This year, I shipped my 100 Days of Apple Cores Quilt to Road to California in December, and they shipped the quilt on to join the AQS shows in Daytona, New England, and Paducah. Paducah was this quilt’s final AQS show, so I was able to pick it up in person and bring it home. I’m hopeful that I can find another couple of shows to enter before this piece ages out of the show circuit.

Whether you pick up a quilt in person or have it shipped back to your home, one of the most anticipated items in the box (apart from the quilt) is a sheet containing the judges’ comments.

If you are new to entering quilt shows or if you have never entered a particular show, I think it’s helpful to see how judges respond in each show. Some shows have a checklist of possible quilt features, some just list comments, and many do a mix of the two. 

One of my big goals in the quilting world is to demystify the process that goes into entering a quilt show, and to that end, today, I’m sharing the exact judging comments I received on the quilt I had in the recent American Quilters Society (AQS) Show in Paducah, Kentucky.

The Quilt Entry

This year, I was lucky to sell a few quilts, but it also meant I could enter only one quilt in the Paducah show. Since this is the most competitive of the AQS events, I wasn’t even entirely sure it would be accepted into the show, and was thrilled when it was.

Submission Information

100 Days of Apple Cores

• Size: 52” x 61’’
• Category: Modern Quilts
• Techniques: machine piecing, improvisational piecing, machine walking foot quilting
• Description: This 100-day quilt features the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz. I cut pieced improv rectangles into apple core shapes using an Accuquilt. The piecing within each block enhances the unexpected diagonal gradient that moves across the quilt.
• Completion Time: 105 Days
• Fun fact: I had to buy lots of “ugly” fabrics to create the gradient featured in this design!
• Inspired by: Original interpretation of a traditional apple core quilt block

For the jurying process, you submit two images of your quilt, one with the full quilt and a detail image for the second.

What’s in the Box?

When the quilt gets returned to you from an AQS show or shows, you will have a show book and printed quilt label for each show it was in since you shipped it to them. 

If one of these shows took place in Paducah, you would also receive written judging comments. (The other AQS shows do not provide written comments.)

If you are really lucky, a ribbon is in the box too! I was so excited for 100 Days of Apple Cores to win Honorable Mention in the Modern category at QuiltWeek this year! The ribbons in Paducah are particularly special, crowned with a Dogwood Blossom.

More Judging Comments

100 Days of Apple Cores has also received judging comments at QuiltCon 2025 , so if you would like to see how the comments for the same quilt compare from show to show, check out this QuiltCon Judging Post.

The museum always goes all out for QuiltWeek each April, but this year was particularly outstanding. The three major exhibits featured works by Latifah Saafir, Tula Pink, and Janet Stone. Focusing on these three drastically different design styles means that there is something on display that every quilter will love.

This post is packed with images from the current exhibits, but if you want even more, make sure you check out my 2025 post on The National Quilt Museum.

Visiting The National Quilt Museum

Even though QuiltWeek is the busiest time of year at The National Quilt Museum, you can see amazing quilts year-round, and even take classes with amazing makers. Make sure you visit their website before you visit to get all of the latest information.

Have you ever discovered a sewing kit inside a cookie tin? This year, Royal Dansk is a sponsor, and if you keep reading, you’ll see why! This spool sculpture made of cookie tins was a fun addition to the lobby this year.

The main gallery includes selections from the permanent collection as well as the Tula Pink exhibit, but more on that in a minute.

I made sure to visit the Oh, Wow! gallery of small and miniature quilts, and was thrilled to see my quilt, Converging Curves, on display.

Latifah Saafir: It Was All A Dream

I went right to the exhibit of the most Modern quilts and was thrilled to see such a large group of Latifah Saafir’s work in one place.

The hardest part of this post was determining which quilts to share with you because I really wanted to share the entire museum! Ultimately, I decided on no more than three quilts from a single maker, so here are the ones that really stood out to me.

Crush Groove

Convergence

Bias Plaid

Twenty Years of Tula Pink

I’m crazy about Tula Pink’s bold use of color, and it’s delightful to discover all of the details in her fabric designs.

