Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (4)

In the beautiful Sonoran desert of Arizona, the Tucson Quilters Guild celebrated their 50th anniversary with a spectacular show. The Quilt Fiesta includes a fascinating mix of styles, techniques, and patterns. We hope you enjoy our photos! This is Part 4 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter. 

Cactus Trio, made and quilted by Barbara Lambrecht.  

This still life of cacti in pots is beautifully done. Winner of a 2nd place ribbon in the Art- Realistic category, Barbara Lambrecht says: "Two cacti from the class with Jane Haworth needed a companion.  I designed the barrel cactus to accompany the others. I used eyelash yarn for the spines and fused flowers for the blossoms."  

The Color of Music, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

Winner of a ribbon for 3rd place in the Art - Realistic category, Stephanie Nordlin says, "My granddaugher recorded herself playing keyboard and guitar.  Her jacket [in the quilt] is made from leftover fabric from a shirt I made her 16 years ago.  Her face is made from layers of dyed silk."

Blossoms, made and quilted by Barbara Lambrecht

 Oh my... This gorgeous floral quilt is hand quilted; scroll down for closeup photos. Winner of the Exemplary Hand Quilting award, plus a red ribbon (2nd place) in the One Person Primarily Applique category. 

The blocks are original designs by Barbara Lambrecht, plus one from the book, East Quilts West by Kumiko Sudo.  Barbara Lambrecht says, "I designed these blossoms and finally found a setting design that was public domain.  This quilt is the first of two I made." We hope you can see the tiny hand quilting stitches in the background in these photos...

Sonoran Star Burst by Saddlebrooke Quilters entered by Tami Graeber; quilted by Athena Taylor.  

Winner of a ribbon for 2nd place in the Group Quilt category, this is the Saddlebrooke Quilters' 2026 Raffle Quilt. A chocolate background was chosen to make the desert color palette pop! The scallop border was added to soften the sharp lines. The quilt included two patterns designed by Linda McGibbons: Canyon Twilight & Luminary.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  NOTE: Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning we earn a small commission if an item is purchased from an Amazon link on this page. (There is no extra charge to you.)  Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration.

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (2)

In the beautiful Sonoran desert of Arizona, the Tucson Quilters Guild celebrated their 50th anniversary with a spectacular show. The Quilt Fiesta includes a fascinating mix of styles, techniques, and patterns. We hope you enjoy our photos! This is Part 2 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

Chasing Rainbows by Doreen Diaz, quilted by Athena Taylor.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for First Place in the Two Person Large Pieced category, Doreen Diaz says "The piecing of this quilt was a definite challenge, due to the number of curves in the design. I use the complexity of a Judy Niemeyer design to make sure my mind still works as I get older." Beautifully quilted by Athena Taylor; see the closeup photos below. [The pattern for this quilt is Coral Reef by Judy Niemeyer.]

Klimt - The Kiss, made and quilted by Karen Rainford.  

Karen Rainford says that she saw the Klimt paintings in real life in Vienna, while bicycling across Europe in 2023. She was inspired by this solo fabric panel of "The Kiss" to find a way to enhance it without distracting from the central image.  Her modern pieced border picks up the colors and textures in the panel perfectly! In the non-judged category, we enjoyed this lovely work. [The fabric panel is from the Klimt collection at Robert Kaufman Fabrics, still available from various sources as of this writing.] 

Out of Darkness, made and quilted by Karen G. Fisher.  

Winner of a Blue ribbon for 1st place in the One Person Primarily Applique category, plus a special award for Exemplary Machine Applique. Celebrating her love of Medieval Art, Karen included a Gothic Rose window, Mozarabic, Romanesque and Gothic arches, stained glass, manuscript illumination, and Italian Mosaic floor, a Celtic shield, and an inlay design from the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. (The "tile" center pattern is from Bella Bella Quilts (Norah McMeeking), the rest of the quilt is an original design.) 

Luxury Living, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin.  

 Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the One Person Medium Pieced category, Luxury Living was based on a 2021 The Quilt Show BOM by Wendy Williams; six blocks were an original designed by Stephanie Nordlin. She says, "Our homes were on an acre, lake and desert, all outside city limits. These, along with the Chrysler building. Oriental Pearl Tower and saguaro are my original designs."

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

12 Days of Christmas: Santa's On His Way

Merry Christmas to all our readers! To celebrate the season, we're posting 12 of our favorite Christmas  quilts from recent shows.  We hope you enjoy the beautiful work expressed in these quilts! 

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Santa's On His Way by Debra Day, quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

Debra Day bought this pretty fabric panel many years ago but did not know what to do with it. When her guild said they were doing a Round Robin, she decided this panel was perfect for the challenge. Each month they were given a different border to put on their quilt. Debra says, "I love how mine turned out!" The finished top was machine quilted (computer guided) by Stephanie Nordlin. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (5)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some more highlights from the show.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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

Nandina #4, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

 Winner of 1st place in the Art/Abstract category, Stephanie Nordlin says that this original design quilt was inspired by her photo of Nandina (a bush with red berries). She says, "I drew it small, tweaked it and had it enlarged. After that I smoothed curves, added detail lines, retraced the design and played with color before appliqueing."

Cinco de Mayo Kaffe Style, made and quilted by Peggy Foster

 This quilt is so cheerful with its bright Kaffe Fassett prints! Peggy Foster says, "A freezer paper piecing demonstration by Ann Peterson on "The Quilt Show" inspired me to try this quilting method.  Karen Stone's "Cinco de Mayo" pattern looked like a fun, colorful challenge.  I also enjoyed using bright threads to quilt the negative space on the quilt top." Her quilting echoes the spiky points of the New York Beauty blocks.

