North Texas Quilt Festival

July 30, 31, and August 1, 2026

 

This year's theme is "God Bless America"

The Contest deadline is May 31, 2026.

 

North Texas Quilt Festival 2026 Contest Entry Form

 

Junior Division (age 17 and younger) 2026 Contest Entry Form

 

Mini-Quilt Auction Fundraiser Entry Form

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Judged Quilt Contest & Show

Treat yourself to aisles and aisles of breathtaking quilts brimming with artistry and creativity, competing for thousands in cash prize awards from accredited judges. Supported in part by: Bear Creek Quilt Guild, Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild, Fort Worth Quilt Guild, Irving Quilt Guild, Mid-Cities Modern Quilters, Quilters' Guild of Arlington, Quilter's Guild of Dallas, and Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild.

 

Contest Rules & Instructions

 

Prizes

Top prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, two $700 Merit Quilted awards, $300 awards: Judges' Choices and Viewer's Choice, cash awards and/or ribbons for first and second place in each category, honorable mention ribbons, and the Director's Choice ribbons.

 

Judges

 

Mary Wolter

Mary Wolter has been quilting since 1976, making her first quilt as a teenager from instructions given in a McCall's magazine during the Bicentennial. But it wasn't until the 1990's that her hobby/obsession really took off. She attended her first national quilt show in Paducah, KY with a friend in 1996 and has since taken numerous classes over the years to refine her skills. She's won many awards in local and regional quilt shows in southeastern Wisconsin and belongs to several quilt guilds. Quality feedback from quilt show judges on her own work went a long way to motivate continuous improvement and inspired her to pursue certification as a judge after retirement from WEC Energy Group in 2021. Mary is Treasurer of the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, WI, where she enjoys viewing each new exhibit and getting inspiration from each artist's work. She is also an avid collector of quilts from the 1930's-1960's and is a member of the American Quilt Study Group.

 

Lois Kindley

Lois Kindley, a highly awarded, competitive quilt artist and longarm professional, has competed successfully at the local, regional, and national levels. With over 40 years of experience, she is a veteran fiber artist with a deep passion for quiltmaking. Her love for quilting is evident in her active involvement in the quilting world, where she has lectured, designed patterns, and taught children, adults, and even inmates the art of quilt making. Having created nearly a thousand quilts, she remains abreast of the shifts and trends in the quiltmaking industry through continuing education from national teachers and local artists. In 2016, Lois embarked on her professional longarm career and has quilted more than 400 quilts. Two of her custom-quilted pieces have been featured on The Quilt Show, one being the show's Block of the Month for 2022. Her quilting and longarm skills have been recognized in both the American Quilters Society and International Quilt Festival shows and have been published in Quiltmania magazine.
Lois has participated in over 20 quilt organizations, guilds, and bees through many moves with her husband's career, from Texas to the Pacific Northwest, New England to the Deep South. She has appreciated the exposure to regional and cultural influences that have influenced her own quilts. Throughout that time, she gained extensive knowledge and experience of many fiber art techniques she used in quiltmaking and judging.
She recognizes that excellence in judging should be as important as excellence in quiltmaking. Lois has judged quilt shows nationwide, including Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas.
In Lois's words, "My heart longs to positively encourage creatives! I desire to share my love of quilting and see others succeed. I know entrants have worked extremely hard to complete their quilts and are open to having them judged. I aim to inspire you to continue creating and entering quilts into competitions. Quilt shows are a wonderful way to spark creativity in others! Lois's dedication to encouraging and inspiring quilters is a testament to her commitment to the quilting community.

Judging Philosophy: Lois Kindley's judging philosophy is rooted in her desire to award excellence in design, workmanship, and creativity. She aims to provide positive feedback to quilters, encouraging them to continue in their shared love of quilting. www.loiskindley.net

 

Sandy Gard

Sandy is a self-taught seamstress and quilter. At the age of six, she was cutting and sewing clothes for her dolls by hand. At the age of eight, she had her first experience at hand quilting. All the neighbors gathered at her grandmother’s farmhouse in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and they lowered the quilting frame from the living room ceiling. They all sat around the quilt, quilting and visiting. The love of quilting began. It has been a lifelong love affair.
Sandy has had a home-based sewing business for 21 years. In 2007, she purchased a Gammill longarm quilting machine and has been successfully quilting for customers. Since then, Sandy has quilted over 1,000 customer quilts and counting.
In 2014, Sandy entered the NQA Judging program. She has spent four years working with certified judges and judging quilt shows. She received her NACQJ certification in 2019. She holds positions on four local quilt guild boards and is the judging coordinator for one.

 

PLUS...

Hundreds of additional quilts on display in the traveling gallery, lectures and hands-on workshops, free presentations and trunk shows, super prize drawings and more!