3-D Applique at Tokyo Quilt Show

This is one of those photos on Pinterest that unfortunately has a faulty link. 

Cactus Rose Quilt Block

This framed Cactus Rose quilt block from Pennsylvania is on display at the American Folk Art Museum. The maker is unknown, dated 1855-1865. The block was a gift to the museum from Cyril Irwin Nelson in honor of Robert Bishop (director of the museum 1977-1991).

Isn't this a wonderful block? It's precise and relaxed at the same time. Classic 1800's colors too. This block is framed behind glass.

I went to the museum right after my guild meeting in NYC on Saturday. I had to walk from 28th Street to 66th Street! But it was worth it. More photos coming tomorrow.

Susan Arrowood's Bible Quilt

Susan Arrowood made this "Sacret Bibel" applique quilt top in 1875-1895 possibly in West Chester, PA. It illustrates Bible stories and includes her hand-written descriptions. I've seen this quilt in books so it was exciting to see it recently "in person" at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC.

The block below shows Jesus and His twelve disciples wearing black suits.

The caption below says "The angel guarding the sleeping man." Note the broderie perse flowers and the netting used for the angel wings. Such a creative one-of-a-kind quilt!

Whimsical Tree Block from Applique Today

Have you seen the wonderful blog Applique Today? Joanna is originally from New Zealand, but is now living in New Hampshire. You can find this block in her sidebar (on the left) and click for a tutorial. Such a simple and delightful block. Fancy binding on this little quilt too.

Also take a look at Leeann's blog Quilt Whangarei in New Zealand. She has a tutorial for a Disappearing Four-Patch block that looks tedious to make, but is quick and easy.

Penny's New Tile Quilt

Penny from the Sew Take A Hike blog just finished this tile quilt. It's machine appliqued and hand quilted (which she says almost threw her over the edge). See how she quilted around some of the polka dots in the border? And I like the red polka dots in the tile section too. The nice big spaces between her "tiles" gives a light, airy feel to this quilt. Very modern. Great job!

Penny was inspired by Amanda Jean's "Ticker Tape" quilt. See the tutorial on Sew Mama, Sew.

Julie Silber's Amazing Antique Quilts

Here are some wonderful antique quilts from Julie Silber's blog. As you probably know, Julie is a quilt expert, curator of the Esprit Amish quilt collection and a buyer and seller of museum quality quilts. You will love the quilts on her blog.
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Does the block style (above) look vaguely familiar? I've seen photos like this tile quilt before and I think that was somewhere in my subconscious when I made my raw-edge quilt recently. The antique quilt pictured is needleturn applique, not raw-edge. Also, these pieces are curvy, and mine are straight edged. The fabrics are different too, but the overall "feel" is similar. The heart adds a nice focal point. I wonder what the border looks like.

Julie suspects that the inspiration for this fantastic red and white quilt (above) was crocheted doilies. Have you ever seen a border like this? I love it. I bet all those little circles are stuffed.

Hey, red bird, put that flowerbud back!

Don't you hate it when applique birds mess with your quilt design?

"Stamp Collection" Tile Quilt (Empire October BOM)

One of my "jobs" is to design the Block of the Month blocks for my guild, Empire Quilters in NYC. This raw-edge machine applique block is our block for October. I made this tile quilt as an experiment to see what would happen when it was machine washed and dryed. I know it's pretty big for an experiment, but I was having so much fun.

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I should have used a zigzag stitch to applique the patches, or sewed a little further away from the edge (more than 1/8"). A few of the "tile" edges came loose in the wash and needed repair. The quilt also needed a trim to remove lots of frayed edge threads. But that's okay. It has a soft, shabby chic look now, and I like it. I think it looks fabulous from a distance! Haha.

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If you like the look of tile quilts, you might be interested in a book called: Tile Quilt Revival: Reinventing a Forgotten Form by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley, published by C&T. The quilts in this book use the needleturn applique technique rather than raw-edge.

Kathi Price Invents Selvage Applique!

Take a look at this awesome selvage wall hanging by Kathi Price of Frisco, Texas. She bought the little girl fabric from an etsy seller in Japan, and I love how she used it on this quilt: selvage quilt applique! Another great moment in selvage quilt history. And I like how she made a variety of selvage block arrangements, a sort of Gee's Bend style. Such a creative quilt!

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See more of Kathi's work:

http://kathiskreations.blogspot.com/

http://kathip22.etsy.com/

http://kathiskreations.artfire.com/