Seeing a quilter’s work is always fun, but it’s exponentially more fun when the quilter is there in person. The line for Tula Pink’s book signing and meet and greet extended a full block outside the museum! (I had seen and met her at a Fall Paducah Show several years ago, and while her events were well attended, it certainly wasn’t this big!)

As much as I love seeing quilts, my favorite part of this exhibition was that each quilt is accompanied by working sketches of the design, so I made sure to include at least one drawing for each quilt.

Color Study #13

The City Sampler

I’ve actually made all of these blocks during a sew-along many years ago, but I have yet to complete the quilt top!

Little Bits

Janet Stone: And Now I Know My ABCs!

Janet Stone spent much of the week meeting people at her exhibit featuring all 26 of her alphabet-themed quilts. 

I asked her which quilts were her personal favorites, and those are the quilts I’m sharing here. She also included process sketches of her work, which I enjoyed seeing. (I am totally that person in an art museum obsessing over the artist’s studies and sketches when the finished painting is right there!)

Ewe Are My Sunshine

Garden Variety Sampler

New Quilts From an Old Favorite: Food

Every other year, the National Quilt Museum issues a challenge to make quilts incorporating traditional blocks within an overall theme, which in 2026 was food.

Grandma’s Sewing Kit 

First Place

Made by Jessica Drennan

The first-place quilt will tell you why Royal Dansk was a sponsor this year!

Lobster with a Side of Shrimp

Second Place

Made by Kathleen Plumley

The second-place quilt transformed Snail’s Trail blocks into shrimp!

General Sew’s Chicken

Third Place

Made by Susie Cobbs

The pineapple quilt block is featured in the third-place quilt.

In addition to the award-winning quilts, here are a couple of pieces that stood out to me.

Veggie Salad

Made by Rachel Siegel

I thought this quilt did the best job of directly incorporating the block design into the theme.

Lunch at Luigi’s

Made by Zeeda Magnuson

I adore the plaid tablecloth! I also love how each plate conveys the tastes of each family member.

Enjoying the National Quilt Museum 

It’s hard to beat a visit to the National Quilt Museum, but if you want a deeper dive into their collection, make sure you check out the entire permanent collection that is available to view online.

To give you a better idea of how the category comes together as a whole, I’m sharing the entirety of the Modern Quilt Category for AQS Paducah QuiltWeek 2026.  

The American Quilter’s Society (AQS) was among the first major mainstream quilt shows to add a Modern category in the Paducah show, and now all of their shows include a Modern category. Here is the category description for the show:

Wall Quilts – Modern: Width 40″ to 96″; Length 40″ or more. Quilts, made for display on a wall, using any technique, that are inspired by modern design, often using improvisational piecing or appliqué and including bold colors, high contrast, and simple shapes on neutral backgrounds. Expansive negative space may allow the quilting to take the forefront.

AQS Contest Rules for 2026

Photography

The AQS shows arrange the quilts in curtained bays, with a chain across the front to protect them. This means that the quilts on the right and left are photographed at a significant angle. I have done little to no editing of these photos, so you are seeing the quilts as you would have if you were at the show. Fortunately, this convention center has decent lighting (by convention center standards), so the color of the quilts is reasonably close to the actual items.

If you are interested in seeing all the quilts in the show straight on, a good catalog of the show quilts is available for purchase.

Modern Quilts From Paducah 2026

Below is the entire Modern category. The award-winning quilts, first, second, third, and honorable mention, are at the top, and the remaining quilts are shown in the order they were displayed in the show. This show organizes all quilts within each category alphabetically by the maker’s last name.

Enter Your Quilts

If you would like to see your Modern (or non-modern) quilt in an upcoming show, you can find entry information here.

ach year, the Yeiser Arts Center curates Fantastic Fibers, an exhibit of textile arts, to coincide with and complement the American Quilter’s Society show in Paducah, Kentucky. While some of the pieces in Fantastic Fibers could be expected in a mainstream quilt show, most of the art takes fiber art in a different direction, either through theme or material.

