
Enter Your Quilt for Display at Our Shows!

THE 2026 QUILT FESTIVAL JUDGED SHOW
The deadlines to enter your quilt in one of our themed exhibits or the Judged Show for 2025 has passed. Please watch this space for the future for new calls!

2023 FESTIVAL JUDGED SHOW
More than $52,000 in cash, non-purchase prizes in several categories. Registration is open NOW and the deadline to enter is May 25 at 1 pm CST.
Click the button to the left for all the info, rules, and entry form!
Note: All quilts pictures are from the 2022 exhibits.
2025 calls for entry
These are the currently open calls for entry for exhibits at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival. More will be added later.
IMPORTANT NOTE! The International Quilt Festival Judged Show with prizes and categories is a completely separate entity/call. Information on that is available in the above section.
International Quilt Festival/
LONG BEACH 2023
International Quilt Festival/
Houston 2023
1 x 4: A Dimensional Challenge
Curated by Marijke Durieux and Robin Hamill
This exhibit explores the creative potential of a 12 x 48 foot vertical format. Artists transform narrow space into bold statements, drawing inspiration from nature, abstraction, and personal stories. Each quilt stretches upward like a towering landscape or an unfolding scroll, using color, texture, and stitch to push boundaries. Through innovation and artistry, these pieces prove that even within constraints, fabric and thread can create limitless possibilities.

Sunflower and Flying Geese (75” x 98”) by Arlene Heintz and Julia Mason.
25 Years of Scraps
Sponsored by Brother International
Curated by Carol Staehle and Karen Hodges
The 19th Century Patchwork Divas began in 1997 as a block exchange group, organized by Carol Staelhe and Betsy Chutchian, focusing on recreating antique quilts with the new readily available reproduction fabrics. What began as a small group of friends grew into a 22-member group connected by a mutual passion for antique quilts of the 19th century. Inspiration for the exchanges comes from the quilts the women made years ago to comfort their families and beautify their homes.
4 Common Corners Rocks!
Curated by Vicki Conley
The beauty of the four corners region relies heavily on the amazing geology of the Colorado Plateau and surrounding mountains. The high deserts, scattered forests, striking rock formations, and blue skies so characteristic of the region often serve as inspiration for artists in the regions. In this call, 4CC artists were asked to reflect on this geography, creating artwork that both literally and figuratively “rocks!”

Butterick, Betsey, and I (36” x 40”) by Laurie Landree.
50 Years of Great Quilts!
International Quilt Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary with this incredible display or red, white, and blue quilts, dramatically hanging from the ceiling. The roots of Festival began in 1974 when Founder Karey Bresenhan opened an antique store in Houston that soon became a quilt shop (Great Expectations Quilts). The next year, she held a “thank you” show, sale, and event for customers. Expecting 200 attendees, more than 2,000 showed up in very inclement weather. Over the years, at larger and larger venues, Festival has become the world’s largest quilt show, sale, and Quiltmaking Academy. Tens of thousands of attendees from every state in the U.S. and dozens of countries come to Houston each fall to celebrate the artistry, creativity, and love of quilting.

Celebration #2 (64” x 84”) Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, The Best of Show Winner.
A Celebration of Color
Sponsored by eQuilter.com
This annual judged competition was open to quilters working in any style, and who liked to play with color to create a vibrant work! A $1,000 Best of Show Award and three $500 prizes each in Traditional, Modern, and Art categories were awarded by eQuilter.com.
Advocacy Quilts: A Voice for the Voiceless
Curated by Bobbi Fitzsimmons and Mary May
Advocacy quilts allow marginalized women and children to tell their story and reach new partners in the Global North. The Advocacy Project helps these communities use embroidery as a tool for therapy, human rights, and advocacy. With support from experts in the north, we turn their embroidered squares into quilts, tea towels and/or bags.

Open Borders (85” x 85”) by Anna Maria Parry.
Anna Maria’s Blueprint Quilts
After 20 years of quilting, Anna Maria has unearthed the essence of how she designs quilts based on overall structural features. Discovering this about her process inspired this body of work where she focuses on a few structures and then varies those themes in multiple ways. Anna Maria said “It feels safe and joyful to have some parameters, yet exciting and challenging to find diversity in palette, technique, and composition. Letting go of ‘my style of quilting’ and simply engaging all my interests was splendid.”

Chintz Medallion (67” x 67”) by Leah Zieber with Mrs. Ticklefeathers Quilting Service.
Antebellum American Quilts
From the Collection of Zieber Quilts, Inc.
America’s age of Industrial Revolution, c. 1820-1860, brought about outstanding designs in printed cotton goods. Women throughout the country used these beautiful textiles to create their unique bed covers. Explore the rich colors, delightful motifs, and distinctive quilt designs that decorated American bedchambers with exceptional style. There are six contemporary quilts by Leah Zieber, which replicate works of the period.

Catherine’s Garden in Springtime by Dawn Cook-Ronningen. The 2022 Houston Quilt Festival Signature Quilt.
Antique Appliqué Quilts Revisited
Sponsored by Harmony Quilts
Curated by Dawn Cook-Ronningen
Newly-made quilts reflecting 19th century designs which originated from Ronningen’s (aka “The Collector with a Needle”) antique quilt collection. Using traditional and contemporary techniques and materials, these quilts owe their roots to 19th century quilters.

Lone Star with Borders (90” x 92”), c. 1850, quilter unknown.
Antique Floral Quilts from the International Quilt Festival Collection
This exhibit showcases floral-themed or designed treasures from the IQF’s permanent collection. International Quilt Festival Collection. The quilts—many of which are by artists whose identities are lost to time— date from the 1850s to 1920, and all feature beautiful hand appliqué.

Tucson: Heart of Arizona (47” x 70”) by Karen Grace Fisher.
Best of the West
An exhibit of traditional quilts made by the members of guilds based in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Arizona. See how contemporary artists are paying tribute to the time-tested styles and techniques of quiltmaking’s past.
Black & White + One
Curated by Kim Sandberg
The colors black and white create a cinematic backdrop for a bright pop of color. In this fun, eclectic collection of quilts made by the Handi Quilter National Educators, the drama of beautiful quilting is highlighted by this classic combination of light and dark. All styles of contemporary quilting, from classic blocks to modern improv piecing are highlighted by the beautiful machine quilting from these expert quilters.

Every Which Way (39” x 55.5”) by Kay Collins.
Blocks Among Friends
Sponsored by Handi Quilter
Have you ever wondered what happens with a block exchange? A team of Handi Quilter National Educators made 12 blocks, kept one and swapped 11 with other educators. They then took the blocks and created an original quilt. See the fun layouts, color combinations, and the many different ways to quilt the same blocks in this fun exhibit of out of the box sampler quilts.
Brasilidade
Curated by Estela Mota
This exhibit features 15 Brazilian quilts to exemplify how continental and plural the country is. With various techniques and artists from different places, we are presenting a Brazil full of bossa, colors and unforgettable places, rich in diversity and with a very present artistic textile force. The concept of Brazilianness is based on aspects of national culture linked to nature and life in large centers.

Midnight Blooms (48" x 48") by Lisa Ellis
Cathedral Windows: Contemporary Explorations
Sponsored by Cherrywood Fabrics
Lisa Ellis has had a long love affair with the textures and complexity of the overlapping circles of the Cathedral Window design. She was inspired to create this collection when she unearthed a quilt her grandmother made in the 1970s, a Cathedral Window made by hand on a muslin background. She played with the method her grandmother used to design the blocks but realized that she needed to take a different approach. Ellis developed her own construction technique, which can be pieced entirely by machine. She has worked within this series since 2015 and is still exploring its creative possibilities.

Returning Home (30" x 39") by Pam Hadfield
Celebrate Life
Sponsored by NECCHI
Art is an excellent way to express feelings. For this exhibit, artists depicted how they, a family member, or a friend celebrated a loved one’s wedding, birth, birthday, or memorial. Colors, patterns, traditional blocks, or abstract drawings are combined or used alone to convey a plethora of emotions across the spectrum.
Celebrate Life
Art is an excellent way to express emotions. For this exhibit, artists depict how they, a family member, or a friend celebrated a loved one’s wedding, birth, birthday, or memorial. Colors, patterns, traditional blocks, or abstract drawings are combined or used alone to convey a range of emotions from happy to sad.

Criss Cross Stars (41.55" x 41.5") by Nancy Messuri and quilted by Beth Godderidge.
A Celebration of Color
Sponsored by eQuilter.com
This annual judged competition is open to quilters working in any style, and who liked to play with color to create a vibrant work! A $1,000 Best of Show Award and three $500 prizes each in Traditional, Modern, and Art categories will be awarded.

Obituary (57” x 82”) by Jackie Manley.
Celebration of Life
Quilting can be a showing of love and honor by an artist. The works here depict how the artist, a family member, or a friend has celebrated a loved one’s wedding, birth, birthday, or memorial. And artists’ statements will tell their stories.

Melting (37” x 30”) by Maggie Vanderweit.
The Changing Climate
The changing weather is affecting the world—and often in a negative way. Creative quilts here show how it affects the artists’ homes, outlook, and everyday lives with immediate or long-term events and ecological impact. Quilters have often used their work to encourage growth and express activism.

Oak Leaf and Tulip (83” x 84”) by an unknown maker.
Christmas in July
Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant’ s book, Christmas Quilts, Christmas Memories, is a collection of colorful red and green quilts and heartwarming, often poignant, written memories of Christmas past by well-known quilters, teachers, and the authors. See many of those quilts from the book in this exhibit.

Victor V (60” x 60”) by Carolina Oneto.
Color Sequences and Improvisation
Curated by Carolina Oneto
Oneto's work is a journey through color, curves, improvisation, and mathematics. These are disciplines that she develops in pieces rife with movement. They are both improvised and created with time, thought, and structure in patterns. She manifests both precision and impeccable craft, and uses of color as a creative language.
Cossack Mamai Quilt
Curated by Mariia Nigel
The biggest group quilt in the history of Ukrainian patchwork made by 47 quilters in collaboration with the famous Ukrainian painter Orest Skop under the coordination of Natalia Lashko. The quilt consist of 65 segments which were sewn by Ukrainian quilter settled in different cities and countries as the refugees. Cossack Mamai is not just a historical or folkloric figure but a symbol of the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

Amelia Bloomer: Advocating a Change (48” x 48”) by Robin Schwalb.
Deeds Not Words
Sponsored by eQuilter.com, with additional support from Karey Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes.
Curated by Dr. Sandra Sider and Pamela Weeks
A touring exhibition of studio art quilts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Twenty-eight award-winning artists from across the United States accepted the invitation to create new works celebrating women’s suffrage and their eventual triumph.

Wen Ru Chunhoa by Chen Li Yin
Elite Quilters from Taiwan
Sponsored by Aunties Two Patterns
Curated by David Wu
Organized by Luli Chang
The works exhibited this time were meticulously crafted by Taiwanese quilting teachers, many of which have been previously showcased in places such as China and Japan.

The Bald Eagle by Janine Heschl
Endangered Species Act SOS Flag
Organized by Sherrell Cuneo
This work is a collaborative piece organized by Sherrell Cuneo. Artists from all over the world selected plants, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, insects, and amphibians to showcase. There are 50 stars for 50 states and 50 species on a tattered, embattled flag. Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota said, “One should pay attention to even the smallest crawling creature, for these too may have a valuable lesson to teach us.”
Exquisite Quilts
Sponsored by Taylor Seville
Curated by Abigail Vargas
Exquisite Quilt was launched as a collaborative project inspired by the Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse, where multiple quilters contribute to a composition without seeing the full picture. Each quilter builds upon a hidden foundation, guided by a designated connector point, resulting in a quilt that is both unpredictable and interconnected.
Fall in Ontario
Curated by Leslie Prokop
This exhibit celebrates the vibrant colors and beauty of fall through the artistry of Ontario’s quiltmakers. Drawing inspiration from golden leaves, crisp air, and Thanksgiving feasts, this exhibit blends traditional techniques with contemporary innovation. Featuring appliqué, paper piecing, and pixel art, each quilt tells a unique story..

Joost and the Chimney Sweep (86” x 74”) by Teresa Duryea Wong
Finally Finished
Sponsored by Taylor Seville
Eleven gorgeous antique quilt tops were lovingly quilted by Teresa Duryea Wong on a modern longarm quilting machine with hand-guided techniques and no computers. The story of each maker is lost to time, but her quilt is now finally finished. These objects span decades—even a century—and Wong has created a 21st-century narrative for each quilt by naming it in honor of her ancestors and family.
Fine Feathered Quilts
This exhibit will showcase Princess Feather and Feathered Star quilts. Quilters have long associated feathers with the 19th and 20th centuries. The earliest documented use of the Princess Feather design was found on a quilt dated 1818, and Feathered Star quilts began appearing in the 19th Century, as well, intricately pieced and time-consuming to construct. Modern sewing methods and machines make quick work of these two cherished designs. This exhibit features both antique and contemporary works.

Feathered Stars with Redwork (88” x 90”), artist unknown.
FINE FEATHERED QUILTS
This exhibit will showcase Princess Feather and Feathered Star quilts. Quilters have long associated feathers with the 19th and 20th Centuries. Modern sewing methods and machines make quick work of these two cherished designs. You may enter antique, modern, recently made, inherited, or purchased quilts in these two styles.
How to Enter Your Quilt:
• Limit of two (2) entries per person
• There is an entry fee of $20 (USD) per quilt
• Registration closes on April 24, 2025
• Size: a minimum of 50 “, maximum of 108” on any side
• There is no “made-by” date requirement
RULES »
PREVIEW PAGE »
ENTRY PAGE »

Three’s Company (36” x 46”) by Andrea Brokenshire
Flower Power—Contemporary Painted Florals
Andera Brokenshire has an educational background in Zoology and Natural History. She combines her love of the natural world with fabric and paint to create art quilts that depict botanical imagery. She uses fabric and paint to create the wonderful textures of nature while expressing the essence of a flower with the curve of a petal, the vibrancy of color and the diversity of flora. For her the creative process is a journey as essential as breathing. These quilts showcsase Andrea’s creative journey from 2010 to 2023 to find her artistic voice.

Tagging the Retirement Home by Etta McFarland
Graffiti Cherrywood Challenge
Sponsored by Mistyfuse
Curated by Karla Overland
Organized by Donna Anderson
Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times. For this challenge, artists focused on the graphic beauty and intense colors of this urban expression.
Gratitude
This exhibition of works by Virginie Peyre represents some of the values that are dear to her: the beauty of nature, wonder, respect for the living, faith in a united humanity, the opening of the heart necessary to meet the other, friendship, joy, the great yes to life, freedom, love, spirituality, and gratitude.

Purple Cross (Cruz de Semana Santa) (46” x 52”) by Priscilla Bianchi with Laura Lee Fritz.
The Guatemalan Fabric of My Life: Priscilla Bianchi
As a native Guatemalan, Bianchi’s work is a fusion of American and Mayan Guatemalan textile traditions which transcend culture, race, language, and gender. These art quilts document her journey through a 25-year artistic career. The pieces show how she began work in an American quiltmaking traditional style and evolved by incorporating imagery, textiles, designs, and symbols from her native Guatemala.

December 7th (La Quema del Diablo) (56” x 56”) by Priscilla Bianchi with Beverly Rodgers.
The Guatemalan Fabric of My Life: Priscilla Bianchi
As a native Guatemalan, Bianchi’s work is a fusion of American and Mayan Guatemalan textile traditions which transcend culture, race, language, and gender. These art quilts document her journey through a 25-year artistic career and show how she began work in an traditional style and evolved by incorporating imagery, textiles, designs, and symbols from her native Guatemala.

JOAN (61” x 62”) by Sister Nancy Gunderson and Ashley DelaBarre. Design Source: “Joan of Arc” pattern by Veruschka Zarate of Pride & Joy Quilting.
Hands All Around
Artists from all around the world incorporate influences from their own cultures into the design and technique of their quilts. This prestigious, long-running international showcase includes recent quilts by international artists inspired by their culture, geography, and surroundings.

