Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (4)

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 4 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter. 

Cactus Trio, made and quilted by Barbara Lambrecht.  

This still life of cacti in pots is beautifully done. Winner of a 2nd place ribbon in the Art- Realistic category, Barbara Lambrecht says: "Two cacti from the class with Jane Haworth needed a companion.  I designed the barrel cactus to accompany the others. I used eyelash yarn for the spines and fused flowers for the blossoms."  

The Color of Music, made and quilted by Stephanie Nordlin

Winner of a ribbon for 3rd place in the Art - Realistic category, Stephanie Nordlin says, "My granddaugher recorded herself playing keyboard and guitar.  Her jacket [in the quilt] is made from leftover fabric from a shirt I made her 16 years ago.  Her face is made from layers of dyed silk."

Blossoms, made and quilted by Barbara Lambrecht

 Oh my... This gorgeous floral quilt is hand quilted; scroll down for closeup photos. Winner of the Exemplary Hand Quilting award, plus a red ribbon (2nd place) in the One Person Primarily Applique category. 

The blocks are original designs by Barbara Lambrecht, plus one from the book, East Quilts West by Kumiko Sudo.  Barbara Lambrecht says, "I designed these blossoms and finally found a setting design that was public domain.  This quilt is the first of two I made." We hope you can see the tiny hand quilting stitches in the background in these photos...

Sonoran Star Burst by Saddlebrooke Quilters entered by Tami Graeber; quilted by Athena Taylor.  

Winner of a ribbon for 2nd place in the Group Quilt category, this is the Saddlebrooke Quilters' 2026 Raffle Quilt. A chocolate background was chosen to make the desert color palette pop! The scallop border was added to soften the sharp lines. The quilt included two patterns designed by Linda McGibbons: Canyon Twilight & Luminary.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  NOTE: Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning we earn a small commission if an item is purchased from an Amazon link on this page. (There is no extra charge to you.)  Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration.

HIghlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (3)

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 3 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

Racing the Sunset by Karen Neuendorf  

 This little art quilt is so well done!  It depicts racing the sunset to get home before dark. Karen Neuendorf says that she made it by using the "Accidental Landscapes" technique. Roving was used to create the appearance of dust at the base of the horses' hooves. [Note: The Accidental Landscapes method was created by Karen Eckmeier and is described in her book, Accidental Landscapes - Surprisingly Simple Quilted Landscapes.]

Arizona Blanket by Karen Chrisman, quilted by Linda Powell.  

Winner of a 2nd place award, this quilt was based on the  "Indian Blanket" pattern and class by Reeze Hanson. Karen Christman modified the pattern presented in class, using much less black.  "I chose the rich colors of our southwest to showcase the design. The print of the border is the perfect frame for my 'Arizona Blanket'."  

This was beautifully pieced by Karen Chrisman, and quilted by Linda Powell. NOTE: As of this writing, the Indian Blanket pattern by Reeze Hanson can be found at her website, Morning Glory Designs.

Southwest Sunrise, made and quilted by Luanne Wood.  

"Southwest Sunrise" was based on a BOM pattern, designed in 12 parts by Reeze Hanson. Luanne Wood says, "I learned a lot about New Mexico's Zuni Indian tribe from this pattern.  I added thread drawn motifs of Arizona's Sonoran Desert in the corners of the main section, and revised the outer border."  

Southwest Sunrise was first exhibited at the 2023 Quilt Fiesta, winning multiple awards, including a Judge's Choice and Exemplary Machine Quilting by a Non-Professional. 

Orphans No More by Katherine O'Brien, quilted by Penny Boese.  

This quilt started with "orphan" blocks from the Moda Blockheads 2 patterns.  Katherine created an original layout for the final quilt, adding the setting star and additional blocks. She completed the project due to a group challenge to complete poor unfinished projects. Winner of a Judge's Special Merit award, AND a NACQJ Award of Merit from the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges. The "waves" quilting was done by Penny Boese.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show.  Note: Quilt Inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning we earn a small commission if an item is purchased from an Amazon link on this page. (There is no extra charge to you.)  Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration.

 

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.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

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.

Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (1)

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 1 of 5.

p.s. Please see our E-Bay shop for great bargains on jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. For more free patterns, please follow us on Twitter.

