It is always fun to attend a quilt show. Lots of colorful things to see and admire. The Arizona Quilters Guild held their yearly exhibit in March 2023 in Mesa, Arizona. The three-day event allowed guests to hear speakers, see some prize-winning quilts, and check out some vendors, some local and some from far away.
This year's theme was Canyons of Color, and if you were expecting an array of colorful quilts, you were delighted.
Three were 38 vendors in the exhibit hall. The quilts were judged in twenty-two categories, with three winning quilts each. Two judges had the difficult task of making those ribbon choices.
I find the opportunity to look through the quilts fascinating. Sometimes you wonder why the quilt maker made the choices they did, and other times the displayed quilt instantly grabs you.
With the wide variety of quilts to admire, it was hard to narrow down my choices, but here are my five favorite quilts. I hope you enjoy them too and find inspiration to quilt away on your projects.
I expected to be wowed by the "Canyons of Color" theme for the category theme, and Lori Wendling's Colorful Canyon did not disappoint. She opted to depict the Grand Canyon with a wide variety of fabrics.
For the "Pieced, Small -Solo" category Penny Boese started with a Holiday Sensation Mystery Quilt, but "I realized I didn't like my color placement or some of ...design, so I reimagined it and started afresh." It looks great and bright!
If you like modern quilts, Claire Victor's art/abstract entry, Hangover, will get your attention. Inspired by a tumbling block pattern, she added a love for origami and ended up with this eye-catching winner.
Day Into Night is what Deb Deaton titled her entry in the Pictorial category. She hand-painted the sky and used raw edge applique, mixed media, cheesecloth, and tulle to make this inspiring design. She noted that "when the Arizona sun begins to set, the sky comes alive," and this quilt reflects that perfectly.
My final choice for you is East of Eden by Cindy Seitz-Krug; she also was one of the lecturers during the show. She had taught domestic machine quilting in China in 2019 and designed this quilt to remind her of that trip.
Check out the most popular tool on QuiltingHub. Use the search 'Map Of Resources' or the 'Resources Trip Planner' to the right (or below).