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.

Paper Piecing Quilts: Running Afghan

Paper piecing is a type of quilt making in which you sew patches directly onto a paper template (foundation).  You then join the different sections to construct the full quilt. The technique allows tremendous precision and can be used for nearly every type of pieced quilt, including this elegant Afghan dog.

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.

Phread on the Run by Lisa Fryxell

The grace, beauty and aloofness of the Afghan Hound comes alive in Lisa Fryxell's interpretation of BaiJai's 'Phread' of New York. 

Lisa Fryxell says, "Phread was well known around the Clinton Corners, NY area as he would take his owner, Kate Anderson (Verbeke) for daily 5-mile runs along with his sister Afghan.  Kate was later recognized as 'The lady who runs with the dogs.' "

As of this writing, the paper-piecing pattern is available at Lisa's Prefurred Quilt Shop on Etsy (see Running Afghan.)

 Image credit: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta (Tucson, Arizona).

Neighborhood Watch

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is held annually in Santa Clara, California. This year's show included over 400 quilts. We're featuring some of our favorite works of art from the show.

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.

Neighborhood Watch, 27 x 33", by Rhonda S. Denney

Inspired by a photograph, Rhonda Denney says: "I loved the challenge of capturing the beauty of an early summer day in Colorado... the views from our ranch house location were magnificent." 

This wall quilt was created with machine applique, machine quilting, and threadwork. We admire the realistic detail and texture which Rhonda Denney achieved.

About the clever title of this quilt, Neighborhood Watch, Rhonda explains: "Our dog Mason loved to perch on this lichen-covered boulder on our patio and keep an eye out for activity below."

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

The 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild Fiesta (4)

Can you believe it... an in-person quilt show! We hope you enjoy these fabulous creations from the talented quilters of the Tucson Quilters Guild.  As you can see, they have been quilting up a storm for the last two years.  Here is Part 4 of our photos.

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

Geese Encircling the Stars by Ann Adams, quilted by Linda Cote'

Winner of 1st place in the Small-Pieced quilt category, here is a stunning rendition of Jacqueline de Jonge's Enchanting Stars pattern!  Ann Adams began this foundation paper-pieced quilt in a class with Jacqueline in February 2020. She notes that it was challenging to use so many different batiks to produce the color gradations. The end result is positively luminous and well-deserving of its blue ribbon.

What's Up Doc? by Suzanne Irving

Suzanne Irving designed and made this quilt for her son, Louis, who will be receiving his doctoral degree this year.  "Cow" became his childhood nickname, bestowed upon him by his big brother David. 

This delightful quilt was inspired by a painting titled "Maisie in Black and White" by Tucson artist Geri Bringman (one of Suzanne's favorite artists).  Suzanne included many features of the Sonoran Desert, including red rocks and a hillside dotted with saguaros!

Rain Forest by Ruth Sharp

Rain Forest began with a fabric panel that was added to, cut out, and thread painted, creating a lush tropical landscape of trees, bushes, flowers, butterflies and birds.  The waterfalls were added, and many different thread colors were used to enhance this scene.

You can see details of Ruth Sharp's expert thread painting of the parrot, as shown above. This quilt was awarded Honorable Mention in the Art-Pictorial/Whimsical category.

A Corgi for Every Season by Lynn Rubel

Here is a paper pieced quilt based on Lisa Fryxell's "Life's A Beach Corgi" pattern. Seven smiling Corgis adorn this cute wall quilt, which was made and quilted by Lynn Rubel as a gift for her cousin, who owns a pack of award-winning Corgis. Are you curious about the sashing fabric? It has printed corgi silhouettes with text that reads, "Corgi butts drive me nuts." (Who knew?)

Each cute Corgi has distinctive clothing, button eyes, and an embroidered smile!  (Winner of Honorable Mention at the Tucson show.)

Crystal - by Hoffman "Sew Into It", by Janice Graham

This sparkling star quilt, made and quilted by Janice Graham, was based on the Hoffman California Fabrics Crystal pattern.  Janice says that this quilt was a real challenge as each pre-cut piece was cut on the bias, so each seam had to be exact. "There were days that I put it away, and started on it again the next day." She notes that she loves the finished quilt. It was truly a showstopper (winner of Honorable Mention award.)

Daisy Chain by Peg Clampet

Daisy Chain is an original design based on the Kool Kaleidoscope technique, which was taught by Ricky Tims at the first virtual Quilt Luminarium (courtesy of the pandemic).  The large floral print fabrics were an inspired choice for this colorful quilt, adding dimension and interest to the overall design!  Some pieces were fussy cut to highlight the large flower prints. Peg Clampet used an overall quilting design, with leaves, to continue the floral theme.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

Autumn Approaches

It's just about time to start crunching leaves and adding pumpkin spice to everything. Autumn is just around the corner !  In the next few weeks, we'll feature some of our favorite quilts that celebrate this time of year.

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. 

Faithful Companion by Charlotte Freeman (California)

This stunning art quilt, resplendent with fall colors, was exhibited at the 2020 Road to California quilt show.  Designer and maker Charlotte Freeman says, "This quilt is an original design from a personal photo of my husband's favorite hunting companion.  I appropriately distorted the Hunters Star block for the background, and appliqued California Quail in the grass and fussy cut them for the square-in-square border blocks."

Charlotte Freeman has perfectly captured the dog's watchful pose, as seen in this closeup photo.  She explains that the dog's head was partially ink painted on a hand dyed fabric, as is the shading on her body.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Road to California show.

