Highlights of the 2026 Quilt Fiesta! (5)

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 5 of 5.

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Greek Garden Party, made and quilted by Tami Graeber.  

In this original design, the Greek keys were hand drawn.  Tami Graeber says that she needed a project on a cruise, so she packed fabric and a limited color palette of paint.  She machine appliqued the elements to the back and added the Greek key border for a fun thing to do. The giant rick rack completes this whimsical piece.

Firefly Dance by Shawna Wallis, quilted by Kris Neifeld.  

Winner of the Quilt Show Chair's Choice award, this panel "One Block Wonder" quilt was begun with a class by Susie Weaver. [The One Block Wonder technique is by Maxine Rosenfeld.]  Shawna Wallis says, "When I saw this panel I knew if would be perfect for a One Block Wonder.  It exceeded my expectations!"

My Childhood in Wyoming, made and quilted by Julie Hallquist

A variation of Alex Anderson's Sequoia Sampler, this quilt won 1st Place and a blue ribbon in the One Person Small Pieced category. Julie Hallquist says, "This is full of reflections of my childhood on a sheep ranch in Wyoming.  My mother's poppies, my grandmother's Swedish heritage, our log cabin, learning to sew, the ever-present wind, and millions of stars at night."

 

 Purple Pineapple, made and quilted by Ann Weber

Ann Weber says, "We have purple potatoes these days - why not purple pineapples? I had been wanting to make a purple quilt to combine lots of different purple fabrics that I had been collecting. Then for some reason, I was drawn to trying the pineapple block. I had so much fun making this and watching the pineapples appear." The quilt is based on the classic pineapple block.  

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.

Road to Halloween!

Wow! Here's a stunning, large Halloween quilt made with fabric panels using the one-block-wonder technique.  It must have been fun designing and arranging the hexagon blocks! This quilt really sparkles.

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Road to Halloween, made and quilted by Sandra Yeager

 

In 2006, Maxine Rosenthal wrote a book called One-Block Wonders, which described quilts made from a single fabric. Many fabric arts have put their own creative spin on this technique!  Sandra Yeager says she made her quilt with seven fabric panels, building dozens of hexagons while challenging her artist design capabilities. (Seven panels would be required to create this many hexagons, since the quilt was quite large.)  We love the teal and orange combinations and the spooky haunted house!

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Arizona Quilters Guild show.

Autumn River Walk

It's a wonderful season to enjoy the fall colors and cooler weather. Here is a glorious quilt that celebrates the colors of autumn and the creativity of one-block-wonder designs.

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Autumn River Walk by Kris Neifeld and Susie Weaver, quilted by Kris Neifeld.

Winner of an award in the Two Person, Primarily Pieced category, Kris Neifeld says: "Susie [Weaver] and I took liberties with the one-block wonder design during the process of wrestling this together.  My college roommate asked for an autumn wall quilt. Twenty-five years later, it's completed. Hopefully I can get it to them before 25 more years go by."   

We've always loved the effects that can be created with one-block wonder quilts. The kaleidoscope blocks, seen in the closeup photos, were creatively arranged to maxmize the impression of blue water and colorful trees.

You can see many more examples of one-block wonder quilts on this blog:  CLICK HERE!

Image credits:  Photos of Autumn River Walk were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters Guild show.

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (1)

 Welcome to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This exhibition features quilts of all shapes and sizes created by some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt illustrates a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos.

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Heavenly Splendor (2023) by Pat Bell, quilted by Chadra Poulson.  

Winner of a blue ribbon (Award of Excellence), Pat Bell says, "In a small way, enjoying the beauty of a sunset feels like enjoying a bit of heaven. My grandson took a sunset picture in 2021 at Lake Powell which was the inspiration for my original design."  

Pat says that she first began quilting in 2023. "This is my second quilt and it was created in the 2023 "Kaffe Club Quilt Class", taught by my sister, Kaye Evans. I chose to create a king size New York Beauty quilt using paper pieced patterns from the book New York Beauty Sampler by Cinzia White. I added One Block Wonder blocks using my focus fabric, "Love Always" by Anna Maria.

