By study, replication, and reinterpretation, we pay homage to the anonymous quiltmaker who designed and executed this complex and beautiful antique quilt. Sheila Bishop, who named the quilt Lost Star due to its missing provenance, and her computer-whiz son Grant worked together to create the templates. Anne Dawson then produced an approachable, coherent pattern. Quilting friends rallied, each beautifully interpreting the original quilt in their own way.

By study, replication, and reinterpretation, we pay homage to the anonymous quiltmaker who designed and executed this complex and beautiful antique quilt. Sheila Bishop and her son Grant worked together to create the templates. Anne Dawson then produced an approachable, coherent pattern. Quilting friends rallied, each beautifully interpreting the original quilt in their own way.

This series of 21 miniature quilts focuses on the traditional Pineapple block done on a very small scale. All blocks are 2” or less, and all strips are 1/8” wide or less. Each quilt has thousands of pieces, and the series was considered complete when the total number of pieces reached 201,751. Eighteen of these quilts were pandemic quilts, completed after March 2020. The quilts are machine foundation pieced and quilted in the ditch.

This year, Long Beach Modern Quilt Guild redesigned their guild logo. The challenge for members was to use the three new colors, a neutral, and an optional wildcard fabric. They then selected a geometric shape and created a quilt with a perimeter less than 96 inches. The quilts hung as part of LBMQG's annual fiber art exhibition, Perspectives at the Alpert Jewish Community Center. See the entries here!

This exhibit showcases modern quilts that feature a clear focal point surrounded by the rest of the design elements in the quilt, drawing the eye in. These quilts, made by MQG members, were selected from quilts that hung at QuiltCon 2022 in Phoenix.

Through Lines is a collection of quilts from QuiltCons 2022-2024 that were displayed in a variety of categories. These quilts use the line—that most basic of design elements—in effective and interesting ways. Whether pieced, quilted, or just created with a seam, the line is a key component in these striking modern quilts.

Modern quilts often take traditional blocks and reinterpret them through the use of solid-colored fabrics or give them a new twist by using negative space, minimal repeats, improvisational piecing, and gridding for quilting. A modern quilt can be pieced or appliquéd. This exhibit showcases amazing modern quilts from talented artists.

Over 20 years, Karen G. Fisher’s quilts have celebrated three main interests: the southern Arizona desert she calls home, Medieval Art History, and the Earth Sciences, especially geology and astronomy. Her lifelong art education has kept her trying—and even inventing—new techniques to achieve the effects she wanted in her designs.

While searching for her artistic voice, Hope Wilmarth discovered that while she had one song of creativity, there were many verses to it. Three of the verses to that intrinsic tune are exhibited here in three perspectives: Abstract, Nature, and Contemporary. Her work continues to evolve with different techniques. In this exhibit, Wilmarth shares a variety of her fiber song styles.

Life has changed for the artist Farquhar, and it has changed her approach to quilting. She used to create only what she considered “joyful” quilts. She now allows her emotions to speak through her quilts which include despair and loss, but also hope. She hopes her quilts generate conversations among viewers.

Life has changed for the artist Farquhar, and it has changed her approach to quilting. She used to create only what she considered “joyful” quilts. She now allows her emotions to speak through her quilts which include despair and loss, but also hope. She hopes her quilts generate conversations among viewers.

This collection of unique quilts was in response to monthly challenges that the artists created for each other. Their themes were My Happy Place, Stripe Out, Reflections, Beneath, Contrast, Rock, Layers, and What\'s Next. Quilts were created by a diverse group of women who challenged each other in a supportive and inspiring community which allowed them to evolve as artists.

Paula Nadelstern is a “Patternista” hardwired to see patterns everywhere. For over 35 years, she has filtered her design inspiration through a kaleidoscopic lens, resulting in a personal quilt idiom. Employing a technique that is counterintuitive to the conventional quilting process, she obscures the seams that join the intricate patchwork, encouraging an uninterrupted flow of design or color from one patch to the next and creating the illusion that there are no seams at all.

Every year, Cherrywood chooses a theme and color palette and presents a challenge to quilters from all over the world. The challenge is to see what you can create using a very limited number of colors and show the beautiful suede look of their hand-dyed fabrics. This year’s theme is “poppy” and the fabrics are a gorgeous collection of eight colors of reds, red-oranges, blue-grays, and greens. Prepare to be captivated as artists push the boundaries, weaving threads, paints, pencils, inks, and beads into a symphony of colors that transcend imagination.

Though they work behind the scenes, International Quilt Festival could not be produced (or enjoyed by tens of thousands of attendees) without the hard-working members of The Piece Corps. These ladies and gentlemen—all expertly skilled and trained—are crucial to the show and responsible for receiving, hanging, taking down, and shipping back all of the quilts on display. They work very close to these amazing works of art, and many are talented creators themselves. This exhibit features works by members of The Piece Corps with a wide variety of techniques, styles, and subject matter.

