12 Days of Christmas: Gingerbread Stiches

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 details expressed in these masterpieces!

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Gingerbread Stitches by Martie Warden (Arizona), quilted by Rose Maynes.  

Who doesn't love a gingerbread house or gingerbread cookies? Martie Warden says, "This felted wool applique on flannel BOM is perfect for my son and daughter-in-laws home.  It is the largest felted wool piece I have done so far.  I had so much fun doing all techniques and working with Rose to figure out the long arm design. I hope they enjoy it for years to come."  

  

The houses are decorated with small ornaments, buttons, and embroidery. Some of Martie Warden's beautiful embroidery can be seen on the holly leaves and gingerbread man in the border, below:

 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.  This quilt by Martie Warden was based on a published design: Gingerbread Stitches BOM by Calico Patch Design. 

Live a Thankful Life

An attitude of gratitude is the key to a happy life. Gratitude is associated with hope, life satisfaction, and good health. Here's a beautiful wool applique quilt called Live a Thankful Life.

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Live a Thankful Life by Rhonda Montgomery (Orem, Utah)

Winner of a Judge's Choice award at the Utah show*, Rhonda Montgomery says: "My friend and I fell in love with this quilt pattern. We challenged ourselves to each make one, and then [made] a third to donate to the Festival of Trees. I had never worked with wool on a quilt before, and I found it both challenging and rewarding." Here is a closeup photo of the turkey block:

The wool appliques are fused and then hand-appliqued using blanket stitches and embroidery floss.  We enjoyed Rhonda's beautiful embroidery and quilting! 

Rhonda Montgomery says that she used flannel for the background and that it was a fun quilt to make!  The motifs include a gray squirrel, below, and flower vines with oak leaves, all of which are beautifully done.

 Live a Thankful Life is a pattern designed by Lisa Bongean for Primitive Gatherings.  

*Note: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show.

Handmade Quilts from Japan (2)

Quilts that are entirely handmade are rare these days. We marvel at the technical excellence, precision, and patience it must have taken to create these works of art! All were made in Japan by groups of friends, turning hard work into companionship and fun.

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Quilt Village by Kimi Sakamaki with five friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan).  

Quilts are hanging everywhere in this tiny village! Made entirely by hand piecing, hand applique, and hand quilting, it was designed by Kathy Nakajima. Teensy quilts even hang on the clothsline, shown below:

 Regarding the quilt's name, the makers say: "If there is a village where people who love quilts live, we would name it Quilt Village. What kind of scenery would that village have? We created this work while talking about these thoughts."

 

Olive Groves in Italy by Sachiko Miyagawa with 12 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

Made entirely with hand piecing, hand applique, and hand quilting, this quilt too was designed by Kathy Nakajima. The pieced pattern is known as Burgoyne Surrounded, which has a long tradition in American history dating back centuries, uses tiny squares to create a pixelated effects. 

The extensive applique work softens the geometric pattern. Olive Groves in Italy was made by friends who have been growing together for a long time, with olives that bring happiness.

Spring Milky Way by Mutsuko Shindo with 6 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan) 

The Winding Ways quilt pattern is beautifully overlaid with applique. The star of the show is the appliqued mimosa which sways in the gentle breeze of a spring day.  For the base, we used pieced work with beautifully coordinated colors.  The quilting was carefully hand-stitched to express the softness of the entire piece. We enjoyed the hand quilting (and fun fabrics) which you can see in this closeup photo:

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

 

Handmade Quilts from Japan

Quilts that are entirely handmade are so rare these days. As you can see, Japanese quilters excel at hand applique, piecing, and quilting!  We marvel at the technical excellence, precision, and patience it must have taken to create these works of art.

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Peacock by Naomi Ootomo (Toda-shi, Saitama, Japan)

Notice the gorgeous colors, the appliqued peacock feathers in the upper and lower borders of this quilt, and the pieced blocks resembling tail feathers! Hand piecing, applique, and quilting, and trapunto were used to create this original design.  

Naomi Ootomo says, "I can't forget the beauty of a peacock feather I saw at my grandfather's house as a child.  I loved the color of the peacock's feathers. This quilt was created with the image of a peacock spreading its wings.  The quilting designs were also created with the image of its feathers.  While I was making this quilt, beautiful colored fabrics made me happy." 

In the Quiet Forest by Setsuko Sofue and 6 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

 Such a calming effect is achieved by the soft colors and the echo quilting of In the Quiet Forest. This beautiful piece is entirely hand appliqued and hand quilted over an ombre background.

The design, by Kathy Nakajima, was carried out by Setsuko Sofue with 6 friends.  The quilt was inspired by a plumeria tree growing wild in the forest, with the petals quietly drifting away. 