Knocking On Heaven's Door (2023) by Marcia Peterson, quilted by Jen Ostler

This fantastic original design really spoke to us, as a woman bearing her burdens "knocks on heaven's door".  Marcia Peterson says, "At times, I have found myself struggling to carry difficulties and burdens.  Sometimes I feel I can square my shoulders to the challenge, but other times it's overwhelming...  I know I am not the only one - no one is immune from trials.  I needed to express how it feels to "take the hard times to God when I am at my limit."

Posh Penelope (2023) by Averi Smith, quilted by Tanya Colbert.

Averi Smith built some wonderful contrasts and colors into this design.  She says, "This was my first time doing curves and it was a fun project.  I'm happy with how it turned out."  [Note: The Posh Penelope quilt pattern is by Sew Kind of Wonderful. It combines a love for curves with on-point sashing and cornerstones.] 

 What a Wonderful World (2024) by Judy Hainsworth, quilted by Judy Hainsworth

Judy Hainsworth won an Award of Excellence for this quilt, with its fantastic embroidery designs and stitches.  Judy says, "While recovering from foot surgeries, I was "no weight-bearing" for a total of 12 weeks.  To keep my spirits up, I began the embroidery portion of this quilt.  My daughters and Pinterest provided the embroidery designs... Happily, everything came together."  

 

Steam Punk (2024) by Kathleen Gee, quilted by Emmy Evans.

Kathleen Gee says, "After many years of admiring this pattern, I was finally motivated to make the quilt after my friend brought her version to our sewing group.  The color palette is a complete departure from my typical "quilting comfort zone", but I had fun coming up with combinations for the blocks with some help from my daughter.  My curved piecing skill improved along the way, too!" [Note: The Steam Punk pattern is by Jen Kingwell Designs.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Springville (Utah) Museum of Art in August, 2024.

Intersections: A Utah Surface Design Group Showcase (2)

Surface Design encompasses the coloring, patterning, and structuring of fiber and fabric. This involves processes such as dyeing, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, and papermaking. The Utah Surface Design Group is a group of artists dedicated to this genre. Here are some highlights of their 2024 exhibit — titled Intersections — at the Brigham City Museum.

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Stag Quilt (2023) by Quincy Davenport, quilted by Jami Herndon

Stag Quilt was inspired by a love of kaleidoscopes, quilting, and the challenge of using fabric panels innovatively.  Quincy Davenport says, "By stacking and cutting six stag panels into vertical strips, then further dividing them into sets of equilateral triangles, a transformative process unfolds... The resulting hexagons, the kaleidoscopic windows, encircle the original panel, offering a glimpse into a world of vibrant symmetry and intricate design." 

The piece was created with cotton fabric panels from the Whispering Pines collection by Northcott Fabrics.  The One Block Wonder technique used 6 panels to create hexagons which are arranged around one of the panels.  The closeup photo below shows the intriguing kaleidoscope patterns.

Black Vase (2020) by Susan Reese.

Black Vase is wonderful still life bouquet, made with collage and commercial fabrics, which were machine stitched and appliqued. Susan Reese says, "In our vegetable garden we have a section for flowers - a cutting garden. My husband makes beautiful bouquets (his art) that fill our home all summer.  So once again, it's an intersection of nature and fiber and family. I find that I'm inspired to express my work series."

The Mother Tree: Keeper of Wisdom (2023) by Jane De Groff.

The Mother Tree is a beautiful piece created with shibori on cotton, dyed with juniper, curly dock seeds, and indigo. Shibori is an ancient, shaped resist, dyeing technique that involves manipulating cloth by stitching, folding, binding, and compressing it before dyeing. Quilting and applique were also used.

Jane De Groff says, "This piece represents a tree but is also symbolic of the divine feminine, who connects us deeply to the earth... Using my hands, the tactile and magical nature of shibori, and harvesting plants for dyes, all help create a stronger intersection between earth and heaven." 

Ancient Connection (2024) by Polly Masaryk.

Here is a fascinating piece made with reclaimed cotton dish cloths and the artist's daughter's baby diapers. Raw edges, embroidered patches, and frayed edges add to the visual interest. The full title of the piece is Ancient Connection: Mother's Blood and Children's Tears, Children's Blood and Mother's Tears.  The artist's description begins with a poem by Herman Hesse, including this phrase: 'This is our way of listening to it, the huge serene heart, and it is the heart of the mother whose children we are." 

Polly Masaryk says, "The act of patching, stitching, and mending my old dish towels and my daughters diapers is my way of listening to it."  

