We had so much fun vending at Mountain QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge, TN last week. It was a great show, and we appreciated Jacqueline de Jonge lending us some of her stunning quilts to dress our booth. Fairy Dance, the large aqua and purple one was a huge hit!

The quilts of the show were pretty fantastic too, so I wanted to share some of my favorites. The format of this show just had the name of the quilt and the quilter without an artists’ statement so I don’t have any background on the projects.

The Rainbow Quilts

Everyone knows I love a good rainbow quilt, and there were several stunners scattered throughout the show. I thought the effect on the first one in this collection was especially interesting. This quilt, titled Mermaid Waters by Ashley Jurney of Fancy Gap VA, is made of all hexies. She then quilted them in chevron style rows which really helped the colors pop. The fourth in the top row, Perspective, also by Ashley Jurney, was an interesting take on a string quilt, adding in some wonky flair.

Amazing Applique

There was such a range of applique projects in this show from very traditional to very wild. Above are a few that caught my eye. The bottom left one caught my eye given the modern color palette and Hawaiian style blocks. And I found the botton right to be so incredibly charming with the animals and window pane setting.

In the Wild

These three quilts were super sweet and showed great talent. The first, a pet portrait, is Dusty by Jamie Stanley of Northport AL. Jamie did a great job and I love how lifelike the pup is. Kat Marie Fick of Almo KY made The Captain, a realistic collage rooster. I am really blown away at the detail on this when I zoom in. If I knew Kat I’d let her know my birthday is in December. 😉 And the cardinal is called Angelic Presence, and was made by Linda Andrews of Northport AL. I liked the simplicity and black and white palette, allowing the red of the cardinal steal the show.

Jacqueline de Jonge on Parade

Jacqueline de Jonge taught a Masterclass during the event which everyone loved. There were also several of her quilts in the show, made by fans of her work, or by Jacqueline herself.

They are all stunning, but I especially loved Joy, by Jacqueline de Jonge, on the bottom right as I found the color palette to be very soothing and able to fit into many homes from a decor perspective. I also liked the quilt on the bottom right, Amazing Grey by Stacie Spradlin of Quincy AL, as the white center with the grey outside background is very striking.

Showstopping Quilting

The quilting throughout the show was very strong, but these quilts were showstoppers. Consistency in design, great thread choices, and clean work enhanced the overall appeal of each of these quilts.

This and That

This batch of quilts struck me for a variety of reasons. A Trellis of Roses by Peggy Green from Sparta TN caught my eye because of the push and pull between modern and traditional. At first glance it looks like a modern quilt with the use of negative space. But, on closer inspection, the motifs are fairly traditional. Well Done. The upper right is Let’s Party by Pat Kelley of Rossville GA and is so much fun. It is a Tilda pattern from 2024, and really made me smile as I walked the show. Firecracker on the bottom left by Jan Wass of Vonore TN is a stunning layout of light to dark from the inside out. The middle quilt on the bottom, One Small Candlelight by Rachel Phipps of Elizabethtown TN, just made me smile. It was clever using the pinwheel as the flame of the candle. And lastly, Harmony on the bottom right by Paula Barnett of Northport AL has such great craftwomanship and a gorgeous palette. Sublime. And look at those tiny geese. Wow!

Celebrating the Great Outdoors by Karen Kuske

There were some truly fantastic landscape, each one more gorgeous than the next. I thought the top right, Spring Breakthrough by Karen Kuske of Madisonville TN, was a unique take on a landscape. It is even more amazing that all five of these stunning quilts were made by the same person.

Speaking of the great outdoors, a highlight of our trip outside the show itself was visiting the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I’ve always tried to enjoy the local area when traveling for work, so after the show one night, me, Rob and Marcel jumped in the Tahoe and decided to drive the Cade’s Cove loop. In Maine we say, “here moosey, moosey” to try to get the moose to appear. It works! To be funny I said, “hey beary, bear” and as soon as Rob and Marcel stopped making fun of me, we saw our first bear. FIRST OF SIX! We saw one in the woods, a cub in a branch napping above the road, and four frolicking in a field. Honestly, the pictures are not good – all you can see is a bear ear, a pile of brown fur, and some brown blobs. But, they were bears and that was awesome!