Houston Festival
The International Quilt Festival Judged Show 2022 Winners List
Here are the results of the debut of our Festival Judged Show! All prizes are non-purchase.
*Click on quilt image for larger view.
TOP WINNERS
THE HANDI QUILTER BEST OF SHOW AWARD ($12,500)
Sponsored by
Beyond Reason
(96″ x 96″)
By Angela Petrocelli
Prescott Valley, Arizona, USA
Design Source: Original Design
Artist’s Statement: Some accomplishments are beyond reason. This quilt is the embodiment of a dream…not of a finished product, but the journey and completion of a process. I believed I could, I thought I should, I said I would, and I did. The total piece count is 226,576.
Interview with the artist
The Grace Company Master Award for Traditional Artistry ($5,000)
Sponsored by
Merry Christmas
(6o” x 6o”)
By Aki Sakai
West Melbourne, Florida, USA
Design Source: Original Design
Artist’s Statement: This is my second Christmas quilt. It took about a year to make this. I made it with the hope that everyone can have a happy Christmas.
The eQuilter.com Master Award for Contemporary Artistry
Sponsored by
Blue Basket
(61″ x 41″)
By Roberta Lagomarsini
Bishop, California, USA
Design Source: Original design, inspired by the baskets in the book, Scrape the Willow Until it Sings, by Deborah Valoma.
Artist’s Statement: “Baskets are like stories—if you listen, they will tell you something.” —Deborah Valoma
Inspired by California and Nevada Piute Tribes’ winnowing baskets, this is a deconstructed version to allow viewing of the weaving. The vibrant colors show the beauty of the rituals involved in creating the baskets, and a hand-painted background fabric suggests the seeds, leaves, and other debris that falls through the basket. Quilting is in the basketweave pattern.
Interview with the artist
The Gammill Master Award for Machine Artistry ($5,000)
Sponsored by
Soul of the Southwest
(84″ x 98″)
By Debbie Corbett with Mike Corbett
Glendale, Arizona, USA
Design Source: Digitized quilting designs—J. Michelle Watts, Classic Serape Quilt Design; Kim Diamond, Custom Digitized Quilt Patterns from Sweet Dreams Quilt Studio.
Artist’s Statement: Our love of Native American artwork inspired us to recreate an authentic serape quilt. The process began with selecting the correct quilt pattern, fabric colors, quilting designs, and thread colors. The quilt consists of 2,426 one-inch pieces, 12 different thread colors, and over one million quilting stitches. The 28 custom quilting designs were created from traditional vintage pottery artwork from the Acoma, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo people.
Interview with the artist
THE SUPERIOR THREADS MASTER AWARD FOR THREAD ARTISTRY ($5,000)
Sponsored by
Dear Humans…
(94″ x 64″)
By Sue Sherman
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Design Source:
Original design—based, in part, on photographs taken by the artist.
Artist’s Statement: The animals are sending a message to humans, offering their opinion about the state of things. If you look closely, you can see where the humans have filled the sky with their empty talk about addressing habitat loss and climate change, but don’t do enough to help. Wholecloth cotton painted with thickened dyes.
Interview with the artist
The Janome Master Award for Innovative Artistry ($5,000)
Sponsored by
Born To Be Wild
(66”x39”)
By Susan de Vanny
Greenvale, Victoria, Australia
Design Source: Original design.
Artist’s Statement: Wild dogs or painted wolves are my favorite animals out of Africa. Here, three young pups are walking ahead of the adult dog in the background in a landscape of a changing environment. Diminishing in numbers rapidly from disease, it is crucial to look after the numbers before they reach a crisis point, like so many African animals. The webbed holes represent climate change and the effects it has on nature’s wonderful creatures.
Interview with the artist
JUDGE’S CHOICE ($250 each)
Sponsored by
Choice of Jill Kerttula
Ammonite Flow
(49″ x 50″)
By Kimberly Lacy
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: In my ongoing exploration of using ammonites in my designs and quilts, I have landed on stacking ammonites in a waterfall configuration.
Choice of Teresa Duryea Wong
Carousel
(52″ x 46″)
By Margery Hedges
Lakeway, Texas, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This quilt was inspired by a Mediterranean cruise. I discovered an amazing carousel on a walk in Marseille. European carousels have extremely intricate designs and landscape paintings on the face of the roof. I used the landscapes to highlight places we had visited, which made this a great memory quilt of our trip. This section of a carousel is typical of that area, with added stories of people in and around it.
Choice of Kathy York
Sunken Citadel
(41″ x 43″)
By Karen Eckmeier
Kent, Connecticut, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: Creating this grand lost city underwater was a real adventure. It all started with one of my hand-painted silks that suggested water. I dove right into this fabric collage challenge in my Happy Villages™ series by creating grand buildings, temples, and columns topped with shells—finishing with the metallic schools of fish.
