HIghlights of Quilt Arizona! (1)

The annual Quilt Arizona show is a highlight of spring!  Here are some highlights of this year's show (part one of 4)!

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Zerschmettert (1), made and quilted by Victoria Nelson  

Winner of the Exemplary Hand Quilting award, and 1st Place in the Art - Abstract category, Victoria Nelson says: "I started Zerschmettert (Shattered) in a workshop with Maria Shell. "Working from my own photo, I created a simplified composition, drafted shapes for the major areas and improvisationally pieced each area of the quilt.  Largely hand quilted after machine stitching to stabilize the main sections."

 

Pedal Power and Petal Pushers, made and quilted by Patricia Charity 

Winner of Best of Show - Solo and 1st Place in the Pictorial-Medium category, this art quilt was inspired by Patricia Charity's photo of a quiet street in Syracuse, Sicily. This quilt captures the charm of everyday life - the ever-present Italian bicycle leaning against a stone wall, backpacks, and sunlit textures. She layered fabrics to evoke the time-worn beauty and warmth of Mediterranean light and color.

 

 

Color Wheel Cha Cha by Kathi Shunn, quilted by B'nae Pulve.  

 

 

This stunning English paper pieced quilt is based on the Dresden Dance Party pattern by Sami Casanova for Darty Kite Pattern Co. Kathi Shunn says, "While creating a version of my company's Dresden Dance Party pattern, I was inspired to explore the color wheel. I love playing with color, fussy cutting, and whimsical motifs, using saturated hues and circular movement to celebrate color theory through rhythm, repetition, and joy." Winner of a 3rd Place ribbon in its category (Pieced - Duet - Medium). 

 

 

Tucker, made and quilted by Leilani Purvis   

 

Such a clever quilt! Winner of 1st Place in the Pictorial - Small category, and Award of Merit from the NACQJ,  Leilani Purvis based this original quilt on a photo of her grandpuppy, Tucker. "He has brightened our family for eight years. The gear-patterned background honors our maintain-biking daughter.  This quilt is a tribute to his love, energy, and companionship."  Leafy fabric was used to represent Tucker's furry ears.

 

 

Here's the original photo that inspired this wonderful quilt:

 

  

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Quilt Arizona show.

 

 

English Paper Piecing: Asterisms

English paper piecing (EPP) involves stabilizing fabric pieces with paper templates before sewing them into intricate designs (for more about EPP, click HERE.)  It is often used for shapes that require numerous set-in corners, such as hexagons, pentagons, and kites. Because EPP is done by hand, it makes a great on-the-go project. Here's a beautiful example from a recent show.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, patterns, and collectible items. For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter ! 

BFF by Kathi Shunn & Leslie Guyton, quilted by B'nae Pulve 

Based on the Asterisms quilt pattern by Sami Casanova for Darty Kite Pattern Co., this quilt was entirely English Paper Pieced by hand using a Heather Bailey fabric line called Local Honey.  Kathi Shunn says, "I pieced all the blocks and my BFF Leslie [Guyton] offered to finish it for me when it lingered in the UFO pile too long."

These gorgeous large floral prints, shown below, make fantastic kaleidoscope effects.  Check out Heather Bailey's fabrics HERE, and Darty Kite Pattern Company HERE.

 

 Image credits: Photos of BFF were taken at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (1)

We just attended the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona, and had a wonderful time.  This show is produced by the Tucson Quilters Guild, and there were so many beautiful quilts to see. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 1.

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

Leo by Lynne Saul, quilted by Athena Taylor  

 Lynne Saul says, "This quilt is paper pieced. I chose to make him green for fun." Winner of Honorable mention in its category (two persons, primarily pieced, hand or machine quilted.)  The pattern source is the Legit Lion pattern by Legit Kits.  As shown in the closeup photo, the irises of Leo's eyes were enhanced with small, jet black faceted beads!

Civil War Bride by Dureen Berg, quilted by Becky Coykendall

Heavily appliquéd blocks of flowers & leaves, birds & butterflies, animals & fruit make up this heirloom quilt. Winner of Best of Show, and of 1st place - Two-Person Applique. The applique work is truly outstanding, with so many details to appreciate in every block! 

Dureen Berg says: "I had fun searching for the 126 fabrics used in this quilt.  Many are reproduction fabrics but I did not limit myself to their use. Becky Coykendall's talented quilting enhances and completes the design."  The Civil War Bride Pattern is by Corliss Searcey.  

Gilded Cathedral, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher

This is a gorgeous cathedral windows quilt!  Karen G. Fisher says, "I made the  copper center of this quilt years ago.  To make it bigger, I used my Graduated Grid format with bigger blocks to grow it faster.  Four block sizes celebrate metallic fabrics, with lots of small-scale golden highlights."  Winner of a 2nd place ribbon; we hope you can see all the work that went into this intricate design! 

Go Ask Alice by Kathi Shunn, quilted by B'nae Pulve

This fabulous kaleidoscope quilt won 1st Place (Two Person, Medium Pieced category) and a special award for Exemplary Piecing. Kathi Shunn says, "[This] original pattern was designed by me for my company Darty Kite Pattern Co.  The design was inspired by my friend Alice. I used mostly fabrics by Odile Bailloeul and it is English paper pieced by hand."

 Beautiful colors, shapes, and patterned fabrics make this quilt a real standout.

 Basket Bonanza, made and quilted by Kathy Ann Barry

It was wonderful to see this Amish basket quilt! We love the colors and contrasts, and it was beautifully constructed with nine-patch blocks as cornerstones. Kathy Ann Barry says, "In 2024 my daughter, Amanda, won the Fiesta Basket Bonanza. The prize was wonderful baskets and fabrics. In the Tucson Quilters Guild library I was encouraged to take a magazine, where I found a beautiful quilt pattern.  Amanda shared the fabric and the Guild shared the magazine."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona.