Margaret Solomon Gunn
Gorham, Maine

BEST OF SHOW 2019
This quilt started as a mindless exercise in piecing—a time when I needed the journey more than product. The finished quilt speaks to my sense of bold color, and intricate, original quilting. The edge is the added bit of crazy I can’t seem to avoid! Remember, “Not all who wander are lost.”

Susan Colston
Bloomington, Indiana

I love trees. Being in a forest is always a joy. I love the green, the steadiness, the peacefulness, and the sounds of the forest. The traditional Tree of Life block has stood the test of time. There is something about the geometry, the angles, and the elegant beauty of this timeless block that I find calming and reassuring, like I feel in the forest. Doing this block in green somehow just seemed right.

Barbara Clem
Rockford, Illinois

I experimented with an oval ruler, hoping it would generate conversation with my mother-in-law, as she was in assisted living and her forté had been floral wreaths. The quilt is hand quilted, hand appliquéd with trapunto.

Bethanne Nemesh
Allentown, Pennsylvania

Inspired by the beautiful flora and fauna of the American Southwest, Native American basket and bead motifs, the quilt seeks to honor a beautiful but harsh environment. All the flora and fauna are original drawings, free motion machine quilted with added hand tied ombre-dyed, beaded details.

Lisa Parker
Indianapolis, Indiana

Dresden Plate quilts are traditionally arranged in a grid and made with colorful fabric. This version plays with color, scales, and pattern to create a modern version. The black Dresden Plate is hand stamped with silver fabric ink, using washers and machine parts as stamps to impart an industrial element.

Maryam Othman
Bloomington, Indiana

When I first saw this design, I knew I wanted to make it. It took me about two years to get it done. It was not an easy piecing due to some bulkiness at some points. I got an idea from a bee member, Dedaimia Whitney, to flatten the problem areas down with a hammer.

Jane Pitt
Bloomington, Indiana

Inspired by a block by Amanda Jean Nyberg (aka Crazy Mom Quilts), I set out to put some small scraps to good use I added a variety of black and white prints to enhance the many colors of scraps used. Random straight line and serpentine quilting add a modern touch.

Melanie Shrader
Kokomo, Indiana

I used a layer cake to create this Dresden Sunburst in bold colors.

Yvonne (Bonnie) Harlow
Indianapolis, Indiana

This quilt was quite a challenge. Picking all of the wild fabrics and then using all of the different techniques. Finally coming all together.

Gail Stepanek
New Lenox, Illinois

“Spot On!” is hand appliquéd and machine pieced by Gail. Jan Hutchison created a design using metallic thread to frame the body of the quilt. The machine quilting is 100% hand guided.

Cathy Bingham
Knoxville, Tennessee

An original design, using traditional sunburst blocks and floral appliqué. The pricing, appliqué, embroidery, beading, and quilting were all done by hand. I worked on this pink quilt while my sister was fighting breast cancer.

Becky Weiland
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Repurposing some old doilies provided the inspiration for a modern interpretation of them, using a reverse appliqué technique. More reverse appliqué in the borders, bobbin work, and some silk/cotton blends creates an evolution of traditional piecing from the 20th century to a new interpretation for the 21st century, with plenty razzmatazz.

Marilyn Badger
St. George, Utah

Designed and pieced in a Gail Garber workshop. It reminded me of a pinball machine when it was all pieced together, thus the name. Caryl Fallert gradations and jewel-toned silks gifted to me were the basis for the quilt. Lots of hand embroidery, paint, beads, and embellishments.

Inger Blood
Camino, California

This original memory quilt was designed by me after I inherited my father-in-law’s silk ties. The quilt was pieced and quilted on a domestic sewing machine. The quilting extends the piecing pattern. The gray dupioni silk represents the shirt and the black the suit. Crystals were added to mimic tie pins.

Melinda Fletcher
Washington, Indiana

The Wedding Ring quilt, requested by my son and his wife, includes 1930’s reproduction fabrics, Quilter’s Dream lightweight cotton batting, and a shadow print floral back for their daughter, Daisy. The hand-quilting incorporates many hearts, modified infinity emblems, and lots of love. I used acrylic template by Marti Michell to achieve the round pieced rings. Her curved-seam-kite-joiner pieces create round rings, avoiding the “square” look some templates produce.

