QuiltCon is always a whirlwind of inspiration, but this year in Phoenix? Pure magic. We spent four unforgettable days surrounded by creativity, color, and the hum of a community that never ceases to amaze us. While holding down the fort at the Aurifil booth is always a blast, one of our favorite traditions is slipping away to explore the hall of quilts—hunting for Aurifil-stitched masterpieces in the wild!
Before the show, we put out the call: Who’s got a quilt in the show featuring Aurifil? The response was incredible, and we made it our mission to track down as many as possible. Each quilt was a work of art—unique, bold, and brimming with creative energy. From intricate hand quilting to striking machine stitching, the variety of threads and techniques on display was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
We soaked it all in, snapped plenty of photos, and are beyond excited to share these beauties with you. In this post, you’ll find a gallery of jaw-dropping quilts, complete with close-ups to showcase every stitch, plus artist details so you can follow their work and cheer them on.
So grab a cup of coffee, get cozy, and step onto the QuiltCon floor with us—one stitch, one story, one masterpiece at a time. Enjoy the thread-fueled magic!
Winners!
Appliqué – 1st Place!
Fugue by Lucy Engels, @_lucyengels
Fugue is part of a series of quilts examining shifts in perception. Fugue’s composition process is one of manipulating the quilt that came before, revealing a new image distanced from the original, changed. 576 circles needle turn appliquéd on a pieced background. A deliberately slow process allowing time to pass. Giving space for a greater sense of self in time, to recognise priorities shifting with the experience of life events, and acceptance change is inevitable.
Aurifil Thread used: 80wt for appliqué & quilting.
Negative space
In The Shadows by Erin Kroeker, @TheBlanketStatement
This quilt explores my place in family dynamics. The bright colours create towering structures soaring above dim streets below. Set on angles, the lack of clear paths leave the negative space trapped below. Yet, with a shift in perspective (rotating the quilt), this space rises to the foreground, revealing how we each view our roles differently. In relationships, it’s easy to feel in the background—until we find ways to see ourselves within a larger context.
Aurifil Thread used: Piecing and Quilting with 50wt 2420.
Fragments by Daniela O’Connell, @blockMquilts
I’m experimenting with improv strips since 2019 and I wanted to try out a two-colour version. The intention was that the stripes were once straight and have now shifted in different directions. The first layer of horizontal quilting plays with the reminder of the once straight order of the strips. The dark green and white quilting lines follow the direction of the diagonal strips. Fragments is a play with contrast, negative space and figure ground.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2845; 28wt 2024 and 4129.
Traffic Jam by Susan Braverman, @wildpoppyquilts
I am a marble named SamCaught in a big traffic jamRolling, reversing no help for dispersingStuck with my luck where I amLife can be serious and exhausting at times. Playful art can be a refreshing break. I used composition, figure rotation, and negative space to create a metaphor of chaos and congestion as all the marbles try to get to the same place at the same time.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600
Resilience by Daniela O’Connell, @blockMquilts
“Resilience” is my response to the Corona Pandemic and the effect it had on me. The uncertainty, the fear of the unknown, the loss of loved ones, the grief in isolation, the weight I needed to carry. I felt like I needed three spines to carry the heavy load. Resilience is what carried me through these dark days. The design of the quilt is a play with negative space, perception, figure ground, colour and texture.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt and 40wt 2775, 2846, 5015
Small Quilts
Goodie Bag by Sarah Muslim Lefebvre, @sidestitchesdesign
I came home from QuiltCon 2024 without my sewjo, if you can believe that! With nothing to work on, I wanted to play with the improv skills I learned in Annabel Wrigley’s class. Someone that got a goodie bag gave me their Ruby + Bee charm pack. I tried to use all the fabrics in the charm pack, and I almost did. This quilt, aptly named Goodie Bag, is the result of that play.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600
Twenty-Nine by Sophie Zaugg, @Lunalovequilts
Twenty-Nine was originally made in response to In Conversation exhibit curated by Tara Glastonbury. It celebrates connections and friendship made possible in the quilting world through social media. A paper collage created by Sarah Hibbert was the inspiration for this project. I added my voice to Sarah’s design, using elements that reflect my current work.