My Turtle from Tula's 100 Blocks, made and quilted by Penny Boese.  

Winner of a Judge's Choice award, this fantastic batik quilt was based on Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, arranged in a unique setting by Penny Boese.  She wanted to take Tula's 100 blocks in a different direction and settled on her favorite sea animal, using EQ8 to design the layout.  

Westerlund 2 Stellar Nursery, made and quilted by Janet Hasson.  

Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Viewers Choice category, this stunning original quilt by Janet Hasson is composed of 1600 1-1/2" paper pieced squares using a watercolor technique. The appearance of glittering stars is created by thousands of beads and pearls sewn on top of the squares.

The inspiration for Janet's design was a photograph released by NASA celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary in 2015 (NASA photo below):  

As NASA describes it, the brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display. The sparkling centerpiece of this fireworks show is a giant cluster of thousands of stars called Westerlund 2.

In the quilt by Janet Hasson, subtle gradations of color suggest the swirling gas clouds in Westerlund 2. The beads represent the young super bright massive stars approximately 20,000 light years away.

Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht  

The quilt show included a special display of original works by local art quilters. We love Carmen Romantica by Barb Lambrecht.  It was inspired by a 1973 greeting card that looked much like Carmen Miranda.  This piece is hand appliqued and embellished with paint and a piece of recycled, hand dyed lace.

Through the Stained Glass by JT Taylor, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

The gorgeous colors and stained glass effect of this quilt really drew us in. Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st Place in the Two Person- Medium Pieced category, plus a special award for Best Use of Color, JT Taylor says she collected fabrics for this quilt for about a year in hopes of making a sunset and stained glass quilt. The pattern source was "Striped Surprise" by 3 Dudes Quilting Designs. 

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2026 Tucson Quilters Guild show. NOTE:  Quilt inspiration is an Amazon Associate, meaning that Amazon pays us a small commission if you purchase an item from a link on this page; there is no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of Quilt Inspiration, and for reading our blog!

 

 

In Honor of Harriet Powers: Mother of African-American Story Quilts (Part 2)

Today we continue our feature on 19^th century quiltmaker Harriet Powers and the re-creations of her work by the PSSMQG as seen in a special exhibit curated by Juandamarie Gikandi at the Houston International Quilt Festival. Also see Part 1 of our tribute for more on Harriet Powers and the significance of her work.

The Bible Quilt, 88” by 73 ¾", by Harriet Powers (1837-1910)

Finished in 1886, Harriet’s  Bible Quilt is made from cotton cloth and and arranged in three rows, with a total of 11 panels, done by hand and machine applique. It portrays stories and scenes from the Bible, which were re-created in modern day fabrics by members of the PSSMQG as shown below.

 Jacob’s Dream by Vera Hall

This beautiful block is a rendition of Jacob’s dream of a ladder to heaven, as shown in the original Bible Quilt above (second row, third block from the left.)

Vera writes, “Harriet Powers was born one hundred years before me – I feel like the next generation. Inspired by her brilliance, I hand-appliqued the piece, blending family collaboration, Biblical study, and vibrant fabrics. Like Powers, I honor tradition through community, research, and storytelling- infusing each stitch with history, faith, and personal meaning.”   

Vera’s design source was a drawing done by Juandamarie Gikandi of the original Bible Quilt pattern. Vera used hand and machine applique, hand and machine embroidery, paper piecing, and embellishment to complete her meaningful block.

The Baptism of Christ by Juandamarie Gikandi

Juandamarie drew her pattern from a photograph of the original block of the Bible Quilt (second row, far right.) For this lovely and evocative block, Juandamarie used hand applique, dyeing, and quilting, plus machine and paper piecing.

Juandamarie explains, “Inspired by Harriet Powers’ vision of the Holy Spirit at Christ’s baptism, I used South African Shweshwe fabric to suggest winged motion as the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, is shown descending and resting upon Jesus’ shoulder. Dutch wax fabric, rich with butterflies, fish, and lush foliage, evokes faith, beauty, and ancestral memory, its symbolism grounding the work in both spiritual transcendence and the story’s historical resonance."   

Judas Iscariot and the Thirty Pieces of Silver by Victoria Meisel

Victoria Meisel’s block is based on the original Bible Quilt block on the bottom row, second from left. Victoria’s design inspiration was the pattern drawn by Juandamarie Gikandi. 

