The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (3)

Welcome to the 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! This show features some of Utah's finest quilters. Each quilt displays a convergence of artistry and creative decision-making, along with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

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Purple Elephant (2021), made and quilted by Emily Weinheimer.

A 60%-scaled version of Violet Craft's original foundation paper pieced Elephant Abstractions quilt pattern.

Sonoran Preserve Saguaro & Cactus Wren (2024) by Carol Librizzi, quilted by Leisha Farnsworth. 

Carol Librizzi says, "I made this quilt based on a photo I took of a saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Preserve in Arizona.  I was inspired by the collage cactus in Emily Taylor's book, Collage Quilter.  I added colors other than just greens in the cactus to add interest and a bit of whimsy.  The ombre background was suggested by my daughter after I could not find the "right" blue.  It captures the Arizona desert sky."

Carol says, "I love all the textures and movement Leisha Farnsworth did in the quilting. Every year, I try to learn something new, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning this."

Colorful (2022), made and quilted by Marilyn Snow.

Marilyn Snow says, "When I first saw the pattern, I knew I needed to make it. The hardest part was keeping everything organized so that the pencil points lined up with the correct pencil. It was a fun pattern and I really love how it turned out.  I love to play with fabric and any of my great quilting machines. I have sewn for many years and quilted for about 20 years.  I'm inspired by the many patterns and fabric lines that creative people come up with."

Burgoyne Surrounded (2024), made and quilted by Shirley Olsen.

We love this quilt pattern, which is hardly ever seen these days, so this was a special treat. Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence), Shirley Olsen says: "This quilt is a combination of the traditional "Burgoyne surrounded" block and an adaptation of a border designed by Trudie Hughes. Although begun in 2003, this quilt was put aside while I worked on other projects. I finally worked on it again in 2022 and 2024. I hand-guided the quilting on my Bernina 820 stationary machine." Beautiful!

Shirley explains that her quilt was inspired by a red and cream version shown many years ago at a Utah Valley Quilt Guild meeting. "Blue is my favorite color, so I chose blue and cream for my quilt. I am so happy to have finally finished."

Kaleidoscope Stars (2023) by Kathy M. Asay, quilted by Common Threads.  

Here is another gorgeous re-creation of a traditional design! This quilt is based on a Civil War quilt.  Each star has a twin star with the facets reversed.  This design really sparkles.

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

Quilt Arizona 2020 ! Day 5

In February, when life was still "normal" , we attended the 2020 Quilt Arizona! Show which is an outstanding display of statewide quilts from the Arizona Quilters' Guild. This year's theme was "Desert Stars". We hope you enjoy these highlights from the show !

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Perito Moreno Glacier by Georgia Heller

It's been said that if you only visit one glacier in your life, Perito Moreno would be a good one to pick. It towers above the turquoise glacial water of Patagonia’s Los Glaciares National Park. Georgia Heller's stunning quilt is based on this natural wonder. Entered in the Pictorial category, Georgia says, "I took a photo of the glacier from a boat, manipulated it in Photoshop, printed the image on fabric and quilted it."

Waterfall 1 by Rose Swarts

This beaded fabric art quilt was entered in the Theme category, Desert Stars.  Rose Swarts says, "The desert night sky has always awed and inspired me.  This is how I imagine it might look from Havasupai Falls."  This little quilt is embellished with hundreds of interesting beads, representing the falls, rocks, and stars, and hand embroidered.

Sunshine by Diana Jones, quilted by Sue Bruner

Inspired by the Phoenix (Arizona) Zoo, this quilt was constructed using 100 foundation paper pieces.  The pattern The Giraffe Abstractions is by Violet Craft.  Diana Jones says, "I changed the colors to reflect the colors I see at the Phoenix Zoo... The Phoenix Zoo is my Desert Star.  It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride... This quilt is titled 'Sunshine' in honor of one of the giraffes.  Sunshine is a 5-year-old Masai giraffe, 13 feet tall and weighs 1400 pounds."

Urbanologie by Susan Fleming, quilted by Pat Roche

We admire the excellent use of color in this fun quilt.  Susan Fleming says, "This quilt pushed all my buttons. [I] loved the design... it helped me with curved piecing.  [I] used up lots of my stash and it came out looking great.  The design is Urbanologie by Sew Kind of Wonderful." 
The closeup photo, below,  shows Susan's skillful piecing, and Sue Bruner's professional quilting.

My Splendid Sampler by Wanda Dix

Sampler quilts are so much fun, and this one is exceptional in every way. It won a Blue Ribbon in the Scrap-Solo category. Wanda Dix said she used over 210 fabrics and 32 thread colors for the quilting.  The blocks are based on the online Splendid Sampler Project 1 by Jane Davidson and Pat Sloan.  Check out the cute quilting on the flower, shown below.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2020 Quilt Arizona show.