QuiltCon Entries

I'm ever so happy to report that in the flurry of selection/not chosen emails coming from the MQG regarding QuiltCon 2026 in Raleigh, I was notified that Ode to Joy had indeed been selected to hang at QuiltCon 2026. There were 2041 quilts submitted this year, and 470 quilts chosen for the show. So I'm feeling very, very fortunate.

Ode to Joy (Bee or Group)

Blocks made by Leanne Chahley @shecanquilt,

Stephanie Ruyle @spontaneousthreads, Felicity Ronaghan @felicityquilts, Karen Foster

@capitolaquilter, M-R Charbonneau @quiltmatters, Jen Broemel @jen.broemel, 

Tia Curtis @tiacurtisquilts, and Emilie Trahan @mili.tra and myself.

Even though I didn't have high hopes for the two other quilts I entered, I decided I owed it to myself to at least try. 

UN(settled) (Small Quilt)

Vertices (Modern Traditional)

So, I'm feeling grateful to have the one selected, a quilt I had a blast creating and one I'm very proud of. It means a lot!

QuiltCon Phoenix | Etc.

This random wrap-up post is mostly for me.... just as a reminder of a few more QuiltCon moments that are worth reflecting back on. 

First off, Rachel @snippetsofsweetness and I flew out of the new-to-us Paine Field Airport very near our homes. With just two gates, it was so much smaller and convenient than we were used to.

photo taken by Rachel, since she had the window seat!

After an uneventful flight and getting settled into our hotel, we had the most delicious salads as a late dinner at the hotel restaurant, Carcara. It was a welcome time to relax and breathe in the reality that we had a few days to spend together, something that doesn't happen much these days.

On Friday night, we had dinner at Cornish Pasty Co. with a delightful group. All invited by Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl and joined by her husband Michael @wabi_sabi_overland, Rebecca @rebeccalynn207, Krista @poppyprint and CJ @cj.molen, both long-time friends. It was too dark to get a photo of our pasties, but the company was excellent, and we enjoyed the evening.

Come Saturday, Rachel and I ventured off together after attending the Keynote with some guild members, and joining in the guild photo. We first headed back to Blanco Cocina so Rachel could enjoy it too. Oh how I wish Blanco had a restaurant near us back home! 

Then we ubered over to Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, a shop Rachel was keen to see and experience.

It was an enjoyable outing! After, we ubered back to the convention center for one last round through the vendors and quilt exhibit, saying goodbye to QuiltCon. It was bittersweet for sure!

QuiltCon Phoenix | The Quilts

It's hard to focus on just a handful of quilts when there were SO MANY gorgeous ones at QuiltCon. So first, I'll share the group quilt in which I had a block. 

You might remember me making blocks for Linda @flourishingpalms' potholder quilt project back in January 2024. My one block that made the final cut is the one in the upper right corner. Linda bound all of the hand-quilted blocks, then hand-stitched them all together. It was great to be able to see the quilt in person AND to meet some of the other makers as we gathered for a group photo. I also overheard several folks examining the quilt, so intrigued by its unique construction.

Standing L: Charlotte @kirkenoll

Kneeling L-R: Sherry @otterbeequitling; Candi @candipursuits; Kathy @kathycookquilts; me

Standing L-R: Linda @flourishingpalms; Patty @elmstreetquilts

From here, I'll just share a few of my favorite quilts from a mix of categories.....

Seriously, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure and check out all the QuiltCon 2025 Winners, and The Works of Tara Faughnan, beautifully captured by Holly Harper @redheadwiththread. It really was a very impressive, inspiring quilt show.

QuiltCon Phoenix | Classes, Tour, and Lectures

For my own sake as well as yours, I thought I'd share about the classes, tour, and lectures I attended. As far as classes, there were two:

1. Off the Grid Improv Design with Allie McCathren @exhaustedoctopus. In this class, Allie shared about letting quilt blocks speak, and using non-grid methods to piece blocks of a variety of shapes and sizes into a cohesive whole. A special treat was seeing her sashiko quilt in person!

2. Fundamentals of Hand Quilting with Tara Faughnan @tarafaughnan. Rachel and I had taken a class from Tara at a previous QuiltCon, so we were excited to take another. I was especially pleased to learn about Tara's preferred thread for hand-quilting, and will be experimenting with that in my own work. We were reminded that not only are Tara's classes very informative, they are a lot of fun!

Something I had also done at a previous QuiltCon was to take a Special Exhibit Tour with Mary Fons @yomaryfons. Even though it began at 8 AM(!) it was totally worth it. This time, Mary focused on two exhibits: The Works of Tara Faughnan and Quilts of the Southwest, joined by National Heritage Fellow Susan Hudson @navajoms. It was definitely an hour well spent.

Then I was able to attend three lectures, all of which were excellent. 