I was excited to see that this year’s exhibit was juried by Rachael Baar, the Curator of the National Quilt Museum. Every piece in the exhibit was engaging and offered a distinct visual experience while also relating to the other works in the space.

The Yeiser is a small space, but the entire area is filled with art, including quilts moved off the walls to converse with the three-dimensional pieces in the gallery.

Select Artwork

Casagrande by Carolina Oneto

Blue Raspberry by Chandra Wu

When There Are 100 by Rachel Ivy Clarke

When There Are 100 bridged the gap between quilting and sculpture by using the rare technique of extending a quilt onto the floor as part of the installation. (I have seen this rare technique employed before as an installation element in Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s Option Expedition.)

Demiurge: Ascend by Wendy Digel

Fantastic Fibers extends beyond the quilt world, including yarn work, plant-based materials, paper, and printing.

Stitching is often employed to offer layer upon layer of texture.

Frozen Water Falls by Linda Anderle

Precarious Vessels (full) by Viviana Lombrozo

Traditionally, 2-D media are even transformed into 3-D forms.

See the Exhibition

One of the best parts of Fantastic Fibers is that it runs for more than a month. Even if you didn’t make it to Paducah, Kentucky, for the quilt show, you can still visit this fabulous exhibit until May 16, 2026.

The Main Show

The entire town of Paducah embraces Quilt Week, but the big show is what brings most of us into town for the week.

Awards Ceremony

The evening before the show officially opens, events begin with the award ceremony a few blocks from the convention center, where contestants learn if their quilts received additional recognition. 

Winning Quilts

Each of the sixteen categories has awards for first, second, and third place, as well as honorable mention. Additionally, there are judges’ choice awards and major awards drawn from all the other winners.

Best of Show

This year’s best of show is Color My World, made by Karen Kay Buckley, whom I was lucky enough to run into at the end of the day on Thursday. We had a lovely conversation, and it was fun to hear more about her appliqué process.

Modern Quilt Winners

I’m ecstatic that my quilt, 100 Days of Apple Cores, received honorable mention in the modern category and has one of the lovely, show-specific Dogwood ribbons.

Special Exhibits and Events

Several special exhibits round out the show in both the upstairs show space and the Dome Pavilion. Here is a sampling of just a few special exhibits:

Beyond Tradition: Abstract Quilts from the National Quilt Museum

Stars, Stripes, and Stitches

Cherrywood Challenge 2025: Abyss

Game Night

A friend suggested attending game night, and my name was selected to participate, so I was added to a team to play quilty versions of Charades, Pictionary, and Password.

New for 2026

Everything evolves over time, and quilt shows are no exception. Here are a few things I have noticed with the 2026 show:

Murals

If you have ever walked along the street between the convention center and the dome pavilion, you will be happy to see that there is now a paved walkway!

Logistics

If you have ever walked along the street between the convention center and the dome pavilion, you will be happy to see that there is now a paved walkway!

Along with the new walkway, some of the adjoining parking lot was reworked, and the food vendors were moved to the end of the convention center instead of having it in the front.

Crowd Sizes/Distribution

This year, I noticed a shift in crowd sizes, or at least the distribution of those crowds. I took this photograph just a couple of minutes before the show opened on the first day, and while the crowd looks relatively dense, the people waiting to get into the main show floor used to extend much further down the hallway.

A New Dome Pavilion

There is also a new structure for the Dome Pavilion. You may notice that the lighting in this space isn’t as nice now that there are no skylights. I’m curious to see if it has better temperature control than the last structure.

National Quilt Museum

The National Quilt Museum had truly exceptional programming this week, with a highlight being Tula Pink’s visit for two meet-and-greet/book-signing events. 

Tula Pink Meet and Greet 

Tula Pink has an exhibit this year, and she was kind enough to come to the show, too!

I also had a chance to visit one of my mini quilts, Converging Curves, which is on display in the miniature section of the main gallery.

