Polar Bear Portrait — Huntington Quilt Design

Polar Bear Portrait

73” x 88”

Materials: cotton quilting fabric

Methods: traditional piecing, needle-turn hand appliqué

Pattern designed by Jill Huntington

Based on artwork by Josh Brill

Pieced and machine quilted by Jill Huntington

2023

Polar Bear Portrait is the second of two animal quilts I’ve made based on the artwork of artist Josh Brill (the first is Zebra Portrait). I’m a fan of this modern artistic style; it is reminiscent of the work of Charley Harper, whose art depicting animals in their natural habitat has been described as “highly stylized geometric reduction.” I received a comment on IG for Polar Bear that made me smile, “Wonderful colors in a modern realistic style. The way the bear stares you down. I love it!!” The water’s reflection on the Polar Bear’s chest is my favorite design element.

To create the pattern, I enlisted the help of my husband, Dana Huntington, who drew the image using Adobe Illustrator. I printed it to scale on 8.5”x11” computer paper, taped it together, and pinned the image to my design wall. Then I stared at it for days as I pondered how to construct it! I ended up tracing out full-size pattern pieces of each section onto easel paper, and using those templates to prepare the fabric. Most of it is machine pieced, with the exception of the ears, eyes, and nose, which are hand appliquéd.

With Josh’s written consent, I have displayed Polar Bear Portrait at various quilt shows. (I do not have copyright privileges to make, sell, or distribute the pattern.)

Honorable Mention, Mid-Century Mod - Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, Virginia (February/March 2024)

Semi-Finalist, Animal Category - Road2CA Quilters’ Showcase, Ontario, California (January 2024)

Judges Choice Award (Pat Yamin) - Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, California (October 2023)