Saturday is National Quilting Day - the 25th Anniversary celebration.  It's my favorite day of the year - right after National Waffle Day.  (That's next week so mark your calendars for the 25th.)

Begun in 1989 by the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society as a "Quilter's Day Out" on the 3rd Saturday of March, the celebration was taken to a national level by the National Quilting Association in 1991.

The first National Quilting Day was observed on March 21, 1992 and it quickly grew into an international celebration of quilt-makers and quilt lovers.

But I bet you already knew that.  I didn't - the nice folks at The Quilt Alliance filled me in.

(Did you see that Kaffe Fassett is this year's speaker at Quilter's Take Manhattan?)

This is one of Kaffe's quilts.

There are all sorts of special events at quilt shops, guilds and any place quilters like to gather.  (If you see that Target or Ikea is having some kind of National Quilting Day event, be sure to let me know, okay?)

If you're in Lincoln, Nebraska, the International Quilt Study Center & Museum has a day-long schedule of events.

I would go to Lincoln just to see these quilts by Shizuko Kuroha - they're part of an exhibit titled Blue Echoes.  It's the first-ever solo exhibition by a Japanese artist at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum.

Shizuko is also the author of several outstanding books, including "Log Cabin Restructured" from Krause.  Her work is varied - and always spectacular.

Because Saturday is about celebrating quilt-makers, quilt-making and quilts, I decided that I wanted to share some of the quilts made by a few of my favorite people.

These ladies.

These images have been unrepentantly "borrowed" from their Instagram pictures.

This is Brigitte Heiland's - she's Zen Chic - Block of the Month for 2016.  It is made with For You and Flow, and it is a free pattern on a German website.  (If you get a virus or it doesn't work - just remember that I don't read German.)  Instagram - @zenchicmoda.

Swiss by Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms - and Bonnie & Camille.  It's made with the red prints from Little Ruby  - mostly.  @thimbleblossoms

Silent Night from the Christmas Gatherings book by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings.  @lisabongean

Jan Patek's Sleigh Bells.  It was one of Jan's Blocks of the Month.  @jan_patek_quilts

Just Plain Awesome by Sandy Klop - American Jane.  That's my name for it, I'm not sure she has one other than "Made this at Retreat".  Sandy started making scrappy nine-patches without a plan... and this is what she ended up with.  Genius.  @genius.  Though she prefers - @sandyklop

Cottage Blossoms - made with Little Miss Sunshine by Vanessa Goertzen - Lella Boutique.  @LellaBoutique

Mixing several different Figgy collections, this is Fig Tree's Mystery Sampler from 2015 - Joanna Figueroa for Fig Tree & Co..  (If this doesn't become a pattern so that I can make it... a head will roll.)  @figtreeandco

La Lavande by Kaari Meng for French General - the fabric is Ville Fleurie.  @frenchgeneral

Star-Crossed by Corey Yoder - this quilt is made with Corey's Prairie collection and it's featured in the April 2016 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.  Corey's pattern company is Coriander Quilts.  @lmshabby

So many gorgeous Snippets from Bonnie Olaveson of Cotton Way - and Bonnie & Camille.  I spy lots of wonderful collections - Daysail, Hello Darling, Happy Go Lucky, Miss Kate, Scrumptious, Marmalade, Modern Vintage... and I'm sure I've forgotten at least one.  @bonniecottonway

This is one of Janet Clare's amazing"story" quilts.  I don't know which book or pattern it is, but I love the subtle color and the variety of block sizes and elements.  It's really quite perfect, isn't it?  @janeteclare

A Bountiful Year - this is a beautifully embroidered block from Kathy Schmitz' new Block of the Month using Count Your Blessings.  @kathyschmitzstitches

This is Dreamcatcher - this version is made with Laundry Basket Quilts' upcoming Blue Barn collection.  Don't laugh but "finding" a quilt among Edyta's pictures was the biggest challenge - the hardest.  She makes so many beautiful quilts and then posts such gorgeous pictures of them that it was very hard to pick just one!

So I didn't.

So a note to the other designers... as much as I love your Instagrams, Edyta makes my life-job so much easier.  @laundrybasketquilts

Mary & Barb - the sisters that are Me & My Sister Designs.

This wonderful throw quilt is made with Bandana, and it's a free pattern on their website.  You really need it, don't you?  @meandmysisterdesigns

While all these gorgeous fabrics are from Minick & Simpson collections, Laurie made this quilt using Somerset Patchwork's - Karen Styles - Star A Day pattern and template.  It's entirely hand-pieced - and Laurie will surely hand-quilt it.  I know... she's such a show-off.  @minickandsimpson

This is just a little bit of April Rosenthal's quilt from the new Scraps Inc. Vol. 2 book from Lucky Spool.  Made with her Best.Day.Ever. and Meadowbloom collections, April's quilt is so gloriously colorful that I've had the book open to this page on my desk for more than a week. @amrosenthal

Kate Spain's Geode - made using her beautiful Canyon collection.  (One of my favorites, if you're curious.)

The back of Geode - improv-pieced using leftovers from making the front of the quilt.  Can you believe that Kate has only been quilting a few years?  She's a natural - I think it's that "super-talented artist" thing adapting to a new medium. @katespain

Amy Ellis' Twilight from the I Love Log Cabins book by Martingale/That Patchwork Place.  It's made with her Chic Neutrals collection - the 1 1/2" Honeybuns.   @amyscreativeside

And finally... Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell.

This will be a Block of the Month pattern later this year - I think Jen said in the Fall.  I love every single thing about it - especially the glorious variety of fabrics and colors. @jenkingwell

I know I've missed a long list of amazing quilters who are also Moda designers but I'll get them next time - soon.  So to Barbara Brackman, Betsy Chutchian, LUKE Haynes, A Quilting Life, Brenda Riddle, Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill, Erin Michael, Gina Martin, Holly Taylor, Deb Strain, Barb & Alma of Blackbird Designs, Beth & Haley & Carrie of OneCanoeTwo, Sandy Gervais, Pat Sloan, Vanessa Christenson of V & Co., Stacy Iest Hsu, the sweet ladies of Sweetwater, Lynne Hagemeir of Kansas Troubles and Wenche Wolfe Hatling.

Next time, right?

Happy National Quilting Day!