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!

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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.

Welcome to Modern Quilt Month ! part 4

We're celebrating Modern Quilt Month at Q.I., and we couldn't be more excited about these fun quilts!  So, 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.  This is the fourth of five feature posts.

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Angles by Penny Morris

Penny notes, "This quilt top is made entirely of silk. [It was] inspired by exercises in Jean Wells' book Intuitive Color and Design. 

Penny quilted this beautiful work herself. These rich, color-saturated fabrics in cool hues, complemented by elegant gold accents all work perfectly together. 

My Rooster by Mona Adams

Mona explains, "This design is by Helen Godden, called Year of the Rooster. The rooster is painted on fabric and embellished with fabric applique. This is my first endeavor into the world of painting on fabric."

Mona herself quilted this very eye-catching, intriguing work. All of the varied quilting patterns really  add a three-dimensional look to this contemporary project.

Guiding Star by Hildegard Pressesky

Hildegard states, "This small quilt ( size 28" x 36") was made in memory of  [fellow quilter] Carol Current , who left me the triangular scraps and who taught me so much about life, friendship, and quilting. [It is] machine pieced and hand quilted."   We admire the lovely workmanship and precision that went into Heildgard's thoughtul work.

Emiliania Huxleyi by Frances Murphy

Red ribbon second place winner in the category of Best Art Abstract quilts, Frances writes, "Emiliania Husleyi was inspired by the Emiliania Huxleyi algae in our ocean that not only help in the formation of could cover and precipitation, but also absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

Frances herself quilted this fascinating and original work, with the striking aqua hombre background fabric which provides a very realistic image of sunlight shining into the water from above.

Classy Clams by Penny Morris

Third place yellow ribbon winner in the category of  Best Hand-Quilted Quilts, Penny says, "The top is 100% silk. It is hand embroidered and hand quilted."

Clamshell pieces in these pretty and restful hues are the perfect design motif for showcasing all the different stitches here. We always enjoy seeing fabulous handwork like Penny has accomplished on this project.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show (Guiding Star) and the 2019 Quilt Arizona show (all others.)

The Best of Quilt Arizona ! day 1

Here are our favorite quilts from the recent Quilt Arizona show!  The annual exhibit by the Arizona Quilters Guild draws visitors from around the country - we even saw license plates from Alaska and most Canadian provinces.  The array of talent at this show is truly impressive!
p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry !
For continuous free patterns, please visit us on Twitter !      

Navajo Star by Cindy Stohn

Cindy Stohn won Second Place in the Modern quilt category for this original design, inspired by the weavings of the Native Peoples.  Cindy created the feather star design with bold colors. The blue fabric is printed with black and white feathers consistent with the theme of the quilt.  Weaving elements also inspired the quilting designs.

Owl Katsina by Frances Murphy

Frances Murphy created Owl Katsina using fusible and machine applique with commercial and hand dyed fabrics.  According to Frances' website, the inspiration for the figure came from the modern-day Katsina carvings of Jerome Naquatewa, an artist living at the Zuni pueblo 150 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. An image of an owl was quilted into the background.  The Owl Katsina symbolizes intelligence, wisdom and the destroyer of the crop-threatening rodents.

A Country Journal by Caryl Yarmchuk, quilted by Debbie Barlow

Although this was Caryl Yarmchuk's first needle turn applique project... she won a blue ribbon!  The pattern was in her UFO box, and she first thought she would "do just one chicken....!"  The Country Journal patterns are by Maggie Walker.  Debbie Barlow's quilting can be seen in the closeup photo below.

On The Road 2015 by Christine Mahon

We really enjoyed this colorful travel quilt! Christine Mahon says that patterns for the "rows" were collected in each state visited on her travel in 2015.  Fabric choices, embellishments, embroidery and final arrangement make it uniquely hers.  the Idaho block, below, features swimming fish, while the Arizona block has coyotes, saguaro cactus, and mountains.

Dear Paula, With Sincere Thanks, by Karen G. Fisher

This stunning quilt won First Place in the Large Pieced quilt category, along with a special Award of Merit from the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ).  A Paula Nadelstern workshop inspired Karen Fisher to design a nine pointed star.  Bilaterally symmetric fabrics created a true kaleidoscope.  Gold fabrics, buttons and beads added plenty of sparkle.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Quilt Show catch up: Part 5

~The September Giveaway is coming soon! Stay tuned ~
For our catch-up quilt show, we saved some contemporary quilts to show you today.  These quilts really captured our attention with their interesting illusions, bright colors, and bold designs.

Left is Right and Right is Wrong (with a nod to Oscar Reutersvärd)  by Frances Oldham Murphy

This contemporary quilt of illusion was juried into the Art Quilts XVII - Integrating A Paradox (November 2012 - January 2013) and won 2nd prize - Art/Abstract at the 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  We love the surreal quality of the sky which is just visible beyond the 'window'.  Frances O. Murphy designed this quilt "with a nod to Oscar Reutersvärd" (1915–2002).  Reutersvärd was a Swedish graphic artist who pioneered the art of 3D drawings which may initially appear feasible, yet cannot be physically constructed; see Reutersvärd's Window in the Floor illusion.  An example of an Impossible Window, rendered by Catherine Leah Palmer, is shown below.

Impossible Window by Catherine Leah Palmer | Palmyria

I Love Calder, a miniature quilt by Jan Aranoff
 

We loved this whimsical mini quilt by Jan Aranoff,  who says: “ Recently I began creating art quilts based on Alexander Calder’s artistic style. This art quilt adapts his [red, blue and yellow] color palette while incorporating a variety of quilting techniques."  Jan's quilt, with its raw-edge appliqued circles, brings to mind Calder's circles and spirals.

From Selvedges Come Flowers by Beverly A Hawkins, quilted by Dora McCrite

Here is a selvage quilt that really sparkles, thanks to the use of bright solids in every "flower" block. Beverly Hawkins says: "I used all of the selvedges I had in my fabric stash, then I started asking my family and friends for all of their selvedges"!

close up, From Selvedges Come Flowers by Beverly A Hawkins, quilted by Dora McCrite

There are so many fun selvages in this quilt! This close up photo shows the way in which the selvages come together to form diamonds, lending the quilt a graphic quality.

Formula III – Culmination by Marla Hattabaugh

Marla Hattabaugh is a contemporary art quilter whose works have been featured at the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame and many exhibits and shows. Her intriguing quilt is made with hand processed fabrics (dyed, deconstructed, discharged, etc.)  The bold center design, in chartreuse, is surrounded by contrasting red-violet.  Her free-form quilting can be seen in the close up photo, below.

close up, Formula III – culmination by Marla Hattabaugh

We loved the hand quilting on this contemporary pieced quilt.  Marla Hattabaugh will be teaching hand quilting at the upcoming Quilt Camp.

Rainbow Twister by Andi Stanfield

Andi Stanfield used pure colors of the rainbow in this pinwheel quilt. She says: "Charms from an international swap combined with the Lil Twister ruler to make a rainbow." As shown below, each colored row contains a different quilting design.

close up, Rainbow Twister by Andi Stanfield

Fun free-motion squiggles, zig zags and swirls added a whole layer of texture to this bright, cheerful quilt.  To see how the the Lil' Twister ruler works, check out the tutorial by Jackie at Canton Village Quilt Works.

Image credits: All photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Arizona Quilters Guild show