The larger and details images for ALL quilts in this web section will likely take about a minute or so to load, then they will soon shift to your screen size. Thanks for your patience.
Here is a YouTube video of this quilt taken at the Houston Show, posted by Quilter's Dream Batting:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=904468602904275
Here is another YouTube posted by THE QUILT SHOW (Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOxDK6VwchU
The following link is a video interview with Flora, filmed in Houston by Quilt Alliance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAKgZxv-ITg&list=UUKyh4zaCMV5l88iMTvl3iyw&index=3

QUILT DESCRIPTION: If you are facing this quilt directly, you will see Oprah. Step to the RIGHT to see Mother Teresa. Step to the LEFT to see Jackie Kennedy. There are only TWO FABRIC PIECES in this quilt top, and they are joined together with only ONE SEAM. Back story: One day while I was waiting in my car for a traffic light to change, I gazed at a large revolving billboard that changed about every ten seconds from ONE image, to ANOTHER image, to a THIRD image, then back to the beginning. That process intrigued me, and as I tried to sleep that night, a “quilt” that changed images began formulating in my mind. It took several years to work through HOW this concept could be transformed into a quilt—and then I had to try to master free-motion quilting, thread painting, and trapunto. [What FUN!] After several attempts with numerous samples, this quilt finally emerged.
Quilt size: 32" x 35" - PHOTOS BY JIM SLEDGE, ETSU PHOTOLAB.

AWARDS:
BEST OF SHOW, 2015 BRQG
VIEWERS' CHOICE, 2015 McKinney Center Quilt Display
FINALIST, 2015 International Quilt Show, Houston
BEST WALL QUILT, 2016 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival
Featured in the Special Exhibit/2016 Quilt & Sewing Fest of New Jersey
FACULTY AWARD, 2016 MQX Quilt Festival
FIRST PLACE, 2016 Vermont Quilt Festival
THIRD PLACE, 2016 Asheville Quilt Show
SECOND PLACE, 2017 Road to California Quilt Show
FIRST PLACE, 2017 American Quilt Show, Daytona
THIRD PLACE, 2017 American Quilt Show, Lancaster
FINALIST, 2017 UQSM Show
HONORABLE MENTION, 2017 American Quilt Show, Paducah
HONORABLE MENTION, 2017 American Quilt Show, Des Moines
THIRD PLACE, 2018 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
FIRST PLACE, 2018 San Diego Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2019 Indiana Heritage Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2019 Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, ENGLAND
Featured in Vol. 27, No. 2 (2017) issue of Australian Patchwork & Quilting
FINALIST, 2020 Quilt Expo (Wisconsin)
For an AQS video of this quilt, click here:
https://www.facebook.com/AQSonline/videos/10155332373764396/

Quilt: "Hopes and Dreams"

This quilt, "Hopes and Dreams, was designed because of Flora's concern about RACISM. She didn't design it to be a "show quilt," but her goal is to offer prepared fabric to other quilters/stitchers who might like to make this wall quilt without spending months in design preparation. That HARD WORK has already been done, and anyone interested can get this fabric almost immediately through spoonflower.com. [Go to their site and search for "Hopes and Dreams" (or search for "Flora Joy") until you see this design. Request one yard of Petal Cotton.] To create this image, Flora made a list of possible people to showcase, then she (mostly manually) superimposed 529 "free-to-use" photos of 74 different people of color over a black/white handshake. Viewers can try to identify those pictured and optionally share any race-related stories. Flora has also prepared a 62-page complimentary user's guide for anyone interested. To download this free handbook, go back to the web cover page and type in the handout code 91944--then click on "submit." Contact Flora if you have any questions.
To see a more detailed section view, click HERE.
AWARDS:
THE FLETCHER AWARD, 2022
BEST INTERPRETATION OF THEME, 2013 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival
HONORABLE MENTION, 2023, Smokey Mountain Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2023, American Quilt Show, Paducah
HONORABLE MENTION, 2023, Asheville Quilt Show
MERIT AWARD, 2023, Asheville Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2024, American Quilt Show, Daytona Beach

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Quilt: "Pop-Up Stories"

AWARDS:
FIRST PLACE, 2019 Quilt Expo (Wisconsin)
THIRD PLACE, 2019 Asheville Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2019 Pacific International Quilt Festival
JUDGES' AWARD, 2020 Road to California Show
Third Place, 2020 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2020 American Quilt Show (Paducah - COVID cancelled)
FINALIST, 2020 American Quilt Show (Lancaster - COVID cancelled)
Innovative Design Award, 2021 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2022 American Quilt Show (Paducah)

DESCRIPTION: The “Educator” in Flora wants her quilts to inspire learning.
This quilt beckons young learners to compose creative stories by unsnapping
the two tabs on the first block, and then re-snapping it at the bottom.
When this occurs, a scene “pops up.” The student’s story begins
with the unveiled fabric/thread inspiration, and the story continues with each subsequent block.
This quilt will eventually be donated to an education center that
serves 30+ school districts, where it will travel from school to school
for students to engage in developing creative oral/written expression skills (speaking/writing) in a FUN manner.

For a LARGE image of this quilt, CLICK HERE.
For a DETAILED image, CLICK HERE.

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Quilt: An "Eye-Clue" Test

AWARDS:
FINALIST, 2020 American Quilt Show (Paducah - COVID cancelled)
FINALIST, 2020 American Quilt Show (Lancaster - COVID cancelled)
FIRST PLACE, 2021 A Mountain Quiltfest
FINALIST, 2021 Pacific International Quilt Festival
Third Place, 2022 Road to California
FINALIST, 2022 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2022 American Quilt Show (Paducah)
Innovative Design Award, 2022 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
Second Place, 2022 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show

QUILT DESCRIPTION: This quilt is intended to be a FUN "EYE-CLUE" TEST for observant people. To determine your "Eye-Clue" score, give yourself 10 points for each person you can identify within two minutes. (Answers are below in tiny type.) Add five more points for each stitched NAME you can locate in the octagonal blocks. (You will need to see the larger version for these stitched names.)

ANSWERS:
Top Row: Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Mark Twain (Samuel Clemmons), Harriet Tubman
(2) Lucille Ball, Vincent Van Gogh, EleSanor Roosevelt
(3) Mahatma Gandhi, William Shakespeare, Mohammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Albert Einstein
(4) Benjamin Franklin, Mona Lisa, Elvis Pressley
(5) Anne Frank, Winston Churchill, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks

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Quilt: "From Rags to Stitches"

AWARDS:
BEST MACHINE QUILTING, 2018 Mountain Messages Quilt Show
FIRST PLACE, 2018 Northwest Quilting Expo
MOST HUMOROUS QUILT, 2019 Road to California Quilt Show
BEST INTERPRETATION OF THEME, 2019 MAQF Show
FINALIST, 2019 American Quilt Show, Grand Rapids
FINALIST, 2019 American Quilt Show, Paducah
FINALIST, 2019 American Quilt Show, Charleston
HONORABLE MENTION, 2020 Pieces of the Past (Quilting Daily)
SHOWCASED in McCall's Quilting Magazine (January 2021)
SECOND PLACE, 2021, A Mountain Quiltfest
FIRST PLACE, 2021 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
THIRD PLACE, 2022 Asheville Quilt Show
MERIT AWARD, 2022, Asheville Quilt Show

QUILT DESCRIPTION: Twelve separate, free-standing curvy blocks have been sewn (at their top borders) to a separate base quilt. Viewers can lift each Dutch Doll/Sunbonnet Sue to read that block’s unusual (true) story and glean numerous tips for making their own similar blocks. These pieces collectively reflect Flora’s metaphorical “fabric autobiography.”
TECHNIQUES: Trapunto, 3-N-1 fabric manipulation, intertwined rick rack for outer borders (and sometimes stacked rick rack for internal block embellishments), built-in decorative machine stitches, self-designed machine embellishment, shoestring manipulation, ruler work, etc. ALL background stitching designs for the base quilt are Flora’s original creations.
MATERIALS: Crystals, denim, chenille (both commercial and hand-made), loose threads, feed sacks, men’s ties, fringes (both commercial and hand-made), netted produce bags, bras, zippers, garment labels, upholstery samples, shoestrings, buttons, rick rack (several sizes), gathered laces, cording, commercial trims, bias binding (both commercial and hand-made), 24 original mini free-standing “bow ties,” 154 original tiny free-standing “Dutch dolls,” etc .
Click HERE for a larger image of this quilt.
Click HERE for an up-close detail in this quilt.
Click HERE for an image showing a lifted flap.
Click HERE for McCall's Magazine article.

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Quilt: "Nieces in Stitches"

AWARDS:
MERIT AWARD (Educational), 2016 Asheville Quilt Show
HONORABLE MENTION, 2016 Asheville Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival
BEST USE OF EMBELLISHMENTS, 2017 MAQF Show
FINALIST, 2017 MQX Show
FINALIST, 2017 UQSM Show
FINALIST, 2018 American Quilt Show, Daytona Beach
FINALIST, 2018 American Quilt Show, Lancaster
FIRST PLACE, 2018 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
HONORABLE MENTION, 2018 American Quilt Show, Paducah
THIRD PLACE, 2019 Road to California Quilt Show

QUILT DESCRIPTION: This quilt is based on a painting by Robert Steven Connett (used with his written permission). The quilt’s purpose is to entice young students to further explore the science, language, and art curriculum. The 18 curriculum cards (disguised as FUN ACTIVITIES) hang below the quilt and can be removed for exploration and academic activities. In the process of making this quilt, Flora had GREAT FUN with a new type of trapunto and other embellishments (buttons, fishing poles, etc.)!.
Click HERE for a LARGE image of this quilt. The large size shows the DETAILS of the intricate stitching.

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Quilt: "OverJOYed"

AWARDS:
SECOND PLACE, 2017 Quilt Expo, Wisconsin
FINALIST, 2016 Shipshewana Quilt Festival
FIRST PLACE, 2015 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN EMBELLISHMENT, 2014 Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival, Washington
SPECIAL AWARD WINNER, 2014 NQA Show (National Quilt Association) for EMBELLISHMENT
THIRD PLACE, 2014 NQA Show (National Quilt Association)
FINALIST, 2013 International Quilt Show, Houston
FINALIST, 2013 American Quilt Show, Paducah
FIRST PLACE, 2012 Asheville Quilt Show
SECOND PLACE, 2014 Mountain Quiltfest
MOST INNOVATIVE, 2012 Blue Ridge Quilt Show
JUDGES' CHOICE, 2012 Mountain Messages Quilt Show
BEST INTERPRETATION OF THEME, 2012 Blue Ridge Quilt Show
This quilt was showcased in the Fall, 2014, issue of Quilting Quarterly.
This quilt was showcased in the Spring, 2015, issue of Quilting Quarterly.
Click HERE to see a much larger image of this wall quilt.
Click HERE to see a detailed section of this wall quilt.

QUILT DESCRIPTION: This wall quilt has irregular edges and FIVE EXTRA LAYERS that may be LIFTED to reveal amazing hidden embroidery, photos, or a message. The emphasis is on “JOY”—our family surname. Kids have fun determining how many different ways to sequence the letters J-O-Y from the images on this quilt. [There are TONS!]
Quilt size: 54 ½" x 46" - PHOTOS BY PAUL BISHOP


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Quilt: "Camouflage at Sea"

QUILT DESCRIPTION: This hands-on wall quilt demonstrates how four “real” sea creatures camouflage themselves from their predators (reflecting scientific accuracy). Viewers may LIFT the “sea plants” [by pulling on the magnetized buttons] to reveal the camouflaged fish. “Texture-Magic” rock walls join at the seabed (embellished with beads and antique jewelry). Other selected fiber techniques include layered netting (for water images), manipulated prairie points, and machine-embroidered/textured stand-alone plants. The “movable” rock wall (right, bottom) hides the fourth sea creature. This quilt was inspired by the popular children's artist Eric Carle and his scientifically-accurate book entitled Mr. Seahorse. (An accompanying complimentary curriculum guide is available upon request.)
For details concerning what's UNDER each of the camouflage sections, see Barbara Burnham's blog
http://baltimoregardenquilts.blogspot.com/2012/03/last-week-at-american-quilters-society.html?spref=fb
reflecting her encounter with this quilt. (Thanks, Barbara!) NOTICE that there are FOUR BUTTONS sewn onto this quilt. Children can PULL on each of these buttons, and the sea plants will "open." Then the sea creatures that were HIDDEN by the plants will be in full view. [To see an up-close view of these four images, click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.] Also, there are five earrings (that belonged to Flora's mom) hidden among the embellishments. Can YOU find them? (You may need to view the larger image.) If you have any questions about the construction or materials used in this project, feel free to contact Flora.
Quilt size: 57" x 37" - PHOTOS BY PAUL BISHOP


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"The A-MAZE-ing State Game"

AWARDS:
FIRST PLACE, 2015 Northwest Quilting Expo
SECOND PLACE, 2015 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival
THIRD PLACE, 2015 Smoky Mountain Quilt Show
THIRD PLACE, 2014 Asheville Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2015 National Quilt Show
FINALIST, 2015 World Quilt Competition, Manchester
FINALIST, 2016 American Quilt Show, Daytona Beach
FINALIST, 2016 American Quilt Show, Paducah
FINALIST, 2017 Shipshewana Quilt Festival
FINALIST, 2017 Quilt Expo (Wisconsin)

ALL ORIGINAL FABRIC/CONCEPT/DESIGN. Your challenge:
Begin with your fingertip in Washington (state) and travel
through the stitched maze to Maine!
What items can you identify along the way?
Click HERE to see a much larger image of this wall quilt.
Click HERE to see a detailed section of this wall quilt.
*Note that it was impossible for the nine-point font used in the answer sections to be clearly SEEN in any of these images.
Click HERE for FABRIC ORDERING INFORMATION and
an accompanying complimentary packet of educational materials.**
**This packet provides information about how YOU can get a similar quilt for your home or classroom, and it gives printed lists of answers and instructions.

QUILT DESCRIPTION: This is a QUILT GAME for children of all ages—designed to entice them to learn more about America’s history and geography. They “travel” with their fingertips from Washington (state) to Maine. As they do, they try to identify as many state capitals, abbreviations, flowers, trees, birds, people, songs, mammals, places, historical and current events, etc., as they can. (All answers are printed upside down and many are also imaged in the border—thus, this learning activity is paperless and pencil-less.) This quilt is COMPLETELY ORIGINAL both in concept and fabric design. Here is Flora's description: "I began with a 45"x75" light blue rectangle and then added the 50 blank states. I extensively researched all states’ symbols and significant people/places. I selected and positioned a few images into each state and then superimposed a STITCHED MAZE that has 18,296 one-third-inch increments. Viewers who have a few extra minutes are invited to take their fingertip and begin this journey OR see how many of the state symbols they can guess correctly. (The MAZE ANSWER appears on the back of the quilt.) See if YOU can do this on the LARGER image provided! Have FUN!!"
Quilt size: 40" x 71" - PHOTOS BY JIM SLEDGE, ETSU PHOTOLAB

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NON-Show Quilts (For FUN only)