There were so many amazing quilts on display at Paducah this year that I needed to dedicate two posts to them! Below you'll see even more of my favorite quilts, several of which are in my top five. If you want even more quilty goodness, like and follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I'll share photos of my favorite quilts at shows before I can post them here, along with other fun things happening in the studio and at home! The images are a little small, but you can click each image to enlarge it and really see those quilting details!

Wildflowers by Sylvia Gegaregian

This is one of those quilts that seems so simple from a distance, but as you get closer you realize there's so much happening. The asymmetrical applique creates so much movement, which is then echoed into the quilting. Sylvia's beautiful quilting creates a circular frame around the flowers. And I love how she recreates the appliqued curls in the quilting. Take note of the ombre effect in the applique, you'll be seeing that a lot in this post!

Celestial Sedona by Norma Ippolito

This quilt was mesmerizing! It took 3 years to complete, and with all the detail work it's easy to see why! The 3D elements, embroidery detail, coloring, and quilting all perfectly complement each other, all without overtaking the piecing.

Reborn by Molly Hamilton McNally

This quilt is illustrating a phoenix's rebirth and it's exquisite! My favorite part of this quilt is how the interior breaks through the border, this bird clearly can't be contained. There are so many hidden gems within the quilting. Look at the background around the phoenix, see how the quilting creates a 3D effect? It really helps lift the bird from the background. And once again we're seeing the ombre look in the colors.

Las Ventanas by Kristin Shields

Isn't this one just yummy? It's such a cool modern quilt adding a fun twist to the alternate grid. The quilting adds some nice linear texture to the quilt.

What's Your Angle? by Jacky Tomkins

Here's another fun modern quilt. The pieces are all 2.5" strips. What I love most about this quilt is you can tell how much fun she was having while quilting it. She created countless filler and grid designs, and probably created them as they came to her. We're all here because we love quilting, and this quilt is a true expression of that love.

Song of the Sea by Kathy McNeil

A fun fact about this quilt: the octopus's name is Penelope. That just makes me smile! There is so much to love about this quilt, the colors are fantastic, the applique is phenomenal, and the quilting is to die for! I particularly loved the teeny tiny yo-yos for suckers and the way she made Penelope's face look so pocketed. Does anyone else think the filler behind Penelope looks like brain coral?

Happy Halloween 2 by Aki Sakai

Even more teeny tiny yo-yos! This is one of those intricately detailed quilts that requires you to stare for days before you see everything hidden within. This was all hand embroidered and appliqued with tons of fun 3D elements. Look at those little charms hanging off the binding! One of my favorite parts is the playing cards with the jack-o-lanterns, quilts, and kimono.

One Cake, Two Cake, Red Cake, Blue Cake by Linda Neal and Jackie Brown

This was one of those quilts that had everyone stopping and staring. And who could blame them, there's so much to love! It was hanging across from the APQS booth, so I had the pleasure of admiring it all week. I also got to watch as folks caught their first glimpses and see their faces really light up as they absorbed the color and joy radiating from this quilt. I'm thinking ombre might have been the big trend of the show this year. This looks like it was a fun party and I wish I could have been there! Be sure to click the photos to enlarge them so you can pour over the quilting. There were so many swirls and fillers. She also used that quilting to really carve out spacing, creating additional frames around the applique frames and increasing the density to segregate the background. And that multicolor knotted corded binding (try saying that three times fast!) extends the fun beyond the edge of the quilt.

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