Arizona Quilters Guild Show 2011, Part 2

Join us as we travel "Along the Desert Highway" for some more of our favorite quilts at the Arizona Quilters' Guild Show in Mesa, AZ from March 9-11, 2011. 

Undulation 1-1-2011, 49 x 49, by Rita Vautrin

Winner of the second place award in the Scrap Quilt category, this work really caught our eye because of the perfectly coordinated rainbow colors. Quilter Rita Vautrin used almost 200 different fabrics to construct the quilt. Notice how the vivid paper-pieced border perfectly compliments the solid black background and serves as a great showcase for the Bali fabrics. The border is from 'Crystals' by Mark Lipinski as published in Quilters Home, January 2008.  Jacqueline de Jonge’s pattern, Stars in the Night, makes a perfect center for this cheerful quilt.


Finally the Amaryllis Blooms, 50 x 43, by Jean Estes (quilted by Jackie Bradley)

Jean Estes says she is pleased with her second attempt to get the bursting-with-life scarlet flower to look right  (hence the quilt name, 'Finally the amaryllis blooms' !) We particularly liked the red-and-gold Asian fabric which makes the amaryllis pot look so real.  The quilt pattern is by Lennie Honcoop at Dutch Quilter.

Thirteen Colonies – Stars of the Revolution, 79 x 60, by Mae Adkins

We've always loved the Burgoyne Surrounded pattern, with its tiny squares. Mae Adkin's red, white and blue quilt was designed for the 2009 National Quilt Museum contest in Paducah, Kentucky.  Chosen as one of the 18 finalists, "Thirteen Colonies" was tour for 18 months.  This quilt is featured in the AQS book, Burgoyne Surrounded: New Quilts from an Old Favorite.  Which reminds us: the latest New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest has been announced (basket quilts !) with an entry deadline of November 2011.

Long Grove, 38 x 52, by Georgia Thorne

Are you wondering about the large red and blue ribbon with the gold center which hangs at the left hand side of this quilt? It's the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame award, which was presented to "Long Grove",  a quilt deemed worthy of special recognition. The recipient is included in the Friends of the Arizona Quilters hall of Fame for the current year, and is featured on the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame website. Quiltmaker Georgia Thorne will also be invited to display the quilt at the 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Event, Sunday, September 25, 2011, in Prescott, Arizona.

It's difficult to see in the photo, but in the detail just above, these houses actually stand out about two inches from the quilt. They are stabilized with either stiff interfacing or perhaps thin plexiglass, so that they don't lose their shape.  Georgia Thorne says: "Growing up in the Midwest, I was influenced by the many layered landscapes." She used various techniques and textures to portray the fields, rolling hills, and the small town of  Long Grove, Illinois.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon, 37 x 40, by Arleen Logan

Arleen Logan says that this fantasy art quilt began with embroidered fairies and moths (you can see the tiny fairy, below). The iridescent bugs were incredibly lifelike, and about 2 inches across; they were made using water soluble fabric and tulle, then appliqued on branches and leaves.  .

The quilter did a wonderful job of setting the mood of a magical night by juxtaposing the ephemeral fairy and sparkling butterfly with the creepy-crawlies shown below. This quilt shows a wonderful sense of movement, where the forest comes alive after sundown.

Arizona Quilt Show

We attended the 'Sol y Sombra' (Sun and Shade) quilt show last weekend, and had a fantastic time. The show is an annual production of the Arizona Quilters Guild, and this one was a whopper. A total of 333 quilts were on display for two and a half days, and thousands of quilt lovers were in attendance. Awards were given in an array of categories, for large/medium/small quilts that were pieced, appliqued, or mixed techniques; as well as art quilts, pictorial, miniature quilts, and other categories.

Today, we're showing a sampling of the quilts we liked (there were so many wonderful ones, it was a bit hard to choose). Which of these are your favorites?

Canyon Walls, 46(w) x 40(h), by Sheila Groman


The inspiration for this beautiful landscape wall hanging was the quilter's six-day raft trip through the Grand Canyon. In designing the quilt, Sheila made use of photos from the trip, capturing the red rock of the canyon walls and the brilliant blue of the river.

Desert Geckos, 29(w) x 26(h), by Elisa Lawrance


The panel, completed by stitched and appliqué techniques, is a day/night desert scene of scampering geckos escaping the scorching "sol" and into the cool night "sombra." The piping and crystals, along with the leafy batiks, add energy to the piece. The quilter was inspired by classes taught by Susan Vassallo and Sarah Vedeler.


