Quilt Fiesta! Highlights of the Show (2)

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta, the annual Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show! We saw hundreds of fantastic quilts, and will be sharing highlights here.  We hope you enjoy these photos!

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns and vintage collectibles. For continuous free quilt patterns and blog updates, please visit us on Twitter.

Awaiting Our Turn by Julie Hallquist

This original design by Julie Hallquist was beautifully made and quilted.  It won a blue ribbon for 1st Place - Art Portrait.  Julie says, "On a trip to St. Martin, my husband and I happened upon a neighborhood holiday party and were invited to join.  We were charmed by these young girls watching the older girls performing and waiting their turn to dance."

The intricate thread work and machine quilting add so much energy to the scene, along with the quilted musical notes, which were done in metallic thread.

 Desert Staircase by Saddlebrooke Friday Quilters, quilted by Athena Taylor

We love this quilt! Desert Staircase won First Place in the Group Quilt category.  Made by the Saddlebrooke Friday Quilters and includes 15 beautiful feathered star blocks in shades of gray and white. Many members took part, appliqueing and piecing feathered stars and painting pottery for their raffle quilt.  Note the quilting in the background replicates the feathered star blocks.

Homegrown by Lorraine Souza, quilted by Linda Cote

Winner of First Place in the Two Person - Applique Category, this beauty was made by Lorraine Souza, quilted by Linda Cote.  The pattern source was Homegrown by Sue Spargo. 

Lorraine says, "This joyful Sue Spargo designed wool applique captured my love of houses and community.  The quilt began as a teaching project and I completed it in tandem with my students.  Partnering with talented quilter, Linda Cote, it was completed June 2023." We loved seeing all the gorgeous applique and embroidery details.

Winding Ways by Helen Lessells

If you love optical illusions, "Winding Ways" is for you! This fascinating show stopper won First Place in the One Person, Medium, Pieced category. The pattern was designed by George Siciliano. Helen Lessells says, "The challenge of this quilt was fussy cutting solid fabrics to establish the shading." It was quilted by Helen herself.

Southwest Missions by Rhonda Borders, quilted by Sherrie Addis

 

 

We love this orignal design, which features lovely fabric panels of mission churches. It was designed and made by Rhonda Borders, and quilted by Sherrie Addis.  Rhonda says, "I found the panel of mission paintings at San Xavier del Bac [a beautiful mission south of Tucson] on my first visit.  The overall design is my own work." Check out the kaleidoscope which Rhonda made in the middle of the octagon block shown below.

Image credits: Photos by Quilt Inspiration were taken at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Quilt Fiesta! The annual Tucson Quilters Guild show (5)

It's quilt show time!  The annual Quilt Fiesta, held by the Tucson Quilters Guild in Arizona, is an outstanding show. Here are more 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 !

Braided Star by Kathie Miller, quilted by Nancy Stein

Kathie Miller says, "This one-time free download from Angela Walters used a binding tool to make the trapezoids that form the braids, making that part of the construction simple. (Pattern source: Braided Star by Angela Walters.) Putting it all together was a bit of another story but once it all came together, the result was pretty stunning." We agree!

Fluffy by Linda Cote

This fantastic collaged quilt was based on the Doodle-Doo Rooster applique pattern by Laura Heine. We love Linda Cote's choice of colorful florals to create this whimsical bird!

Truffle Duffel by Suzanne McLean, quilted by Nubin Minerd

This gorgeous wool applique quilt has multiple ribbons, including a Judge's Recognition award.  It was based on Sue Spargo's 2021 bock-of-the-month program.  The wool background was hand appliqued with a variety of mushroom designs done in wool and cotton. These were extensively embellished with a variety of stitches done with decorative threads. Some of the beautiful details can be seen in the closeup photo below.

Slot Canyon Shadows by Natalie Furrey

This quilt is amazing. Winner of the Exemplary Piecing award, plus a 2nd place Viewers Choice award, this masterpiece was created with an original set of traditional quilt blocks. Natalie Furrey says, "This quilt was inspired by trips to Northern Arizona's slot canyons, a photograph by Michael Fatali, and the colors of northern Arizona.  For the curious - the pieces were counted to be 11,362. [The] time invested to complete [this quilt] was 3 continuous years."  Wow.

Welcome Wagon by Ruth Murray Hill, quilted by Carol Gutierrez

Is there anything more cheerful than a yo yo quilt?  To create this quilt, 620 handmade yo-yos were attached to machine-pieced quilt blocks.  Ruth Murray Hill says that the pattern was from Kim Diehl's Simple Graces book.  This must have been fun to create!

