Welcome to the 2012 Arizona Quilter's Guild Quilt Show !

Welcome to Mesa, Arizona, and the 2012 Arizona Quilters' Guild Show ! We attended this show on the weekend of March 10, and we have some fabulous quilts to show you this week.

Arizona Centennial Commemorative Quilt by Arizona quilters, historians, and artists

One hundred years ago, in 1912,  Arizona became part of the United States of America; therefore this year is Arizona's Centennial Celebration.  The quilt show theme this year is "Our Heritage: Copper, Cotton, and Culture."  Above is the of the map of Arizona, showing the state's mountains, flowers, animals, and landmarks. Click on this image to expand it, and you'll be able to see more details.

Back of Arizona Centennial Commemorative Quilt

Even the reverse side of this intriguing quilt is very artistically done.  Here is the state's motto, "The Grand Canyon State", the Arizona state flag, and the names of everyone who worked on the quilt.

Close-up of Arizona Centennial Commemorative Quilt

Wavy longarm quilting lines symbolize the rolling landscape of the high desert, along with an applique of a big horn sheep, London Bridge in Lake Havasu City on the border with California, the entrance to an old copper mine,  the Joshua tree forest parkway, and fabled Route 66, the road west to the Pacific Ocean.

Joseph's Coat by June Griepp

Winner of an Honorable Mention Award,  June Griepp writes,  "I pieced this quilt using a paperless paper-piecing method. I really enjoyed the free-motion quilting designs incorporated in it using a variety of threads." The deep chocolate brown, tan, and teal blue of this star medallion are lovely colors of nature, reminding us of the earth and sky.

Close-up of  Joseph's Coat

June Griepp not only pieced this quilt, but she did the quilting; here is a sideways view which shows her exemplary machine quilting. She delicately touched the ends of each circular feather with pastel turquoise fabric paint to add color and depth to the star's background.

Sunny Pathways by Barbara Nicholson

Barbara writes,  "I used Judy Niemeyer's Drunkard's Wave paper-piecing pattern to construct this quilt. I love bright colors, and it reminds me of sunshine and happy thoughts. This colorful, lively pattern conveys a great sense of motion and energy to the viewer. The pretty ribbon effect created by the border fabric provides an artistic contrast to the curved meandering lines of this design.

Quodlibet by Constance Clark

Webster's Dictionary definition of Quodlibet is "a whimsical combination of familiar melodies." Designer Judy Hasheider created this pattern with a combination of designs reminiscent of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style. Quilter Constance Clark writes, "I've always been fascinated by stained glass windows, especially those of Frank Lloyd Wright designs. This pattern gave me an opportunity to quilt my own."  We really enjoyed the graphic look of bold color and contrast in this contemporary design.

Modern Dresden by Mary and Linda Powell

The well-loved and well-known Dresden Plate pattern always seems to show fabrics to their most cheerful advantage,  regardless of the colorway. Linda Powell writes, "Pieced Dresden Plates by Mary Powell are hand appliqued down. She chose lots of fun/wild fabrics, and then she gave me the freedom to quilt as desired!"

Close-up of  Modern Dresden

The careful placement of warm and cool hues, along with detailed spacing of light and dark values, give these blocks a very happy, balanced, and vibrant look.

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