The Shimmering Blue Rose by Yachiyo Katsuno (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

This original design quilt also was made entirely by hand (!) including the piecing, applique, and quilting.  Yachiyo says, "It has been over 20 years since I created the piece titled Sunshine Rose Garden. I spent about three years re-creating a quilt inspired by that original image, and now it is finally complete."  Imagine hand piecing all those spiky points!

 The shades of blue in the patchwork and the colors of the appliqued roses harmonize beautifully, just as she had envisioned.  "I would be so happy if many people could see and enjoy this work."  YES, Yachiyo: We and thousands of others admired your stunning work of art.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

 

The Power of Quilts (and friendship)

At the recent Houton International Quilt Festival, The Power of Quilts exhibit featured the work of about 20 friends who have been working together for over 25 years.  They reinterpreted quilts of the 19th and early 20th century, using traditional techniques. Here are two gorgeous quilts by Jocelyne Picot from France.

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Intersia by Jocelyne Picot (Arvert, Nouvelle Aquitaine, France)

Using hand applique, embellishment, embroidery, piecing, and quilting, Jocelyne reproduced a quilt seen in the Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia.  This stunning appliqued quilt was entirely handmade, including wool embroidery.  The bright primary hues really stand out on the black background.

 Quilt de Guerre by Jocelyne Picot (Arvert, Nouvelle Aquitaine, France)

This wonderful folk art-style quilt with its primitive figures was inspired by an 1840-1852 quilt in the collection of Saint Fargans National History Museum in Wales.  The design is from The Retrospective of Great Britain Victorienne, as well as several biblical scenes. Jocelyne Picot created her masterpiece with hand applique, embroidery, piecing and quilting.   

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival. 

Ukrainian Quilters Association: The Cossak Mamai Quilt

The biggest group quilt in the history of Ukrainian patchwork was made by 47 quilters from the Ukrainian Quilters Group.  Based on a painting by artist Orest Skop, this collaborative work celebrates Cossak Mamai, a figure who has long represented the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Cossak Mamai is not just a historical or folkloric figure but a symbol of the resilience of the Ukrainian people. 

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Cossak Mamai Quilt, The Ukrainian Quilters Association, curated by Mariia Nelha (Krakow, Malopolska, Poland)

The quilt consists of 65 segments, sewn by Ukrainian quilters settled in different cities and countries as refugees. A team from the Ukrainian Quilters Association made a textile reproduction of the painting by Orest Skop and converted it into a huge quilt that could be made in segments. A symbol of strength, resilience, and peace, this collaborative work unites quilters from across Ukraine and beyond, some near the frontline. 

The segments were made with hand applique, embellishment, embroidery, painting, dying, piecing, and quilting; machine applique, embellishment, embroidery, piecing, and quilting; and photo transfer.  The finished quilt is captivating in its details and impact.

Some of the hand quilting stitches can be seen in this closeup photo.

 Here is more of the stunning imagery from the quilt:

 

 

 

 

The quilters explain: "As our work represents Ukraine to the world, we are keenly aware of the weight of our responsibility.  In our creative process, pursuit of knowledge, and communicating our collective wisdom, Ukraine resides deeply within our hearts."

 

Photos of each of the quilters, and the segments for which they were responsible, are shown in this photo montage. In the upper left is Natalia Lashko, who coordinated this massive project.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Highlights of the Houston International Quilt Festival! (4)

We had a wonderful time at the Houston International Quilt Festival! We enjoyed seeing 1200 quilts from around the world, and are excited to share photos of our favorites... here is Part 3!

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1st PLACE ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES:  Motocat by Esther Tronchoni Simo (Spain) @esthertronchonisimo

Machine applique and quilting were combined with wool felting to create  Motocat, which won a blue ribbon (1st place) in the Alternative Techniques category!  Check out this kitty's realistic fuzzy wool felted face! 

MASTER AWARD for THREAD ARTISTRY: Family by Yoshiyuki Ishizaki (Japan)

The quantity, variety, and colors of the embroidery stitches can only be appreciated close up, including the details of the pets on the front porch! As the artist says: "The more effort that goes into it, the more gorgeous it becomes!"

This Land is Your Land by Elizabeth Bauman (USA)

Elizabeth Bauman is a quilt artist, teacher, and member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). Celebrating America's beauty, this quilt is named after a famous folk song from the 1960s: "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie. Solid color fabrics give it a cheerful vibe, echoing the travel posters of the 1930s. 

MASTER AWARD for INNOVATIVE ARTISTRY:  Painted Ponies on the Prairie (106" x 63") by Melissa Sobotka (USA)

Melissa Sobotka is an artist and teacher, specializing in photo-realistic techniques. This quilt has an interesting family history! A family photo depicts a traveling carnival and horse-powered merry-go-round on the plains of Nebraska and South Dakota during the early 1900s. It was professionally fabric printed, enhanced with ink and pencils, machine appliqued and quilted. 

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.