Tropical Blend, 44 x 44, by Sharon Brooks



This stunning quilt won a blue ribbon. It is a pieced wall quilt that was professionally machine quilted. Sharon says that this quilt was started in a Carol Doak class several years ago. "It was completed within a few months then got tucked away in a drawer. Upon finding it recently, I decided it was time to quilt it…finally!" The quilt was embellished with crystals which enhanced the intricate quilting design (see detail above).

Joy Too, 58 x 58, by Dorothy Alliss


Dorothy Alliss says: "A few years ago I saw this ("Joy") quilt in a magazine and fell in love with it." The quilt design was by Jacqueline deJonge (see link at the end of the post).


The Path Not Taken, 42(w) x 45(h), by Sherryl Buchler


Sherryl Buchler is a fan of Shibori and hand-dyed fabrics, and she created the original design of "The Path Not Taken". Sherryl says that she stared at the fabrics for 8 months before the pattern "spoke" to her. The graceful, elongated figures are perfectly composed as they stroll along the path.

What's In Your Box? 62(w) x 51(h), by Elisa Lawrance





Elisa Lawrance chose brilliant Southwest batiks for this open tumbling block pattern. Thanks to the selection of bright batiks, along with a dramatic black background, the boxes appear to be lit from within. Minimal quilting in the boxes helped to define and accentuate the cubes (see detail view). The "Think Inside the Box" pattern inspired this quilt; see the links at the end of this post.

The Wright Stuff, 58" x 34", by Wanda Seale



"The Wright Stuff" was made for the AQG's 2009 President's Challenge. The pattern is from Jackie Robinson's book of Frank Lloyd Wright window designs (for the link, see below). The quilting was done by Jessica Brunnemer.

Audacious Hearts, 56" x 56", by Jeanne Copeland



This beautiful quilt was based on a 1995 pattern by Monica Calvert. The clamshell shapes form layers of hearts in red and black, giving the appearance of loops of ribbons. Jeanne Copeland says that she purchased the pattern in 1995, and finally decided to take the plunge in 2009. The quilting was done by Sherry Jack.

Spring in my Step, 70 x 70, by Ann Petersen



"Spring in my Step", above, won third prize in the Master's division (for quilters who have previously won a major award.) Ann Peterson started with a traditional sunflower block, then designed three very different approaches to making it. Spring" refers to the spring-like colors, and "step" refers to the sashing, which reminded Ann of stepping stones. The quilt was machine-pieced, machine-appliqued, and quilted by Ann on a regular sewing machine.

Am I Blue, 90" x 90", by Patricia "Pat" Ballantine


This fabulous quilt was based on an Irene Berry pattern in the May 2007 Quilter's Newsletter. The quilt was paper-pieced, and each 6 inch block (196 in the quilt) has 24 seams! The photo shows a detail view of the blocks. The quilting was done by Donna Reed.

Pickled, 83"(w) x 59"(h) by Ann Slater



The quilt was based on a class taught by Mary Lewkowitz of the Bernina Connection, using the "Christmas Pickle" design by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan. Ann Slater says: "I thought this would be a good way to learn paper piecing, not exactly a small project. Many times I felt like I was "in a pickle" or that I needed to "get pickled" to finish this." The photo shows a portion of this bed-sized quilt.

Variations on a Theme by Klimt, 66"(w) x 34"(h), by Linda Schoenfeld


This stunning art quilt won a blue ribbon in the wall quilts category. A detail view is shown above. The piece is a tapestry, incorporating a variety of fabrics - including taffeta and chiffon - along together with the gold tapestry borders, which are embellished with jeweled buttons. Linda Schoenfeld says that the geometric motifs, scrolls and curlicues of Gustave Klimt (1862-1918) have always inspired her.

Quilt show photos are by Quilt Inspiration.

The 'Sol y Sombra' quilt show is an annual production of the Arizona Quilters Guild, Phoenix, AZ. See their site to view more quilts, and to purchase a CD collection of all the quilts in the show.

For quilt patterns that are referenced above, see your local quilt store and the following online resources:

For the Christmas Pickle pattern by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan, see the Great American Quilt Factory

For Quilts in the Tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright, see Jackie Robinson's book

For the Color Me Blue pattern by Irene Barry, see the foundation piecing diagram here

For the Joy pattern and other designs by Jacqueline deJonge, see Be Colourful. For an online distributor, see Everything Quilts

For the "Think Inside the Box" pattern by Cathy Wierzbicki, see Time to Quilt