A Peek Through the Window

A sampler quilt in an attic windows setting... what a clever idea! "Attic Windows" is a classic optical illusion in quilting. We love this fun setting, which really makes the blocks stand out! Linear quilting in the window "frames" helps heighten the illusion.

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A Peek Through the Window by Barbara Polston, quilted by Maria Melendez

 

 

Barbara Polston says this is "My first Attic Windows [quilt]... why did I wait so long?" A Peek Through the Window was based on a block-of-the-month program designed to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Quilt Alliance.  However, Barbara Polston customized her project by selecting these fabrics and setting. This project was professionally quilted by Maria Melendez.  

For more Quilt Inspiration, please see our Free Pattern Day for Attic Windows Quilts (CLICK HERE) and our Free Pattern Day for Sampler Quilts (CLICK HERE)!

 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show. 

Quilt Fiesta! Highlights of the Show (3)

Here are more photos from the Quilt Fiesta, the annual Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show. We saw so many fabulous quilts and are sharing some highlights here.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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The Glow by Christine Nelson, quilted by Lynn Simon

Christine Nelson based this quilt on a classic Lone Star pattern, and the color and fabric choices were simply beautiful.  Christine says, "I used an ombre fabric for the main part of the star.  At the center and outer points I used fussy cut pieces from the [kaleidoscope print] border fabric. Getting the pattern lined up in the center was a challenge." The solid fabric areas allowed plenty of space for Lynn Simon's gorgeous quilting. Winner of Second Place in the Two Person - Small Pieced category. 

 Ghost by Barbara Polston

We love pet-inspired quilts, and this one is a beauty. Made and quilted by Barbara Polston, who created a portrait of her grand-dog, Ghost, using lace.  Barbara says, "Ghost is a Siberian Husky belonging to my daughter and son-in-law.  [This was] a gift for their 8th wedding anniversary which may be celebrated with lace gifts."  What a clever idea!

Aviary by Suzanne McLean, quilted by Linda Cote

Made by Suzanne McLean and quilted by Linda Cote, this beautiful wool applique quilt was based on a pattern by Bonnie Sullivan and Dawn Heese. We enjoyed seeing the many beautiful details!  Suzanne says, "[The] pattern [was] modified in several places to create a soft, vintage look that's uniquely mine."  Winner of Honorable Mention in the Two Person, Primarily Appliqued category.

It features hand appliqued wool with velvet accents on a cotton background, enhanced with embellishment stitching using a variety of stitches, thread and ribbon.

The Neighborhood by Jean Biddick

The Neighborhood was made and quilted by Jean Biddick.  It won First Place in the One Person, Small, Pieced category, plus a special award for Exemplary Piecing.

Jean says, "The Quilters Market Blockbusters theme in 2018 was 'There Goes the Neighborhood'.  I reduced the 12" to 3" blocks and added a couple of extras to make the setting work. The blocks are NOT paper pieced (!) The central block was made years ago in a Judi Blaydon workshop about light sources - it was a perfect center for my 'Neighborhood'. "

Cactus Rose by Lynne Saul

This stunning quilt, made and quilted by Lynne Saul, was based on a pattern by Judy Niemeyer.  Lynne says, "The top is paper pieced which I love to do.  After it was completed, it sat for 5 years before I quilted it.  But now it's done."  We love this design, colors, and expert workmanship.  The bright batik fabrics with their spiky points really pop against the dark background.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Quilt Arizona! The 2022 Show (3)

We could hardly wait for the 2022 Arizona Quilters Guild show, where the theme was Kaleidoscope of Quilts.  And what a fantastic show it was!  Due to the pandemic, the show was cancelled last year - so there was high anticipation for this year's event. There were many amazing quilts on display... here are some of our favorites!

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
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Tumble-A-Round by Claire Victor

Claire Victor won a special award for Exemplary Non-Professional Machine Quilting, plus First Place (a blue ribbon) in the modern-solo category for her stunning quilt, titled Tumble-A-Round. She says, "My fascination with the tumbling block continues; this time my design takes the overall shape of a circle... This adds an additional challenge of a changing light source."

Notice how each cube is composed of a dark, medium, and light side, creating the optical illusion of blocks. Tumble-A-Round was English paper pieced and beautifully free motion quilted by Claire herself. The quilted swirls and spirals really stand out on the solid color fabrics.

Arizona Nights by Debbie Cole, quilted by Rose Maynes

Arizona Nights was intended to portray the desert nights in Arizona, with each block featuring a different creature - check out the javelina, coyote, bobcat, hummingbird, cardinal, oriole, and more!  We especially loved the handsome red cardinal, shown in the closeup photo below. Debbie Cole won Second Place (red ribbon) in the Applique, Small-Duet category for this outstanding wall quilt.

The design was a 2006 Block of the Month sponsored by the Quilt Basket shop in Tucson. The many elements were machine appliqued using blanket stitch, and additional details - such as the leaves in the above block - were embroidered.  Debbie says that this was her first attempt at machine applique, and that the quilt (which was a 2006-2007 BOM) did not get finished until 2021. All of her hard work definitely paid off!

Modern Honeycomb Hexie by Tori Benz-Hillstorm, quilted by Clara Borntreger

Modern Honeycomb Hexie utilizes modern print fabrics to form an intriguing honeycomb design.  Tori Benz-Hillstorm hand-stitched 1349 one-inch honeycomb hexies, using English Paper Piecing (EPP).  There are approximately 200,000 hand-piecing stitches in this quilt! The white and gray solids provide the perfect backdrop for all of the brightly colored prints.

Modern Honeycomb Hexie was quilted by a Mennonite quilter from Minnesota, and it won Third Place in the Hand Quilted category. We so admired the precise, tiny stitches done in straight lines to emphasize the diamond shapes of the quilt.

Vikki's Flutterby Flowers by Donna Moyer

This heirloom quilt was created by Donna Moyer, who won First Place in the Hand Quilted category.  Donna says, "When my daughter Vikki was little she said 'Flutterby' instead of 'Butterfly.'  This quilt will be hers someday... It will make her smile.  It has made me smile as I worked on it for many years." 

The applique designs were based on a class taught by Jeana Kimball.  Donna Moyers' many hours of effort and love truly show in the finished product, which features thousands of precise hand quilting stitches.

Haunted by Paducah by Barbara Polson, quilted by Laurie Tigner

Haunted by Paducah won a second place ribbon in the Mixed Technique Small-Duet category. Barbara Polston says she was haunted by this quilt pattern, first seen in Paducah, Kentucky in 2008. "I was finally able to make it when Nubin Jensen published her pattern" (Pickled Clams). The clams reflect the blue, pink and violet hues of Kaffe Fassett's 'Tree Fungi' border fabric.

The machine quilting (by Laurie Tigner) lend an art deco-style appearance to the clam shell shapes.  For even more elegance, the centers of the clams were quilted with gold thread in a filigree pattern.

Mountain Silhouettes by Christiane Ermke

We really enjoyed Mountain Silhouettes, an original design by Christiane Ermke, made with many different colorful Kaffe Fassett fabrics. This art quilt depicts the mountains in and around Scottsdale, Arizona: Tom's Thumb, Pinnacle Peak, Camelback Mountain, and Four Peaks. the center ring features the iconic saguaro cactus which reside throughout the Sonoran Desert. The spectacular piece was hand quilted by Christiane herself.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Quilt Arizona show.

Day 3: Arizona Quilters' Guild Show 2012

Here are some more intriguing quilts from the weekend of March 9-10.  As you can see, a wide range of styles and techniques were on display. Write us a comment below, as we'd love to know which one is your favorite.

The Ladies at Sunset by Nancy Norrander - Judge’s Choice Award

Nancy Norrander said: “I pieced and quilted 'The Ladies at Sunset' for our new home in Arizona. It represents a very peaceful time of day and a time to reflect.” The faces of the Ladies were made of ultra suede, and the dresses, made of crushed velvet, stood out from the surface of the quilt.

Close-up photo, The Ladies at Sunset by Nancy Norrander

All three ladies are adorned with real turquoise necklaces as shown in the close-up photo above. We recognize this quilt as the "Navajo Treasures" pattern from Sara Cibelli, which can be seen at Flamingo Island Designs (Florida).

Vintage Roses by Barbara Polston, quilted by Terri Doyle. Blue ribbon: First Place Mixed techniques- Large.

Vintage tatted linen inspired this original design by Barbara Polston, showcasing painted appliqued roses. We were impressed by the tatting, which was appliqued around the center panel, shown below.  Tatting was common in our grandmothers' day and it is not often seen.

Close-up, Vintage Roses by Barbara Polston

All of the roses were painted off the quilt surface and turned into appliqué elements.  Barbara Polston says that the quilt concept lived in her head for almost two years. From start to finish, the quilt took 18 months to complete and was meant to be a competition piece.

Arizona Charm by Reni Dieball, quilted by Diane Pitchford

Tumbling Blocks were hand-pieced and hand appliqued to borders; there are hundreds of hand-pieced Y-seams in this quilt. Reni Dieball decided to arrange the blocks by colors. The  wide variety of fabrics were obtained by exchanges with her quilting and sewing friends.  The detail below shows some of the fun fabrics which Reni used: a scarecrow with sunflower, candy cane, sun with smiling face, spools of thread, and a family of geese can be seen.

Close-up, Arizona Charm by Reni Dieball

Hexagonal Spirals by Sue Whaples, quilting by Barbara Harrell

This colorful quilt is an elaborate variation of a snail's trail, based on an original design by John Flynn.  Sue Whaples used John’s Hexagonal Spirals templates to make all the arms of the snails tails match up; she made the quilt rectangular and added borders.

Close-up, Hexagonal Spirals by Sue Whaples, quilting by  Barbara Harrell

The quilting, which was done by Barbara Harrell, was really exceptional; as you can see in the photo above, each triangle in the spiral was quilted separately - an enormous amount of work. 

My Civil War Bride by Janice Hartman - Exemplary Hand Quilting Award

This is the first Civil War Bride quilt we've seen in person and it received an Exemplary Hand Quilting award (turquoise ribbon) along with a 2nd place (red ribbon) in the Applique-Large category. Janice Hartman used reproduction fabric collected over several years. The applique stitching, which was done with silk thread, was nearly invisible.  Hand quilting was done around each applique and diagonally in the borders. It was a stunning quilt that must have taken thousands of hours to applique. Our apologies for this less-than-perfect photo of a perfect quilt; the quilt was hung in a back hallway where the lighting was really challenging; the left side was in darkness and the right side was under a spotlight.

The Civil War Bride quilt pattern, designed by Corliss Searcey of Threadbear (Australia), is done in the style of The Bird of Paradise quilt in the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. It is distinguished by heavily appliquéd blocks of flowers & leaves, birds & butterflies, animals and fruit.