Houston International Quilt Festival 2012-Part 2

Continuing on… Cecelia Koppmann of Buenes Aires, Argentina. Cecelia used improvisational piecing to create this interpretation of the Biblical Tower of Babel. I really enjoyed this piece for its use of color, value and whimsy. “Ear of Rice” by Sachiko Sano, Japan. Sachiko used her Mother-in-Law’s old kimonos to create this quilt which represents stacks of rice straw. This quilt just continued to hold my attention. It was beautifully constructed and quilted of course, but the use of the fabrics in this quilt was extraordinary. “Aeki” by Tineke van Heuvelen of The Netherlands. I love the European influence in this show! Tineke used IKEA images to create this charming piece. The more you look the more you see: applique, Seminole piecing, free motion quilting, and a sophisticated but childlike composition. Can I have this? “Traboutis” by Penelope Roger. I know this photo does not make you swoon, but trust me, this little quilt is spectacular. It was part of the Bohin of France exhibition. The woman who made it is in her 80’s and the stitches are tiny, even and perfect. It is just exquisite.  I have not seen hand stuffed trapunto like this before. Our “cheater” method of machine tapunto does not come close to this. She backs it with a wool even weave fabric which allows her to stuff each area from the back and then move the threads back to cover her entry point.

Each little area is “double Thanksgiving dinner” stuffed, plumped up and pregnant! It is gorgeous. “Snow Patterns” by Martha Cole of Saskatchewan. This hand painted whole cloth piece perfectly captures the feeling of “the pristine glow of the snow on a cold, windy day”. “Fiesta Stars” by Allan Jones and Dot Collins. My limited photography/Photo Shop skills do not allow me to capture the joyful color of this quilt. The mustard background with the flits of color was charming. The makers took a Civil War pattern and made it modern with batiks and color. Oh if I could just understand color this well…. “Green Message” by Naoko Takeshita of Japan. This original design was almost entirely hand done and took Naoko “years” to make. It is gentle in color but draws you in with it’s subtle complexity. When you do draw in, that’s when you see the amount of detail, the perfect quilting, the piecing. Those pieces in the star are the size of your little fingernail! I loved the way she used color-oh so subtle but beautifully done. This was one of my favorite pieces: “Four Seasons” by Leslie Rego. Leslie is intrigued by the passage of seasons, feeling like they are metaphors for life. She hand painted the background and then applied hand and screen printed motifs across the piece.  This causes me to swoon-how beautiful!