I’ll share the phenomenal lineup of exhibits in an upcoming post.

Yeiser Art Center

In the heart of downtown, the Yeiser Arts Center hosts the annual Fantastic Fibers show, celebrating all forms of textile art. I’m excited to share a bit more about this show in the coming weeks, but if you’re in town in the near future, this is a must-see exhibit!

Shopping

No quilt show is complete without some shopping, and in addition to the fantastic vendors, several local businesses around town cater to the quilting community.

Hancock’s of Paducah

Muppin’s Sewing Emporium

Paper Pieces

Are you in Quilt City this week?

If you are at the show this week, please comment on your favorite parts of the experience and let everyone know your must-see and must-do activities!

You may remember that Pantone has declared Cloud Dancer the “color” of the year. This shade of off-white, approximately the color of a blank canvas, has done little to inspire innovative use of the color. However, when one aspect of design is limited, it forces greater creativity in the use of the other elements.

It’s Pantone Quilt Challenge season, and I’m attempting to make a quilt featuring the color of the year, with an intense focus on texture as a design feature. 

In the spirit of this challenge, today, I am sharing five techniques to add texture to a design before beginning the actual piecing (or appliqué) of the quilt top.

1. Make Textural Fabric Choices

All quilts rely on our fabric choices, but when you use a monochromatic color palette, the decisions you make regarding prints, textures, and fibers are amplified. 

For my interpretation of Cloud Dancer, I’m using mostly white fabrics, with a bit of pale grey, beige, and soft pastels. I’m incorporating some solid whites, white-on-whites, and subtle prints. Within the solid white fabrics, I’m using quilting cotton, a bit of linen, and some Kona Sheen, which adds a metallic finish and provides another surface to catch and reflect light differently than standard quilting cottons.

2. Intentionally Use Tucks and Pleats

For most quilts, we avoid tucks and pleats like the plague, but when used with intention, they can add a terrific textural element. 

I’ve been creating straight line and organically shaped pleats to incorporate into my overall design. For the straight line tucks, I press the lines into the fabric before I sit down at the sewing machine, then stitch just under 1/8” from the fold line.

The organic curves are actually a bit more challenging because I pinch the curved lines into shape as I stitch.

3. Couching is Cool

I used a heavier cord to couch this Christmas Stocking a few years ago, but for this project, I wanted to use a lower-profile material. Using a cording foot on my machine, I was able to couch three strands of heavy thread and embroidery floss into a single row at once. 

I experimented with a few types of stitches with this technique, and ended up liking the simplicity of a curved utility stitch.

4. Make Machine Embroidery Work For You

Modern quilting and machine embroidery may not immediately seem like a match, but for this design, I am embracing the textural elements machine embroidery can offer and incorporating single-color designs stitched on a similar color fabric to increase texture while providing subtle line work.

5. Gathering and Yo-Yos

My final design features nearly circular shapes, and I am excited to incorporate yo-yos into the composition as key components to the finished design. A yo-yo starts its existence as a circle that gets its raw edge turned under as you hand sew gathering stitches around the circumference. Those stitches get pulled tight to create the signature ruched effect in the center of the completed yo-yo. 

Additional gathering effects may also end up in the final design, but it is still a work in progress, so you’ll have to wait to see how much of a role it plays!

Using Texture

What role does texture play in your quilts? Do you use fabric manipulation to create texture beyond the fabric itself? Are there any other techniques I should incorporate?

The main quilt show gets most of the attention, but there is so much more quilty-goodness to experience during your visit. This article is updated for the 2026 QuiltWeek.

Attend the Main Show

The main event in Paducah is the official QuiltWeek show, run by the American Quilter’s Society, which is primarily held at the convention center, with some workshops and special events held offsite.

Preparing for the Show

You can find information about the 2026 AQS Paducah QuiltWeek on their website. I recommend downloading the show book ahead of time to help with planning. It includes maps of the venues and parts of the town, parking and shuttle information, and lists of vendors and participating quilts.