1. Pushing Boundaries with Robert Bosscher @rjbosscher.

2. Unlocking Mexican Textiles & Embroideries Secrets with Lilia Jimenez Meza and Lina Owen. 

3. Keynote - Quilts as Art: Valuing Our Work with Tara Faughnan @tarafaughnan.

Right after the keynote, the Seattle MQG gathered for a group photo! I heard there were over 40 of us in attendance in Phoenix, so glad we could get at least a good number of us gathered together!

QuiltCon Phoenix | The Beginning

Where to even start? QuiltCon 2025 was just a delight in every way. I traveled and attended with my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness, and we headed out with the Cargo Duffles we'd made for our first QuiltCon, back in 2015!

Our first full day started off with breakfast at Press Coffee, which served up great iced coffees, and equally delicious breakfast empanadas. We enjoyed the whole package so much, we went back for more each day until we left Phoenix.

We were fortunate enough to stay in a hotel just a couple of blocks from the convention center, and had a great view of downtown Phoenix from our room.

If I have a regret about QuiltCon, it's only that I didn't take enough photos with people! There were so many great connections, and all I have to show for them from Day 1 is a plate of my avocado tacos (yum!) at lunch at Blanco Cocina with Ellyn @ellynz.....

and a picture that Rachel actually took at Floor 13 Rooftop Bar, where we met up with Bee Sewcial.

We also attended classes and saw lots of quilts - which I will share in separate posts. It was a VERY full day, proven by my Fitbit tracker. But what a great start to QuiltCon 2025.

QuiltCon 2024

Considering I was home, watching from the sidelines while QuiltCon was taking place in Raleigh this year, I'll keep this post brief - basically a collection of quilts in the show that I had a hand in. First was my Duality, which hung in the Minimalist Design category. 

photo by Tina @itsme.tinad

photo by Tina @itsme.tinad

And then there were several Bee Sewcial quilts that I had contributed blocks to, shown below. Though I don't have photos of the placards hanging by them, I'll add their maker's statement under each piece. 

Subtle Secrets, by Felicity Ronaghan @felicityquilts, which won first place in the Group or Bee category

photo by Stephanie @spontaneousthreads

|| Using two fabrics with little value or colour variation, these traditional blocks were made improvisationally without rulers. Black batting was chosen to feature the seams and subtle colour differences of the light blocks and deepen the impact of the darker blocks. ||

The Essence of Sonia Delaunay, by Kenny Smith @thekingslacker, which won second place in the Group or Bee category

photo by Stephanie @spontaneousthreads

|| This quilt was a product of my time with Bee Sewcial. My bee mates were provided with a prompt to create a block that captured the essence of Sonia Delaunay (a 20th Century French Painter). Sonia co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colors and geometric shapes. I believe that my highly talented bee mates did quite well in accomplishing this prompt. The way that I have arranged the blocks, the quilt has the feeling of Sonia’s painting series called “Rhythme.” The quilt was quilted with a domestic sewing machine with each fabric color being uniquely quilted with matching thread. ||

BeeConnected by M-R Charbonneau @quiltmatters - see M-R's post to see the effect of her retroreflective thread!

photo by Stephanie @spontaneousthreads

|| The prompt for this quilt was 'Circuit board,' using scrappy backgrounds of reds with circuit board-inspired features in grey and white. It was a fun challenge to piece the variety of block styles made by my BeeSewcial mates into a cohesive design. A base layer of matchstick quilting in a variety of reds also helps tie the whole quilt together. For a final 'circuit board' touch, I outlined the white and grey features with retroreflective thread, which gives an added metallic-like pop when photographed with a flash. Give it a try and see for yourself! In our technology-enabled lives, circuit boards play such an important role in helping us stay in touch and communicate with each other so it was easy to come up with a name for this quilt -- BeeConnected. ||

Connections by Karen Foster @capitolaquilter

photo by Stephanie @spontaneousthreads

|| A design element that I enjoy emphasizing is the connecting of parts to bridge one portion to another creating a visual flow for the viewer. The maximalist palette resulted in a feast of color and shape, a puzzling delight that is continued in theme with a freeform quilting motif. The two fold meaning of the title also represents the closeness of the group despite our physical distance and the "Connections" found by translating our personal interpretation of a prompt into fabric. ||

Additional contributing bee members included Stephanie @spontaneousthreads, Marci @marci_girl, Leanne @shecanquilt, Silvia @astrangerview, Anne @playcrafts Kari @quiltsforthemaking and honorary members Sharyl @itssewscottsdale and Christine @ccpquilt.

There was also a fifth Bee Sewcial quilt, Elements, which I did not have a part in, since it was created at a retreat I was unable to attend. But it was pretty cool to have such good representation from the bee. 

Gotta say, it wasn't easy watching from the sidelines. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the awards ceremony, perusing the app, skimming through QuiltCon magazine, and following the happenings via Instagram - participating in the ways that I could. And yes, I'm still reading every recap post I come across and crossing my fingers for next year!