Highlights of Quilt Arizona 2019 ! part 1

The Arizona Quilters Guild has over 35 chapters, but they all get together annually for the Quilt Arizona show. The 2019 theme is Jewels of the Desert: "Every quilt is like a gemstone, the dancing colors play through patterns to endlessly fascinate and amaze. This year your quilt should convey Arizona's iridescent beauty, from golden sunsets and emerald cacti, to clear sparkling memories."

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Desert Jewel of Happiness and Joy by Lois Wendling, quilted by Donna Goldbeck

Lois Wendling won Third Place in the Theme category for this Arizona themed quilt.  Lois says, "I saw the 'Panel One Block Wonders' on Facebook and decided to try my hand at it. The colors in the panel are definitely, to me, like jewels in the desert. It was so fun playing with all the variations." We enjoyed Lois' design, and Donna Goldbeck's fabulous quilting, which include quilted pots in the top and bottom borders. The colorful kokopelli panel is shown below.

The technique uses a fabric panel in the middle, and one-block-wonder hexagon blocks cut from additional panels in the rest of the quilt. (Kokopelli is a Native American fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player, often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head.)

Summer's Bounty by Jan Mawk, quilted by Jan Mawk

Jan Mawk won First Place in the Applique - Small category, along with an Exemplary Hand Quilting award.  The floral sampler is from the book Beautiful Botanicals by Deborah Kemball.  The applique, embroidery, and quilting were all done by hand, and then prairie points were added.  Jan Mawk says, "I spent 2299 hours on this quilt."  We've never seen such tiny, perfect hand quilting stitches:

Keeping the Peace by Barbara Miller, quilted by Cindy Stohn

Barbara Miller won a Judge's Choice ribbon for this lovely portrait, inspired by an original photo of their dog Shiloh.  This was her first attempt at using a collage technique, and the results were impressive!

Summer Dream by Vicky Button, quilted by Samantha Wright

This beautiful rainbow star quilt won a well-deserved Judge's Choice ribbon. Amazingly, this was Vicky Button's first paper pieced project. (The Summer Dream pattern is by Jacqueline de Jonge.)  She says, "I am still amazed that I was able to create this striking quilt!" 

Daddy's Delight by Ann Gonzalez, quilted by Ann Gonzalez

The beautiful desert colors make this quilt a standout.  Ann Gonzalez says, "This quilt is designed to be done in English Paper Pieced Style but I drew the seam lines on the back of each piece and stitched them by hand.  I then appliqued the top to the background."

We recognize the design as La Passacaglia Quilt - Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein.

Margarita! by Mardi Schock, quilted by Kim Rensch

Margarita won First Place in the Theme category.  Mardi Schock says, "Margarita is a template-made quilt from Margaret Miller's book.  It was a challenge from finding right fabrics, cutting the mirror images and then finding multiple pattern mistakes! Worth it though!"

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Quilt Arizona show.

Quilts of Florida (part 2)

We're so excited to feature Quilts of Florida ! As you may know, Florida is the Sunshine State, and many Florida quilters have incorporated bright colors in their entries - along with some impressive workmanship!  All of these quilts were exhibited at the January 2015 World Quilt Show in West Palm Beach.

Words, 70 x 75", by Sarah Michael, quilted by Helia Ricci

Here's a charming quilt that was part of a special exhibit on using light and dark grays as a neutral background. Sarah explains, " [This background with its varied neutral hues] are the perfect colors to offset a rainbow colored crossword of inspiring thoughts." We love how the border's  secondary and tertiary solid tones of orange, aqua blue, and lime green complement the warm and cool hues of the quilt's focal point. This crossword puzzle quilt is based on the Express Yourself embroidery designs by Sarah Vedeler.

Close up, Words by Sarah Michael

Each block of this cheerful quilt has its own quilting motif, and each letter has its own style of machine embroidery. This positive and uplifting words really "pop" against the subdued, nuanced background fabrics.

Willow, 41 x 51",by Debra Crine

Third place winner in the Florida Quilt Competition, Debra says, "[I used] hand dyed fabric for applique and a silk background. Some applique  motifs were designed by Deborah Kemball. The border quilt design is by Sharon Schamber." We imagine spring wildflowers gently dancing in the breeze, as the first blossoms of the season come to life.

Close up, Willow by Debra Crine

A variety of intricate quilting patterns are used to embellish this delightful and elegant work, including blanket stitch and satin stitch. Debra's original design is machine appliqued and machine quilted.

Granddaughter's Flower Garden, 46 x 56", by Louise Moor

Louise explains, "I'm a very traditional quilter and found it hard to 'go Modern'. Then I saw this [Easy Breezy Hexies] design by Sonja Callaghan and felt it was modern but still let me feel comfortable in my traditional roots." Louise's use of solids and striped fabrics, along with a pale gray and white background lend a three-dimensional perspective to this well-loved pattern. The saying "Everything old is new again" is really exemplified by Louise's contemporary craftsmanship.

Granddaughter's Flower Garden by Louise Moor

Triangular, parallel line, and small circle quilt patterns give this vintage pattern such a refreshing, updated look. Louise adds, "While I would normally hand quilt this, I decided to quilt this by machine." We think the results look spectacular !

In My Garden, 48 x 46", by Phyllis Goffe

This exuberant floral quilt by Phyllis Goffe was inspired by her garden.  The border is made with a tropical hibiscus print in red, pink and green that complements all the colors of the quilt. The center of the quilt is dominated by three bright red hibiscus flowers that are machine appliqued on a silver-gray background. 

Close up, In My Garden by Phyllis Goffe

In Phyllis' original design,  bigger-than-life size flowers and leaves were embellished with an array of fun embroidery stitches.This look is so lively and tropical, that Phyllis's flowers are imbued with a personality of their own.

Points of Pride, 76 x 76", by Kim Noland, quilted by Linda Adamcik

Kim explains, "I chose this pattern because the New York Beauty design always intrigued me. This is the first guild challenge I've participated in since I was asked to join two years ago. I felt this pattern was appropriate because that's how I felt about being asked to join such a talented group:  A Point of Pride."

Close up, Points of Pride by Kim Noland

Kim adds, "The quilt (size 76 x 76)  consists of 28 gray fabrics and 22 red fabrics. I lovingly refer to it as "the elephant in the room."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.