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"Twirly Balls and Pinwheels" by Sue Garman

Circles in many forms have been popular quilting motifs in recent years. If you have walked through any quilt shows recently or thumbed through quilt magazines, you are sure to have seen a circle quilt or two. The simple, but eye catching design has entranced many a quilter. The late Sue Garman (Show 304), a highly regarded and legendary quilter, designed and made quilts for over forty years. Twirly Balls and Pinwheels is a masterful and intricate quilt featuring spinning balls and pinwheel sashing that spans the quilt and into the outside border. She was often heard saying that she was very much inspired by antique quilts and the motifs they used.

Always a stickler for details when it came to her own work, Sue machine quilted around each and every one of those 1" HST (Half Square Triangles). Count them...there are only 1,696! That, ladies and gentlemen is attention to detail by a masterful quilter.

And, if that weren't enough, Sue designed and made another variation of twirling balls, this time including Dresden plates in a quilt she called Happy Daze. The use of repeating an element she liked can be found in many of her quilts over the years. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Daze by Sue Garman

We can learn a great deal from and be inspired by antique quilts, including this lovely quilt from the clothing and textile collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University Textile Collections.

TTU 1976-122-002, Spinning Ball quilt made by the Great-Grandmother of Mrs. D. M. Wiggins. 
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

 
Spinning Ball Quilt
By Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D.,
Curator of Clothing and Textiles, the Museum of Texas Tech University

As with most quilting trends, this isn’t a new thing so I thought I would share a spectacular quilt from the Museum at Texas Tech University’s collection.

The Spinning Ball quilt came to the Museum in 1976 and was made circa 1880. The dramatic pattern is composed of hand pieced cheddar and green pieces, which form what appears to be a spinning ball. The blocks are sashed with green sashing with the cheddar at the intersections. The quilting is done in thread that matches the fabric and forms a beautiful diamond pattern in the white background of the blocks and straight lines in the sashing. The binding is a red and black printed calico.

The quilt came to the Museum from Dr. D. M. Wiggins, with a family tradition of having been made by the Great-Grandmother of Mrs. Wiggins in Arkansas. Dr. Wiggins was the President of Texas Tech University from 1948-1952, but not much is known about Mrs. Wiggins—yet. I look forward to further research on the maker so we can tell her story more fully. In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful quilt eye candy!

Below is a sampling of two antique and two contemporary quilts (not from the Museum of Texas Tech University Textile Collections) featuring a variation of the block called by many names including Rising Sun, Wagon Wheel, Spinning Ball, Windblown Daisy, Rising Sun.


Windblown Daisy. Quilt by Julia Reagan Love, circa 1955. Rising Sun. Quilt by Rachel Alston Jones Russel; Rachel Louise Russell Gray, circa 1880. Images courtesy of The Quilt Index.


Vintage Wagon Wheels by Chris Boersma Smith.        Ezekiel's Wheel by Karen. Image courtesy of The Secret Life of Mrs. Meatloaf

 

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And so you are wondering what the heck is Smorgasbord Quilting??? Well if you break it down, Smorgasbord is defined as, "A wide range of something," as in "variety" and Quilting is defined as "the making of a quilt, especially as a craft or leisure activity." When you put them together you have ME, LOL!!! I am the quilter who is making a wide range of quilts as a leisure activity. I have no one quilting identity...I truly love it all. Although I do have a love/hate relationship with paper piecing, and that really has more to do with the way my brain works, not the actual look of the creations. Whenever the Stitchin Post class schedules are released, I go through it much like I did as a child when the Sears catalog arrived. Looking for something that grabs my interest, or the desire to spend time with some of my favorite instructors.

I was really tickled when I had a chance to stop by QuiltWorks in Bend and see the latest Gallery exhibit. I realized that the creations exhibited were by two quilters from the Mountain Meadow Quilt Guild in Sunriver. While viewing the show, I had the warm glow of being in the presence of creations by fellow Smorgasbord Quilters. We Smorgasbord Quilters are truly what makes the Quilting World Turn...now there is a great title for a Quilting Soap Opera, LOL!!!

I hope you enjoy the works of Pat Jones and Valerie Weber...true stars in "As The Quilting World Turns."

Click here for Anna's YouTube Channel.

Click here for Anna's blog.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow
 

 

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An oldie, but a goodie, the Witches Star block. Framed diamonds keep you looking at this traditional block. This pattern first appeared in The Quilt Life magazine in August 2013. The block measures 12" finished.

Click here to download the pattern.

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The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles had an exhibit of Log Cabin quilts spanning over 150 years at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. Enjoy "Log Cabin Quilts: Infinite Variety".

And, stay tuned. We've learned there will be more stunning exhibits to come at the museum.

From the exhibit:

"Perhaps because of its name, Log Cabin is seen as the quintessential American quilt block, one that dates back to colonial days. In fact, this pattern appeared sometime in the middle of the 19th century along with the "Log Cabin President," Abraham Lincoln. Some historians have speculated that the block grew out of the presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison, while others assert that it more closely reflects the values associated with Lincoln's campaign. Still others maintain that the pattern was developed to express the grief of a nation in mourning for the loss of two presidents: Harrison and Lincoln. Regardless of the origin, Log Cabin is an immensely successful pattern, almost as popular today as it was the the turn of the century."

 

 

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Do you think this block is called "The Devil's Puzzle?" Play the game and find out.

 
 
 

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Watch Gina Perkes' Ruler Mastery Series and learn how to make elegant quilted designs on domestic or longarm sewing machines using quilting template rulers.


PLUS, through Wednesday October 17,

save 20% at checkout on all of Gina's rulers and ruler sets with the code

FEATHER
 

Now you can watch Gina Perkes' Ruler Mastery Series in its entirety. We have all ten classes available, and they are open to everyone!

Gina's series shows you the basics of using machine quilting rulers, as well as how to make specific designs like feathers, waves, and geometric shapes using her line of high quality quilting rulers on your domestic or longarm machine.

 

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Plain and Simple by Jodi Robinson won Best Mid-Century Modern at the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2018. It does not look that "simple" to us. The piecing is graphic and the quilting divine.

Ricky visited with Jodi to learn how she became involved in Modern Quilting, click here for the discussion.

 

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Here's another award-winning quilt from Susan Cleveland. Party of Three just seems to glow with fun and excitement.

2000, 56"x 45"

  • Best of Show Wall Quilt Minnesota Quilters Show 2000
  • First place International Quilt Festival Houston 2000
  • First place American Quilter's Society Paducah 2001

Watch Susan Cleveland in Show 2308: It's Hip to be a Modern Dresden.

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 35 Pieces Non-Rotating

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 100 Pieces Non-Rotating

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 300 Pieces Non-Rotating

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 35 Pieces Rotating

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 100 Pieces Rotating

PartyofThreebySusanCleveland - 300 Pieces Rotating

Original Photo from Susan Cleveland's Website

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Here's another award-winning quilt from Susan Cleveland. Party of Three just seems to glow with fun and excitement.

2000, 56"x 45"

  • Best of Show Wall Quilt Minnesota Quilters Show 2000
  • First place International Quilt Festival Houston 2000
  • First place American Quilter's Society Paducah 2001

Watch Susan Cleveland in Show 2308: It's Hip to be a Modern Dresden.

Original Photo from Susan Cleveland's Website

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We'd all be pretty excited if we found out we'd won a "Best of Show" ribbon, but how do you think Lynda Jackson of the United Kingdom felt when she discovered her quilt, Silver Linings, won "Best of World" at the 2018 World Quilt Competition XXII? And it all started as a doodle.
 
Silver Linings was on exhibit at the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2018.