Highlights of the Utah quilt show (1)

Each year, the Springville Museum of Art (Utah) has one of the best quilt shows in the country.  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!

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In Adoration of a New Mom by Kim McCloskey (Provo, Utah)

Kim McCloskey won the Show Committee Award for her design, which was made for her daughter to celebrate the birth of her first child (and Kim's first granddaughter.)  Kim says that the pattern was based on Gustav Klimt's work "The Three Ages of Women." We admired the serene repose of the faces and and the flowing lines of the hair, which was adorned with embroidered rosettes (below).

Baskets a la Carte by CodyMarie Mazuran (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Baskets a la Carte was beautifully pieced, appliqued, and hand quilted by members of the Holiday Quilt Show and Auction Board (Intermountain Healthcare), celebrating the event's 40th year. This stunning quilt won a blue ribbon (Award of Excellence). The design was inspired by a 5" basket block created by noted quilter and author, Cody Mazuran.

You can see the incredible hand-turned applique and precision hand quilting done by guild members in the closeup photo, below.

 My Story by Sheila Stettler (Kaysville, Utah), quilted by Kristina Whitney

Sheila Stettler tells her life story in this quilt, which won an Award of Excellence at the 2022 Springville show.  She says, "This quilt represents my life up until high school." It depicts her house and that of her best friend, her grandma's house, and many other details of the neighborhood and Sheila's life. All of the elements are beautifully designed, appliqued and embroidered.

Sheila's expert embroidery can been seen throughout the quilt including the flowers, bunny rabbit, and the girls' hair as shown above.

Insect by Shauna Kawasaki (Provo, Utah)

Shauna Kawasaki received the Art Director's Award for this unique work of fabric art. Insect was created with raw edge applique, extensively stitched and beaded, and edged with fringe.  This insect came from her sketchbook and imagination, making it very individual.  Each segment of the insect's body is rendered in great detail as if seen through a microscope.

Shauna says, "Mother Nature has the greatest creations.  All we can do is mimic.  Large or small, each is worthy of our admiration.  Insects deserve our love and admiration, for each one is individual in its design."  Some of the details of the hand stitching and beading can be seen in the closeup photo, below.

Happy Golden Days by Andrea Erekson (Midvale, Utah)

A puzzle of different blocks make up this dynamic sampler quilt! Happy Golden Days was inspired by the Golden Days quilt pattern by Jen Kingwell Designs (Australia). Andrea Erekson's quilt was done in a completely different fabric scheme with bright colors against a dark background. We enjoyed the details of the fabrics and their construction; some of them were fussy cut for added visual interest. (see the figures in the cathedral windows blocks below!)

Andrea says, "I made this quilt because I wanted to improve my skills and my local quilt shop was teaching it one block per month.  I attended class with a group of women that were all superior quilters.  I learned so much from them and it was a wonderful year of quilting for me, that is what I will always think about when I look at this quilt."  Dramatic contrasts bring out the creative detail of the flower block, below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah.