North Texas Quilt Festival

July 31, August 1 & 2 2025

This year's theme is "There's No Place Like Home"

The Contest deadline was May 31, 2025. Over 300 quilts have been entered this year.

The Junior Contest and Mini Quilt Auction deadline closed 7/1/25.

Thank you to all who participated! 

 

---

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, Quilters' Guild of Arlington and Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild.

 

Contest Rules & Instructions

 

Prizes

Top prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, two $350 Merit Quilted awards, Judges Choice awards, and Viewer's Choice, twenty-four $200 awards for first place in each category and twenty-four $50 second place awards, an honorable mention ribbon and Expo Director's choice ribbon.

 

Judges

 

Diane (De) Leclair

Originally from Maine, Diane (De) is a self-taught appliqué artist who has been crafting quilts since 1981. Her quilts feature the colors of nature and showcase her love for appliqué and embroidery. De is known for her fine hand quilting but is also an avid long arm quilter. Her work has appeared and won awards at local, regional and national quilt shows including six Best of Show Awards, six Viewer’s Choice Awards, Merit Hand Quilting Awards and Best Machine Quilting Award. She is the recipient of the distinguished Masterpiece Quilt Award given by the National Quilt Association for Coeur du Vigne.

“Judging is a natural extension of my passion for quilting. I believe it is important to encourage and promote growth in quilting at all levels. I am continually amazed at the creativity quilters’ display in their art.  Most of all I love the art of quilting and the closeness it fosters in all of us.”  De obtained her Judging Certification through the National Quilting Association in 2002 and was qualified to evaluate Masterpiece quilts in 2003. De is a charter member of the “National Association of Certified Quilt Judges. NACQJ”

 

Lois Kindley

I am a veteran fiber artist and have a passion for quiltmaking. I have been sharing the love of quilting for over 40 years. I've been active in the quilting world, lecturing, designing patterns, and teaching children, adults, even inmates quilting. After a considerable amount of success, I have become a highly awarded quilter, having pieces exhibited in national shows and longarming for others who have competed at that level as well. My heart longs to positively encourage quilters! I desire to share my love of quilting and see others succeed. I know entrants have worked very hard to complete their tops and are willing to have them judged. I aim to inspire you to continue creating and entering quilts into competitions. After all, it's a great way to spark the creativity of others!

 

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!