Pretty in Pink!

Pink is a delicate color that represents romance and femininity, and feelings of love, tenderness, and hope.  At recent quilt shows we enjoyed some beautiful pink quilts including two that came from challenges.  We hope you enjoy our post!

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The Elvis Dress, made and quilted by Katherine Verbeke

This quilt was made for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge, which was to take inspiration from Diana, Princess of Wales, to create a unique quilt using a limited color palette: pink and white.  The quilt was accepted among 224 other quilts and traveled the world at various prestigious quilt shows with her final destination on display at the Bohin Factory Museum in Paris, France, in 2022.

Katherine Verbeke says, "Ever since she first emerged in the public spotlight, Diana Spencer has been my favorite Royal. Lovingly named "The Elvis Dress" by her son Prince William, this particular pose is beautifully enchanting - the Princess smile, the tilt of her head, her eyes - all sum up the perfect princess. Not being a graphic artist myself, my friend Lisa Fryxell converted a lovely Lady Diana photo into a paper piecing pattern exclusively for me for the 2020 Cherrywood Challenge." The lower part was covered in silver seed beads, representing the Elvis dress as Diana wore it.

You can check out more than 200 fabulous Diana quilts from this challenge online at the Cherrywood website:

Geese Crossing by Jolene Ficklin 

 

We love this unique and beautiful quilt! Except for the flying geese border, the blocks in this quilt were createc with cross stitch embroidery!  Jolene Ficklin says, "The 6 marked blocks for embroidery were given to me at least 15 years ago by my friend who was downsizing.  Working only while traveling or when extremely bored, it is finally finished.  The color choices are mine and most interesting is the embroidery cross-stitch flying geese. Thus the piecing called out to me.  The blocks were fron Wonder Art Needle Craft Corp, dated 1985."

 

Paint Chip Challenge (2022) by Charlene Nelson (South Jordan, UT)

This quilted table topper with its giant hexagons showcases Charlene Nelson's beautiful machine quilting!  It resulted from a quilt group challenge using a paint chip to guide the color choice. (Shown below is the paint chip - Taffy Twist - in the lower left corner of the quilt.

Charlene explains the challenge: "Our quilt group decided to do a paint chip challenge in 2022.  Two people picked out some beautiful paint chips with very few extras.  They were put in a bag and we each drew one.  you had one opportunity for a second draw at the end, or you could exchange you paint chip with someone else.  The rules were that the paint chip color you drew was the main color and background, and you could use one other color.  you could use different values of the paint chip.  My quilt is a table topper.  I used Victoria Findlay Wolfe's large templates.  We had six months to finish the quilt."

Image credits: Photos were taken at the 2025 Tucson Quilters Guild show (The Elvis Dress and Geese Crossing) and the 2024 Springville (Utah) quilt show (Paint Chip Challenge).

If you enjoyed this post you might also like our Free Pattern Day for PINK quilts (CLICK HERE!)

 

 

Highlights of Quilt Arizona! (2)

The 2025 Quilt Arizona show features hundreds of quilters, many of whom spend the winter months in this sunny locale.  Here are some highlights from the show.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

Note: Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns, jewelry, and collectibles. You also can follow us on Twitter!

Girl with the Pearl Earring, made and quilted by Denise Farnworth. 

Winner of 1st Place in the Kit Quilt - Solo category, Denise Farnworth says: "I saw this beautiful quilt on Instagram @PrideandJoyquilting.  I have seen this painting in Holland in The Hague, Netherlands.  I have read the fictional book about her and when I saw this quilt, I knew I had to make it." Denise's use of straight-line quilting was the perfect choice for this modern quilt. (Note: More information on the Girl with a Pearl Earring design can be found at the Pride and Joy Quilting website.)

 My Comfort Zone, made and quilted by Darla Orndorff

 This was the only quilted clothing we saw at the show, and it really caught our eye! Winner of 1st place in her category, Darla Orndorff says: "I had an old chenille robe from Lands End.  When it wore out, I tore it apart and used it as a pattern to make another chenille robe.  when that one wore out, I used the pattern to make a quilted robe - mimicking the use of chenille."

Whimsical Mystery Quilt by Janet Strafalace, quilted by Matt Seamons  

 Winner of the Laurene Sinema Award* for Exemplary Workmanship, Janet Strafalace says: "My quilt is the result of having made several raw edged applique quilts. Having lots of fabric already backed with Steam-A-Seam2, and being a no-waste kind of gal, I decided to use it all, with some entertaining modifications. Fun project!" The project was based on the Mystery Quilt pattern by Yoko Saito. 

Many intricate details were created!  See if you can spot the colorful stained glass windows in the church; a dog and cat; and a street resembling cobblestones. (*Note:  Laurene Sinema (1929-2003) was the founder of the Arizona Quilters Guild; this special award honors her legacy.)

Butterflies in the Garden Trellis by Gail Witt, quilted by Jessica Jones

 

Butterflies in the Garden Trellis was awarded Best of Show - Team, and 1st Place - Mixed Technique Duet. Gail Witt says: The quilt center is an adaptation of a traditional Carpenter's Square design.  Butterflies were added to the quilt center to echo the butterfly border.  Fussy cut Kaffe flowers and leaves were appliqued to curvy vines swirling around the trellis center.  Jessica Jones' quilting adds beauty and creativity to the quilt."

