Highlights of the Houston International Quilt Festival! (3)

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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Cuckoo Clock by Alethea Ballard @maverickquilts (USA) 

 

Gorgeous colors and imagery drew us into this brilliant quilt by Alethea Ballard. Read on for more details of the artist's inspiration.

  Arcane Snap by Kestrel Michaud (USA)

Winner of a 2nd Place ribbon in the Pictorial category, Arcane Snap captivated viewers with its imagery, colors, and expert quilting.  More amazing fabric art can be seen on the artist's website at Kestrel Michaud.

California Huipil by Allison Lockwood (USA)

Woven Guatemalan fabrics were used to create this lovely quilt which is embellished with yo yos. This piece was inspired by the huipil, a garment worn by the indigenous women in Guatemala. The chevrons and embroidery add even more dimension to the surface.  

detail, California Huipil

 

MASTER AWARD for TRADITIONAL ARTISTRY: Poco a Poco by Keiko Morihiro (Japan)

It's no wonder this quilt won the award for traditional artistry. You can't tell from a distance, but this quilt is made entirely of tiny hexagons: more than 30,000, to be exact. Each side of each hexagon measures only 8 mm.  WOW.

 

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

Highlights of the Houston International Quilt Festival! (1)

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

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on designer jewelry and collectibles!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please follow us on X (Twitter)!     

BEST of SHOW:  The Visitation by Ricky Tims

Spectactular in every way, it's no wonder this quilt won the Best of Show award. So many expert techniques were combined to create this masterpiece.

 

Silent Companions by Ting-Ying Liu

 Here is one of many outstanding portrait quilts. Intricate fabric collaging was used to create the realistic faces of the dog and cat.

 

Rusty Jane by Dena Angela Miskel

Stop my beating heart... here's a gorgeous Dear Jane quilt, made with intriguing rust-dyed fabrics and sashiko.  So beautiful! Made with over 5000 fabric pieces, this deserves a top award.

 

A bright pineapple quilt, shown below, welcomed thousands of viewers from around the world.  Stay tuned for more highlights from this fabulous show!

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

Feeling Happy (or Crabby?) Make a Quilt!

Quilting is not only an art form, but a way to express friendship, humor, and joy.  We especially love whimsical quilts!  These make us smile. We hope you enjoy these favorites from a 2025 show.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains! For continuous free patterns and news, please follow us on X (Twitter).     

Beads and Buttons and Quilting, Oh My! by Karen Fisher  

Check out the variety of colorful buttons, along with Karen Fisher's masterful machine applique! This original art quilt was made for the 2022 Cherrywood Fabric "Graffiti" challenge.  Karen says, "The words readily describe the majority of my quilts, and I used both my Tucks and Skinny Piecing methods to further highlight the words.  [This quilt is] a little nod to the "Wizard of Oz" (Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!) 

Last Mingo in Paradise by Katherine Verbeke  

This flamingo is incredibly stylish! The paper pieced pattern, designed by Lisa Fryxell for Katherine Verbeke, is an ode to Jimmy Buffet. Katherine Verbeke says: "The flamingo, palm tree and beach are calling... go grab a margarita!" The quilt is filled with embellishments, including beads, charms, and a Landshark beer bottle cap (can you spot it in the above photo?) 

Using Cherrywood Fabrics, beads, and other embellishments, this piece represents the carefree Caribbean lifestyle emulated by Mr. Buffett's lyrics and music. Sparkly beads and a tropical print "shirt" add to the festive atmosphere.

Feeling Crabby by Monique Baczewski, quilted by Linda Schwartz.  

Such cute crabs, in a variety of cool hues! Monique Baczewski says that this quilt pattern (Feeling Crabby by Wendy Sheppard) called to her from the rack at Cactus Quilt Shop.  "I raided my grunge stash from my sewing closet for the crabs.  [There were] lots of little pieces. I really enjoyed making this quilt!"

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

 

Wonky Wildflowers

Wonky Wildflowers is a fun mix of quilting and hand embroidery. With wonky log cabin blocks, wedge grass, Dresden sunshine, hexagon embellishments and embroidered flower petals, this project is as much fun to create as it is to look at. We love this colorful rendition, shown at the Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on gorgeous beaded jewelry, patterns, and collectibles!  

Wonky Wildflowers, made and quilted by Teresa Darling

 

A Dresden sun shines down on the embroidered flowers while a bluebird sings on a branch. Teresa Darling says she enjoyed this project as it gave me a chance to use a variety of techniques. The Wonky Wildflowers pattern is by Sandra Workman. We photographed this quilt at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show, under the theme Sew Whimsical.