ABSTRACT category
Sponsored by
First Place
New Year’s Eve
(54”x 41”)
By Judith Beaver
Sisters, Oregon, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: New Year’s Eve in Hawaii is an incredible experience. All night long, the air is filled with overhead aerials bursting into magnificent colors, and the smoke from firecrackers is thick in the air. All the neighbors are out in the street toasting one another and the new year. The next morning, all is silent, but the streets are littered with red paper left from the exploded firecrackers.
Second Place
Radiance
(64”x 41”)
By Jane Sassaman
Harvard, Illinois, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This abstract quilt was inspired by botanical forms and celebrates the magical mysteries of Mother Nature.
Third Place
Zigzags & Circles #8
(64”x 64”)
By Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry
Port Townsend, Washington, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This piece is the eighth in a series combining zigzags, curves, and circles. I drew the design in Corel Draw, added digital painting, and had it printed by Spoonflower.com. I graduated many shapes from color to color. As I arranged them in the design, I made the areas where they overlapped into separate shapes and chose duller colors in those shapes to create the illusion that all the objects are transparent.
APPLIQUÉ CATEGORY
Sponsored by
First Place
Cherry Blossom
(83”x 83”)
By Akiko Yoshimizu
Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: I wanted to create a quilt with many girls on a pink background. Each of them has various faces with different hairstyles, clothes, and suited bags. There are 640 of them. It took a lot of time and effort to gather and arrange the fabrics to make the background a pink gradation. I hope this will make you feel gorgeous, as if cherry blossoms are in full bloom, or make you smile and feel kind.
SECOND PLACE
Blue Flower
(66”x 85”)
By Tamie Hashida
Yachiyo City, Chiba, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: The flowers were designed to move out with many blue fabrics. The origami patterns were reverse appliquéd at the border. I tried to quilt to enhance the flowers.
THIRD PLACE
Fandangle
(68”x 76”)
By Jan Hutchison
Sedgwick, Kansas, USA
Design Source: Original design—inspiration from traditional textiles from Uzbekistan.
Artist’s Statement: I was inspired to design this quilt after seeing the traditional embroidered textiles of Uzbekistan. It was machine appliquéd and free-motion quilted on a longarm machine.
HAND QUILTING/HANDMADE CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
In the Square Where the Refreshing Breeze is Blowing
(60”x 72”)
By Isako Wada
Tomiya-City, Miyagi, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: When I traveled abroad, I found a square paved with flagstones. The landscape around the square was beautiful, and I was so impressed. A refreshing breeze blowing through trees and houses made me so relaxed. I expressed my impression of the square in my quilt. I applied my favorite Trip Around the World setting to the stone paved squares, appliquéd the traditional houses around the square, and quilted so that the quilt lines represent the breeze.
SECOND PLACE
A Spark of Joy
(55”x 69”)
By Zena Thorpe
Chatsworth, California, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This quilt was an uplifting endeavor. It gave me a spark of joy every time I picked it up to work on it.
THIRD PLACE
Let’s Sing a Happy Song
(84”x 66”)
By Hideko Kawai
Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: I created this quilt with a wish for a return to the bright life we used to have.
MACHINE QUILTING CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
A Tribute to Ricky
(62”x 62”)
By Deb Schultz Grimes
Pinedale, Wyoming, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This quilt is a tribute to Ricky Tims and his book, Kool Kaleidoscope Quilts, where I learned his technique for these quilts. Since my first kaleidoscope quilt, I have developed my own process, and this quilt highlights my growth with curved seams; 24 outer wedges that are Y-seamed to 12 inner wedges; and appliqué enhancements. Thank you, Ricky, for an easy-to-follow method that inspired me to go further.
SECOND PLACE
Third Time’s a Charm
(85”x 85”)
By Ruth Ohol
Lockport, New York, USA
Design Source: The center medallion originated from a Yoko Saito pattern. I altered that pattern for this quilt. The border design is original.
Artist’s Statement: I start a new quilt each year during baseball season while my husband watches every Yankees game. This is my third quilt in the series. Covid forced me to use fabrics on hand, and the silk was in my stash. I was thrilled when I found it! All of the quilting designs are original.
THIRD PLACE
Trip to America
(50”x 50”)
By Karen Hogan
Hillwood, Tasmania, Australia
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: Trip to America was inspired by a planned first-time journey out of Australia to teach at the MQX quilt show. Unfortunately, my journey was cancelled because of Covid. Although I could have threadpainted areas to have the designs pop more, my objective was to create an entirely digital design made up of many individual patterns and brought to my machine as one design to quilt as a wholecloth. The label shows an image of the entire design.
MINIATURE CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
Horseback Riding
(12”x 12”)
By Chiharu Takahashi
Chofu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: Watching the dynamic performance of Jinba Ittai at the Tokyo Olympics, I remembered learning horseback riding when I was young and added that to the quilt.
