These are some of the quilts that were juried into the 2025 Sewing & Quilt Expo contest…..

There is some EXCELLENT free-motion quilting on this piece….

That is a LOT of pebbles!!!

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This quilt started out as an Ice-dyed fabric that went wrong….. nice save!!

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These blocks were part of a monthly challenge from Barbara Brackman. Wouldn’t that be fun to participate in?

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I found the bird’s construction interesting…

The fabrics were fused onto an open grid, giving a bit of shadow behind the individual pieces.

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Yesterday, we looked at part of the Black-and-White Plus 1 challenge from “The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show”. Today, let’s check out some more of these beauties….

This was probably my favorite in the exhibit!!

It is so innovative, and now I can’t decide if I am looking at a face or a tree with birds and flowers!!

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I would never have thought to put the dull green together with the Black-and-White, but it sets the tone beautifully!!

She used a Deb Tucker ruler to help with all of these different-sized stars….that sounds like SO much fun to me!!

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The ombré effect of this quilt is stunning!!

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She used the doilies to achieve a wonderful effect. I especially like the black one in the middle!!

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And, who can resist a Zebra with flowers…..

The background quilting on this piece is interesting….. apparently she quilted it from the back, following the design of the backing fabric!!

Well, that’s it for B&W+1.

Next, we will look at the “Water” exhibit….. it was a good one!!!

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Like many of you, I love seeing quilts that are made from Black and White, plus ONE other color. These quilts were part of the The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show challenge. These were all fairly small quilts, so keep that in mind when you are thinking about the sizes of the pieces involved!!

To start us off, you can’t beat B, W and Teal!!

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This quilt makes me wish that I did improv!!

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I love the way she used the stripe to form the lattice. This was all done with paper piecing….oh my!!

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This is one of the cutest snowmen I have seen yet.

I particularly like all of the quilting designs used on the snowman….

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I really enjoyed the different black-and-white fabrics she used in the collage technique. They are VERY effective.

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This quilt reminds me of one I made years ago for a friend…. I will do a post about it soon!!

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What amazes me about this quilt is how much motion the small amount of quilting adds. In this case, less was definitely more!!

Come back tomorrow and we will finish up this category!!

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

Yesterday we looked at quilts from Florida….today let’s see the quilts from the “North Texas Quilt Festival” that were displayed at the Sewing and Quilt Expo….

I particularly like the swirly fabric used in the sky and ground. It is PERFECT!!

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This quilt was made from the pattern “Brightly” by Cluck, Cluck, Sew. I love the bright and cheery colors!!

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Since I spent the first 24 years of my life in Texas, this quilt is a favorite!!

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Again, those bright colors call to me!!

AND….those diamonds are all PIECED!!

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We Texans DO love our scrap quilts!!

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“Let’s Get Scrappy is about how to decide, not about what to make.”

Let’s Get Scrappy is an on-demand online course that helps quilters overcome decision fatigue and finally make sense of their overflowing scrap bins. With four hours of step-by-step video instruction, you’ll learn simple systems for organizing, piecing, and pressing your scraps—so you can stop overthinking and start sewing beautiful, coordinated quilts with confidence and joy.

Back at the Sewing Expo in Atlanta, I enjoyed the SAQA exhibit called “THE OTHER FLORIDA”, which explored the beauty and fun of the state.

I am up early each morning, enjoying my coffee while sitting quietly outside on the patio. If I go back into the house for something, I’m likely to find one or more frogs snuggling up to my warm coffee mug!

How FUN!!

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This piece has an amazing 3-D quality, even though it is entirely flat!!

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Much texture was achieved by using Blanket Stitch around each of pieces.

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I particularly liked the quilting…..

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I love the structure of this quilt as it emphasizes the functions of mangroves: protecting the land from coastal erosion, providing a nursery for marine life, and filtering toxins from the water.

However, I tend to have a volatile reaction to Mangroves….

Back in the 90’s, we took a family vacation to Florida and the Bahamas, spending several days on a sailboat in the Keys. At dusk one night, we went lobster fishing, and the skipper sank the small boat we were in. We were in a cut through between two islands and thought for a while that we would have to spend the night in one of the Mangrove forests. Fortunately, we used a light I grabbed as it floated past, and signaled to a fishing boat that came to rescue us.

So, talking about Mangroves puts me back in the ocean!!