Janet Stone
Overland, Kansas

BEST OF SHOW 2020
This quilt is a nod to my love of antique samplers. The layout was loosely inspired by a page from an antique children’s book by Walter Crane from 1878. Color palette was inspired by the beautiful Japanese taupe quilts. This is number 17 in my alphabet quilt series.

Molly Hamilton-McNally
Tehachpi, California

EXEMPLARY MACHINE QUILTING
Every culture has gatherings for special occasions. These occasions passed down through the ages, are unique to each culture. In America red and green are symbolic of Christmas. In China they relate to the New Year and marriage. For me these colors represent universal happiness and celebration.

Elsie Campbell
Ponca City, Oklahoma

EXEMPLARY HAND QUILTING
Quilting with bright warm colors and the soft blue of summer skies helped keep me cheerful during long, cold winter days. Completely constructed, appliquéd and quilted by hand over a period of 10 years. Even the binding is applied with hand stitches.

Karen Kay Buckley
McKinney, Texas

1ST PLACE: APPLIQUÉD QUILTS
Karen Kay Buckley created this original design and used hand appliqué to complete the top. Renae Haddadin used her original quilting designs to complete the machine quilting.

Janet Lewis
Grand Rapids, Michigan

2ND PLACE: APPLIQUÉD QUILTS
Begun as a hand project that I could travel with, the quilt top is completely hand appliquéd and was more than 15 years in the making. The top spent over a year with talented quilter Tammy Oberlin as she worked her magic on it, completing it in September 2018.

Joann Webb
Grain Valley, Missouri

3RD PLACE: APPLIQUÉD QUILTS
AWARD: VIEWER’S CHOICE
Espalier has a collection of midwest birds set in a Portuguese Fence grid of espaliered (trained) fruit trees. Hand appliquéd and hand quilted. No paint or embellishment were used in making this quilt.

Suzy Webster
Apple Valley, Minnesota

1ST PLACE: SMALL PIECED QUILTS
RIBBON: EXEMPLARY EDGE FINISH
I enjoyed playing with how rings would connect in this New York Beauty adaptation.

Megan Farkas
Sanbornton, New Hampshire

2ND PLACE: SMALL PIECED QUILTS
This pattern is a wonderful opportunity to play with color interactions. I chose this name for the quilt because it's electric - and it goes 'round! All work by hand.

Deb Treusch
West Des Moines, Iowa

3RD PLACE: SMALL PIECED QUILTS
The sashings and floating checkerboard border unify the scrappy blocks in this quilt and bring it to life. The quilting emphasizes the rich brown diamond shapes that dance across the quilt.

Linda Scholten
Oxford, Ohio

HONORABLE MENTION: SMALL PIECED QUILTS
Begun at last year’s show in a Bonnie Hunter class. Over 100 fabrics used.

Rhonda Nelson
Brownsburg, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: SMALL PIECED QUILTS
A paper pieced masterpiece! This was originally intended to be given to my niece for her wedding, but it took too long to make. Instead, I made her a king-sized quilt and I have kept this wallhanging for myself.

Gail Stepanek
New Lenox, Illinois

1ST PLACE: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
Inspired by a much larger antique Mariner's Compass block, I reduced the design and paper pieced each block. Hand appliqué was used for the secondary designs. Jan Hutchison's quilting is her own design and done freehand.

Nancy Simmons
Duncannon, Pennsylvania

2ND PLACE: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
I find inspiration in vintage quilts that have been made using diamonds. I love the small pieces and the precision piecing it takes to achieve the finished 1/2" diamonds. And who doesn't love those little Cakestand cornerstones? My friends call me crazy and I take that as a compliment!

Mary Bauer
Crestwood, Kentucky

3RD PLACE: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
This quilt was made for my daughter after she picked the style and the colors that she wanted. The amount of open space was a challenge for me since my quilting is traditional - moving the fabric on a sit-down machine. I happened to see a sundial while I was piecing the quilt and decided I would attempt to fill some of the open areas with "Suns."

Mary Bauer
Crestwood, Kentucky

HONORABLE MENTION: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
I fell in love with the "Sedona" quilt made by Sew Kind of Wonderful. Using the various elements from their pattern, I designed my own lay-out. The quilting was done using American Indian motifs, including Pueblo designs in all four corners.

Kim Dunnington
Carmel, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
I was inspired by my collection of Tula Pink fabrics and the #100days100blocks2018 challenge by @gnomeangel on Instagram. It was a stretch in many ways, but had a positive impact on my quilting life!

