Quilt Inspiration: The 2022 Tucson Quilters Guild Fiesta (1)

Can you believe it... an in-person quilt show! WOW! 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.

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Painted Ponies by Lisa Fryxell

Winner of a Quilt Show Chair's Choice award, Lisa Fryxell's original design was inspired by drawings of horses and design elements from Native American artists. We loved everything about this quilt including the design, colors, and masterful techniques! The horses tails are even adorned with ribbons and feathers.

Graphic patterns on the horses are found in rugs, pottery, jewelry and blankets. The border designs are dragonflies and “beadwork” patterns. The background quilting is based on Native American pottery decorations. Check out all of Lisa Fryxell's patterns at the Prefurred Quilt Shop on Etsy.

Javelinas Rule by Lynn Parker

The pretty colors drew us to this original landscape quilt by Lynn Parker, who designed the quilt to celebrate the Arizona desert and its residents, the javelinas (peccaries) that roam among the cactus. Lynn says, "My Southwest desert scene started with my painting the sky. Then I put down the desert floor with eggshells and sand. There is lots of thread painting with Sulky Solvy, 3D cactus pads and a lot of hand embroidery to finish it off and give it depth."

In the closeup photo above you can see the thread-painted javelinas and the prickly pear pads done in cool batiks and print fabrics, artfully stitched to the background with cross-stitches resembling thorns. This piece won 3rd prize for its artful thread painting.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Manya Powell, quilted by Creative Lines Quilting

This stunning quilt was begun as an online quilt-along for the Down The Rabbit Hole block-of-the-month project by Sarah Fielke. We loved Manya Powell's beautiful jewel-tone hues, floral borders, and use of prints. Manya says the project took several years to complete. It's no surprise that this masterpiece won a Quilt Show Chair's Choice award at the show.

Remembering Betty Jean by Jean Biddick

Quilt designer and teacher, Jean Biddick, is an Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame 2015 inductee. She completed this magnificent quilt after eight years of work (!) The Arizona colors of turquoise and coral are beautifully presented against the neutral backdrop. The design was based on a picture of a quilt a friend’s mother made years ago, and a traditional quilt block (Indianapolis) skewed to change a square into a rectangle.

Her beautiful hand quilting can be seen in the photo above. Jean Biddick details the challenges as follows: "Plans for fancy floral hand-quilting that did not work. Years of hand-quilting, un-quilting, redesigning and re-quilting. Fabrics that bled (even after prewashing). After 8 years – a finished quilt!" This large quilt was hand-quilted, winning a red ribbon (2nd place) in the One-Person Pieced, Hand Quilted category.

Spiral Motion by Carol W. Carpenter, quilted by Quality Quilters

Expert shading of blues, from dark to light, make this optical illusion pop right off the surface of this eye-catching Spiral Motion quilt. Carol W. Carpenter says, "This difficult pattern by Kathleen Andrews was a challenge and at times frustrating, but I persevered! The end result is spectacular, and my favorite colors of blue are vibrantly displayed. I’m glad I accepted this quilting challenge"

Zuni Pots by Palma Davis

This is a fantastic rendition of 12 different pots, with designs from several New Mexican pueblos. Each pot is displayed in its own ‘niche’ on this dramatic quilt. Palma Davis says, “I learned many spiritual things with each pot. [The] quilting is simplistic so as not to detract from the exquisite pots.” The quilt was based on the Bountiful Blessings machine embroidery designs is by Anna’s Awesome Applique.