Kathryn Gostola
Chardon, Ohio

Had all my fabric purchased for “Compass Rose.” The teacher ran out of patterns, so she gave me “Captain Wheel” which required more fabric. I was unable to purchase more of the required fabric, thus the name.

Peggy Marquardt
Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Starburst is my original design. Created from the classic Lemoyne Star block. Designed and quilted to give it a more modern spin.

Nola Hartman
Bloomington, Indiana

Scraps from my friends. About 12,000 pieces and I had a great time making it.

Martha Rochelle Higdon
Fairland, Indiana

Our quilt club challenge was two color only which included the thread color. I tried to make use of all types of techniques, threads, and embellishments. I enjoyed seeing how far I could go yet stay within the rules. This was the first time I have used the Superior Glitter thread and I really liked the sparkle effect it presented.

Kathy Sheehan
Bloomington, Indiana

This variation on a string quilt was made with scraps silk and velvet, neckties, and kimono pieces.

Linda Kelsey
Bloomington, Indiana

Equilateral triangles made with Cherrywood hand-dyed fabric.

Donna Molzon
Martinsville, Indiana

A little bit of green and you can see many moons high in the Colorado evening sky. Adapted from Heather Black’s “Mountain Scene” pattern. Combines batik, fossil fern, and other fabrics with Magnifico threads from Superior Thread. Machine quilted with Bernina 820.

Joan Fulton
West Lafayette, Indiana

This quilt was made during the Ricky Tims “Improv” retreat. I coordinated several of my African fabrics with other bright fabrics to create this improvisational log cabin. The colors and energy in this quilt remind me of the bustling buying and selling activity at an African Market.

Kathy A. Munkelwitz
Isle, Minnesota

Pink stripes are the main color for this cute quilt. It is embellished with embroidery and tiny buttons.

Pauline Salzman
Gulfport, Florida

Up-cycled jeans and men’s shirts made into 9 patches and simple curves. The road is continuous and never ending. Look for the doors to the houses in the quilting.

Molly Hamilton-McNally
Tehachapi, California

In 2000 after a cancer diagnosis and losing my mother and husband, I was depressed. To help recovery an acquaintance introduced me to quilting which rapidly became a passion. Now remarried, life is bright again and just as my quilt depicts the rising of phoenix it represents my own rebirth.

Megan Farkas
Sanbornton, New Hampshire

Based on a c. 1970s Soviet military topographical map of the Himalayas, including the peak of Kangchenjunga (which translates as “Five Treasures of Snows” in the local language) at 8,585 meters. Each fabric represents 400 meters of elevation. All work by hand.

Donna Jean Mease
Derby, Kansas

A heirloom quilt for my granddaughter, Isabella. There is one blue bunny because Issy loves ice cream! I reconfigured the block for more symmetry and the border for more tulips. Hand appliqué with cotton batiks and silk threads. Beautifully custom quilted with lots of feathers and a checkerboard by Jan.

Rie Grimm
Brookfield, Wisconsin

I used the different color and types of thread for the embroidery and to make the shapes when I quilted on the appliqué. All beads are Swarovski. I changed the border to a lovely image of my creation. The border is my original design pattern.

Linda Neal
McKinney, Texas

Santa’s “nice” list contains the names of my grandchildren and family members. The “naughty” list names are storybook villains. The corded binding has 368 loops—I had fun making every one of them!

Audra Rasnake
Meadowview, Virginia

This quilt is based on Luke 12:27. The folded cutwork is my original design. The overall design is the result of an 8” block. Some have one arc, some have two, and some have none. How they are arranged creates the interlocking rings. Approximately 1,250 hours of work.

Connie Griner
Burlington, North Carolina

This quilt was inspired by an internet posting that defined the word “irony” as the opposite of “wrinkly.” This is my attempt to express this idea in visual form. My hope is to bring a smile to the viewer.

Dana Kuhline
Cincinnati, Ohio

Like most quilters, I gaze out airplane windows and see endless landscapes of potential quilts.

The scrap circles and white stained sheet were found in a scrap bag for dog bed filling, cut by an unknown maker for an unknown purpose, I saw potential for this landscape inspired quilt.

Suzy Webster
Apple Valley, Minnesota

A Modern Mini that was really fun to create!

