Featured in the annual Quilt Challenge at the Kennedy- Douglas Center for the Arts include “Finished in the Nick of Time” by Jo Riddle and “Sew it is the Night Before Christmas” by Mary Margaret Specker. This year’s theme of ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” means that the walls of the exhibit room are full of holiday color - and stunningly beautiful quilts. Guild member Nancy Schutt, of Florence , won best hand quilting for her entry, “The Best Things Come in Small Packages,” - a quilted memory of the Christmas Eve 35 years ago when she received her engagement ring. Longtime quilter and guild member Mary Margaret Specker, of Florence , won best embellishment for her paper-pieced and machine-quilted wall hanging, “Sew It Is the Night Before Christmas. read more

This features 14 delightful projects, including everything from picture frames and lamp shades to table runners, cards, and stationery to a travelog. A number of these items feature garden themes, including an oak leaf wreath, a floral book cover, and decorated flower pots. Many of these projects feature garden themes or floral printed fabrics. A number of these quilt projects feature floral or garden themes. These projects include stylish items like placemats, napkins, table runners, table cloths and napkin rings. read more

Tags: project, floral, items, easy, projects, garden

Judith Larzelere talks about her quilting method on the piece Breaking Rhythms, part of her show at the Newport Art Museum. Judith Larzelere, an award-winning Westerly quiltmaker whose work is on display now at the Newport Art Museum, reached for a needle and thread. Composed of hundreds of thin, tile-like strips of fabric — a Larzelere trademark — Tsunami is dominated by a broad expanse of blue that starts off a deep azure but gradually grows lighter and more luminous. A pair of fiery red quilts in the Newport show, for example, grew out of Larzelere’s attempts to create an “optical vibration” using contrasting color combinations. Composed of closely matched swatches of gray, lavender and maize, it’s full of quiet harmonies — more like an intimate piece of chamber music than a full symphony. Though different in style — Pick up Sticks is as bold as Wraith is subtle — both quilts show off Larzelere’s love of color. read more

Chicago Chicago - Albany Park Chicago - Avondale Chicago - Belmont Cragin Chicago - Bucktown Chicago - Dunning Chicago - Edgebrook Chicago - Edgewater Chicago - Edison Park Chicago - Jefferson Park Chicago - Harlem-Irving Chicago - Lakeview Chicago - Logan Square Chicago - News Star Chicago - North Center Chicago - North Town Chicago - Norwood Park Chicago - Portage Park Chicago - Ravenswood Chicago - Rogers Park Chicago - Roscoe Village Chicago - Sauganash Chicago - Skyline News Chicago - Ukranian Village Chicago - Uptown Chicago - Wicker Park Chicago Heights Clarendon Hills Country Club Hills Crete Crestwood Crown Point, Ind. Darien Deerfield Deer Park Des Plaines Dolton Downers Grove Elburn Elgin Elk Grove Elmhurst Elmwood Park Evanston Flossmoor Forest Park Fox River Grove Fox Valley Frankfort Franklin Park Gages Lake Gary, Ind. Homewood Indian Head Park Inverness Island Lake Joliet Kenliworth Kildeer La Grange LaGrange Highlands LaGrange Park Lake Barrington Lake Bluff Lake Forest Lake in the Hills Lake Villa Lake Zurich Lansing Lemont Libertyville Lincolnshire Lincolnwood Lindenhurst Lisle Lockport Long Grove Lowell, Ind. Oak Brook Oakbrook Terrace Oak Forest Oak Lawn Oak Park Oakwood Hills Olympia Fields Orland Hills Orland Park Oswego Palatine Palos Heights Palos Hills Palos Park Palos Twp. Prospect Heights Richton Park River Forest River Grove Riverwoods Rolling Meadows Rosemont Round Lake Sauk Village Schaumburg Schererville, Ind. Southland Tinley Park Tower Lake University Park Valparaiso, Ind. read more