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

Welcome to the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival - part 2

Welcome to the Pacific International Quilt Festival! Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we could not view all the quilts this year! Therefore, we are showing a small sample of the quilts in this large show. Here is Part 2 of our photos.

Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, books, and collectible items !
For more free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Free Wheeling, 66 x 66", by Claudia Clark Myers

Here is an outstanding quilt by Claudia Clark Myers. We love optical illusion quilts, and this one is expertly done, from its design and construction to its glorious use of color. Winner of a red ribbon in second place in the Innovative Quilts Category, Free Wheeling is a three-dimensional "fool the eye" depiction of static, moving and broken wheels. It is Claudia's original design, made using a combination of paper piecing and applique construction.

Claudia explains that Free Wheeling was made for, and accepted into the National Quilt Museum's traveling exhibit, New Quilts from an Old Favorite.  But then, that exhibit was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.  This masterpiece is machine pieced, machine appliqued, and longarm machine quilted.  You can see more of Claudia's work at her website, Claudia Clark Myers quilts.

To The Moon and Back by Sharlene Van Rooy, quilted by Holly Casey Quilts

This fun quilt was featured in the special New Quilts of Northern California exhibit at PIQF, and it really made us smile! It was a challenge quilt sponsored by Pinnacle Quilters of San Benito County (California). Sharlene says, "The quilt represents our love of camping and includes many memories from our travels.  The camper in the middle is placed within a compass that points north, south, east and west.

Each quadrant has highlights of Sharlene's travel and camping experiences. The couple is depicted above, all decked out with their binoculars, canteen, and hiking stick. Sharlene says, "The quilt represents our love of camping and includes many memories from our travels.  Now that we are retired, the compass indicates that we will be heading East."

Spring Harmony, 52 x 58", by Kathy McNeil

Spring Harmony was awareded a Blue Ribbon for First Place in the Innovative category at PIQF.  The quilt is a tribute to Japanese gardens, which are a feast for our eyes in the spring.  Kathy says, "Enter through the Torii gate, sit by the stream, waltz across the bridge and find a place to fall in love again."

Kathy McNeil is renowned for her landscape and portrait quilts with their exquisite, realistic detail. The red bridge and pagoda are precisely rendered in this piece.  Kathy has a way of using print fabrics to realistically depict landscape elements, such as the rocks, flowers, and trees in this landscape. You can see more of her beautiful work at her website, Kathy McNeil Art Quilts.

Blooms and Feathered Friends, 42 x 42", by Linda Bergmann, quilted by Lin Squires

A gorgeous rendering of a Sue Spargo design, Blooms and Feathered Friends is hand appliqued using Australian Wool. Each element stands out brilliantly against the dark background, creating an explosion of color. The lively birds and flowers are elegantly embroidered. 

Linda Bergmann says, "Applique is very relaxing but also very time consuming." We can only imagine the hours that went into this delightful creation with its numerous fabric and thread colors, stitch types, and French knots.  It won Honorable Mention at the very competitive PIQF show.

Ebb and Flow, 82 x 75", by Liat Rorer

This original design is by Liat Rorer, who used variations in hue and tone to depict movement, keeping your eye flowing from one section to the next. Liat says, "The recent world events have created a constant ebb and flow, moving from fear and depression to moments of love and hope... Ebb and Flow represents this by moving from dark to light and warm to cool in unexpected ways, while our eye tries to find a clear image."

The quilt was machine pieced and longarm machine quilted in meandering lines (see the closeup below.) You can find Liat Rorer's creations at Liat Quilting on Instagram.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Fall Into Fall !

We love the warm and cozy look of folk art quilts ! Many are done in autumn colors and primitive styles.  Here are some outstanding quilts that remind us of days gone by.  This post is titled Fall Into Fall after the first quilt, which is rendered in beautiful fall colors.  We hope you enjoy today's quilts!

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 !

Fall Into Fall by Yvonne Carter

Yvonne Carter says, "I love fall colors and enjoyed every minute working on this quilt." She fell in love with the picture in Kim Diehl's book, Simple Harvest, and knew that she must make this quilt.  It is part applique and part pieced, and is both hand- and machine-quilted by Yvonne herself.  The pattern is in the book Simple Harvest: A Bounty of Scrappy Quilts and More, available at Amazon and other sources.