Sharon Schlotzhauer
Monument, Colorado

We encounter social pressures in our lives that often challenge our core values and beliefs. Black and white becomes gray. Changing culture and society can be a raging river threatening to topples us. Hold on to your values in the midst of it. This piece represents those standing firm.

Claudia Pfeil
Krefeld, NRW, Germany

The term “fractal” was first used by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975, based on the Latin “fractious” = “broken.” The pieced background is overplayed by painted circles (acrylic paint and alcohol based ink)—machine appliquéd, organza, and silk elements. Embellished with 30,000 Swarovski crystals.

Marilyn Badger
St. George, Utah

The gradation fabric purchased at Hancock’s of Paducah is what inspired this quilt. Hand embroidery, hand dyed trim purchased in Japan 10 years ago, Lumiere paints, and lots of sparkle were added for accent.

Cynthia England
Dickinson, Texas

I took this photo in a fishing village near Cape Town, South Africa. I was fascinated by the colors and reflections and was trying to recreate that feel. This quilt took about a year to make and has about 8400 individual pattern pieces. It is not foundation pieced, but uses a technique I developed myself, called “Picture Piecing.”

Jenny K. Lyon
Granite Bay, California

I challenged myself to create a “formal” quilt with the imprint of grasses in my yard as motifs. I love the way the Aurifil 12 wt thread makes a bold statement. Trapunto, free motion quilting, ruler work. Cotton sateen, wool batting, silk and cotton thread, rickrack, and self-made silk piping. Original design. Standard domestic machine.

Jan Hutchison
Sedgwick, Kansas

Made with fusible appliqué, shading added with Inktense pencils. Quilted freehand on my Innova. Inspired by a favorite family photograph, taken around 1900. The boy playing trombone is my grandfather and two more generations of musicians followed him, including me.

Emily Bogard
Bloomington, Indiana

This quilt is dedicated to all those who have suffered financial hardship: past, present, future. It was inspired by the song “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” by Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney. Materials include newspaper (used for batting), craft paper, packing paper, screening, thread.

Leigh Layton
Indianapolis, Indiana

Jag was created by manipulating a photo, having it printed on fabric, then thread painted and quilted.

Juilanna Valentine
Golconda, Illinois

Pieced from jelly rolls.

Cecilia Valentine
Golconda, Illinois

Pieced from jelly rolls.

Cindy Loos
Columbia, South Carolina

Based on a photo of a Vermont Beaver pond, I composed a scene involving reflections. I used techniques new to me, including my love of working thin strips into my quilts.

Sara Quattlebaum
Lexington, South Carolina

I designed and created this piece after being inspired by the background, which is my first hand-dyed fabric. I created “layers” on the quilt, i.e., the spider web was placed on the quilt and attached after quilting was completed under that area.

Lisa Dodson
Martinsville, Indiana

As Kitty stalks for pretty in the grass, he is totally unaware that he is also being stalked.

Brenda Roach
Bloomfield, Indiana

My paradise is filled with lush foliage, rich texture, and a bit of whimsy. Turned edge hand and machine appliqué. Design inspired by the painting ‘The Equatorial Jungle’ by Henri Rousseau.

Berry W. Kaliszak
Sevierville, Tennessee

The inspiration for the quilt came from living in Germany, near the medieval historic town of Rothenburg. The fabric was hand-dyed white Kona Cotton. Thread painting was used to create the scene and clock tower. The machine quilting is 100% hand guided.

Pat Kelley
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Sissy Victoria is a depiction of our daughter who is the dreamer, day dreaming about life and the world outside her home.

Sonia Martin
Cincinnati, Ohio

This piece was designed to showcase my hand dyed and shibori indigo dyed fabrics. 100% hand dyed fabrics, 50 wt Aurifil thread.

Sonia Martin
Cincinnati, Ohio

This piece was completely piece with the flowers and the flowerpot appliquéd on top during the cold part of winter. With the addition of this piece, I always have sunshine and flowers in my studio! Hand dyed and commercial fabrics.

Betsey Glassey
Bloomington, Indiana

This quilt is the latest in a series of string pieced quilts that I have completed in the last few years. There are 400 five inch blocks that were foundation pieced on used dryer sheets. It is a gift for a dear friend. Sweet dreams, Ruthie.