I also download the showbook to my phone so I don’t have to carry the paper copy every day. The tags on the show quilts don’t include technique information, so I’d like to be able to look it up as I move through the show.

One Show, Three Key Spaces

The central portion of QuiltWeek is held in the Schroeder Expo Center, the Convention Center, and the Dome Pavilion. Within these spaces, the show is divided into three primary areas.

Main Show Floor

The main show floor includes all the quilts in categories 1-9. These are the large quilts in the show, which also include the specialty categories of Modern (category 9) and Group Quilts (category 5).

Many vendors, including those who sponsor the event, are also located on the main show floor. The contest quilts are centered on the floor, and vendors are in aisles along both sides and along the back.

The main show floor is the most crowded in the morning, especially if you are there the first full day of the show. If you prefer a less crowded experience, start in one of the other spaces and then experience the main show floor after lunch.

In the center of the main show floor, you will find the gallery of major award winners, including Best of Show. These quilts are typically displayed so you can see both sides. The makers of some of these quilts are frequently there talking about their award-winning quilts, so it is very crowded throughout the day. This is a great time to meet the makers and find out more about their process.

If you want to take a leisurely close-up look at these quilts, try seeing them towards the end of each show day.

The first, second, and third-place winners are displayed together in each category.

The contest quilts are displayed in groups of three, with two sides and one quilt flat to the back and a chain in front to prevent people from getting too close. This means the quilts on the sides are challenging to photograph, and those on the back are hard to see up close. If I can’t see something well, I often take a photo of the back quilt and then zoom in on the photo to get a better look.

Also, know that this show does not have white-glove volunteers to help you see the backs of the quilts.

Upstairs

Head upstairs to see quilt show categories 10-16 in the second-floor room, along with special exhibit quilts and many more vendors.

When you enter the space, the show quilts are to your left, and the vendors are to your right. The quilts displayed in the upstairs room are smaller, all less than 60″ wide. Specialty categories in this space include Fiber Art/Mixed Media Quilts (category 14) and Miniature Quilts (category 16).

Accessing the Second Floor

To access the convention center’s second floor, you must take the stairs or the elevator. Since there is only one access point, this part of the second floor can become congested. If you have mobility issues or are using something on wheels, like a tote with class supplies, you will want to take the elevator, but otherwise, the stairs are generally the best choice.

Dome Pavilion 

Because this show is so big, it can’t be contained in the main convention center, so a temporary dome/inflatable bubble/marshmallow is set up to accommodate even more vendors and exhibits. This space is enormous!

Many people miss this part of the show, but you definitely want to check it out!

The AQS learning center is in this space and offers free presentations throughout each show day. It’s fun to take a break and sit down for a few minutes. The presentation schedule is available on page 29 of the Show Book.

It is a short walk from the main convention center, or you can take a shuttle between the two spaces.

Note: This structure has some pressurization that helps it stay standing. I have found that opening my mouth as I go through the revolving door eases the transition between indoors and outdoors.

Visit the National Quilt Museum 

I suggest heading to the National Quilt Museum if you only have time for one attraction outside the show. The museum’s spaces host a wide range of exhibits showcasing quilting in many styles and methods. Many of the top awards for Quilt Week in Paducah are purchase awards that add the quilts to the museum’s permanent collection. Sometimes, the museum has a few of these quilts on display, and it is fun to see how quilting styles and techniques have evolved over the years.

In 2026, exhibits during QuiltWeek  include:

• Latifah Saafir: It Was All a Dream
• New Quilts From an Old Favorite: Food
• Janet Stone: And Now I Know My ABCs!
• Tula Pink: Twenty Years of Tula Pink

You’ll want to check out the National Quilt Museum website for more information about special events for QuiltWeek.

The National Quilt Museum is located at 215 Jefferson Street between the convention center and downtown Paducah. The museum has limited parking, but large public parking lots are nearby. There are trolley routes that go downtown. The museum is also a short walk from the convention center. I suggest walking from the back of the convention center along the riverside path toward downtown. Walking along the road between the convention center and downtown may appear shorter, but traffic moves quickly and isn’t the most pedestrian-friendly.