Aurifil Thread used: 40wt in different colors
County Fair Swing Dance by Hannah Parks, @halfsquarehannah
I began this quilt during a QuiltCon 2024 class taught by Annabel Wrigley. She encouraged us to approach colors as an emotions-driven process, instead of relying on color theory or other “rules.” This idea transformed my quiltmaking process into one full of play and curiosity. Mixing colors with improvisational piecing and traditional quilt elements felt like a whimsical and colorful dance with fabric.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 6724, 4241, 4182, 2240, 2270, 2390, 7002, 5007; 12wt 4241; 80wt 2000
Tilt-A-Whirl by Hannah Parks, @halfsquarehannah
This quilt arose out of two individual ideas. The first project was an improv-pieced swirl, made during a playful afternoon of sewing. The second project was an experiment in color-blocking, in which I compiled a list of pieced grid styles, then matched them to pairs of colors. The swirl and the grids came together on my design wall, and recalled the colorful views of a carnival as one rides a twirly wild ride.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 6724; 80wt 2000; 12wt 2026, 2735, 4241, 4020
Island in the Sky by Patty Dudek, @elmstreetquilts
For fellow Trekkies, Island in the Sky is my rendition of the utopian island featured in TOS “The Cloud Minders” episode. Inspired by Irene Roderick’s Dancing with the Wall book, the creation process for this quilt was a slow dance as I worked through different book chapters to create a pile of improv units over the course of several months. Overall, the final dance with the design wall was an incredibly fun and playful experience.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Triangle Man by Cordelia Nance, @notmadebyrobots
Triangle man, Triangle man. Doing the things a triangle can.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Youth
The Enderman Quilt by Patrick McHugh, @theSurgicalsewist
This quilt is the first quilt I made myself. It is an Enderman. I like them because they can teleport. They can only be found in the End, a cave, and the Nether. I picked purple binding because there is a lot of purple in the Enderdragon and at the End.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2692
Piecing
Glitterball by Jo Westfoot, @thecraftynomadfleet
I wanted to design a quilt that appeared to be a circle but was actually constructed in columns. I played with a number of different techniques to piece together a variety of simple blocks. The quilting accentuates the circular shape and is comprised of a mix of free motion and straight lines. I chose to use various shades of green for the feature fabric areas to give depth to the shape.
Aurifil Thread used: 40wt 4093, 1148, 2845, 2783
Dovetails by Amy Friend, @duringquiettime
Dovetails is an original foundation paper pieced design with rectangular blocks that create a secondary pattern reminiscent of dovetails in woodworking. Low volume solids were used for the dovetails and a modern, moody palette for the diamond shapes. This is the first time I used a shade of brown for a background color, albeit a grayish brown, and I love how it works with the moody color palette. It’s quilted in a ½” diamond grid.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
The Queen of Chaos by Jen Sorenson @AQuiltingJewel
Chaotic stacks of solids grew in my sewing room while my life was chaotic with family members undergoing health issues and the passing of a dear friend, so I decided to embrace the chaos for my mental health. I cut squares and triangles out of freezer paper, free hand drew more triangles and lines, and pulled random strips out of a bag and just started sewing, eventually using 12 thread colors to complete the quilt.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Manhattan by Teresa Duryea Wong, @third_floor_quilts
Deep midnight blues, shades of gray and black, with pops of bright blue, come together in this improvisationally pieced quilt that reflects the palette of the streets of my favorite city, Manhattan. The word Manhattan is stitched 142 times with 1,363 yards of black silk thread. The quilted letters are almost unreadable on the front, yet they pop on the solid white backing. There are 3,383 pieced p
patches.
Aurifil Thread used: 2,133 yards 50wt black used to piece 3,383 patches!
Transformations by Liz Young, @foreveryoungquilting
I live in Vancouver, Canada. For many, Vancouver brings to mind images of gloomy winters, dark and wet with incessant rain. It is true, we get our fair share of rain, but the grays of those rainy days create a gorgeous, ever-changing palette. As Winter transforms into Spring, those grays become interspersed with pops of colour. This quilt depicts that transformation, with the quilting lines representing the flow from one season into the next.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600
Improvisation
Pop Art Dandelion by Jo Avery, @joaverystitch
A further exploration of my Dandelion Clock block. I used light through dark shades of the same colour to create large flowers using my Freehand Foundation Piecing technique. The interlocking rings of petals give a layering effect. The use of bright colours with strongly contrasting backgrounds and the four block layout give this a Pop Art vibe. Quilted on my Handi Quilter MoxieXL long arm using FMQ and some rulerwork.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Swimming the Salish Sea by Krista Hennebury, @Poppyprint
My right arm pulls as I turn my head, squint into the sun and take a breath. My left arm pulls and I turn my face towards the depths, bubbles rising out of my nose. This quilt is my swimming story. Each breath takes my view from depth to surface in a rhythm of dark to light as I swim in the beautiful and sparkling Salish Sea.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt piecing, 40wt quilting
Windham Ruby + Bee 2025 Challenge
Urban Equalizer by Sarah Ruiz, @bysarahruiz
In 2022 I created a small collage from washi tape…which turned out to be the perfect inspiration for this quilt! The stripes remind me of seeing bright city lights through window blinds at night, or the stacked lights of a music equalizer. Diagonally quilted lines in different thread colors add another subtle layer of strips to the overall design.