Thread, passion, tiny stitches and harmonious makin, this is how the adventure of the Quilts de Légende was built. It included the search for the perfect model to best showcase the skill and expert hands of these French quilters. Exclusive fat quarters, copied from historic design, are showcased in this exhibit’s works.

Bee Sewcial is an international, improvisational quilting bee. Each month, the selected group leader provides an inspiration—a theme, palette, restrictions, etc.—for the members of the bee to follow when they design and make a block. The monthly group leader designs a quilt using the improv creation of each contributing member. Each quilt is unique, yet reflects the cohesion and trust they have toward each other.

Bee Sewcial is an international, improvisational quilting bee. Each month, the selected group leader provides an inspiration—a theme, palette, restrictions, etc.—for the members of the bee to follow when they design and make a block. The monthly group leader designs a quilt using the improv creation of each contributing member.

For over a decade, the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation has made a difference in the lives of children and adults by giving them the tools they need to become proficient readers. Use your creativity to make a quilt that illustrates a favorite book, tells a story of its own, or encourages someone to read. You can even depict Barbara Bush herself!

For official photos of Mrs. Bush from the Barbara Bush Foundation, download here »

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 24”, maximum of 86” on any side
• The piece must be completed between 2021 and 2025
• The quilt may illustrate a children’s story or an aspect of Mrs. Bush’s life

RULES »
PREVIEW PAGE »
ENTRY PAGE »

This exhibit features 50 miniature quilts by sisters Andrea Blackhurst and Ellen Carter. Their miniatures were previously featured at Festival’s 40th anniversary Ruby Jubilee Celebration in 2014, and again for the 45th Sapphire Celebration in 2019. The works here are miniature versions of traditional quilts, this year done in red, white, and blue to complement the color scheme for Festival’s 50th anniversary. It is also a companion exhibit to “50 Years of Great Quilts.”

This retrospective celebrates the memory, work, and creativity of Collier, an award-winning quiltmaker, teacher, pattern designer, and antique quilt collector. She found her passion for quilting in 1986 after taking a sampler class and learning the basics from experienced quilters in rural Tennessee. She also learned to make 1840s Baltimore Album style quilts and specialized in those, as well as pieced quilts in the 1830s Medallion style. It was her hope that viewers could look through the “window” of her work and be taken back in time to a walk in the woods or a respite in the garden, feeling refreshed and peaceful.

Rocks, pebbles, and stones are formed by sedimentation, fire, and pressure, and are acted on by external forces after formation. In this exhibit, each artist used the soft media of fabric, fiber, and stitch to create a work depicting the qualities of rock, pebble and stone: hardness, texture, color, luster, shape, and size.

Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring themes of joy, inspiration, spirituality, healing, grief, and peace/brotherhood. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey. The hope is that visitors experience healing and strength through the stories of this powerful exhibition.

One of the most popular current styles of quilting is modern quilts. Artists have taken a traditional look and put a fresh, contemporary spin on it, often utilizing bold colors and inventive shapes. This juried exhibit features recent works by current members of the Salt Lake City chapter of the national Modern Quilt Guild organization.

Nature produces an endless array of colors, shapes, and patterns that creatures use to fool the eye. These animals become visible only when they move or are in contrasting surroundings. Creatures may disguise themselves to blend in by changing color on demand or with the seasons, allowing plants to grow on them, or by evolving to look like something else. The chameleon is known for changing its colors, but many other animals have this ability, including bugs, fish, octopuses, foxes, and rabbits. See many of them in this exhibit featuring work by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates.

From amphibians to apex predators, celebrate wild animals in their natural environments. This exhibition showcases birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles doing what comes naturally. Go WILD!

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, featuring not only the bountiful gifts from nature, but a gift from the human hand. The art of preparing unique, delicate food is a tradition passed from generation to generation, around the world. Combining innovative ingredients, colors, textures, and flavors, works in this exhibit by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates will inspire by the eye and the palette.

All living creatures need a safe place to heal, regroup, rest, or retreat. Do you nurture your loved ones in a special place? Do you create a haven for others in need? What is your haven? Here, members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates rendered the essential quality of their own haven in visual form.

This exhibit features works on the very important theme of ecology and how humans interact—in both positive and negative ways—with the planet. Through their work, artists here strive to be a voice of change. Artistic visions include topics of climate change, pollution, natural disasters, and drought.

This eclectic grouping of quilts showcases over 100 years of diversity and talent put forth by America’s unnamed quiltmakers. Shared by private collectors, these beautiful bedcoverings are filled with fine workmanship, expressing each maker’s sense of identity using pattern, color, and composition. Though the makers’ histories have been silenced by time, their creativity and artistry remain with us today.

