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.

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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: A Christmas Village!

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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A Christmas Village, made and quilted by Julie Hallquist.  

Fifteen different houses make up the quilt's center, while the border is made from pieced trees in a range of green colors. This holiday quilt was a foundation paper pieced pattern initially published in Quilters Newsletter magazine [pattern Source: First Snow by Tina Curran.] 

We enjoyed seeing the cute details in each of the houses! Julie Hallquist says. "It was a great opportunity to add stamps, crystals, decorative stitching and other decorative items to celebrate the season."  

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

12 Days of Christmas: Lighting the 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 details expressed in these masterpieces! 

p.s. Also check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on designer jewelry and collectibles!
For free quilt patterns and more, please follow us on X/Twitter.

Lighting the Way by Joyce Strassburg, quilted by Jessica Jones.  

The Star has been lighting the way for millennia, hence the title of this quilt. Joyce Strassburg says, "The star and church are the focal points of the quilt; however, this pattern also includes the homes of PEOPLE. This is the community that imagines and creates the many artifacts for future generations to learn from and appreciate." 

 Lighting the Way was professionally machine quilted (hand guided) by Jessica Jones. This quilt was based on the "Silent Night" pattern and kit by The Quilt Factory/Debra Grogan.  The quilt won a Third Place award (yellow ribbon) at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

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

Silent Night

Silent Night is one of our favorite Christmas carols!  Here is an award-winning quilt featuring four winter woodland scenes, done in a folk art style. The third panel shows a brightly lit church with an angel flying overhead.  

Silent Night, Holy Night. 

All is calm, all is bright.

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Silent Night, made and quilted by Luanne Wood.

This quilt shows a variety of appliqued activities that are enjoyed on winter nights and surrounds them with cozy log cabin blocks, which were machine quilted with snowflakes.  Luanne Wood was awarded a 2nd place ribbon for her expert applique and quilting. 

The gorgeous details can be seen in these closeup photos! The pattern source is Silent Night from Timeless Traditions by Norma Whaley. Luanne Wood says, "I chose to embellish the applique with beads and poms, etc. to add a bit of whimsy."  Luanne won a 2nd place award (with a red ribbon) for her achievement.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson (Arizona) Quilt Fiesta.

  

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (5)

Welcome back to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This show features some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt displays a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making, with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process. We hope you enjoy our photos!

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La Passacaglia (2024) by Chelsie Robertson @ChelsieSews, quilted by Melissa Kelley

Nearly every block of this gorgeous quilt has a special fussy-cut motif, creating an "I spy" quilt.  Chelsie says, "I hope you see more things the longer you look at my quilt!"  (We spy retro surfer girls in one of the blocks, below!)

Finding My Artist Within (2024), made and quilted by Rebecca Tesch.

Winner of Best of Show at this fantastic show, Rebecca Tesch says, "As a member of the Utah quilt Guild, I started a challenge quilt for the "Find the Artist Within" Challenge but didn't get it finished in time.  In fact, it's taken years beyond the entry date for that challenge. I love Judy Niemeyer's work and was inspired to use components of multiple quilts, combined and reduced to create a unique but definitely "Niemeyer-like" quilt. I created the pattern using the foundation paper piecing technique and combined my scraps of batik to complete the quilt. It's a work of love and inspiration."

Beautiful feather quilting can be seen, especially in the margins.

Adventures in the Netherlands (2023) by Emily Magleby, quilted by Emmy Evans.  

Emily Magleby says, "I wanted a quilt that was a 'love letter' to the Netherlands.  I had the opportunity to live in the Netherlands and those memories hold a speical place in my heart.  I used the patterns from the Moda Blockheads 3" challenge and swapped several blocks with paper-pieced blocks that had more specific dutch themes. I carefully curated fabrics that had patterns, themes, and colors that spoke to me and my experience living in such a magical place."  

The custom quilting was done by Emmy Evans. Emily says, "I am thrilled that she was able to add her artwork to the quilt."  (Can you see the children peeking out inside the windmill?)

Geraniums - English Paper Pieced (2023), made and quilted by Petrea Lassen.

We love this flowery quilt! Petrea Lassen says, "Geraniums was pieced and quilted entirely by hand. I started by collecting various pink and purple fabrics for this quilt. About a year later I finally had enough variation to begin.  I love the portability of English paper piecing. This quilt project traveled to Hawaii with me twice. It also made its way to New York City... we visited Ellis Island where we found record of my material grandmother's arrival to the United States from Denmark."

Square Round (2024), made and quilted by Luanne Hyer Olson

We love this modern rainbow strip quilt with its illusion of curves (we are searching for the pattern!)  Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence) at the show, the precision piecing is complemented by dense geometric quilting.

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

Quilt Fiesta! Highlights of the Show (3)

Here are more photos from the Quilt Fiesta, the annual Tucson (Arizona) Quilters Guild show. We saw so many fabulous quilts and are sharing some highlights here.  We hope you enjoy our 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.

The Glow by Christine Nelson, quilted by Lynn Simon

Christine Nelson based this quilt on a classic Lone Star pattern, and the color and fabric choices were simply beautiful.  Christine says, "I used an ombre fabric for the main part of the star.  At the center and outer points I used fussy cut pieces from the [kaleidoscope print] border fabric. Getting the pattern lined up in the center was a challenge." The solid fabric areas allowed plenty of space for Lynn Simon's gorgeous quilting. Winner of Second Place in the Two Person - Small Pieced category. 

 Ghost by Barbara Polston

We love pet-inspired quilts, and this one is a beauty. Made and quilted by Barbara Polston, who created a portrait of her grand-dog, Ghost, using lace.  Barbara says, "Ghost is a Siberian Husky belonging to my daughter and son-in-law.  [This was] a gift for their 8th wedding anniversary which may be celebrated with lace gifts."  What a clever idea!

Aviary by Suzanne McLean, quilted by Linda Cote

Made by Suzanne McLean and quilted by Linda Cote, this beautiful wool applique quilt was based on a pattern by Bonnie Sullivan and Dawn Heese. We enjoyed seeing the many beautiful details!  Suzanne says, "[The] pattern [was] modified in several places to create a soft, vintage look that's uniquely mine."  Winner of Honorable Mention in the Two Person, Primarily Appliqued category.

It features hand appliqued wool with velvet accents on a cotton background, enhanced with embellishment stitching using a variety of stitches, thread and ribbon.

The Neighborhood by Jean Biddick

The Neighborhood was made and quilted by Jean Biddick.  It won First Place in the One Person, Small, Pieced category, plus a special award for Exemplary Piecing.

Jean says, "The Quilters Market Blockbusters theme in 2018 was 'There Goes the Neighborhood'.  I reduced the 12" to 3" blocks and added a couple of extras to make the setting work. The blocks are NOT paper pieced (!) The central block was made years ago in a Judi Blaydon workshop about light sources - it was a perfect center for my 'Neighborhood'. "

Cactus Rose by Lynne Saul

This stunning quilt, made and quilted by Lynne Saul, was based on a pattern by Judy Niemeyer.  Lynne says, "The top is paper pieced which I love to do.  After it was completed, it sat for 5 years before I quilted it.  But now it's done."  We love this design, colors, and expert workmanship.  The bright batik fabrics with their spiky points really pop against the dark background.

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

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.