Original Sewing & Quilt Expo Quilt Contest 2023

Quilt Contest

Original Sewing & Quilt Expo’s 2023 Quilt Contest was a spectacular exhibit showcasing 50 amazing quilts juried from talented quiltmakers across the country. The entries submitted represent an extremely wide range of artistic skill and ability. Entrants competed for thousands in cash prizes and awards. Kathryn Zimmerman, NACQJ certified judge selected the award-winning quilts at the Expo in Lebanon, TN.


  

2023 Winners

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Best of Show is awarded a Ribbon and $2,000
Audra Rasnake | Hosanna

Expo's Choice is awarded a Ribbon and $1,000
Vanessa McCallum | Twilight in the Woods

 

First Place Artisan Division is awarded

a Ribbon and $500 
Spring Weeks | Love in Black and White

 

First Place Master Division is awarded

a Ribbon and $500 
Barbara Clem | Spring Breeze

 

NACQJ Award of Merit

Sandy Curran | Georgia

Viewers' Choice is awarded a Ribbon and $500

Linda Roy | Berry Blue

 

 

First and Second Place winners in each category are awarded a Ribbon

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First Place 102 Artisan

Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

Spring Weeks | Love in Black and White

First Place 103 Artisan Large

Traditionally Pieced Quilt

Heather Horton | Dreaming in the Diamonds

First Place 104 Artisan Large

Appliqué or Art Quilt

Joanne Sorrentino | A Rose for Sue - A Tribute

 

First Place 202 Master

Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

Jackie Perry | Mouse Pad

First Place 203 Master

Traditionally Pieced Quilt   

Audra Rasnake | Psalm of Autumn

First Place 204 Master

Large Appliqué or Art Quilt

Audra Rasnake | Hosanna

 

Second Place 102 Artisan

Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

Ruth Anne Yax | Emerald Moth

Second Place 103 Artisan Large

Traditionally Pieced Quilt

Diana Papin | My Blue Diamond

Second Place 104 Artisan Large

Appliqué or Art Quilt

Karen Belker | Garden in Purple

Second Place 202 Master

Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

Sandy Curran | Georgia

Second Place 203 Master

Traditionally Pieced Quilt   

Sherril Harris | Squared Ornaments

Second Place 204 Master

Large Appliqué or Art Quilt

Barbara Clem | Spring Breeze

 

All Finalists listed below receive an exclusive swag bag from Original Sewing & Quilt Expo. Contest open to residents of the U.S. only.


Kathryn Zimmerman, NACQJ certified judge

Kathryn Zimmerman gained her National Certification with the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges in 2022. She is a quilter, show competitor, quilt judge, teacher, and program presenter with more than 20 years of experience in the wonderful world of quilting. She has made over 60 quilts and has won awards at the national and regional level including five Best of Show. Her quilts have been published in American Quilt Society’s Calendar and Quilt Art Engagement Book. She has judged shows and given lectures and workshops in the Southeastern United States including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
 
Kathryn states that judging quilt shows give me the opportunity to share with quilters a fair and professional critique of their artistic work. Several areas of the quilting process are evaluated based on design and overall construction. My desire in these evaluations is to affirm details that are done well as well as give inspiration and suggestions to the quilter as support to reach a higher level of creative ability.
 
Kathryn gives lectures on the specifics of quilt judging and trunk shows of her award-winning quilts. Many of her quilt creations contain a mix of piecing, machine applique, and embellishments. She teaches classes in several methods of machine applique, as well as techniques for achieving precision piecing.
 
Kathryn’s past professional career was in public school teaching and administration. She is a member of the Burnsville and Asheville, NC quilt guilds in which she has held several leadership positions, including coordinating the judging floor for the Asheville Quilt Show, one of the largest quilt shows in the south. She lives in Mars Hill with her husband Herbert and dachshund, Odie, on a 60-acre century farm where three grandchildren play and hopefully realize the need to hold on to the land of their ancestors.


Previous Quilt Contests

Click here for 2022 Quilt Contest Winners and Finalists


2023 Finalists

The overall strength of the entries is breathtaking. The entries submitted represent a vast range of artistic skills and abilities. In selecting the group of finalists, the jury looked at overall excellence and the following criteria: creativity, workmanship and design choices.

 

Artisan Division

 

102 Artisan Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

 

Deep Sea Turtle

Sonja Barrie
 

Bonnie the Boxer

Sue Bartlow


My Rose Garden 

Sue Bartlow


Keep on Climbing    

Cathy Henn


Let It Be

Jennifer Hope


Chickadee-Dee  

Rachael Logsdon


El Diablo

Nanelle Strong


Love in Black and White

Spring Weeks


Emerald Moth

Ruth Anne Yax

 

Crazy, Happy Zen

Ruth Anne Yax

 

103 Artisan Traditionally Pieced Quilt   

 

Tennessee Crossroads

Kristi Baughman

 

I Like Mine Spiked

Amy Chaney

Quilted by Linda Hallatt


Round and round

Kristin Driscoll


Circle of Life

Nancy Ebert

Quilted by Carol Cronk


Down the Rabbit Hole

Emily Herbster

Quilted by Ashley Jurney


Dreaming in the Diamonds

Heather Horton

    
Barbie the Fashionista Friendship Star quilt

Karla Hromyak


Garden Stars

Jamie Leote

 

Smitten in the Garden EPP

Jamie Leote    


Rainbows, Diamonds, and Stars Scrappy Quilt

Kathy Mott


My Blue Diamond

Diana Papin

Quilted by Andrew Lee


Crimson Poppy

Dyanne Perkes

Quilted by Lynn Perkes


Dakota's Splendor

Deborah Thomas

Quilted by Cheryl Johnson


Bang

Lynn Wells    


Scroll The Old Testament

Lois Womack   

 

104 Artisan Large Appliqué or Art Quilt

 

Garden in Purple

Karen Belker

Mary Traxler - blocked quilt and binding


Fox Nap

Tracey Carothers    

Quilted by Barbara Thomas    

Sherill Carothers - binding

 

My Dear Ones    

Carol Cronk       


Penns Woods    

Diane Hackenberg 

       
Come Sit a Spell    

Cathy Henn        


Twilight in the Woods  

 Vanessa McCallum        


The Lobsterman    

Claudia Nicholson        


Zoo Family Portrait    

Linda O'Connell        


A Rose for Sue - A Tribute    

Joanne Sorrentino    

Quilted by Rose Bell     

 

Happy Days at Balboa Bay

Sandra Usher

Quilted by Julie Williams

 
My Whimsical Quilt Garden  

Lois Womack  

Master Division

 

202 Master Small Appliqué or Art Quilt

 

Georgia

Sandy Curran    


Stitching In the Garden

Felice Dahlhausen

Quilted by Mel Pickering


Angels

Pamala Hicklin    


Mouse Pad

Jackie Perry    


Identity

Lynn Rinehart   

 

203 Master Traditionally Pieced Quilt   

 

These Colors Should Run

Rachel Ivy Clarke


Squared Ornaments    

Sherril Harris


Psalm of Autumn    

Audra Rasnake


Eat Dessert First

Lynn Rinehart

 

204 Master Large Appliqué or Art Quilt

 

Spring Breeze    

Barbara Clem


Critters Down Under    

Anne Marcellis


Which Way Edna?

Anne Marcellis


Hosanna

Audra Rasnake


Berry Blue

Linda Roy

 

Thank you to these fine companies who provide continued support.