See More Quilts

The quilt show doesn’t end at the doors of the convention center! There are places to see quilts throughout the town.

Yeiser Arts Center

Embracing the use of fiber in all forms, the Fantastic Fibers exhibition in the downtown Paducah gallery showcases quilts and so much more. This annual Yeiser Center juried show is a beautiful complement to the main QuiltWeek show because it includes Modern and Art quilts, as well as other traditional and not-so-traditional textile- and fiber-based art. If you want to work with more of an edge, you should take advantage of this!

The Yeiser is right downtown at 200 Broadway, just a couple of blocks from the National Quilt Museum.

Downtown

Many shops and venues have window displays featuring contemporary and historic quilts. Additionally, you can find small shows and shops selling quilts and related merchandise throughout the town. The Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau has an extensive list of exhibits and events happening around the city. In 2026, there is even a special quilt exhibit at the River Discovery Center that I am looking forward to seeing.

Shop Locally

The show is packed with fantastic vendors, but you also won’t want to miss several wonderful local quilt shops!

Hancock’s of Paducah

What’s a quilt show without some shopping? And what’s a trip to Paducah without a visit to Hancock’s of Paducah? 

Before you pass by, thinking that you used to have a Hancock’s in your hometown, this is not the same Hancock’s and has never been. This family-owned shop is one of the largest independent fabric stores in the US and a must-shop location for me.

A few years ago, I wrote an entire post about shopping at Hancock’s of Paducah, and you may want to check it out before heading to the store—it’s big enough that you might want to go in with a plan!

Hancock’s of Paducah is located near the interstate at 3841 Hinkleville Road.

Muppin’s Sewing Emporium

Muppin’s Sewing Emporium opened in downtown Paducah a few years ago, and I look forward to my annual visit. It is owned and run by designer and teacher Cheryl Sleboda, and her shop is filled with specialty patterns, notions, and fun fabrics.

Muppin’s Sewing Emporium is at 117 N 4th Street in Downtown Paducah.

Calico Country Sew & Vac

You would think it would be hard to compete with one of the largest fabric stores in the US just down the road, but Calico Country Sew & Vac has a large selection of fabrics that aren’t available elsewhere in town, and is definitely worth a visit.

Calico Country Sew & Vac is located at 3401 Park Avenue, Suite 4, Paducah, KY 42001

Cherrywood Pop-Up Shop and Gallery

The themed Cherrywood challenge is a hit wherever it goes, and this year, the Abyss collections are all at the convention center. If these amazing quilts inspire you, Cherrywood has a pop-up shop at the Pinecone Gallery featuring richly colored hand-dyed fabrics.

The pop-up shop is at The Pinecone Gallery, 421 N. 7th Street.

Paper Pieces Pop-Up Shop

If you love or dabble in English Paper Piecing, visit the Paper Pieces Pop-Up Shop. It’s packed with large and small EPP projects and other fun quilting items you will want to discover!

The Quilt Week Pop-Up Shop is at 533 North 5th Street, just a few blocks from the convention center.

Backyard Fabrics

Last year was my first trip to Backyard Fabrics, mostly because it is about 40 minutes outside of town. This is a great shop that I wish I had visited sooner!

Backyard Fabric is located at 421 State Route 893, Mayfield, KY.

