of the Festival of Quilts 2011! 

Festival of Quilts - the quilts!

You have had FoQ the people and the shopping now it is time to drool at some of the gorgeous quilts.




This is not an exhaustive round of quilts just some that caught my eye...

These blocks were so small and so perfect - and the closer you looked the more you saw!

Susan and I were amazed by those HSTs!  She suggested in jest I hope that it should be my next project.... she knows how much I love HSTs (not).

This quilt had a fantastic 3D effect!  Felt like I could climb those boxes and the quilting echoed the boxes right across the quilt - very effective!

This quilt had a name but no maker...loved those chalky colours - it says beach and summer picnics to me!

Another quilt with a name but no maker - Rest Soup with tighten stripes!  Great name for a great quilt.  Loved that orange cross and again such detailed work

Sorry do not have the details on this one but love that Art Deco feel - I can see Clarice Cliff all over this one!  But just look at those fussy cut hexies - something to inspire us on the hexalong!

I felt sadness from this quilt but maybe it is actually seerenity!  The shading is  astounding - like a photograph!  But just look closely to see how it was done...

Tiny mini mini hexagons....

Well that's my first selection of quilts - but I took more photos than I thought!  Who'd have thought Susan and I could have sorted out the world, shopped and looked at so many quilts ?

I'll post the rest soon if not tomorrow!

Nicky