Sports have long been ingrained into world culture from ancient times up until today, where fans are passionate about their teams and their players. This exhibit spotlights and showcases sports and the love of it from the most familiar types (football, basketball, baseball, soccer) to the more specialized (badminton or curling, anyone? How about Quidditch!).

Young quilters ages 7 to 15 entered their works into this call. All styles of quilting were welcome – pieced, appliquéd, painted, embellished, and even colored with crayons.

Hand and machine quilting were the focal point of the quilts in this category. Machine quilting was completed on both domestic and longarm machines.

Buildings have a long history of inspiring the creative designs of quiltmakers. In the 19th century, American quilters developed classic architectural patterns such as Log Cabin, Schoolhouse, and Brick Wall. This annual juried exhibit challenges quiltmakers to create works based on architectural themes and inspirations. The quilt may be Traditional, Modern, or Art.

Buildings have a long history of inspiring the creative designs of quiltmakers. In the 19th century, American quilters developed classic architectural patterns such as Log Cabin, Schoolhouse, and Brick Wall. This annual juried exhibit challenges quiltmakers to create works based on architectural themes and inspirations.

Buildings have a long history of inspiring the creative designs of quiltmakers. In the 19th century, American quilters developed classic architectural patterns such as Log Cabin, Schoolhouse, and Brick Wall. This annual juried exhibit challenges quiltmakers to create works based on architectural themes and inspirations.

Taiwan is a butterfly kingdom, yet butterflies are now rarer there and around the world. How can we turnover such a tragedy? How long have we not encountered butterflies in our living space? How does a mutually beneficial environment to both butterflies and humans look like? Works in this exhibit try to answer those pertinent and important questions for a sustainable butterfly ecology.

This is a collaboration between two artists featuring West Africa’s earliest quilt tradition by Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye. Her influence and works from the 1960s have impacted the younger generation of African artists and are hand-sewn quilts that utilize embroidery. Uzoma Samuel, as the second artist, will showcase his contemporary portrait quilts. This fusion is to present the evolution of Africa's fabric art—both ancient and modern—and stories of heritage.

Intentionally ambiguous might be a way of identifying this body of work. This exhibit includes artwork from 2014 to the present. Sherri Lipman McCauley’s intention is to fill the gallery walls with some of her favorite pieces. The union of paints and dyes with fabric is her forte. Using paints, dyes, fabrics, and threads is the goal to heighten the recognition of art quilts as fine art.

Words are a design element in many ways. This exhibit shows what artists can do with words dyed, painted, or pieced on fabric. Throughout, words and fabric merge to form unique statements.

Sharyn Resvick’s interest in quilt history led her to create a series of small quilts that represent styles which span over two-and-a-half centuries of quiltmaking. Many of the quilts are simple in design, but the real beauty is in their telling of the rich story of history from the first medallion quilts of the early 1800s to the Depression-era quilts of the early 1900s, to the sampler quilts seen after the second quilt revival of the 1970s, and on up to the modern quilts of today.

The passing of the longest reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (who was Queen from 1952 to 2022), has left a lifetime of memories and respect. This exhibit honors the monarch’s memory with quilts that memorialize her long-standing dedication to her position and her people.

Laurene Sinema, an international teacher, quilt judge, fabric designer, and author of nine books, opened The Quilted Apple in 1978. Her boundless people skills, motivational teaching, and impeccable handwork changed the quilt world forever! This memorial exhibit showcases her outstanding work.

The Charleston Modern Quilt Guild challenged their members to make a quilt with two solid fabrics. Any design, any size, and challenge were accepted. The artists here learned and were inspired by the color choices.

The Beehive State is home to scores of quilt guilds and groups which all celebrate their love for and creativity with the art form. The Utah Quilt Guild is the state’s largest, with chapters and members spread throughout its borders. Current work from members in guilds across the state are shown here.

In their most recent series, A New World, members of the international fiber art collective, Viewpoints, took a closer look at the possibilities before them. Personally significant themes including Daily Routines, the Unseen, Observation, Contrast, and more, are explored through the use of rich color, pattern, and texture while using familiar and unexpected techniques.

Georgia Williams’ art quilts serve as vibrant reflections of visual Black history, unveiling lesser-known narratives. Each stitch weaves a story—illuminating overlooked facts and celebrating the resilience, creativity, and contributions of African Americans. These textile masterpieces serve as powerful tools for education, fostering a deeper understanding of the rich tapestry of black history. Williams hopes that while looking at her pieces, viewers will be engaged enough to further explore these topics.

The popularity of the television series Yellowstone has brought renewed attention to the region, geography, and customs of the western United States and the outdoors. Quilts here celebrate the land and its culture. Note: This exhibit is not affiliated with the television show, its producers/creators, or Paramount television.