Aurifil Thread used: Pieced and quilted with 50wt thread in several colors. Pieced with dark gray; quilted with light blue, gold, red, and pale pink.
Teetotum by Kacie Grossman, @whoop_ingcrane
These combined quarter oval and circle repeating units are flipped, rotated, and multiplied to create movement, and the dynamic color palette pushes the eye through the design and keeps you off kilter. The units within this quilt were inspired by Jenny Haynes’ “Twice Cut Drunkard’s Path” technique using her Basic and Long Oval Drunkard’s Path Template Sets to cut the shapes, @pappersaxsten.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt piecing, 28wt quilting
Spotlight by Amy Friend, @duringquiettime
I created this foundation paper pieced design by improvisationally sketching overlapping lines to create the possibility of a transparency effect. I then chose fabrics to suggest color mixing where the sections would cross. I turned the design on point to add to the spinning movement and quilted with half-inch lines in a diagonal grid. The quilting was done in a dusty pink color to bring out my favorite shade in the piecing.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt for piecing, 40wt for quilting
Arcturus by Patty Dudek, @elmstreetquilts
Arcturus, a red-giant star, is the 4th brightest star in the Northern sky. It is easy to find for amateur stargazers (like me!) by following the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle – extend the curve beyond the handle and you’ll find Arcturus. The star can be found right overhead in the summer night sky. The quilt design was loosely based on the concept of a medallion quilt and was a fun challenge to assemble.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt, 40wt and 12wt
Flutterby by Betsy Vinegrad @betsy.vinegrad
A visit to a butterfly garden, where butterflies of various shapes, sizes, and colors gracefully fluttered about, inspired the title, Flutterby. Layered and overlapping circles create butterfly wing shapes, while the symmetry and color placement bring to mind the peaceful movement in the garden. Flutterby is an original design, machine pieced and machine quilted on a stationary machine.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2612
Paper Pieced Plaid (Plaid No. 4) by Holly Gatto @hdgatto
This quilt was an original design I created to make a plaid with the six challenge fabrics. This quilt is foundation paper pieced. I love how the plaid allows me to explore all of the color combinations.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 5002, 1310, 2515, 2630, 4241, 2612
Sonia by Liz Young, @foreveryoungquilting
I was introduced to the Bauhaus School of Design and Sonia Delauney’s work while studying Textile Arts at University. Although she was not a Master at the Bauhaus, the influence of her work can be seen throughout the curriculum of the School. This quilt plays homage to Sonia Delauney and her circle work.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600
Square Teacups by Lou Orth, @louorthdesigns
This quilt uses log cabin blocks and plays with the negative space between them. It reminds me of the teacup ride and gives a feeling of movement with the blocks being caught mid-spin around the central point. I used a crosshatch quilting design, focusing the density of quilting over the slightly off-centre blocks. For the quilting, I used an Ombre of pink Aurifil threads, from lighter in the centre to darker on the outer.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600, 4020, 2530, 2423
Cabin Pressure by Cordelia Nance, @notmadebyrobots
Put your own mask on first.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Group & Bee Quilts
Touchstones by Krista Hennebury @Poppyprint
For years, I coveted my Oakshott Colourbox of shot cottons. A workshop with Lorena was the perfect opportunity to highlight these beautiful fabrics. The shots were a dream to hand appliqué and provide a gorgeous colourwash across this quilt. After appliquéing the circles and piecing the blocks, I lost my sewjo. Lorena rescued my quilt, piecing the rows and top together when she visited for my November retreat in 2022!
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600
Modern Traditionalism
Crystal Creek by Erin Kroeker, @theblanketstatement
Inspired by a lifetime of exploring shorelines in search of unique rocks and gems, this quilt is a celebration of nature’s treasures. Featuring crystal-like blocks that reflect and refract light, surrounded by negative space resembling a flowing creek creating playful wavelike movement. Drawing colour inspiration from the vast Canadian wilderness—from dense forests and misty mornings, red dirt roads and rugged rocks, to northern lights and golden prairie sunsets—a tribute to beauty and diversity.
Aurifil Thread used: Hand quilted with 12wt 2311 and pieced with the same colour 50wt thread.
Trellis by Andrea Tsang Jackson, @3rdstoryworkshop
Trellis began a few years ago with a 100-Day Project where I drew something quickly every day, using a brush pen on 4” × 6” index cards. I was taken with the botanical motifs that emerged as contour line drawings. I had a vision to create floral “drawings” with the fusible bias tape, mimicking drawing on paper. In Trellis, the traditional Irish Chain gives a sense of order and structure to the flowing lines.
