Quilt Arizona 2017! Day 4

For us, springtime in the desert means three things: spring flowers, spring training (baseball), and Quilt Arizona!  This is our 8th year blogging about this fun show, which draws visitors from many parts of North America. Here are some of our favorites from this year's show.

Please note: We're continuously posting free patterns on Twitter ! Check us out here !

Hawaiian Fireworks by Ann L. Petersen

Blue ribbon winner in the category of Pieced Small Quilts and winner for Exemplary Machine Quilting  Ann notes, "This Hoffman Challenge fabric was one I particularly disliked. By cutting it into narrow strips, making stars, and adding a few flowers, I had a quilt I liked."

Ann quilted her stunning original design herself. For fabrics, she used an array of warm hues to set her stars and flowers off against cooler background hues of deep green and violet.

Fantasy Village by the Sea by Amanda Jeffrey

Amanda says, "This was a challenge project for [my quilt group], the Delightful Quilters, for 2016. We had to use a fabric panel and make it into something totally different.  I chose a Thimbleberries Flower panel."

Quilted by Amanda herself, "Fantasy Village" is a charming scene of tiny house surrounded by tranquil aqua-green water which gently ripples in the ocean breeze. She did an excellent job of using a traditional fabric in a contemporary pictorial quilt.

Greta Guineahen by Anna Peterson

Greta notes that her work is hand needle-felted on hand dyed wool. Guinea fowl are native to Africa, but even though they are called "hens", they are not members of the same family as chickens. They often roost in tree-tops, and they travel in large groups, foraging for insects and small rodents. They are very helpful on farms, where they help keep bugs and other pests off of growing crops.

Wool is a beautiful medium, because it can produce such a pretty, soft, wispy texture. Anna did a perfect job in selecting just the right dye colors to define "Greta's" head and feathers against the softly blurred background.

Lady Bird Travels by Karin Scanlon

Third place winner in the category of Medium-Large Applique Quilts, Karin explains, "This is a maze that starts with the lady bird and goes around the quilt to the beetle."  How many animals can you identify in this innovative setting? 

Close-up,  Lady Bird Travels

Gorgeous butterflies provide an enchanting and three-dimensional embellishment to this colorful garden scene.(We're still searching for the source of this pattern.)

Wild Blue Mustard Revolution by Geri Cavanagh

Second place winner in the category of Medium Pieced Quilts, Geri says, "The layout started with a Carrie Nelson design. I altered the blocks around the center, designed the floral applique, and added a border. "

Quilted by Geri herself, this design includes orange-red appliqued flowers which add sparkle and contrast to a neutral background of stars and baskets.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Beating the Heat at the 2015 Arizona Quilt Show #3

This is our 5th year of attendance, and we always enjoy seeing the variety and creativity displayed by members of the Arizona Quilters' Guild at their annual show. Here is part 3 of our virtual show including some top award winners.

Silk and Satin by Sheila Groman

Winner of a blue ribbon (1st Place - Other), This rainbow-shaded crazy quilt has a very contemporary look.  Each block is shaded in a different hue of the rainbow. There is even a bright sun rising in the upper right corner of the quilt. Flowers (of course), baskets, fans, butterflies and hearts were used in the blocks, along with some very creative stitches.   Sheila says, "Hand embroidered surface embellishment is satisfying and rewarding for me."

Ghost Walk by Karin Scanlon

This improvisational piece was beautifully composed, and the fabrics added a softness and depth not seen with commercial dyed fabrics. The original piece won 2nd place, Art/Abstract.  Karin Scanlon says, "I used some of my hand painted and stamped fabrics as well as linen in this abstract piece."   We loved the serene colors in this piece. 

Spiky by Vicki Bohnhoff

This Spiky quilt is a finished UFO from a class Vicki took at Quilt Camp in the Pines in 2008 (Inner Light with Deb Karasik).   The stitching with heavy-weight rayon thread was like nothing we've seen before... it really makes this quilt sparkle. 

Vicki says, "My couching design with Razzle 12-weight thread added detail and excitement."  We can't imagine how many thousands of knots were used to finish the lines of stitching.  The quilt was awarded Honorable Mention at the show.

Winter Chickadee by Diane Hansen

Diane Hansen won First Place, Applique-Small for her depiction of a little bird, inspired by a copyright-free photo.  Diane says that Winter Chickadee was started in a class with David Taylor. There are 100 different fabrics and thread choices in this quilt.  The textured quilting was so well done, it makes the applique work blend into the scene.

Life Lessons: Playing With Blocks Can Be Perilous by Linda Engstrom

This quilt won First Place, Art/Abstract (blue ribbon) along with the special City of Mesa award (teal ribbon).   Linda Engstrom says, "As grief therapy during my mother’s final illness, leftover fabric was improvisationally pieced, assembled into 'balancing' blocks inspired by Ann Johnston. The shadowy echoes of the design in the off-white background can be seen in this close-up photo. 

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.