Original Sewing & Quilt Expo’s 2025 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. NACQJ Certified Judge, Mary Wolter, selected the award-winning quilts at the Expo in Lebanon, TN.
2025 Winners
Daryl Leach's winning quilt Expansion of the Universe pictured above with NACQJ Certified Judge, Mary Wolter, OSQE Event Manager Extraordinaire, Darcy Nicholson, and their official scribe, Judy.
Judge
Mary Wolter
NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge
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.
In between Board meetings and guild meetings Mary attends about six quilt retreats each year with a group of like-minded quilty friends, leaving behind her long-suffering but supportive husband of 43 years, Jim. Together they raised four children and now have two grandsons. She has lost all hope of ever finishing all of her UFO's (unfinished objects) or using up her extensive fabric stash, but as a certified judge she hopes to encourage and motivate quilters of all ages and skill levels for many years to come.
101 Artisan Small Traditionally Pieced Quilt
102 Artisan Small Applique' or Art Quilt
103 Artisan Large Traditionally Pieced Quilt
104 Artisan Large Applique' or Art Quilt
201 Master Traditionally Pieced Quilt
202 Master Small Applique' or Art Quilt
203 Master Large Applique' or Art Quilt
NACQJ Award of Merit | Viewers' Choice | Expo's Choice
2025 Original Sewing & Quilt Expo Quilt Contest Finalists
101 Artisan Small Traditionally Pieced Quilts
Midnight In The Jungle
Ellen Koenig
Quilted by John C. Crane
Christmas Glow
Shelley Jungen
102 Artisan Small Applique' or Art Quilt
Galileo
Amanda Manno
Say Ah
Susie Cobbs
Exploring The Cosmos: Space Junk
Nancy Powell
Can You Hear Me Now?
Kristin Driscoll
My Hardest Goodbye
Paula Paradis
Princess Feather
Shirley Kasprzyk
Quilted by Andrew Schwarz
Anything But Broken
Jennifer Carr
Thread Ready
Susie Cobbs
103 Artisan Large Traditionally Pieced Quilt
Burst Of Blue
Stacy DeWolf
Jewelled Dimensions
Kathy Mott
Gather ‘Round
Ann Pederson
Quilted by Connie Rodman
American Pinwheels
Tylee Tidmore
To Calm The Mind
Joy Brown
Quilted by Lebanon Vacuum & Sewing Center
Butterfly Flight
Joseph Feike
Tarnished Windmill
Lisa Storm
Quilted by Dewey Godwin
Rhon
Rhonda Ritchie
Sunset On The Gulf
Karla Hromyak
Only At The Fair
Kathleen Peel
Creating Memories
Glynda Hylton
104 Artisan Large Applique' or Art Quilt
Mola Inspiration
Lauren Bosse
Quilted by Stitches Quilt Shop
Common Bride
Sharon Berger
Off To The Quilt Show
Joanne Lazarz
“From Sea To Shining Sea”
Linda Stover
Quilted by Amanda Randolph
201 Master Traditionally Pieced Quilt
Southern Spin
Denniele Bohannon
Quilted by Becky Collis
Direction Unknown
Toni Oyler
Quilted by Bonnie Sloan
202 Master Small Applique' or Art Quilt
Passion Flower
Tonya Littmann
Quilted by Julia Quiltoff
OZ
Sandra Gard
Whispering Willow Bayou
Cindy Baker
203 Master Large Applique' or Art Quilt
Sofie’s August Morning
Lynne S. Hartman
Storm The Unyielding Bovine
Sandra Gard
Crab Cakes
Dorene Joyce
Quilted by Jackie Lehto
Susan’s Flower
Sandy Curran
2024 Nipped In The Bud
Robyn Gragg