Best of the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2019 (day 4)

Held annually in Santa Clara, California, the Pacific International Quilt Festival is the largest quilt show on the west coast of the U.S.A. It features a wonderful variety of beautiful quilts! Here are some of the highlights of the festival. Let us know which ones are your favorites!

P.S.  For quilt patterns, books, and vintage collectibles, please visit us on E-Bay quilt-inspiration !

Play With Me!, 90 x 90, by Inger Blood, California 

We are sure this dog will succeed in getting its owner to play... after all, who could resist that sweet face!  This original design quilt was created by Inger Blood from a photo, using commercial batiks for the motif and background piecing. In the lower border is a dog bone with the title of the quilt, Play With Me!  The quilting was done with a domestic sewing machine.

A Border of Flowers, 56.5 x 34", by Lois Evans, New Zealand

Lois Evans says, "This quilt is my personal response to the quote: "Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilization." (Lincoln Steffens)  Like flowers, art comes in all shapes, sizes, and varieties, but hopefully all serve to make us stop, look and think... If only we would grow flowers and make art instead of creating borders."  This original design was machine appliqued and sewing machine quilted.

Transported, 56 x 55.5", by Ann Horton, California

Ann Horton says, "This quilt began immediately after wildfire swept across our property, leaving us without water, electricity, or neighbors.  We saved our home but it was a terrifying experience.  I reached for some  fabric in my smoke-filled house and began stitching by hand, knowing I would eventually use my machines to finish the piece. The colors, animals and exotic feel transported me from the blackened earth and shock to a world of color and joy." Transported was machine pieced, machine appliqued, and sewing machine quilted.

Baker Beach, 38.5 x 53.5", by Sandra Mollon, California

Featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach was derived from a photo by John Slot.  Sandra Mollon says, "This quilt was my attempt to interpret the movement and reflections of water of this very iconic Northern California landmark and beach." The fabric was mostly hand dyed, raw edge fused and sewing machine quilted.

Crazy In Love, 40 x 40", by Diana Vandeyar, South Africa

Diana Vandeyar says, "This flamboyant quilt was inspired by Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" song and music video featuring Jay Z.  It uses a vibrant selection of African wax prints, gold lame fabric and an improved minimalist wedding-ring pattern (a technique I developed and which I thought fitting for the theme of the quilt.)  It is machine quilted with orange thread in a freeform grid, and hand stitched with electric blue Perle cotton for texture and color juxtaposition."

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Quilts from the Springville Museum of Art (part 3)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows around.  It features award-winning quilts from Utah, a state blessed with an abundance of accomplished quilters. Here are some highlights of this year's show!

Note: please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectibles ! For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Spring Flower by Monette Klinkenberg

Monette did not provide any details on the description card for her quilt, but we can see that it is a lively flower that bursts forth to greet the sunlight in a new season. The scalloped border edge provides a nice contrast to the geometric points of the flower petals.

Close-up, Spring Flower

Monique's use of vibrant color is enhanced by the dark neutral background.  The solid stitching that she has done around the petals of each leaf provide outline and definition, helping them to "pop" off the background.

Chance by Karen Post

Karen explains, "Chance is very mad as he waits in the animal shelter for just the right person whom HE will choose as his new owner. Chance belongs to my dear friend, and he is a little hellion ! He is always in trouble. "

Close-up, Chance

Karen continues, "I created Chance on my domestic machine using the art form of thread painting. There are probably 60-75 different colors of threads in this art quilt." Karen has created excellent texture, dimensionality, and detail with her wonderful thread painting. Chance looks so realistic, that we're tempted to give his head a friendly pat !

Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses 2019 by Lil Anderson, quilted by Jane Giles and friends

Honorable Mention Award winner Lil remarks, "I love scrappy quilts. I had so much fun with this quilt, because each block is different. It was as much fun to pick the fabric and fussy cut the pieces as it was to put it together."
(The pattern is in the book Lucy Boston: Patchwork of the Crosses by Linda Franz.)

Close-up, Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses

Lil adds, "The original was English paper pieced. It took a little longer (3 years), but I chose to hand piece each block without the papers." Lil's intricate, precise piecing gives her work such a professional, finished touch. This is truly an heirloom quilt, to be treasured for years to come.

Mosaic Masterpiece by Kathy Porter, quilted by Kim Peterson

Show Committee Award winner Kathy writes, "I used Quiltsmart and Tensisters grid interfacing to make this quilt and fabric from my stash. The quarter inch grid design used on the board literally took me a couple of years to finish."

Close-up, Mosaic Masterpiece

Kathy concludes, "This is my Masterpiece, because I will NEVER do it again!"  We congratulate Kathy on the completion of her beautiful quilt, with its brilliant colors and incredible workmanship.

That Town and Country by Katherine Porter, quilted by Virginia Gore

Award of Excellence winner Katherine Porter  (not to be confused with the quilter above) says, " I have loved making this quilt. I saw the pattern and knew it was perfect to hang in a room I am redoing. There are 365 four-inch block in the pattern. it transforms from the city at night to the country in daylight. I have 293 blocks plus the mountains on the border."

(The pattern is That Town and Country Quilt Book ~ A Block a Day for a Year by Susan Claire Mayfield.)

Katherine adds, "The designer is from New Zealand, and I chose to keep the colloquialisms in the wording [of the signs]. I did add much of the embroidery and just in general enhanced most of the blocks with added details. I am almost sad it is finished.It was just so much fun to make."  We love house quilts, and the details of this fabulous quilt make it a real joy to look at. With every glance, we are aware of another fascinating motif or whimsical embellishment.

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