Thoughts on QuiltCon 2025

I’m just back from QuiltCon 2025 in Phoenix and it was a lot of fun.

I met my friends Heather Pregger and Maria Shell there the Tuesday evening before the show opened and we shared an Airbnb a couple of miles away from the convention center with another friend of Maria’s.

On Wednesday, we all went to the Desert Botanical Gardens and it was spectacular! The colors, the light, the textures were all so inspiring. We had all forgotten to bring hats, so we bought fun ones there.

I bought a lecture pass for the four days, so I could go to any lecture I chose–there were some interesting ones about modern quilting, quilt history, and Tara Faughnan’s keynote presentation on her quiltmaking journey.

It’s a big show, so I try to pace myself going through the quilts. One of the most fun things about QuiltCon is just walking the show floor and seeing friends and students, some of whom I hadn’t met in person before. So sometimes it takes a while to get through the aisles!

If you’re interested in the quilts that won awards, you can see them at https://quiltcon.com/quiltcon-2025-winners/

I like to focus on the quilts that speak to me on some level, most of which didn’t win anything. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

Dancing in the Dark 2 by Susan Lapham was a stunning exploration of depth and negative space–the photo doesn’t do it justice. Susan had another quilt in the show and it was hard to choose between them!

The colors and shapes of Tryst, by Irene Roderick, were compelling to me on many different levels. Irene had three other quilts in the show, one of which won a ribbon in the Minimalism category.

The color palette, the contrast between the spiky purple triangles and the undulating green lines made me go back for another look at Frieda Anderson’s Zig Zag Journey.

Mutant Marigolds by Karen Duling was a fun contemporary take on the traditional Log Cabin pattern.

I had seen Marla Varner’s Vote quilt online before, but really enjoyed seeing it in person–it’s an important message and the variety of texts and colors she used really made it stand out.

I had seen this one online too, but it’s even more interesting in person. Cassandra Beaver does a 100 days project every year and she used the traditional Apple Core pattern for this one. The color palette is wonderful and there is some dynamic piecing in some of the shapes.

I was really proud of my student Sherrill Ash for her Avocado Salad quilt that she started in a workshop with me. Lime green and purple–what’s not to like? She was there too and it was good to catch up.

For whimsy, I loved A Shrimp Walked into a Bar, a group quilt by the Portland Modern Quilt Guild!

All four of the quilts I entered were rejected this year, so it was a different experience for me. But each show has different jurors and they have a vision for what they want the show to look like. Rejection happens to everyone, and I’m no exception. I’ll apply again next year.

I was inspired, energized and exhausted all at once when QuiltCon was over—but already looking forward to next year in Raleigh.