Aurifil Thread used: 50 wt 2692 for appliqué; 50 wt 2600 for piecing (Non-Aurifil for quilting)
Bibliography by Amy Friend, @duringquiettime
Selvage quilts are a modern twist on traditional string quilts. Selvages include the fabric name, designer, company, and colorful dots or designs for each color in the print. This design brings together selvages from quilts I have made, creating a visual “bibliography.” These blocks create a powerful impact where you may choose to focus on the star-shaped negative space created by the pink fabric or the soft-edged square design created by the selvages.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2600 for piecing including the topstitching–other thread was used by the longarm quilter
Circuitry by Janice Reimer @prairieandocean
Although quilts are technically three-dimensional, I enjoy exploring ways to enhance their dimensionality using design elements to create the illusion of depth. Further, improv quilting has always made me deeply uncomfortable, but this quilt design offered a way to experiment with the technique within the structured boundaries of a log cabin block.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Arrow Smith by Cordelia Nance, @notmadebyrobots
Walk this way.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Harold and Mauve by Cordelia Nance, @notmadebyrobots
Harold loves Mauve.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Blossoming by Paula Steel, @paulasteel.quilts
Inspired by the many petal layers of a flower, I wanted to create a quilt where your eye is drawn into the centre, through the layers. The quilt is constructed as a traditional medallion. However, each ‘round’ of blocks also influences the round next to it, giving a sense of depth and overlapping.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Saros by Janice Reimer @prairieandocean
Saros was an experiment in asymmetry and tapered lines, inspired by the idea to create the illusion of curves using only straight lines.
Minimalist Design
Defining Gray Areas by Kathleen Bovee, @Kathbovee
This quilt uses three shades of solid gray fabric: light, medium, and dark. It was designed on graph paper and constructed with several partial seams.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Good Morning Mom! by Cristina De Miranda , @shipsandviolins
Good Morning Mom! is the first in a series of designs inspired by my first year of motherhood. One of my favourite moments in the day is greeting my son in the morning – he’s always happy to see me! It’s hard not to smile right back. This quilt is a reminder to be present with Liam and his joy.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt and Floss
Colour me Happy by Paula Steel , @paulasteel.quilts
Colour me Happy is inspired by the colour palette and swooshes of my favourite pair of trainers (sneakers). I am a colour ‘magpie’ and the happy face design represents the joy I feel when seeing a colour palette that speaks to me. The Happy face design was created by drafting templates to complete the curves.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt
Embrace by Amy Friend, @duringquiettime
The design suggests a gentle, motherly embrace using restrained geometric shapes. The off-white shapes imply a protective encircling of wings. Seeing an image of a swan sheltering her babies on her back with her wings convinced me that I got the name right. The minimal palette of grey, off-white, and gold is contemporary, complementing the clean lines and bold shapes. The quilting is spaced ¼” apart and uses two colors of thread.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt for piecing, 40wt in two shades for the quilting.
Transparency Quilting Challenge
Rounded by Betsy Vinegrad, @Betsy.Vinegrad
A quilt challenge was issued featuring Peach Fuzz, the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year. Although I hadn’t participated in previous Pantone challenges, I couldn’t resist when I found some leftover “peach fuzz” from another project. Starting with a fairly rigid layout of circles inside squares I began editing. Colors were changed, corners were rounded, and motifs were scattered and overlapped. Rounded was machine pieced and quilted on a stationary machine with 6 different colors.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2420, 2225, 2250, 4093, 1148, 5006.
Windmill Meadows by Lynett Muhaso, @lynsavenue
Windmills hold a special place in my heart, brought on by that colourful toy I played with as a child. I get giddy with excitement seeing the huge wind turbines whirling along on the rolling hills whenever we go on a road trip. The Transparency challenge inspired me to create a design paying homage to my favourite things; windmills, flowers, and curved piecing, to bring out the illusion of movement with the rotating petals.
Aurifil Thread used: Quilting 50wt 2600 and piecing Forty3 2024.
Cellophane Squares by Sharon Thomson, @marmalade_hill
Craft activities during my childhood in Australia often involved cutting and gluing sheets of cellophane. Is this a universal experience? The colours and translucency always invited layering and illumination. I happily returned to playing with shapes cut from this material to develop my idea for this Modern Transparency challenge.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2024
We hope you’ve savored your digital journey through these stunning quilts. If any have caught your eye, be sure to click through for more details about the creators and share your top pick in the comments below. Happy quilting!
** Shared with the knowledge that there are far more quilts than shown that used Aurifil threads. If we missed you this time around, be sure to keep tagging us to let us know what you’ve used so we have the opportunity to celebrate your work.
All fabulous. What creative, fun; inspiring quilters!! Joyfully Janis koby
Beautiful!!