Autumn Leaves by Kim McLean
This month's Past Perfect quiltmaker is Kim McLean, chromatic queen,
who's had great influence on the look of 21st-century quilts.
Kim drew her pattern from a quilt by Charlotte Jane Whitehill in the collection of the Denver Art Museum. Whitehill was inspired by Mary Hilliker's prize-winning quilt in the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Hilliker's original inspiration was a pattern by Anne Orr, which she elaborated upon.
Orr's pattern for Good Housekeeping
A perfect chain of inspiration
Kim, a former pharmacist who lives in Australia, began making quilts in 1990 and after a year won Best of Show at the prestigious Sydney Quilt Show. On her webpage she writes:
"In the early days I designed and made quite a few quilts based on the antique ones I saw, using the reproduction fabrics available at the time. That all changed when I discovered the Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. Although my quilt designs still have the antique feel to it, they are done in these bright, cheery, happy fabrics that I love."
Princess Feather
Mariner's Compass Medallion
New York Beauty (all solids)
Pine Trees detail
Glorious Hexagon
Stars & Sprigs
See her patterns and quilts at her webpage. It's a great gallery of her work and you can click to buy the patterns.
Lollypop Trees
Here's Kim's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/kimmcleandesigns/
See Mary Hilliker's 1933 Autumn Leaves here at the Quilt Index:
And the original Princess Feather quilt from Ohio here: