Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (4)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some highlights from the show.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

Note: Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns, jewelry, and collectibles. You also can follow us on Twitter!

Moving Parts, made and quilted by Claire Victor 

Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st place in the Modern-Solo category, plus a special award for Exemplary Professional Machine Quilting, Claire Victor says: "Moving Parts was designed using Procreate [design software]. I am trying to create dimension and motion without shading or painting.  The background quilting design is my modern tribute to crazy quilting.  This is English paper pieced and machine quilted on a domestic Bernina machine." 

 

 

Claire's exemplary machine quilting can be seen in the closeup photos, with different quilting designs applied to each of the "segments" of the design. 

Wonkydoodle, made and quilted by Geri Cavanagh  

Winner of a special award for Excellent Use of Color, Geri Cavanagh says: "This is way outside my box.  I usually make quilts with traditional blocks and civil war fabrics.  I stretched my creativity with this since I had no plan and no pattern. I just developed into this wild and crazy quilt which I love."

She continues, "I found a purple and green print, and a Caryl Bryer Fallert Gradations print, then matched them with colorful, upbeat and wonky fabrics. I started doodling with purple and green strips of various widths. Some were too short, so I cut them which left a hole to be covered with a circle... I had no idea how it was going to turn out. It was fun to use my creativity and let it develop."

Freedom, made and quilted by Frances Murphy

This original design was given the NACQJ Award of Merit  by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges.  Frances Murphy says that she pondered how to tell a story about freedom. She used birds because they are icons of freedom (as reflected in the saying "free as a bird".) The theme is depicted in 4 panels, from the open door of a bird cage on the left, to birds flying over the city, to birds viewed in their natural habitat in the wild. She says, "I love working with graphic design and color to create emotion and depth in my quilts."

Peacock Patchwork, made and quilted by Linda Hopkins

It was so much fun to see this colorful and unique quilt with its many details. Linda Hopkins says, "When cleaning out my Crazy Quilt fabrics, I discovered a multitude of peacocks.  In this color-washed Crazy Quilt I have incorporated vintage doilies, beads, buttons, and many of the peacocks that I purchased over the years. Enjoy the journey." (And so we did!)  Winner of Honorable Mention at the show.

Bottle Vases, made and quilted by Merci Apodaca

Made with machine-embroidery appplique with organza overlay on vases, this lovely piece won 2nd place in the Machine Embroidery category.  Merci Apodaca says, "I chose to make this quilt because it reflects my love of flowers.  It's been challenging growing flowers in AZ.  The next best thing would be to embroider flowers.  Published design: Anita Goodesign Embroidery.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona 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!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

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.

QuiltCon 2022 Highlights (Finale!)

The outstanding QuiltCon show was held in Phoenix, Arizona this year! Presented by The Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting show of its kind. Hundreds of modern quilts were on display, including a juried show with entries from MQG members around the world. Here are some of the remarkable quilts we enjoyed.

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt by Kim Soper @lelandavestudios (New York) and Megan Collins @megancollins_a (Texas)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt is made of a combination of New York Beauty blocks (made by Kim Soper in New York) and Friendship Knots (made by Megan Collins in Texas). The large, disrupted blocks give this quilt a fantastic modern "feel"! This quilt began as an idea to keep two friends united across the miles, but it became so much more in the wake of the pandemic.  This traveling quilt journeyed across the U.S. three times in various stages of construction.  The grid quilting was done by Megan on a domestic machine.

Aunt Sophie's Chair by Susan Braverman @wildpoppyquilts (California)

Susan Braverman explains that her Aunt Sophie had a wonderful pink velvet tufted chair in her bedroom. "My childhood visits with her always included story time when I would sit in that chair and get lost in whatever book she was reading to me."  -- This quilt design incorporates negative space with paper pieced "tufting" that loosely interprets the creases of button-tufted upholstery.  The quilting inside the negative spaces adds a wonderful, dimensional effect, creating a convex appearance to the shapes.

Piercing Pyramids by Claire Victor @cvquilts (Arizona)

Piercing Pyramids is part of a series by Claire Victor, who has focused on achieving 3D effects with geometric shapes. Claire says, "I envision it as pyramids with stiff ribbon-like shapes piercing through them.  I have continued the ribbons into the background quilting design." It is English paper pieced, double batted, and free-motion quilted on a domestic Bernina. The quilted swirls within pyramid provide a delightful contrast to the geometric shapes.

Outward by Karin King @karin_quilts (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Outward seems to vibrate with positive energy! The original design, by Karin King, was derived from the traditional pineapple quilt block, and pieced using colors seen most often during sunset or sunrise. The quilt suggests movement from the center of the quilt, done in marigold yellow, to the outer edges, in purple. Four solid colors were used to create the gradations. This piece was quilted on a longarm machine.

Zester by Caroline Hadley @geometriquilt (East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), quilted by Valerie Cooper

Using a simple palette of just two colors, Zester plays with positive and negative space. It is a totally new and modern design, made with just two traditional shapes: the quarter-circle and half-square triangle. The blocks are offset, with a wide margin on the left hand side, while the blocks meet the right-hand edge of the quilt. The straight line quilting - done by Valerie Cooper - adds to the modern, graphic feeling of the design.

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

Modern Quilt Month 2020 ! part 2

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I., and we couldn't be more excited about these quilts!  The characteristics of modern quilts may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and negative space.  Here are a few modern art quilts we admire.

P.S.  For continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !
For low-cost quilt magazines and vintage collectibles, check us out on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers !)

