In the midst of what seems like a continual stream of unfortunate events happening around the world, we felt like providing a little breather to help you find joy in simple things. One simple thing brightening our day is the phenomenon of quilts shown in a natural setting. Have you visited the hashtag #quiltsinthewild on Instagram yet? Surf over there to scroll through a trove of lovely quilts there. We wanted to share some of our favorites from this clever hashtag with you.
Commonwealth Star Quilt by Lindlee Smith of @plainsandpine
Photo was taken north of Wolf Point, Montana, USA
Smith says about the picture, “It’s the first time the cows have ever seen a quilt.” The photograph was taken at her parent’s ranch. Smith prefers to take her quilt photos in the wild because it combines her two favorite things: quilts and the outdoors. “I especially like to take quilt photos in places that are special to me. When I look at the photo of the Commonwealth Star quilt in front of my parent’s cows, I think of my parents and so many fond memories of growing up on the plains of northeast Montana.”
Big Sky Quilt by Lindlee Smith of @plainsandpine
Photo was taken in Bozeman, Montana, USA
Who isn’t a sucker for a big red barn in the middle of a field of prairie grass? How about a red barn AND a beautiful quilt? We are here for it. We think this quilt is an interesting variation of the classic Lone Star quilt pattern. The colors of the quilt create a perfect pairing with the shade of the barn.
The patterns to make Big Sky Quilt and Commonwealth Quilt can be purchased at Smith’s website,www.plainsandpine.com.
Five60s by Ricky Brincat of @brincatalley
Photo was taken at Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
This quilt is part of a series of five quilts Brincat made from colorful strips of solids. For this series of quilts, Brincat took fifty half yards of fabric to create his five coordinating quilts. Each quilt uses thirty of the fifty colors from Brincat’s selected palette meaning that 60% of the colors in each quilt are shared. The pop of color against the boulders is stunning and that blue sky is the perfect place for this quilty rainbow.
The #quiltsinthewild hashtag is special to Brincat because of the simple pleasure he’s found in spending time in the wild with his quilts and his husband who has been battling a rare type of cancer. Going to Joshua Tree National Park during Covid has given him and his husband a place to escape to while still being safe.
Bracken Quilt by Janice Reimer of @prairieandocean
Photo taken atIdyllwild, California, USA
This quilt was made from a pattern designed by Julia Wach (@juliawachs.designs) calledBracken and is made using a foundation paper piecing technique. The monochrome color palette used is spot on and was created using a combination of Essex linen and peppered cotton fabrics.
Reimer likes seeing quilts in the wild because she believes they are meant to be used.“If they get a little dirt on them, it’s just another reason to wash them and then they get a little more crinkle.” This is the first time she’s taken a quilt with her while hiking. We hope it’s not the last. Machine quilting was done by Mindy Mounteer of @wildphilquilting.
Color of Connection Quilt by Brooke Shankland of @eudaimoniastudiosus
Photo was taken at Bonneville Salt Flats, Tooele, Utah, USA
We love Shankland’s colorful version of the @colorofconnectionquilt pattern. TheColor of Connection quilt began as a quilt-a-long that was meant to facilitate conversation, make new connections, and create a place where quilters could share their personal stories with other members of the quilting community. 100% of all the proceeds from Color of Connection quilt pattern purchases go toward creating more diversity within the quilting community. The pattern to make theColor of Connection quilt can be purchased at www.colorofconnectionquilt.com.
Shankland says about taking photos of quilts in the wild, “[It] challenges me to discover more of the natural beauty that's all around me in Utah. From mountainous desert to red rocks to lush fields of wildflowers, so many of my local landscapes deserve to be celebrated and preserved. I hope that capturing my handmade quilts against these scenes provides perspective and inspires others to explore the natural wonders, big and small, in their own backyard.”
You can find a plethora of modern quilt inspiration in the physical copies of Curated Quilts as well as visiting our blog and Instagram account.
By Brittany Bowen Burton