In Full Bloom by Marianne Michaels, quilted by Ramona Sorensen

Colorful birds, flowers, butterflies, and a large vase of cut flowers serve as the dominant theme in this stunning quilt, winner of Honorable Mention at the 2019 Springville (Utah) quilt show.  The fibers in this quilt include a combination of wool, cotton, linen and silks.  Marianne Michaels hand dyed many of the wool applique fabrics.  In Full Bloom received Honorable Mention at the Springville show.

This quilt is heavily embellished by hand with a variety of cotton and silk threads; in the closeup photos you can see Marianne's many creative stitches and French knots. The In Full Bloom pattern, by Sue Spargo, is available at Amazon and other sources.

Not So aLone Star by Tamara Johnson, quilted by Lynn Peterson

Lone Star is a traditional Amish quilt design, and many examples are included in the collection of the Folk Art Museum. Tamara Johnson received an Award of Excellence for her Not So aLone Star, which she designed as she prepared to teach a Lone Star Color Theory and Technique class.  She says,  "The experience was challenging and rewarding, and I'm very happy with how this quilt - and others made with the same resources - turned out."

Chanticleer and Company by Laura Brown, quilted by Kim Peterson

We love the color scheme in this delightful quilt. The whimsical roosters, hens, and baby chicks are given a realistic flair by the use of chicken wire-print fabric in the background of the blocks. Laura Brown embellished the edges of the applique pieces with many different decorative stitches, as shown in the closeup photo below.  The Chanticleer and Company quilt pattern is by Nancy Barrett at With Needle and Thread.

Berry Blossoms by Monette Klinkenberg

Monette Klinkenberg created Berry Blossoms with an array of beautiful prints in hues of orange, brown, green, and pale blue gray.  The flower motifs are fused and machine appliqued and adorned with yo yo's in complementary colors.  Monette quilted her creation herself using sswirls and, in the flying geese border, heart motifs. The quilt pattern, designed by Kim Diehl, is available at the American Patchwork and Quilting shop.

If you're inspired by folk art quilts, you may want to check out our recent Free Pattern Day for Folk Art Quilts, including free patterns by Kim Diehl and other top designers !

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Springville Museum Quilt Show (Utah).

Quilt Arizona 2017! Day 5

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 is our final post from this year's show, with some of our favorite quilts.

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

My Daughter's Gift by Ann Gonzalez

Winner of First Place – Machine Embroidery, this quilt really sparkles. Ann Gonzalez says: “This quilt was offered as a monthly class at a local quilt store. My daughter bought the class, as well as the fabrics and thread. I had the joy of making it, as well as a second one for her."

We recognize this as the Jacobean Journey pattern by HoopSisters. It features a center medallion surrounded by undulating curves and bordered by a curvy applique border.  The quilting design is by Sharon Schamber.

We love Ann Gonzalez' choice of fabrics.  The use of light-colored thread on the dark (green) batiks, and darker thread on the light blue batiks, makes the stitching really stand out.

Bird Dance by Cynthia Lynn

This whimsical folk art quilt was a standout at the show; it won Honorable Mention. Cynthia Lynn says she loves Sue Spargo designs. The wool was collected at thrift stores and/or given to her by friends.Each one of these birds had its own personality.  Cynthia used many creative hand embroidery stitches and embellishments in each one of her blocks.  (The Bird Dance pattern is available at Sue Spargo's website.)

Dragonfly Pond by Carol Carpenter, quilted by Kris Neifeld

Carol Carpenter says, “This pattern by Lynn Majidimehr was altered (with her approval) to include more plants and pond creatures, which was a really fun challenge.“ The applique shapes were finished with satin stitching.

The Waiting Room by Diane Hansen, quilted by Judith Kracker 

We recognize this design as Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses (the book is by Linda Franz.) The fussy-cut fabrics create a beautiful kaleidoscope appearance.Diane Hansen says, “It took a year to piece this quilt by hand. The work was done while sitting in doctor and hospital waiting rooms." The quilt was made with English paper piecing; the shapes include honeycomb and square templates.  We love Diane Hansen's choice of fabrics and high-contrast design, enhanced by Judith Kracker's wonderful quilting.

Cady by Kathleen Bowers

Cady was designed in a class with Susan Carlson, collage teacher. It was made for a friend in memory of her dachshund, Cady. Many different fabrics were used in the dog and the background. We love the expression on the face, and the heart-shaped dog tag.

Tree of Life by Debbie Stanton

This is an original design by Debbie Stanton, who cut the tree from one piece of fabric. All the edges were turned under and sewn with machine buttonhole stitch. Three-dimensional leaves add a creative touch to this brilliantly colored quilt; there is even a little owl in the tree, shown below.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.