Pink Breath of Heaven (55” x 55”) by Allison Lockwood.
Hands All Around
Sponsored by Clover
Artists from all around the world incorporate influences from their own cultures into the design and technique of their quilts. This prestigious, long-running international showcase includes recent quilts by international artists who create works inspired by such.

Dao-couplet (45” x 55”) by Tsui Hua Chen.
Hands All Around
Artists from all around the world incorporate influences from their own cultures into the design and technique of their quilts. This prestigious, long-running international showcase includes recent quilts by international artists who create works inspired by them.

Hidden Gems (46” x 46”) by Jan Soules.
Highlights From The Frank Klein Collection
Sponsored by the Texas Quilt Museum
Curated by Dr. Sandra Sider co-curated by Ele Chew
Frank Klein is a Texas art collector with an emphasis on the art quilt. His love of family, photography, and nature have developed a collection of fine art quilts that inspires the nature lover in all of us. The collection represents some of his favorite quilts collected over the last decade.

Nightcruise on the River Thames (20” x 20”) by Kumiko Frydl.
Honey, I Shrunk the Quilts!
This solo exhibition showcases Kumiko Frydl's intricate and vibrant miniature quilts. It’s a journey she began in 2002 with the original classic I'm Still Sane all the way through to 2021 with her most recent creation Emerald Labyrinth and many other exquisite stops along the way. In this exhibit, great things come in small packages!

Dear Humans… (94”x 66”) by Sue Sherman.
Houston International Quilt Festival Prizewinners 2022
Featuring 15 selected quilts from last year’s Quilt Festival Judged Show in Houston. This includes four of the Master Award Winners and top winners in many different categories which earned cash, non-purchase prizes provided by industry sponsors.

Cindy Mays Cochran 2013-2015
Houston Junior Forum: Bead Dazzled
Sponsored by the Houston Junior Forum
Curated by Houston Junior Forum
Organized by Janet Juban, Carolyn Kares and Debbie Berner
Each year The Houston Junior Forum honors their president with an original hand-beaded skirt that is an amazing example of needlework arts. This exhibit assembles intricately beaded and appliquéd skirts from their seven-decade collection. Early skirts were worn to “Fiesta” themed fundraisers and reflect designs of the colorful “china poblana” Mexican ensemble. More recent designs reflect history or interests of presidents.
Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Blue Ribbon Winners 2025
Curated by Angela Gutierrez
Two great Houston Institutions have come together for International Quilt Festival to present the Blue-Ribbon Winning quilts from the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). We’re sure you’ll enjoy the quilts of Texas, with winners her in both the Adult and Juvenile categories.

Flora and Friends (47” x 47”) by Noreen Borys. Block Design: “Garden Party” pattern by Emily Taylor.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Blue Ribbon Winners
Sponsored by Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Two great Houston Institutions have come together for International Quilt Festival to present the Blue-Ribbon Winning quilts from the 2024 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). We’re sure you’ll enjoy the quilts of Texas, with winners here in both the Adult and Juvenile categories. To participate in the HLSR quilt competition in 2025, check their website.

The Electric Fan (36” x 36”) by Teresa Schoonover.
I Spy a Barn Quilt: Barn Quilts from Across America for the Sunday Driver
Curated by Katheen Mitchell
“Barn Quilts” are all over the U.S! Take a drive across rural roads and even cities and towns, and you will find quilt blocks painted on barns, silos, homes, fence rows, and other structures in bright, cheery colors…far larger than any stitched blocks! In this exhibit, take a “Sunday drive” with the family, and play your own game of "I Spy."
PROPOSE AN EXHIBIT
Special Exhibits welcomes queries from artists and curators about proposing exhibits for future shows throughout the year.
- We welcome proposals for 2025 and beyond.
- Once the proposal is complete, it will be submitted to a selection committee to be reviewed.
For further information, please email the Special Exhibits Manager, Christa Parker, at christap@quilts.com.