In a previous article, we displayed the major award winners from the quilt show that was part of QuiltCon 2025. It was held in Phoenix, AZ, from February 20-23, 2025, and Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) sponsored it. Hundreds of quilts were entered into the competition, and here are the winners for the twelve categories.
Six fabrics were chosen to be used in this challenge. Quilters could choose between three to six colors and use only those fabrics for their design. The six colors from the Windham Fabrics line were Unicorn, Rain Cloud, Poppy, Slate, Tumeric, and Stormy. The winning quilt, "Reverb" by Michaela Romesburg, sought harmony, balance, and depth by using warm and cool colors from the fabric choices.
The challenge for this year's category was to incorporate transparency into their design. To quote the MQG rules - "Transparency in quiltmaking is a visual illusion – an implied sense of transparency created by the combination of fabrics that makes them appear as though they are overlapping and blending into one another. " Lindsey Berres won for "Light Me Up," which overlapped three primary colors to converge in a white center.
Three or more people must make the quilts in this category. Six members produced abstract quilt blocks representing old-school fire escapes on the sides of buildings. Petra Kolkhof submitted "NYC Fire Escapes" to win first place.
Either machine or hand appliqué must be incorporated into the quilt. "Fugue" by Lucy Engles from the United Kingdom won this first-place award. This included 576 circles of needles that were turned appliqued, which caused a deliberately slow process in producing this quilt.
These quilts needed to include at least one element of handwork. By using dense hand stitching and different thread colors in each quadrant, Julie Reuben produced "Arches ."The overall design offers two arches touching over nested rectangles.
This category called for quilts pieced improvisationally - without a defined pattern. "Out of the Blue" explored red and blue in this second quilt in a series by Emilie Trahan.
Quilts must demonstrate simplification of content and form for maximum visual impact. "Suspend" by Irene Roderick used the inspiration of giant rocks along the shore to create this design.
Quilts use a traditional block or quilt pattern and utilize a modern design element. The "Pointy Beast" won a second ribbon for Susan Braverman. She updated the New York Beauty block with a larger scale and highly contrasting colors.
Quilts must be 1) machine pieced and 2) offer an innovative use of that piecing. This design used upcycled fabrics in reds and orange to create new hues. Emilie Trahan won first place for "Orange Blast ."(
Quilts must have a perimeter totaling no more than 119" but can be any shape. "Circle on a square grid" by Liz Kuny took home the ribbon in first place. Her incomplete circles and the negative space offered movement on this small quilt.
This category requires a creative or significant use of negative space. "Traffic Jam" by Susan Braverman easily fits that requirement. She felt her design showed chaos and congestion as the spheres competed for the same space.
Entrants are 18 years and younger at the time of entry, while the actual quilters have no age restriction. Lorelai Kuecker pieced "Magnetized," which relies on overlocking rings to reveal magnetic patterns.
So, there are the winners from all twelve categories from the 2025 QuiltCon show. Which is your favorite?
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