 Image credits: Photos were tkane by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Quilt Arizona show.

Star Garden Quilt

Spring is here, and it's time to enjoy the longer days and emerging flowers.  Here's a gorgeous quilt that brings the season to life, all year round.  Can you find the birds, bunny, and butterflies?

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

Nana's Star Garden by Susan Foster, quilted by Jessica Jones. 

Based on a published design (Star Garden by Minick and Simpson, previously published in Quiltmania magazine,) Nana's Star Garden plan included a larger design area for a free flowing natural garden. Susan Foster says, "I used some of the basic design elements, but added a strawberry thief bird, a variety of flowers, cherries, etc.  She also added broderie perse butterflies, "as no pretty flower garden is complete without them."

Here are a few closeup photos showing Jessica Jones' beautiful flower and feather quilting, which lends the finishing touch to this beautifully made quilt.

 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.  This quilt won a red ribbon (second place) in the Applique-Solo category.

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (2)

We 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 admire. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 2.

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

We Chose Arizona by Maine-ly Quilting Sisters (Karen Chrisman, Betty Jordan, Mary Lucas, Katherine Kenwood & Susan Baxter); quilted by Betty Jordan & Katherine Kenwood.

This incredible landscape quilt was constructed in parts, then assembled.  Each part was made with Seminole piecing. The description says, "Our group began practicing Seminole piecing together. Betty, Katherine & Mary are from Maine; Susan is from Oregon and Karen is from Arizona. We live in this beautiful state by choice. The work shows our skills and our bond as quilters."

 Queen of the Night by Trish Hastings-Sargent  

This is a framed work of art, representing a relatively new category called Rigid Finished Art Quilts (RFAQ).  They are supported by a frame, stretcher bars or other means rather than a sleeve.  When art quilts are stretched onto a rigid frame, or matted and put into a decorative frame, they resemble a fine-art piece.

We were captivated by the translucent quality of these flower petals and the embroidery representing the pistil and stamen in the center. Trish Hastings-Sargent says, "Once a year in June, the night-blooming Cereus (cactus) turns into a stunning display of fragrant white blossoms! The show begins just after dusk and is usually over by midnight. By morning, the blooms are all gone."

Tucson Five-O by the Tucson Quilters Guild Quilt Fiesta Committee, quilted by Athena Taylor.  

 Pattern source: Inspiration from TQG opportunity quilt blocks over the years.  In 2026 the Tucson Quilters Guild will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. This quilt was created with this milestone in mind (hence the name, Five-O).  It will be the guild's 2026 opportunity quilt (wow!)  The quilt center showcases the stately saguaro cactus of the Sonoran desert, along with an ocotillo and prickly pear, highlighted against the mountains and the colorful sky.

Various local birds can be seen including an owl, hummingbird, and a Gambel's quail (below). 

Sonoran Baltimore by Judy Tenen, quilted by Linda Cote 

This gorgeous Baltimore album-style quilt was designed by Nancy Landon.  Judy Tenen says, "As always, I enjoy making quilts that Nancy Landon designed.  I modified her pattern slightly and enjoy the elements that represent Tucson while still being a traditional "album" style quilt.  Linda Cote furthered the desert theme with her custom quilting. Thanks to both Nancy and Linda!"

The historic San Xavier Del Bac mission is shown in the closeup photo above. Sitting just south of Tucson, the mission is not to be missed if you are visiting the area. It is Arizona’s oldest European structure and a masterpiece of Spanish Colonial architecture, completed in 1797.  

Beautiful applique work can be seen throughout this quilt, including the doves, squirrels, and vines in this photo.

Happiness by Sandra Schuster, quilted by Rick at Sunset Quilting

Sandra Schuster won a blue ribbon for her brightly colored beauty.  She says, "It pulses - from small to big, from thin to thick, with such saturated colors, and OH! Those feathers that are quilted on it! Brought together they equal happiness."  Pattern source: Prismatic by Gina at Gem Hill Quilts. 

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

New Year Wishes

The human wish for peace is never ending, and is especially appropriate for this New Year.  Doves often are used as symbols of peace, freedom, and love. Here is a lovely free pattern for a Dove of Peace quilt including a template for the dove applique.

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Dove of Peace, 35" square, by Heidi Pridemore for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

This fabric collection (by Whistler Studios) is archived but you can use your imagination to create this likeness from fabrics in your stash.  We wish you a peaceful, healthy, and happy New Year.

Image credit: Save The Children shop (UK)