Victoria remarks, “I chose bold, metallic fabric to reflect Mrs. Powers’ vibrant style. The 30 silver pieces symbolize Judas’ betrayal and the corrupting power of money. I used brown to express his loneliness, isolation, and sorrow. Quilting such a historically significant subject and re-imagining it in a modern context is truly exciting.” We admire Victoria’s beautiful work in hand applique and quilting!

The Holy Family by Mada Coles Galloway

“The Holy Family” refers to the bottom row, far right block of The Bible Quilt, symbolizing the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Mada Cole Galloway’s design source is a pattern drawn by Juandamarie Gikandi, based on the photograph of the original block. Mada notes, “The birth of Jesus reveals God’s glory as the only human born without sin. Colors symbolize divinity (gold), spiritual darkness (black), and purity (white). African batiks frame the Holy Family and star, while the Nsoromma symbol, used for the Christ child, means ‘child of the heavens’, symbolizing God’s guardianship." 

 

To create this vibrant, strikingly attractive block, Mada used hand applique, dyeing, and quilting; plus machine applique, embroidery, piecing, and quilting; plus paper piecing. 

NOTE: We truly enjoyed this wonderful special exhibit at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival. We are pleased to learn that the United States Postal Service will be issuing a commemorative postage stamp on February 26, 2023, in honor of Mrs. Harriet Powers and her contribution to the quilting arts and to African-American history. 

 

 

Image credits: The photo of the Bible Quilt is from Wikipedia. Photos of the quilts by Vera Hall, Victoria Meisel, Mada Coles Galloway, and Juandamarie Gikandi were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival. 

 

In Honor of Harriet Powers: Mother of African-American Story Quilts (Part 1)

Harriet Powers was an important quilting foremother! Do you know about her contributions to the quilting arts? In honor of Harriet Powers and Black History Month, we are introducing a two part series on Harriet Powers and the quilters of today who are keeping her memory alive. 

With thanks and appreciation to the PSSMQG - Home Princeton Sankofa Stitchers, curated by Juandamarie Gikandi and the Houston International Quilt Festival. 

Harriet Powers created folk art quilts using appliqued images in cloth to convey the stories of the Bible and other legends. Two of Harriet’s quilts have survived to the present day, including the “Pictorial Quilt” of 1898, shown above. Its fifteen panels contain vignettes drawn from Bible stories and historical events.

Born enslaved near Athens, Georgia in 1837, Harriet Powers learned to sew as a child. She married at the age of eighteen, and after emancipation, she and her husband saved enough to buy a small farm in Clarke County. She became known as a quilter when she exhibited her first quilt at the Athens Cotton Fair in 1886.  

Photograph of Harriet Powers, c. 1901, via Wikipedia. 

At the recent International Quilt Show in Houston, TX, our attention was drawn to the Special Exhibit of renditions and re-creations of Harriet Powers’ quilt blocks, curated by Juandamarie Gikandi for the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild (PSSMQG).   

The word “Sankofa” means reaching back to the past in order to move forward, to create, educate, and to engage in philanthropic projects.  The guild members have done an outstanding job of re-creating Harriet Powers’ blocks. Here is one of the quilts from the Houston exhibit:

Adam and Eve in the Garden, by Rose Mary Briggs, quilted by Susan Ezzo 

 

This block shows Adam and Eve, the sun, the rib from which Eve was made, God’s merciful hand and all seeing eye, plus the serpent which tempted Eve. The quilt was inspired by “Adam and Eve” in Harriet Powers’ Pictorial Quilt (top row, 4^th block from the left.) 

Rose Mary Briggs writes, “Inspired by Harriet Powers’ vision, I reinterpreted Adam and Eve in the Garden through a contemporary lens rooted in my church upbringing. Hand stitching and applique techniques, drawn from Powers’ work, honor her West African roots while emphasizing the enduring relevance of the creation story through modern fabric and symbolism.”   

Briggs' design source was “A Pattern Book from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; based on an applique quilt by Mrs. Harriet Powers."

Image credits: Photos of Adam & Eve in the Garden were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.  Photos of Harriet Powers and her Pictorial Quilt are from Wikipedia.