Christine Roseberry
Valrico, Florida

HONORABLE MENTION: LARGE PIECED QUILTS
Color was the main focus, needed to have significant masculine colors with a touch of femininity. Secondary was the layout/size, as it needed to be large enough to share. Virtually hundreds of neutral batik prints used to add depth within the ½ in log cabin centers.

Marilyn Badger
St. George, Utah

1ST PRIZE: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
RIBBON: EXEMPLARY USE OF COLOR
This quilt is dedicated to my favorite Aunt Ree who could crochet like no other. The doily in the center was hand dyed by Wendy Richardson and Paula Nadelstern's fabric was the perfect match. Lots of hand beading, paint and hand embroidery add the finishing touches.

Margaret Solomon Gunn
Gorham, Maine

2ND PRIZE: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
Traditional silk whole cloth features original designs created on a 45-degree wedge. Freehand quilting is boldly executed on a long arm using colored threads -- black, pink and blue. The edge is a bit of crazy to bring more black to the quilt. It features a beaded knife edge with silk loopy-loops.

Barbara Clem
Rockford, Illinois

3RD PLACE: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
Beautiful and colorful tulips spin in this wreath....accented by two frames to complement the overall design. She is hand appliquéd, trapuntoed, embroidered and exquisitely hand quilted. All 100% cotton fabric and Hobbs Wool Batting.

Amy Helton
Corbin, Kentucky

HONORABLE MENTION: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
"Gratitude" is a whole cloth quilt, with a top fabric blend of 80% hemp & 20% silk. I wanted to play with nontraditional quilt fibers to explore the texture & properties of hemp in anticipation of it being more readily available in the future.

Linda Vaughan
Caldwell, West Virginia

HONORABLE MENTION: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
Using a pattern by Dottie Kruger, I challenged myself to use many combinations of embroidery stitches to create the different flowers. It took me seven years to finish the 30 embroidery blocks.

Dedaimia Whitney
Bloomington, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: MIXED TECHNIQUE QUILTS
RIBBON: COMMISSIONER’S CHOICE
This quilt is based on Sarah Fielke's "Down the Rabbit Hole" pattern, with modifications to the bunnies. I adapted medieval manuscript illustrations as templates for the running hares on the sides and the rabbit musicians on top and bottom. The whole thing was quilted on my Bernina 750.

Claudia Pfiel
Krefeld, Germany

1ST PLACE: MODERN QUILTS
I made this silk quilt out of scraps and leftovers, collected from my show quilts over the past 14 years. There are cut-outs from appliqué backgrounds, pieces from borders and sashings. Quilted with giant spirals /different textures to enhance the vision of never-ending scrap collecting.

Sharon Schlotzhauer
Monument, Colorado

2ND PLACE: MODERN QUILTS
Third in a series of ‘licorice ribbon’ quilts with touches of color. Inspired by personal drawings of horizontal flowing ribbons in my sketchbook. I typically incorporate some type of dimension in my work, even if subtle, so I chose to do trapunto ‘ribbons’ within the vertical center panel.

Judy Pleiss
Indianapolis, Indiana

3RD PLACE: MODERN QUILTS
This is my first try at ruler work on a modern style quilt, whose design is a variation of an old and more traditional style pattern. I chose what are called low volume background fabrics as well as reproduction shirtings from my fabric stash.

Pam Westermann
Indianapolis, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: MODERN QUILTS
I love that this pattern has only one rule: “No colorful scrap can touch another colorful scrap.”

Sheryl Cameron
Bloomington, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: MODERN QUILTS
La Moda is a labor of love for my son Christopher and his bride Jennifer. Married in Mexico, I wanted their wedding quilt to reflect the bright, fun and festive mood of Mexico, yet be unique and modern for this non-traditional couple. This quilt is just what I envisioned...a modern twist on the traditional wedding ring quilt pattern. An AQS semi-finalist quilt (Paducah, 2018).

Janet Stone
Overland Park, Kansas

1ST PLACE: ART/INNOVATION QUILTS
Inspired by antique jewelry, the velveteen background was hand dyed by my friend, Gilbert Muniz. Because of my love for sheep, which are often featured in my quilts, my husband insisted this one also have a sheep. There’s one in there!

Claudia Pfiel
Krefeld, Germany

2ND PLACE: ART/INNOVATION QUILTS
Boteh is the Persian name for the paisley motif. The paisleys are painted with ink pens on white silk and applied to the background. The quilting is based entirely on the painted motifs — black silk yarn emphasizes the contours of the filigree patterns. Embellished with Swarovski Crystals.

