QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Saturday, December 22, 2018

Past Perfect: Irene Blanck


Tribute to Lucy Kemper by Irene Blanck, detail


Irene with her Quiltmania book Focus on Applique

December's Past Perfect quiltmaker is Irene Blanck, another Australian interpreting our shared patchwork past.

Tribute to Lucy Kemper ,
inspired by a quilt in the DAR Museum

Irene began quilting about 1990 using published patterns but then began designing her own: "I enjoyed machine piecing for a long time until I got the taste for needle-turn appliqué."

What looks pieced is often appliqued in her quilts.

Chocolate Mint Sundae

Timeless

Spring Promise inspired by an unfinished top by Rose Good
Kretsinger in the collection of the Spencer Museum of Art.

Green Acres

Irene recently did a tour of the U.S. with her trunk show and classes in applique technique. Rosemary Youngs snapped a lot of photos when she was in Illinois. See them at Rosemarys blog:
https://rosemaryyoungs.wordpress.com/2018/10/28/quilt-class-in-illinois/

Detail of Joy

Miz Kelly


Bird's Eye View
The wheels in the border are applique.

Paradise of Birds BOM
I bet those squares are appliqued.
Irene's website:
http://focusonquilts.com.au/shop/

7 comments:

  1. i love irene's patterns and her quilts..."found" her a few years ago while net surfing and wish i could have seen her when she was here in the US....so many of hers are faves of mine....she is applique inspiration to the max!

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  2. I have been able to enjoy Irene's instruction and company three times while she has visited IL over the past few years. She is an absolute treasure -- her patterns are interesting & fun and she is a lot of fun herself. Love her!

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  3. A lovely person that makes lovely quilts. I am always inspired by her work. I have attended a lecture she gave at the Houston Quilt Festival about 5 years ago and loved her lecture. I was introduced to her work while in Melbourne, AU a few years before that.

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  4. Thank you for posting about Irene - her book is so wonderful and I have heard what a gracious and talented instructor she is...slowly making my way through the pattern for Tribute to Lucy Kemper...a very fun and easy applique design...wish there were more hours in the day!

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  5. How wonderful! I have a thing for the Chocolate Mint Sundae!!! Cheers Barbara and also for the link to the other posting with more super quilts.

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  6. Thank you so much Barbara for this great article on my work. I so LOVE needleturn applique and also enjoy teaching. I have just returned home from a 2 month teaching trip of the US and I'm planning two trips in 2019 - the first to Norway and later in the year I'll be back in the US.

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