SECOND PLACE
Paradise Valley
(11.5”x 11.5”)
By Kumiko Frydl
Houston, Texas, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: The Covid-19 pandemic engulfed the old normal for many. Staying at home and working on projects is normal for me. Luckily, I can work from the safety of my bubble overlooking paradise in my garden, where butterflies flutter innocently. Paradise Valley contemplates a return to simpler times and is dedicated to all who have suffered or sacrificed.
THIRD PLACE
Winter Sunshine
(15”x 15”)
By Joanne Love
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: Winter can be long in the North, but there is plenty of time to spend quilting. Creating a quilt using warm, vibrant colors brought sunshine into my studio during the cold gray days of winter.
PICTORIAL SMALL CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
Not Today (59”x 31”)
By Kestrel Michaud
West Melbourne, Florida, USA
Design Source: Original design.
Artist’s Statement: The chase is on! The Roadrunner is after his next meal, chasing a Common Collared Lizard through a steampunk junkyard. The desert is a favored dumping ground for the detritus of progress, even in a fantasy world. A steam-powered industrial revolution creates iron refuse, and pieces of broken machinery have been left to decay in the dry desert air. That doesn’t bother these critters. To them, this is home. Will that lizard wind up as dinner? Not today!
SECOND PLACE
Remembrance (45”x 50”)
By Judith Phelps
Battle Ground, Washington, USA
Design Source: Original design.
Artist’s Statement: For a Book Club Thread Tales Challenge, I usedThe Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which takes place in France during World War Two. A woman ties three red ribbons to an apple tree in her front yard for Antoine, her husband taken as a prisoner of war; Rachel, a Jewish best friend forced into a cattle car; and Sara, a young Jewish girl who was shot and killed. The stone wall around the apple tree had been torn down by the Germans. The ribbons represent a promise to never forget!
THIRD PLACE
Come On In, The Water’s Fine (30”x 47”)
By Roxanne Nelson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Design Source: Shutterstock license.
Artist’s Statement: This majestic Sumatran Tiger is one of 400 critically endangered animals remaining in the wild. I hope to honor and share his beauty through this quilt. My technique is a micro-collaged and fused fabric for realistic expression. Frayed-edge fabric enhances the water texture, suggesting movement. From a distance, the tiger seems real, but upon close inspection, the exclusive use of fabric is evident. The tiger is enticing you into the water…how can you resist?
PICTORIAL LARGE CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
The Memories That Remain
(59”x 31”)
By Lynn Czaban
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Design Source: Two photographs by Ben Shahn, October 1935, in the public domain and documented in the Library of Congress—Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. [LC- USF33-006183-M2] and [LC-USF33-006183-M1].
Artist’s Statement: I imagined this gentleman gazing wistfully into the distance, thinking of a life well lived and the woman he loved.
SECOND PLACE
Memories of a Maiko
(41”x 60”)
By Melissa Sobotka
Richardson, Texas, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: This portrait is of a young Maiko, who was training to become a Geisha. —Kyoto, Japan, 2018
THIRD PLACE
Illinois Album 2
(66”x 72”)
By Jane Sassaman
Harvard, Illinois, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: I just have to walk out my front door for inspiration. This quilt depicts some favorite plants and critters in our Midwestern garden.
PIECED CATEGORY
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
Heat Lightning
(39”x 45”)
By Amy Pabst
Le Roy, West Virginia, USA
Design Source: Based on traditional Log Cabin designs.
Artist’s Statement: This quilt was foundation pieced on a 1947 Singer Featherweight machine. There are 9,696 pieces.
SECOND PLACE
Memories from Hotel Fahey
(85”x 85”)
By Ruth Ohol
Lockport, New York, USA
Design Source: I started with Sue Garman’s pattern, Blue Heaven, and made minor changes.
Artist’s Statement: This quilt is dedicated to the memory of a dear friend. She hosted me at her home so often, I nicknamed it Hotel Fahey. She was a lover of blue and white quilts. It seemed fitting to dedicate this to her memory.
THIRD PLACE
Alhambra at Sunset
(58”x 55”)
By Nancy Goodman
Mobile, Alabama, USA
Design Source:
Original design.
*No artist statement.
VIEWERS’ CHOICE ($250)
Sponsored by
FIRST PLACE
Cherry Blossom
(83”x 83”)
By Akiko Yoshimizu
Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan
Design Source:
Original design.
Artist’s Statement: I wanted to create a quilt with many girls on a pink background. Each of them has various faces with different hairstyles, clothes, and suited bags. There are 640 of them. It took a lot of time and effort to gather and arrange the fabrics to make the background a pink gradation. I hope this will make you feel gorgeous, as if cherry blossoms are in full bloom, or make you smile and feel kind.