Karen Hampton
Evansville, Indiana

3RD PLACE: ART/INNOVATION QUILTS
American barns are fading away and quickly disappearing by falling into disrepair or being knocked down. Karen wanted to preserve this icon of American culture and share her love of nature before losing this part of her southern Indiana history. Karen combines photo images into abstract compositions.

Emily Taylor
Sandy, Utah

HONORABLE MENTION: ART/INNOVATION QUILTS
I love the rugged outdoors of the American West! Perhaps my favorite animal which can be found in this area of the country is the grizzly bear. Seeing a grizzly bear in the wild is a gripping experience, one that commands attention, and I hope this quilt reflects that experience.

Leigh Layton
Indianapolis, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: ART/INNOVATION QUILTS
Lily is a ballet dancer that was drawn, cut with a digital cutter, appliquéd, thread painted, painted and then quilted.

Susan Brewer
Bloomington, Indiana

1ST PLACE: CHALLENGE QUILTS
Birds and bees have their own houses, windows and doors. My personal challenge was to make this quilt using only fabric I already had in my stash. It was fun and a learning experience to make this quilt.

M. C. Bunte
Lafayette, Indiana

2ND PLACE: CHALLENGE QUILTS
When visiting Stavanger, Norway, I discovered its original village. It is not a money-making tourist stop, but a residential area. It consists of white clapboard homes along cobblestone walkways, with containers of abundant flowers and a variety of painted doors. it remains a fond memory.

Brenda Roach
Bloomfield, Indiana

3RD PLACE: CHALLENGE QUILTS
This house is a part of the fairy tale hamlet that Marie Antoinette had built on the grounds of the palace of Versailles.

Claudia Lash
Speedway, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: CHALLENGE QUILTS
Subirdia is a bright and happy neighborhood of pieced houses with appliquéd birds and plants. I designed this quilt and enjoyed making it. I think the design has many interesting possibilities and plan to write a pattern for it.

Maryam Othman
Bloomington, Indiana

HONORABLE MENTION: CHALLENGE QUILTS
Fused appliqué was the technique used in this quilt. The background was first quilted on the longarm machine. Embroidery machine stitches were then added to add texture the quilt.

Julie Kessler
Kendall, Indiana

RIBBON: FOUND AND FINISHED
I found this quilt top at an antique show with just a few seams that needed repaired. I feel that these older tops should be finished so they can be seen and enjoyed. I am attracted to bright cheerful colors and this one surely applies. It needed the orange binding!

Kathy Munkelwitz
Isle, Minnesota

RIBBON: EXEMPLARY HAND WORK
Appliquéd and embroidered flowers — almost all the fabrics are checks. The fabrics except the background are feedsacks. This quilt should make you smile; these old fabrics are so much fun.

Kathy Munkelwitz
Isle, Minnesota

RIBBON: JUDGE’S RECOGNITION (Pam Walsh)
Bright colored appliquéd flower blocks original design. This was the third try for these blocks. I finally found a setting that worked. The blocks seemed no worse the wear from being taken apart twice. Redoing the border was a real challenge.

Susan Webster
Apple Valley, Minnesota

RIBBON: JUDGE’S RECOGNITION (Sue Cortese)
I wanted to play with combining metallic paint with appliqué. I also used Wonderfil Gla-More thread to add more sparkle.

Gordon Vogt
Louisville, Kentucky

AWARD: NACQJ AWARD OF MERIT (Pam Walsh)
This quilt is made using raw edge appliqué. The leaves and branches are appliquéd with 100 wt. silk thread. Metallic thread was used in appliquéing the center of all flowers. The pattern is by Edyta Sitar. Quilted by Lora Nale.
NACQJ is the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges.

Wendy Ahnen
Eagle River, Wisconsin

AWARD: NACQJ AWARD OF MERIT (Sue Cortese)
Based off my painting of our cove. Hand done entirely; hand cut design of english paper piecing, quilting. Border is woven and hand quilted.
NACQJ is the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges.

Nola Hartman
Bloomington, Indiana

AWARD: MAYOR’S CHOICE
Designed by Bonnie Hunter, from her book String Frenzy. Started in a class at the Grand Hotel Needleart Seminar. Quilted by Heather Vanderkleed.

Leanne McGiveron
West Lafayette, Indiana

AWARD: HOOSIER AWARD
Found on ‘folio 215v’ in Ireland’s Book of Kells, this ‘filler knot’ was drawn inside the bottom half of a letter ‘h’. The quilt’s colors are inspired by Malahide Castle, County Dublin: the castle’s grey stones, its green ivy, and the yellow from a candle illuminating a December evening. Full title of quilt is “Céimeanna Chaisleán Mhullach Íde.”