Highlights of the Utah quilt show (1)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows in the country.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

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In Adoration of a New Mom by Kim McCloskey (Provo, Utah)

Kim McCloskey won the Show Committee Award for her design, which was made for her daughter to celebrate the birth of her first child (and Kim's first granddaughter.)  Kim says that the pattern was based on Gustav Klimt's work "The Three Ages of Women." We admired the serene repose of the faces and and the flowing lines of the hair, which was adorned with embroidered rosettes (below).

Baskets a la Carte by CodyMarie Mazuran (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Baskets a la Carte was beautifully pieced, appliqued, and hand quilted by members of the Holiday Quilt Show and Auction Board (Intermountain Healthcare), celebrating the event's 40th year. This stunning quilt won a blue ribbon (Award of Excellence). The design was inspired by a 5" basket block created by noted quilter and author, Cody Mazuran.

You can see the incredible hand-turned applique and precision hand quilting done by guild members in the closeup photo, below.

 My Story by Sheila Stettler (Kaysville, Utah), quilted by Kristina Whitney

Sheila Stettler tells her life story in this quilt, which won an Award of Excellence at the 2022 Springville show.  She says, "This quilt represents my life up until high school." It depicts her house and that of her best friend, her grandma's house, and many other details of the neighborhood and Sheila's life. All of the elements are beautifully designed, appliqued and embroidered.

Sheila's expert embroidery can been seen throughout the quilt including the flowers, bunny rabbit, and the girls' hair as shown above.

Insect by Shauna Kawasaki (Provo, Utah)

Shauna Kawasaki received the Art Director's Award for this unique work of fabric art. Insect was created with raw edge applique, extensively stitched and beaded, and edged with fringe.  This insect came from her sketchbook and imagination, making it very individual.  Each segment of the insect's body is rendered in great detail as if seen through a microscope.

Shauna says, "Mother Nature has the greatest creations.  All we can do is mimic.  Large or small, each is worthy of our admiration.  Insects deserve our love and admiration, for each one is individual in its design."  Some of the details of the hand stitching and beading can be seen in the closeup photo, below.

Happy Golden Days by Andrea Erekson (Midvale, Utah)

A puzzle of different blocks make up this dynamic sampler quilt! Happy Golden Days was inspired by the Golden Days quilt pattern by Jen Kingwell Designs (Australia). Andrea Erekson's quilt was done in a completely different fabric scheme with bright colors against a dark background. We enjoyed the details of the fabrics and their construction; some of them were fussy cut for added visual interest. (see the figures in the cathedral windows blocks below!)

Andrea says, "I made this quilt because I wanted to improve my skills and my local quilt shop was teaching it one block per month.  I attended class with a group of women that were all superior quilters.  I learned so much from them and it was a wonderful year of quilting for me, that is what I will always think about when I look at this quilt."  Dramatic contrasts bring out the creative detail of the flower block, below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah.

Happy Valentine's Day ! (1)

Happy Valentine's Day 2019! We love this holiday, dedicated to friendship, love, and romance. Join us as we take a look at some of these red and white quilts which celebrate such a fun time of the year!

My Best Friends by Jo Ann Kilgroe,  Arizona U.S.A.

JoAnn says,  "[This is] an original design inspired by [quilt designer] Carol Doak, Possibilities, and Quilter's Cache. It's a fun sampler quilt, expressing what the Arizona Quilters' Guild and my quilting friends mean to me." Here are two quilting buddies who appear to be holding out their hands with strips and squares of fabric all ready for the sewing machine.

Close-up, "My Best Friends"

At the 2018 Quilt Arizona! show in Mesa, Arizona, the theme of the year was the Ruby Extravaganza. The guild celebrated its 40th year of by inviting its members to create quilts that showed the importance of quilting in their lives.
Winner of an Honorable Mention Award,  JoAnn did an excellent job of applique, especially in the tiny, fun details like the Valentine heart, the necklace, earrings, and the facial expressions on these two friends. They look very determined to get right down to work !

Heirloom Heart by Guinevere Cassidy, Arizona

Guinevere explains about her original design, "[This is] a techniques sampler quilt. It's machine appliqued for the vintage hankie. Sharon Schamber's trapunto technique was used for the quilted heart and her piping technique was used for the binding."  We love this incredible looped edgework, which is so perfectly done.

Guinevere's exquisite work is both so delicate and so fluffy at the same time, that the two motifs provide a delightful juxtaposition. She won an Honorable Mention award for "Heirloom Heart."

Poppies and Posies by Linda Hopkins,  Arizona

Linda notes, "My interpretation of the 40th anniversary of the Arizona Quilters Guild, the Ruby Extravaganza, incorporates the elements of life 40 years ago and includes the modern as well. Hankies were an integral part of the 1970's. "

Close-up, Poppies and Posies

Elegant pearls, ribbons, and delicate embroidery embellishes Linda's work, full of dainty, brightly colored blossoms.

White Lace on Red Velvet by Lauretta Crites, California

Lauretta writes, "I am endlessly inspired by the works of art created by those who came before us. Master lace makers of the 1800's create elaborate yet delicate patterns using bobbins, needle, and thread. Here, fabric, needle and thread showcase detail of an exquisite Point de Gaze (a French phrase meaning 'gauze lace')  handkerchief I photographed in Brussels, Belgium. 

Close-up, White Lace on Red Velvet

Lauretta's fabulous work is made of cotton fabric, polyester net, tulle, cording, buttons, hand embroidery, and fabric paint.

Amaryllis Among the Stars by Kim McCloskey, Utah

A 2018 blue ribbon winner at the Springville, Utah quilt show, Kim remarks,  "This quilt was inspired by the Utah Valley Quilt Guild's red and white challenge. In Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a shy and timid nymph who fell in love with a handsome, but cold-hearted shepherd, Alteo. All he wanted was a unique flower that had never existed before. After thirty days and through her own blood, she created that flower and won his heart."

Close-up, Amaryllis Among the Stars

Kim adds, "The flowering of this late-blooming quilt came as a result of patience and a few drops of my own blood, as I'm sure every hand-made quilt does."

Close-up, Amaryllis Among the Stars

The Carolina lily block pattern spectacular here, enhanced by the strong geometric motif around the outer border. We really admire Kim's workmanship on what seems to us  very likely to be a treasured heirloom.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2018 Quilt Arizona show (My Best Friends, Poppies and Posies, Heirloom Heart), the 2018 Road to California show (White Lace on Red Velvet), and the 2018 Springville Utah quilt show (Amaryllis Among the Stars).