Quilt Arizona! Part 5

Warm sunny weather greeted us upon our desert adventure to Quilt Arizona!, the new name for the 2016 annual show of the Arizona Quilters Guild in Mesa, Arizona.  Here's Part 5 of the highlights of the show, plus some of our personal favorites.
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Antelope Canyon by Georgia Heller

Third place winner in the Art Quilts/ Painted or Digital category, Georgia notes of her original design, "My interpretation [was] inspired by my photo of Antelope Canyon."  A small thread-painted tree, on the right-hand side of the quilt, lends perspective to the scene. We admire the gorgeous colors of this stunning quilt, which shows the nuances of sunlight and shadow, as the viewer looks upward into the blue sky.

Antelope Canyon is a picturesque canyon in northern Arizona, characterized by twisting sandstone walls. This quilting pattern very realistically depicts the striations in the spiral rock patterns. Georgia quilted this beautiful work herself, using a stationary machine.

Jam Session by Patsy Kittredge

Honorable Mention winner in the category of Art/Abstract quilts,  Patsy writes about her original design,  "Ah, music...it flows, ignites, sparkles, calms, interweaves, spills over... and moves you." This lively, energetic work clearly exemplifies Patsy's enthusiasm and love of music.

Patsy has added some very "jazzy" embellishments to her quilt, along with the use of tulle netting. We really liked this quilt, as it was so imaginative, vibrant, and fanciful.

Southwest Squares, 52 x 78, by Daryl Lynn, quilted by Laura Jansen

After 6 years of blogging here on Quilt Inspiration about other people's quilts, Daryl Lynn finally took the time to make a quilt to enter into a show ! This isn't Daryl Lynn's first effort at quilting, but it is her first quilt show entry.  Daryl Lynn used the pattern "Bright Squares" from Heritage Quilts by Kaffe Fassett. Check out the book, which is posted on our right hand sidebar ! (Just scroll down a little).  It is full of brightly colored quilts, that are really fun to make, with an easy-to-understand text and instructions.

This quilt is comprised of more than one thousand  2-inch fabric squares.  The squares are sewn into big 26 inch square blocks, which are then pieced together. Daryl Lynn would like to thank her sister and fellow blogger Marina, longarm quilter Laura Jansen, and teacher Margrit Hall.

Field of Wishes by Barbara Janson

Honorable Mention winner in the category of Art/Innovative quilts, Barbara writes about her original design,  "The vacant lot behind our house was filled with dandelions this summer while I learned to ride my two-wheeler bike." The inner border of black and white print fabric adds a very whimsical, creative touch to this softly-hued work.

Barbara continues, "Layers of tulle and dryer sheets create the puffs with embroidered seeds and beading. We think this embellishment is really pretty and gives the perfect effect of  wispy dandelions floating gently in the summer breeze. Barbara quilted this work herself using a stationary machine.

Clementine, Isabella, Mr. Nadia and many more by Rosemarie Snow, quilted by Debbie Stanton

Honorable Mention winner in the Large Applique quilts category, Rosemarie remarks, "My daughter Julie loves and has chickens. When I saw this pattern, Funky Chickens by Sindy Rodenmayer, I knew I had to make it for her.The fabrics are mostly by Kaffe Fassett." We think these chickens are just bursting with personality, and the eye-catching colors really "pop" against the black background.

Look at this chicken's neck, which is actually a floral fabric; however, Rosemarie uses it in such a skilful way here, that it looks like chicken feathers! Using a track mounted machine, Debbie Stanton did a fabulous job of longarm quilting this happy quilt.

Kate's Vintage Compass by Kathy O'Brien, quilted by Penny Boese

Honorable Mention winner in the Pieced Medium-size quilts category, Kathy notes, " [I took an] excellent class with Judy Niemeyer certified instructor Jackie Kunkel . I love the red/black combination."  We agree with Kathy that the use of red, black, and white fabric here creates a very striking and elegant combination. 

Kathy's design inspiration was the Vintage Compass pattern by Judy Niemeyer. The very artistic quilting is a digitized pattern by Penny Boese.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.