Quilts by my friends

I always love wandering through the many quilt exhibits on display at the annual International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas.  I'm thrilled when I spy quilts made by friends of mine.  This post is to share three of these quilts.

First up is this lovely vase of flowers, Spring Bouquet, by my friend Ann Graf.

Ann is in my Art Quilt group, Beyond the Sunset.  She started this quilt about twelve years ago, then it sat in her UFO pile until more recently, when she brought it a time or two to our Beyond the Sunset meetings.  Ann's quilt was displayed as part of the "In Full Bloom" exhibit, sponsored by Martelli Enterprises.  This juried exhibit celebrates the tradition of floral quiltmaking and is in memory of Helen Pearce O'Bryant, one of the founders of the Quilt Festival.  To see more of the quilts from this exhibit, click here.  Ann also had quilts in the Journal Quilt exhibit in 2003.  Click here for a view of those.

Insanity 3,044 is a quilt by my friend Lynn Roddy Brown.

The quilt's name comes from the number of pieces within it: three thousand, forty-four and the zaniness of the scrappy fabrics used.  According to Lynn, "the variety of fabrics" used in this quilt "lends exuberant chaos to the very structured pattern.  A uniform pieced border brings all of this discord into harmony."

This detail view makes it easy to spy the triple nine-patch blocks which were joined with a nicely pieced sashing.  The blocks in the outer border are also triple nine-patch blocks, but these are made in a uniform fashion using only two fabrics.  The triple nine-patch blocks are very scrappy in the center of the quilt as she has swapped these with quilting friends.  In fact, that is how I know Lynn.  She is one of the members in the Block Builders Bee that I am also in.  It is just one of the many bees within the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston.

Scraps, Spare Parts and Leftovers is also by Lynn.

Lynn excels at making scrappy quilts.  This one has a medallion look with a center built with three different quilt projects.  There are split nine-patch blocks, rail fence blocks, a block made in a Sharyn Craig class and four corner blocks.  The borders were made from other spare parts that Lynn had on hand.  According to Lynn, a quilt made entirely from her stash is a 'free quilt!'

Both of Lynn's quilts were part of the exhibit showcasing "Texas Quilt Guilds' Award-winning Traditional Quilt".  Lynn is a master of making scrappy quilts.  Learn more from her in any one of her three books published by Martingale.  Her first book, Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts, is available as an ebook (click here).  Her second book, Simple Strategies for Block-Swap Quilts, is also available as an ebook (click here).  Patchwork-Play Quilts- Make the Most of Scraps, Spare Parts and Leftovers is Lynn's most recent book and is available in both print and ebook form (click here).

Hourglass blocks

These are my hourglass blocks, ready for Wednesday's trade.  I'm thrilled that I have them finished so early (DAYS before the official deadline!)

Have I mentioned that I have rejoined the Block Builders Bee - one of the many bees affiliated with the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH).  We make and trade blocks four times a year, have lottery blocks to make (hoping to win the entire batch) in the other months, and enjoy everyone's Show-n-Tell while we stitch and chat together, after sharing a pot-luck lunch.  Oh and there are side trades set up by individuals too.

The quilt blocks above are for a trade that Lynn Brown initiated and I'm glad I was able to join it.  I made over 200 of these hourglass blocks -- can you tell what size they are?  want to make a guess?

Betty's quilt and Lynn's books

Reasonably Realistic Structures, 2011

Here is the full view of Betty's quilt, which she calls "Reasonably Realistic Structures."  Betty made her quilts from ten house blocks that were swapped in the QGGH Block Builders Bee many years ago (possibly more than a decade ago? but less than 15 years ...right, Betty?).

The quilters who traded in this ten-block swap begin with Betty Rivers (who is the first to piece her blocks into a finished quilt!), Lynn Roddy Brown (the initiater/organizer/planner of this swap), Rita Carter, Jill Danzer, Denise Goodman, Catherine Purifoy (who has quilts featured in Fons & Porter, click here and here), Barbara Reynolds, Harriet Rhea, Elizabeth Stewart, and myself, Cathy Winter.  Lynn, the organizer of this swap, is our most famous swapper as she has published not one but three books all about making (and trading) scrappy blocks and quilts.

Her books are:

Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts

This is her first quilting book and features my favorite, "The Texas Two Step".  I have also spied one (or two?) of my blocks on this cover -- but I will not try to point out which one is my block!  Click here to see other quilts featured in this book.

Simple Strategies for Block-Swap Quilts

Lynn's second book has more fun scrappy quilts, including a few more that I have blocks in!  How exciting it is to see blocks I made featured in a quilt that has been photographed and published in one of Lynn's books!  Click here to see more quilts from patterns featured in this book.

Patchwork-Play Quilts

This is her most recent book published.  I ran into Lynn during Quilt Market this year, where she kept busy autographing copies of her newest book.  Stay tuned, I think she may be writing another book already (perhaps one of my quilts will get into one of her future books, eventually .... it never hurts to dream big, right?).  Click here to learn more about my friend Lynn Roddy Brown.

Be sure to check out her website http://www.lynnroddybrown.com any time.  Note: Look for Lynn's books at your local quilt shop.  They are available through Amazon.com as well.