Event Horizon, 48 x 60", by Karen G. Fisher

There is so much to see in this stunning wall quilt, which comes alive with its high contrasts and intriguing textures !  Winner of Best of Show in 2011, Event Horizon was displayed in a special exhibit of past award winners at the 2020 Quilt Arizona show.  Karen G. Fisher says, "Event Horizon came together from two quilts.  The first quilt was a red, white, and black quilt that had gone terribly wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.  The second quilt was from a workshop and never felt like "my own" work. I decided to cut them both into smaller sections and combine them together."

Karen continues, "I didn't want big bulky seams, so I bound them and overlapped the edges.  Yet even combined, there was a hole in the middle, which I purposely trimmed to be round, and the idea of an Event Horizon took shape... The interior of the hole became black, but also dimensional (the center is very thick, with a shaped piece of firm foam, not just batting.) I used everything I could think of to add texture to this quilt: foil, paint, tulle, yarn, stamping, and lots more quilting than it originally had."

Paper Cuts by Claire Victor

Paper Cuts, a striking original design by Claire Victor,  won the second place award in the Modern-Solo quilts category at the 2020 Quilt Arizona show. Claire envisioned this as pieces of colored paper, suspended, and some intersecting.  The strong geometric shapes, solid colors, and thoughtful use of negative space create a truly modern quilt.

Claire Victor created Paper Cuts using English paper piecing, and she quilted it on a domestic Bernina sewing machine.  We admired her creative, modern quilting designs!

Reflections, 58 x 67", by Karen Foster, Stephanie Ruyle, Leanne Chahley, Debbie Jeske, Hillary Goodwin, Felicity Ronaghan, Marci Debetaz, Kari Voitechovsky, Melissa Richie, and Diane Stanley (California)

Reflections won a blue ribbon for the Best Mid Century Mod quilt at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.  Using a palette inspired by the picturesque Venetians of Capitola Village and an '80's surf contest poster, members of the BeeSewcial quilting group in Capitola (California) created improvisational blocks in solids. Karen Foster puzzled the blocks together to create "Reflections".  It all came together beautifully!  This original design quilt was machine pieced and longarm quilted.

Witches Brew by Karen McCarty

Entered in the Art/Abstract category, this dynamic quilt was a crowd favorite at the 2020 Quilt Arizona show. Karen McCarty says, "I wanted to make something bright and cheery, using appli-piecing and paper piecing to make shapes in curved spaces.  My husband saw something different and came up with the name." The original quilt was designed, pieced, and beautifully quilted by Karen McCarty.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Quilt Arizona show (Witches Brew, Paper Cuts, Event Horizon) and the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival (Reflections).

Modern Quilt Month 2018 (4)

What makes a quilt modern? According to The Modern Quilt Guild, the characteristics may include the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast, graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space. We hope you enjoy our selections!

P.S. For bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry, visit us on E-Bay - we're Top Rated Sellers ! And for continuous listings of free quilt patterns, please check us out on Twitter !

In Awe of the Beauty and Power of Water by Pat Hilderbrand (Missouri)

Fascination with the wildly changing attributes of ocean waters led to this portrayal of water's sparkling beauty, along with its incredible power.  This piece was created with hand-dyed cotton, shiny and metallic-finished fabric, production print fabric, batik, invisible polyester thread and metallic thread. Pat used machine piecing and applique in the construction.

Neuron, 37 x 53", by Hope Wilmarth (Texas)

This original design was inspired by a sculpture, Neuron by Roxy Paine, at the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 
She says, "A neuron is beautiful when seen abstractly as it might appear through the lens of a microscope.  A sense of connectedness is created by random [quilted] thin lines behind the artist's reproduction of this vital nervous system cell."

Hope Wilmarth created Neuron with cotton fabrics and acrylic paint.  Her techniques included machine piecing and applique, fusing, painting, and burning with a hot knife.

Red Violet Structure by Cheryl Costley (Florida)

This contemporary art quilt was inspired by the children's book Mr. Pine's Purple House, which Cheryl Costley used to read to her children.  Streaks of golden yellow provide dramatic focal points amidst the red violet, periwinkle and green background. The design was created improvisationally, using machine piecing and quilting. 

Dialect by Lyric Kinard (North Carolina)

Echoes of Asian and contemporary arts are reflected in this black, white and red art quilt by Lyric Kinard.  She says, "I have explored circular shapes and grids as part of the visual language, techniques such as shibori and paint on cloth, and ideas such as order versus chaos throughout my career." Dialect was machine pieced and quilted, painted, and dyed.

Pole Dance by Claire Victor (Arizona)

Pole Dance received a blue ribbon for First Place in the Pieced-Small Quilt category at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show. It is an original design by Claire Victor, who wanted to create a 3-dimensional effect.  Note the expert fabric shading which creates a sense of dimension in the tumbling blocks. The quilt was English Paper Pieced and domestic machine quilted by Claire herself.

You can see another quilt by Claire Victor, called Entanglement, in a 2017 post at Quilt Inspiration.

African Dance Free, 72 x 60",  by Ann Robinson (California), quilted by Pat Bailey

Ann Robinson says, "My African fabric collection is growing... I needed to get busy and use some of it.  So, when I saw the pattern which was perfect to showcase my collection, I picked out ten fabrics and went for it.  [I am] feeling good about the results."
We recognize this design as one of the BQ (Big Quilt) patterns at Maple Island Quilts.

Image credits:  Photos were taken at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show (Pole Dance), the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival (African Dance Free) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.