Eat Delicious Food

No trip plan is complete without thinking about where you want to eat. For a small city, Paducah has lots of good food. Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. My favorite Paducah restaurant is Freight House, and you definitely want to get a reservation now if you hope to eat there during QuiltWeek. Over the years, it has become increasingly popular, especially since Chef Sara Bradley has been on two seasons of Top Chef.
2. You would never know by the taste that everything at Branch Out is vegan and gluten-free. I’ll be there once (if not more) during QuiltWeek.
3. Getting Lunch at the main show can get chaotic, so I often walk (or drive) toward downtown to eat. Paducah Beer Werks is relatively close, has good, reasonably priced food, and often has Quilt Week specials.
4. Kirchhoff’s Deli is a classic for a reason. The sandwiches are great, and the sweet baked goods are phenomenal.
5. Something about this quilt show makes me want ice cream, and there are two good places downtown to get it: Craving the Curls and Forever Sweet Creamery.
6. If you are craving something a bit spicier and can go slightly out of the convention center area, I’m a big fan of Thai@US and end up there at least once each year.
7. Patti’s 1880’s Settlement is a bit of a drive from Paducah, but it has become a QuiltWeek legend. It’s a delightful tourist trap in a historic village setting, and the restaurant serves traditional American food. It isn’t particularly friendly to many diets (including vegetarian), so check out the menu before you go. They do have delicious bread served with strawberry butter, which was the most memorable part for me!

Find More to Do During Paducah Quilt Week 2026

There is always way more going on around town than anyone can do in the few days during the quilt show. If you are looking for other fun quilting (or non-quilting) things to do, try looking at the Paducah visitors’ website.

How Did I Select the Quilts?

That’s an easy question this time- I avoided award-winning quilts, but otherwise, I chose quilts that I liked so much, I stopped to look at them multiple times.

The Quilts

Ouch, it’s pokey!

By Sarah Schreiner

What drew me in:

• Strong use of value that shifts around the focal shape
• Black outlines give the design a graphic novel-like quality.
• Cactus spines create a circular effect as they angle around the plant’s central point. 
• Linear quilting within the cactus shifts in angle and density to enhance the shape’s dimensionality.

Beautiful & Perfect & White

By Carolyn Murphy

What drew me in:

• Simple shapes clearly reference the image the maker is trying to evoke.
• Carefully placed seamlines define the line from which the sheet shapes are visually suspended.
• Shadows are created with a muted color rather than a neutral one.

Cocksure and Featherheaded

By Timna Tarr

What drew me in:

• Beautiful merger of traditional and pictorial quilting
• Many medium- and high-contrast prints blend to create a textured design with a gradient background.
• Individual appliqué blocks focus on value, but come together to form a recognizable image.
• Composition gives the feeling of a painted portrait.

Wash Away the Blues

By Tania Tanti

What drew me in:

• Longer lines are often created with a series of tightly spaced perpendicular lines.
• Mixing machine quilting with several styles of hand quilting develops varied textures.
• Contrasting threads infuse the composition with color.

Second Sight

By Tara Evans

What drew me in:

• Modern wholecloth quilt
• Couching adds tremendous texture.
• Central hand-dyed motif sets the tone for the couching and quilting.

Connect #2

By Julie Reuben

What drew me in:

• Modern wholecloth quilt
• Color shifts are created entirely with thread.
• Quilting lines change color mid-line to achieve distinct color shifts.
• Hand quilting offers a distinctive texture.

Do You Want To See More Quilts?

This is the final post for QuiltCon 2026, but there are lots of places to see more quilts!

• The winning QuiltCon quilts are available for everyone to see online.
• A couple of weeks ago, I shared quilts featuring a color scheme of Black & White with Bold Colors
• Then, I shared quilts using yellow as a key color in the design and block-based quilts at the show
• Last week, I wrote about humans appearing in the quilts using various techniques..
• Search for QuiltCon on your favorite social media platform.

Quilts featuring people are not usually my favorite. (Just by stating this, I have probably guaranteed that I will be making one before long!) However, the more I have looked at the quilts from QuiltCon 2026, the more I have realized what a strong and distinct trend this subject matter was at this year’s show. Moreover, most of the quilts in the contest depicting people are good. It is hard to make a quilted version of a human that actually works aesthetically, so today, I am taking this opportunity to share just a few of the best people-inspired quilts in my final post on QuiltCon trends for 2026.