Mostly Sunny, made and quilted by Marianne Nowacki

Winner of Honorable Mention in the Modern-Solo category, Marianne Nowacki says that this "temperature quilt" shows the 2023 high and low temps every day recorded at Falcon Field in Mesa (Arizona). The blue light/dark blocks separate the months.  Small purple triangles on the blocks are the days it rained.  The color chart (which was on the back) shows the colors used for each 5 degrees of temperature.The quilting was done with a sun design!

Color, Color, Color, made and quilted by Merci Apodaca  

Beautiful, and so much fun:  This quilt was based on a published design from the book called Whizz Bang (Adventures with Folded Fabric qults) by Rachel Daisy. Merci Apodaca says, "I was inspired to make this quilt because of the whimsy, opportunity to combine many fabrics and dig into my collection of trims.  I was bedazzled by the simplistic techniques becoming a color feast for one's viewing pleasure." Fussy cut Tula Pink prints can be seen in the centers of the circle blocks. 

Giraffes Out of Africa, made and quilted by Barbara Harrell

We loved this stunning large quilt with its saturated colors, off-center medallion design, and multiple pieced borders. Barbara Harrell says this was a "very fun challenge. The center block and small giraffe blocks were purchased from an African textile booth years ago at a show."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Flowers in Bloom: An Applique Extravaganza

Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the soul. – Luther Burbank

Here are some stunning flower quilts to brighten the day. The colorful flowers stand out brilliantly against their dark backgrounds. These quilts showcase some incredible applique and quilting techniques!

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

Sonoran Poppy Trio by Stephanie Nordlin

This original art quilt - designed by Stephanie Nordlin - features California, Matilija, and Mexican poppies rendered in 3D. Each type of poppy blooms after its own seasonal rain, and with distinctly different leaves in both shape and color. As you can see, Stephanie achieved outstanding delicacy and transparency with her art quilting techniques. She is a juried artist member of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

Blossoms on Parade by Barbara Lambrecht

Here are some lovely flowers in a lovely setting! The curved blocks give the appearance of "cathedral windows".  Barbara Lambrecht says, “I used to do a LOT of applique and started designing my own patterns in the 1990’s. This is one I taught for years in eastern Washington state and northern Idaho. It is one of two I’ve made as a “twin set”. This one is all my original design.”

 Black Beauty by Ingrid Lawrence Happel, quilted by Tracy Yadon

Beautiful applique, and a wide variety of flowers, can be seen in this art quilt by Ingrid Lawrence Happel. She says, “When I saw this pattern I knew I had to make it. As usual I did change the flowers and the border. I enjoy hand applique and took a local class to sharpen my skills.” Pattern source: Barbara Brandeburg, a variation of Winter Botanical.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Quilt Fiesta! The annual Tucson Quilters Guild show (2)

It's quilt show time!  The annual Quilt Fiesta, held last weekend by the Tucson Quilters Guild in Arizona, is an outstanding show. We're rolling out some of our favorite photos.

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

Helen Hardin - Between Two Worlds by Karen G. Fisher

 This original art quilt by Karen G. Fisher was awarded First Place in the Art Pictorial category.  Karen explains, "Painter Helen Hardin (1943-1984) was half Pueblo, half Anglo. Her Pueblo roots inspired her imagery and color palette. I’ve included her face, and the motifs and colors she used throughout her works, which are in museums all across the U.S."

We enjoyed this amazing detail, from decorative stitches to turquoise buttons and silver feathers, in these closeup photos. 

The Guardian by Stephanie Nordlin

The Guardian was award First Place in the One Person Small Pieced Machine Quilted. The design is semi-original with 3 rows from “Simply Seminole” and block from “The Seminole Patchwork Book.” We love the colors and the design, which highlights the Gambel's quail that live in the Sonoran desert. A male quail is shown watching out for the female and her chicks.

Stephanie Nordlin explains, "The Guardian started as a row-by-row challenge, but I added extra sections of desert, night sky and original appliques." The quilt was beautifully embellished with beads.

A Cactus Garden by Manya Powell, quilted by Creative Lines Quilting, LLC

What a wonderful quilt! Manya Powell entered A Cactus Garden in the Two persons – primarily pieced - hand or machine quilted category.  She says that the multiple types of cactus were fun to make!  The finished quilt was quilted by Creative Lines quilting. (Note: The pattern source was not identified, but the blocks resemble the Greenhouse quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, which has 5 different cactus blocks.)

Heart & Soul in a Quilt by Athena Taylor

Winner of First Place in the One Person Large Pieced Machine Quilted category, here is a gorgeous double wedding ring quilt featuring 42 fabrics. Athena Taylor says, "The applique is needle turned, with some of the birds having more than 50 pieces! The machine quilting was done on my sit down Q20 using ruler work." The closeup photos help show Athena's expert piecing, applique, and quilting.

Celtic Horse, Sleipnir by Jeanne Deloria

Jeanne Deloria says, "Sleipnir is Odin’s eight-legged horse birthed by Loki. It was not the Norse mythology that led me to choose this design, it was the feeling of movement that it evoked and its suitability to reverse applique." The border design is a perfect complement to the crossed motifs in the quilt's center.

 Copper Mountain Springs by Melanie Harris, quilted by John Harris

The colors, precise piecing, and stunning machine quilting really drew our eyes to this quilt. The colors and shapes were chosen to represent the beautiful Huachuca Mountains and big sky in Cochise County, Arizona. Quiltworx (Judy &Bradley Niemeyer) was identified as the pattern source; we recognize this as the inner section of Quiltworx' Iceberg Ridge design.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Tucson Quilters Guild show.