We had such a lovely week at AQS QuiltWeek Daytona Beach last week. It was amazing how many people we met that knew of our shop, or were from Connecticut and had shopped with us previously. Beyond our booth, we did get a few minutes to see the quilts! Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order, with the winners circle at the end. Enjoy!

This quilt is called The Visitation by Ricky Tims (yes, that Ricky Tims), but I call it, “how the hell did he do that?” This quilt boggles my mind. It is glorious in the color, the detail, the quilt. And if you look closely, poetry from Edgar Allen Poe is embroidered into the binding. Amazing and award winning.

Also in the category of, “what the heck” is Soaring of the Heart by Hsu Mei Hua of Taiwan City, Taiwan. The delicacy of the piece, the movement in both fabric adn quilting, and the expression of the dancer is captivating.

Paper pieced quilts had a showing, as always, and a few of my favorites were from top left to right:
Color Wheel based on a Judy Niemeyer pattern by Carol Rising of Corrales, NM
Catch Me if Y ou Can by Linda Hallatt of North F. Myers, FL, from Jacqueline deJonge’s pattern of the same name
Kaffe’s Coral Reef by Linda Sullivan Snellgrove of Huntsville, AL and quilted by Patty Wilson from Judy Niemeyer’s Coral Reef Pattern
Aztec Starlight by Amy Chaney of Maryville, TN and quilted by Denise Cornette based on Judy Niemeyer’s Blue Lagoon pattern. While I love a rainbow, the colors on this were delightful!

Nature quilts made quite the showing as well with creative projects including plants, trees, and animals.

Left to Right, clockwise they are:

Puffin Proposal by Barbara Kilbourn of Ann Arbor, MI – puffins are always so cute and this quilt did not disappoint
Higher Ground by Kat Marie Fick of Almo, KY – a great quilt based on a photograph, and great quilting
Leek Flower by Hsiu-Pei Hsieh of Taoyuan City, Taiwan – so pretty in the detail and the composition
Can-Can Carrots by Peg Normandin of Venice, FL – so fun and so whimsical. Now I want carrots for dinner
Mr Binke by Pamela Seaberg of Kenmore, WA – such a beautiful image of what I assume is a treasured companion
Cathedral Trees by Angie Tustison by Arcata, CA – Wow! the detail is amazing and the scale with the characters and trees is fantastical. The quilting and embroidery is amazing – check out this close up!

We were excited to see the Quilts of Valor special exhibit that is traveling with AQS all year. While there were so many awesome quilts, it was fun to see two that we quilted for the immensely talented and passionate Sue Riech, Stars and Stripes on the left and Fireworks on the right.

Four others that caught my eye were:
King of Hearts – sadly I didn’t get the maker’s name, but I thought the quilt was so whimsical and fun!
100 Days of Apple Cores by Cassandra Ireland Beaver of Urbana, OH. I found this to be a clever study of color and light. Well done!
AmberWaves of Grain by Sally Manke of Arcadia, MI. She used many different techniques including fabric painting, inking, free motion quilting and thread sketching. Beautiful!
The Magic of Color by Li Hui Yin of Taiwan. It looks like a sunlit photo and deserved the ribbon!

And now for the Winner’s Circle!

Best of Show went to The Sample Book Quilt by Pat Holly of Ann Arbor, MI. So much detail. So much patience.

Best Original Design went to Kathy K. Wylie of Ontario, Canada for Broken in the Beauty. The quilting is amazing, the color composition unique, and she used what I assume is bias binding to create free standing shapes in between the fabric. I really don’t know how to describe it other than to say the black you see is the drape behind the quilt.

Best Use of Color went to Karen Kay Buckley of Carlisle, PA for her quilt, Color My World. You may recognize Karen’s name from her famous Perfect Scissors. Forget scissors as this quilt is flawless. The detail is astounding and the color robust. I kept going back to look again and would see other little critters or plants. Wow.

Best Hand Workmanship went to Aki Sakai from Tokyo, Japan for Happy Days. This whimsical look at life was charming in its detail.

Judy Garden of Ontario, Canada won Best Moveable Machine Workmanship for her quilt, Maze of Vines and Roses. The quilting on this was divine and the use of red thread for accents was so interesting and smart.

Best Stationary Machine Workmanship was won by Janet Stone of Overland Park, KS for Blooming Blocks and 1 From the Flock. Another quilt wiht great detail, and so much to see.

Best Wall Quilt was Solitude by Judith Phelps of Battle Ground, WA. The detail on this was amazing, and the use of thread to create color was inspirational.

Let this be your reminder to visit an AQS show near you if you are able. The quilts were outstanding and inspirational! On to the next!