2025 Featured Quilters

The Featured Quilters are nominated by guild members and chosen by the Quilt Fiesta committee for their contributions to the guild, for setting an example of excellence with their quilting, for sharing their knowledge of quilting techniques, and for any other reasons that make them stand out. We honor our Featured Quilters by asking each one to spend a day at the show displaying their quilts and talking with attendees about quilting. We invite attendees to visit each of our Featured Quilters to talk with them and ask questions!  You might learn something that could be a real breakthrough for your own quilting!

 

Penny Boese

Penny Boese made her first quilt with her Mom when Penny was in junior high. She was so proud of her accomplishment, she spread it out on the lawn, took pictures, made multiple copies and sent them to her Grandmothers! Several years passed before Penny entered the world of quilting full time. When her first daughter, Hannah, was born nearly 25 years ago, Penny’s sister made a quilt for the new baby. That’s all it took! Penny left behind the home decoration sewing she had been doing and began quilting. She primarily made baby quilts and small projects in those early years because she had two little ones running around (Laura joined the family a year after Hannah).
Then, 10 years ago, with the girls older and more independent and with the support of her partner, Tim, Penny became more serious about quilting and purchased a long arm, fulfilling her dream to see her quilts from beginning to end and control the quilting process. After quilting several community service quilts, Penny opened A Quilter’s Creations and began quilting for clients. She also started entering quilt shows and winning awards, both for her own quilts and those she quilted for clients. She has been recognized nationally as well as locally, and two of her quilts were published in the 2025 AQS event calendar. Penny’s quilts have hung in Road to California, the International Quilt Festival in Houston, the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, and all of the AQS shows. Penny loves the creative process, from designing her quilt patterns to creating digital designs for both her own and client quilts. She sees quilts as the voice of the maker, creating art that reflects moods, statements and, of course, love.

 

 

 

Stephanie Nordlin

Stephanie has been designing clothing since age twelve and quilting since 1972. Over the years her businesses included making children’s clothing and custom bridals/formal wear. Stephanie’s art has won awards at major shows in nine states.  Originally a traditional hand quilter, Stephanie transitioned to surface design incorporating embellishments, non-traditional materials, 3D and machine stitching. Her work is influenced by travel and personal photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Verbeke

Kate started her quilting “career” in 1976 BRC (before rotary cutters) when she was introduced to her new family in Clarksville, Tennessee.  There she was captivated by an antique quilt on an Aunt’s bed, a Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  As an experienced seamstress and tailor, she thought to herself “I can do that.”  When she asked her new mother-in-law for instructions, she was told “it must be made from scraps.”  For those of you who are too young to know, the 1970s was the era of the double-knit. So scissors in hand, milk carton cardboard in the other, a quilter was born!

She continued to develop her quilting skills while she was teaching adult education classes. She was hired by a quilt shop in Garrison NY and by a fabrics and Bernina store in Poughkeepsie, NY to teach quilt classes.  In the late 1980s Mary Ellen Hopkins was the guru of quilt designing and Kate was fortunate to partake in all three “It’s OK” seminars. She also attended seminars held by such other notable quilters such as Harriet Hargraves, Trudi Hughes and Doreen Speckman.

She established a presence in crafting as Kate’s Kountry Kalikoes in the New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts area. Kate did piecework for Brookhill Linens in New York City.  This allowed her to develop machine quilting skills on her 1989 Bernina 1130 domestic machine before machine quilting was accepted in the quilting world.  Kate was a member of the First Dutchess Quilters in Poughkeepsie NY.

Retirement from 40 years of high school teaching in New York and Pennsylvania brought her to Tucson in 2015.   An experienced geologist, avid golfer and health nut, this native Pittsburgh girl loves living in the Sonoran Desert but still makes it a point to cheer on her hometown hockey and baseball teams.

 

Past Featured Quilters:

2024:  Linda Coté, Opal Bemis, Athena Taylor
2023: Ana Martinez, Melanie Harris
2022: Philo Bell, Ruth Sharp
2020: Marie Ann Morris, Char Gasker, Manya Powell
2019: Kate Clark, Sheryl Verts, Karen Fisher
2018: Sue Franklin, Cathy Dargel, Paulette Worman
2017: Carol Carpenter, Tami Graeber, Kathie Miller
2016: Sue Waite, Chris Nelson, Swan Sheridan
2015: Mary Vaneecke, Kathy Zimmer, Patty Goodsell
2014: Keith Dommer, Helen Frost, George & Gloria Magee
2013: Nancy Landon, Nubin Jensen, Jean Biddick
2012: Nancy Arseneault, Susie Weaver, Amy Bright