A large embroidered outline of a human heart is in the center, shown above. In addition to the reclaimed clothing and cotton dish towels, this piece used cotton embroidery floss and cotton batting. The materials were cut, pieced, patched, layered, mended, and stitched.

Paper Quilt (2020) by Judy Elsley.

This alternative quilt is composed of 25 individual collaged pieces. As Judy Elsley says, "The piece invites the viewer to ask such questions as: What constitutes a quilt? Is a quilt always made from fabric?  Can we make quilts without sewing?"

Judy Elsley used fabric paints, stamps and stencils to create works on paper. Each piece of geli-printed paper was created with stencils and wood blocks, using fabric prints on paper.  The papers were then cut up and collaged onto canvas frames. 

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum (Brigham City, Utah).

Morning Glories

We enjoyed this large and sunny quilt, composed of blue, orange, and yellow kaleidoscope blocks.  Our favorite bird is the hummingbird, which is the highlight of this large and sunny quilt.

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Sunny Morning Glories, made and quilted by Julie Hallquist

Julie Hallquist explains that this is a panel-based one block wonder quilt, celebrating the morning glory and the hummingbird who enjoys its nectar.  Each kaleidoscope block is a work of art!  The quilt was based on One-Block Wonder panel quilts by Maxine Rosenthal. This such a creative application of this technique.

Image credits: Photos of Posy Park were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2024 Tucson Quilters guild show.

Highlights of Quilt Arizona 2019 ! part 1

The Arizona Quilters Guild has over 35 chapters, but they all get together annually for the Quilt Arizona show. The 2019 theme is Jewels of the Desert: "Every quilt is like a gemstone, the dancing colors play through patterns to endlessly fascinate and amaze. This year your quilt should convey Arizona's iridescent beauty, from golden sunsets and emerald cacti, to clear sparkling memories."

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Desert Jewel of Happiness and Joy by Lois Wendling, quilted by Donna Goldbeck

Lois Wendling won Third Place in the Theme category for this Arizona themed quilt.  Lois says, "I saw the 'Panel One Block Wonders' on Facebook and decided to try my hand at it. The colors in the panel are definitely, to me, like jewels in the desert. It was so fun playing with all the variations." We enjoyed Lois' design, and Donna Goldbeck's fabulous quilting, which include quilted pots in the top and bottom borders. The colorful kokopelli panel is shown below.

The technique uses a fabric panel in the middle, and one-block-wonder hexagon blocks cut from additional panels in the rest of the quilt. (Kokopelli is a Native American fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player, often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head.)

Summer's Bounty by Jan Mawk, quilted by Jan Mawk

Jan Mawk won First Place in the Applique - Small category, along with an Exemplary Hand Quilting award.  The floral sampler is from the book Beautiful Botanicals by Deborah Kemball.  The applique, embroidery, and quilting were all done by hand, and then prairie points were added.  Jan Mawk says, "I spent 2299 hours on this quilt."  We've never seen such tiny, perfect hand quilting stitches:

Keeping the Peace by Barbara Miller, quilted by Cindy Stohn

Barbara Miller won a Judge's Choice ribbon for this lovely portrait, inspired by an original photo of their dog Shiloh.  This was her first attempt at using a collage technique, and the results were impressive!

Summer Dream by Vicky Button, quilted by Samantha Wright

This beautiful rainbow star quilt won a well-deserved Judge's Choice ribbon. Amazingly, this was Vicky Button's first paper pieced project. (The Summer Dream pattern is by Jacqueline de Jonge.)  She says, "I am still amazed that I was able to create this striking quilt!" 

Daddy's Delight by Ann Gonzalez, quilted by Ann Gonzalez

The beautiful desert colors make this quilt a standout.  Ann Gonzalez says, "This quilt is designed to be done in English Paper Pieced Style but I drew the seam lines on the back of each piece and stitched them by hand.  I then appliqued the top to the background."

We recognize the design as La Passacaglia Quilt - Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein.

Margarita! by Mardi Schock, quilted by Kim Rensch

Margarita won First Place in the Theme category.  Mardi Schock says, "Margarita is a template-made quilt from Margaret Miller's book.  It was a challenge from finding right fabrics, cutting the mirror images and then finding multiple pattern mistakes! Worth it though!"

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2019 Quilt Arizona show.