131 Entries in the 2025 Upper Country Quilt Show

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The fourth annual Upper Country Quilt Show was held in June at Cambridge High School, offering quilters a chance to showcase their handmade creations. This year’s theme was “Oh, Scrap.” The theme encouraged the creative use of fabric scraps in quilt making. There were 131 entries on display, which far exceeded the goal of 80 entries. Every quilt frame available was used to display this remarkable number of entries.

There were 103 sponsored awards at the quilt show, with several sponsors supporting more than one award. On the evening before the show opened, all sponsors were invited to select their favorite quilt. Sponsors of multiple awards were allowed to choose a favorite quilt for each award they sponsored.

As visitors entered the quilt show, each was given a ballot to vote for their favorite quilts in four separate categories: Top Overall Pick, Theme Quilt, Student Quilt, and Challenge Blocks. At the end of the quilt show, all votes were tallied, and the top winner in each category was awarded a $100 prize, along with a special award.

This year’s winners were: Top Overall Pick – Janice Bisom of McCall; Theme Quilt – Kadee Porter of Boise; Student – Lilly Mendenhall of Council. In the Challenge Block category, 1st place went to Carol Hampton of Sandpoint, 2nd place to Lisa Martin of Weiser, and 3rd place to Rhonda Plummer of Weiser.

Challenge blocks are a popular feature of the Upper Country Quilt Show, but many people wonder how they work. Each year, the organizers select and sell a special 10-inch square of fabric. Quilters purchase this fabric and use it, along with fabric of their choosing, to create a one of a kind 12.5-inch quilt block that reflects the quilter’s creativity and the show’s annual theme. Once completed, the block is submitted and displayed as part of the quilt show.

This year, 36 blocks were submitted. Entrants are informed in advance that their blocks will be awarded as prizes in the Challenge Block category. The first-place winner receives a set of 12 blocks selected from among the entries. If enough blocks are submitted, additional sets are awarded. For this quilt show, there were enough blocks to award three prizes, each consisting of 12 blocks.

Quilters are eagerly looking ahead to the 2026 Upper Country Quilt Show, where the theme will be “Happy 250th Birthday, America!” In celebration of this historic milestone, you may like to create your own challenge block for the show. Kits are available for just $3 and can be obtained from any Upper Country Quilt Show member.

The number of visitors attending this year’s quilt show is believed to have been the highest in the past four years. The Upper Country Quilters would like to extend a special thank you to all of the quilters who shared their beautiful quilts, and to the generous sponsors who donated to this year’s quilt show. Without your contributions, the quilt show would not have been possible.