ARCHITECTURAL QUILTS

Architectural Quilts by Marcia Eygabroat

Architectural quilts are my passion. I love the way lights and shadows play across these structures. It is a challenge to recreate the perspective these objects have. I use commercial cottons, cut into tiny pieces fused by “puzzle piecing” each next to each other. This method lets me show the greatest detail of the architecture and is also quite challenging.

Click on any photo to view the gallery magnified.

Beyond the Gate  (for sale)

This piece was inspired by a scene in Wilmington, North Carolina. This is the last quilt I made from a photo in my former hometown. The wrought iron and it’s scene beyond just had to be made into a quilt.

I love the way the lights and shadows play across the front of this stately home and the brick stairway.

Using commercial quilting cottons, I “puzzle piece” appliqued the entire creation.

 

 

Devinely  (for sale)

On a trip to Sarasota Florida, I went to a tourist area called Long Boat Key. While there I saw this restaurant that had a sweeping brick staircase and a lot of wrought iron accents. This scene was accented by a beautiful bougainvillea vine that draped across the top of the building.

I recreated this beautiful scene in a pieced quilt. The bougainvillea has cotton fabric strips twisted to accentuate the vine and give it added texture. The vines’ flowers are made with appliquéd fabric snippets. Leaves in the foreground from another plant dangle loosely in front of the restaurants second story. A small bit of greenery in the planter also protrudes from the scene.

 

 

Historic Perspective  (sold)

While in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina one spring day I was mesmerized by this simple scene. The turquoise against the white siding was my first attraction.
I was there at the perfect time of year to see the tree behind the house in full glorious bloom! I had to photograph this from every angle.

This quilt is a result of one of those photos. It is completely pieced with commercial cotton fabrics. The blooms on the tree are appliquéd fabric snippets. The quilting in the border is clear mono-filament thread and continues the scene to the edge of this piece. One has to look very closely to notice this feature of the quilt.

This quilt was accepted to Quilts=Art=Quilts at Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center Auburn, New York

 

Private Portico  (sold)

This quilt was quite a departure for me.  A friend challenged me not to use my photo editing software or plan in advance.

After making this wonderful piece, I made the decision to use my original method in the future.  I have to know what the end result will look like.  I have always known that this is the way I need to work.

It is puzzle pieced with commercial quilt cottons and free motion quilted.

 

 

Secluded Splendor (sold)

This is another quilt that was inspired by a photograph taken while in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. I was attracted by the brick fence with a wrought iron gate. I wondered what was behind that beautiful barrier.

I tried a new technique with this project, placing a photograph within the quilt. My original photograph was printed onto fabric and is the beckoning gardens behind the fence. This photo was heavily quilted with many matching threads. The brick wall and gate were “puzzle piece” appliqué. Also a first was the fact that there is no border on this piece. I thought that the brick work should be unencumbered by binding, and stay uneven as bricks would be. This technique adds to the perspective of the right brick column. This quilt is comprised of commercial cottons.

 

 

Shutters Open to the Garden  (sold)

This quilt was inspired by the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”.  I found a photo that reminded me of that film and recreated it.

It is  puzzle pieced using commercial cottons and free motion quilted.

The shutters are little quilts that are sewn onto the background.  They make a 3D effect, coming forward from the piece.

 

 

Sunday Morning Solitude  (sold)

While on a trip to Phoenix , Arizona , I took a day trip to Sedona. This is a beautiful little town in the mountains. During my visit there, I discovered this wonderful little arts and crafts area called Tlaquepaque . This word means “the best of everything”. While there I spotted a deserted café. It was a Sunday in the middle of winter, and it was closed.

Entranced by the architecture, beautiful tile and wrought iron work, I took many digital photographs from every angle. Upon returning home to Wilmington , I recreated this in a quilt. This is as close a replica to the original photo as was possible. The only artistic license used was to have more greenery and flowers in bloom.

Created from commercial cotton fabrics, shiny lamé and embellished with yarn. This quilt was honored to be accepted into Tactile Architecture 2005 and traveled the US .

 

 

Time for Tea on the Veranda  (for sale)

Architecture in quilting is a passion of mine. Having done several quilts with this theme over the last few years, I felt particularly challenged to design this with the Houston quilt show in mind.

I had taken dozens of photographs of this old Victorian home on a vacation in the spring of 2004, unsure of what direction to take to turn this into a quilt; I filed the images away, while getting on with other projects.

Seeing the prospectus for Tactile Architecture was the needed incentive to begin designing this quilt in earnest.

My expertise is in the details, so I enjoy getting in close and doing a portion of a building. The veranda of this old home was particularly appealing, but not it’s beige color, so taking artistic license, I gave it much more vivid hues.

This piece contains commercial cottons. A fusible appliqué technique was used and it was puzzle pieced together with no overlapping layers. It is very heavily machine quilted with each tiny section in matching thread.

The three months spent on this project were thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling in every way! It was accepted into the prestigious Tactile Architecture 2005 and traveled around the US .

 

The Guys Go Downtown  (commission – sold)

While taking a inspiration stroll through downtown Wilmington, NC, I saw this lovely scene.  I took dozens of photographs; filing them in my inspirational folder on my computer for future reference.

My neighbor at the time, approached me to request a commission representing his pets.  His only request was that it be a large quilt.  I decided to use this inspirational scene as the setting for the dog and cat.  I personally knew these animals and wanted them in a stately scene.

The quilt is completely pieced with minimal fusing used.  The animals are real photographs printed on cotton fabric and sewn onto the background.

My neighbor loved the end result!

 

 

Log Cabin Paradise  (commission – sold)

This quilt was commissioned by the couple that own this beautiful log home.

The cabin is “puzzle pieced” cotton fabric, fused onto muslin. The background of trees, sky, grass and dogs, is photography printed on fabric. The entire piece is very heavily free-motion quilted with a variety of polyester and rayon threads.