How I Select Quilts to Feature

Human depictions within the quilts at QuiltCon this year ran the gamut stylistically and thematically. To show the full range of designs for this relatively narrow topic, I broke my usual rule and included quilts that won awards. A quarter of the quilts shared below are award winners, but the styles depicted in each were unique within the show, and I didn’t believe this topic was complete without their inclusion. To capture the overall depictions of humanity, the quilts included in this post have:

• Varying degrees of abstraction
• Styles that are unique to each quilt
• Themes ranging from worldwide concern to deeply personal struggles
• Use of scale to create different depictions of humanity, from close-up details (see We Are Looking Back at You) to symbolic representations of a crowd (see The Women’s March on Washington January 21, 2017)

The Quilts

Frances

By Jeanne Eileen Garcia

The Flower Lord

By Carrie Witherell

Nyota

By Brooke Veale

Faces

By Ava Gaffney, age 8, and Raewyn Gaffney, age 11

We Are Looking Back at You

By Patricia Amburgy

The Quilter

By Katherine Jones

This CRIMINAL

By Eliu Hernandez

What Women Carry

By Carrie Stout

Vanity

By Scott Culley

The Women’s March on Washington Janurary 21, 2017

By Patricia Amburgy

Hope For Ukraine

By Devida Bushrod

Note: The following quilt, which is the final quilt in this post, includes imagery and text relating to an eating disorder and strong language. If you are sensitive to either of these topics, please scroll past this quilt or back towards the top of the page.

Stretch

By Sarah Morris

Do You Want To See More Quilts?

Next week, I’ll share more quilts from QuiltCon, but until then:

• The winning QuiltCon quilts are available for everyone to see online.
• A couple of weeks ago, I shared quilts featuring a color scheme of Black & White with Bold Colors
• Then, I shared quilts using yellow as a key color in the design
• Last week I wrote about block-based quilts at the show
• If you are a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, images of the entire show are available online until the end of March. Check the weekly MQG email for details.
• Search for QuiltCon on your favorite social media platform.

For the purposes of this post, when I say block-based or block-inspired, I mean a repeated shape or motif filling most, if not all, of the surface of the quilt. This could mean repeating a single shape or using traditional or new quilt blocks in a regular layout.

How I Select the Quilts to Feature

As usual, I immediately eliminated award-winning quilts from these posts- they already get a lot of attention, including on the QuiltCon Winners website page. I like to focus on just a few of the hundreds of other quilts in the show that are also amazing, but you may have missed on social media.

I could have easily filled several posts with block-based and block-inspired quilts, so narrowing it down to just a dozen was a challenge. I decided I wanted to include quilts that:

• Incorporated a variety of shapes and blocks. Circles and curves were a particularly popular motif in the block-based quilts in this year’s show, but certainly not the only type of shape represented in this style of quilt.
• Used the scale of the design in a variety of ways. Some block-based quilts used many small repetitions, while others used fewer large-format motifs.
• Employed a variety of design styles and construction techniques. Many of this year’s block-based quilts were in the Modern Traditionalism Category, but there were still many more spread throughout the show, using a variety of piecing and appliqué techniques.

Additionally, if one maker had multiple block-based quilts that caught my eye, I selected one to highlight, hoping to capture a more complete view of the overall trend by featuring more quilters.

The Quilts

Recycled Rings

By Jen Sorenson

More Adventurous

By Sarah Campbell

Blue Lagoon

By Audrey Esarey

Peppermint Twist

By Ann Feitelson

Retro Blossoms

By Brittany Lloyd

Folded Flowers

By Holly Clarke

Bauhaus Kelp Forest

By Emily Kidney

Around the Sun

By Katie Larson

Pep

By Caroline Hadley

Double Decker Checker

By Sarah Ruiz

Half In Half Out

By Yvonne Fuchs

Echoes

By Michaela Romesburg

Do You Want To See More Quilts?

Next week, I’ll share more quilts from QuiltCon, but until then:

• The winning QuiltCon quilts are available for everyone to see online.
• A couple of weeks ago, I shared quilts featuring a color scheme of Black & White with Bold Colors
• Last week, I shared quilts using yellow as a key color in the design
• If you are a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, images of the entire show are available online until the end of March. Check the weekly MQG email for details.
• Search for QuiltCon on your favorite social media platform.