 

Birds and Birds, and Birds in the Air by Darla Orndorff, quilted by Penny Boese 

 This is most intricately pieced quilt we saw at the show, and we were amazed by the precision needed to create this beauty. Darla Orndorff says, "The quilt was designed in the style of "British Frame Quilts." The traditional block called Birds in the Air was used to create new blocks.  Winner of a red ribbon (2nd place) in the Large Pieced Duet quilts category!

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

Welcome to the Quilt Fiesta! (4)

We attended the 2025 Quilt Fiesta in Tucson, Arizona, and had a wonderful time.  This show is produced by the Tucson Quilters Guild and there were so many beautiful quilts to admire. We hope you enjoy our photos of the show! Here is part 4.

Note: Please check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on patterns, jewelry, and collectibles. You also can follow us on Twitter!

Four Little Cowpokes, made and quilted by Lisa Fryxell

Lisa Fryxell says, "Thanks to my friend, Lynn Rubel, for allowing me to make a quilt featuring her mom (in red) and uncle, with their cousins from Illinois at Arivaca Ranch in 1935. The original photo was black and white."

Lisa Fryxell is known for her paper-piecing patterns, and it's impressive to see the photo-realism she achieved in this original portrait quilt.  

Echoes of the Past by Kay Walen, quilted by Laura Farnham 

Each feature appliqued block is surrounded by small blocks, many of which are pieced, adding to the extraordinary detail in this quilt. Kay Walen says, "This quilt pattern reminded me of prehistoric art - prevalent in the Southwest.  I decided to hone my blanket stitch applique technique and enjoyed the process." (Pattern source: Echoes of the Past by Elizabeth Anne.)

(Note: The printed card next to this quilt said "quilted by Laura Faenham"; we are assuming this is a typo, so have tentatively corrected the spelling to Laura Farnham.)

Beach Boards and Balls, made and quilted by Nancy Zeller

This small improvisational art piece really captured our attention with its energy and sense of movement.  It was inspired by the fibert art of Sue Benner, a member of SAQA.  Nancy Zeller says, "This piece was created for a monthly challenge in our Art Quilt Group to emulate the artist drawn (selected) for that month."  We loved the end result.

Remembering Nancy, made and quilted by Tami Graeber

Winner of a blue ribbon for 1st place in the applique category, Tami Graeber says: "This original design was made in remembrance of Nancy Arsenault, my friend and mentor. Machine applique was her favorite technique." Some of the beautiful details can be seen in the closeup photos.

The quilt was "inspired by a Victorian tile I own. Heavy background quilting [was used] to make the design pop." Fancy double prairie point edges add to the piece, shown below.

African Art by Janet Chumbley, quilted by Quality Quilterz

We loved this quilt, which was made with random African fabric pieces with occasional thin strips of black fabric to set off the blocks.  Janet Chumbley says,"Over the years, I had collected several different pieces of African fabric.  Eventually I had to figure out a use for them. I tried to just use yellows, reds and black." Her choice and expert arrangement of the fabrics makes for a fabulous composition.

Note: If you enjoyed this post you might also be interested in our Free Pattern Day for Africa Inspired Quilts (CLICK HERE!)

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

The 50th Annual Utah Quilt Show! (4)

Welcome back 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, with the meticulous technical work required at every step of the quilting process.  We hope you enjoy our photos!

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for quilt materials & patterns, jewelry, and collectibles! We also invite you to follow us on Twitter ! 

Boho Heart (2023), made and quilted by Marcia Peterson. 

We love the warm colors in this large sampler heart quilt. Marcia Peterson says, "My quilt group each used their own favorite fabrics to make Jen Kingwell's Boho Heart pattern. I loved seeing how each quilt turned out different.  This was my take on the pattern."

Ezi's Quilt by Mary Duke, quilted by Dawna Sine.

Mary Duke says, "This is my first collage quilt. I started this quilt when my daughter was pregnant with our sweet granddaughter, Ezi. Some people say the baby has too much hair. When our sweet girl was born, her hair was over 2 inches long in some spots. I changed the pattern a bit to look more like my daughter. It was so fun creating this quilt... This quilt now hangs over our granddaugher's bed."

My 100 Block Journey (2024), made and quilted by Helen Butler.

Helen Butler says, "What started out as one quilt ended up being a completely different quilt simply by laying these 100 "Log Cabin" blocks out a completely different way.  Each block began with a black velvet square and was surrounded by a variety of silk, batik, and cotton fabrics. One day I was playing with these blocks and I artfully laid them out in the "Barn Raising" pattern according to their color.  It turned out to be a completely different quilt!"

 

The hand quilting lines can be seen in this closeup photo, below.

My "Happy" Carnival Flower (2024), made and quilted by Diane Wilber.

Diange Wilber says, "My "Happy" Carnival Flower is merrily twirling within sun-kissed waves. I colored the quilt in Quiltster, try8ing to capture Mother Nature's vibrant organic blends with my fabrics.  This quilt features hand appliqued dots and gumdrops, original center yellow flange, scalloped/wave border with double flange split binding, and braid trim edging" [shown below].

Mariners in a Pickle with Sunset (2023) by Sherrie Chambers, quilted by Cecile Wilson.

Winner of a Blue Ribbon (Award of Excellence), Sherrie Chambers says: "I thought the pattern looked lovely, so I accepted the challenge to make this lovely quilt. The sunset came from a picture I took while on a cruise in Alaska." Details of the beautiful batiks and precision piecing are shown below.

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

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.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for quilt materials & patterns, jewelry, and collectibles! We also invite you to follow us on Twitter ! 

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.