Karen Kay Buckley's Award-Winning "Color My World" | INNOVA Quilter Spotlight
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INNOVA Quilter Spotlight: Karen Kay Buckley and the Award-Winning "Color My World"
Color My World by Karen Kay Buckley
🥇2025 Award: INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry – International Quilt Festival, Houston
🥇2026 Award: BERNINA of America Best of Show – AQS Paducah
Quilted On: INNOVA Longarm
When visitors encounter Karen Kay Buckley's Color My World, they are immediately drawn in by its vibrant color, intricate appliqué, and extraordinary quilting. The quilt first earned national recognition at the 2025 International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, where it received the INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry. Just months later, it continued its award-winning journey by earning the prestigious BERNINA of America Best of Show Award at AQS Paducah 2026.
What many viewers may not realize is that the quilt's journey began nearly a decade earlier with a single appliqué block.
Karen Kay Buckley | Color My World, winner of the 2025 INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry – International Quilt Festival, Houston
A Quilt Recognized by the Industry
Color My World has captured the attention of quilters, judges, and show attendees across the country. In 2025, the quilt received the INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. The following year, it went on to earn one of the quilting industry's highest honors—the BERNINA of America Best of Show Award at AQS Paducah 2026.
These awards celebrate not only the quilt's remarkable craftsmanship, but also years of creativity, problem solving, and dedication that transformed a single appliqué concept into an award-winning work of art.
From One Bluebird to an Award-Winning Quilt
Karen's original concept started with a teaching project she called Bluebird of Happiness. The challenge she set for herself was simple: could she completely fill a block with appliqué while still creating a design that felt balanced and meaningful?
That single block sparked a larger idea.
Over time, Karen designed a series of blocks, each featuring a different critter hidden among flowers, leaves, and colorful appliqué elements. What began as an experiment gradually evolved into Color My World, a quilt that combines vibrant color, playful discovery, and extraordinary craftsmanship.
The project itself became a long-term creative journey, with Karen designing and appliquéing one block at a time before eventually bringing all the elements together in the dramatic center composition that viewers see today.
Always Learning
Despite decades of quilting experience, Karen doesn't consider herself an expert who has mastered everything.
"I still feel as if I am new to the longarm," she says. "I am the type of person that feels there is always more to learn."
That mindset shaped her approach to longarm quilting. After purchasing her INNOVA shortly before the COVID shutdowns, Karen found herself with something many quilters rarely have: time.
Time to practice.
Time to experiment.
Time to learn.
Rather than practicing on her own quilts, Karen turned to her local guild's Comfort Quilt program, which donates approximately 200 quilts each year to local charities.
"Here was my philosophy," Karen explains. "I could practice, test different threads, test different quilt design ideas, test tension, etc., and my name never appears on those quilts."
The experience allowed her to develop confidence while giving back to her community.
"It was very freeing," she says. "I learned a lot, I did charity work for my community, and I helped my guild. Win, win, win."
Karen Kay Buckley | Color My World on the Frame
A Year on the Frame
Karen has joked that she may be one of the slowest longarm quilters around.
Color My World remained on her INNOVA for nearly a full year.
The reason wasn't hesitation—it was intention.
The quilt required extensive ditch quilting around countless appliqué shapes before additional quilting designs could even begin. Karen describes the process as "intense quilting," requiring a level of focus she could only maintain for a couple of hours each day.
Yet she never considered giving up.
"My main motivation is that I am a finisher," she says. "I always jokingly blame this on my mother. She was adamant about her children finishing what they started—even if it takes several years."
The Quilting That Brought It to Life
While the appliqué captures immediate attention, one of Karen's favorite accomplishments is hidden in the black background surrounding the design.
Karen Kay Buckley | Color My World Applique and Hidden Details
A series of interlocking circles weave throughout the quilt, adding movement and visual interest without competing with the appliqué.
The idea emerged while she was still working through the extensive ditch quilting.
Karen drew the circle designs full-scale on paper, carefully working through the over-and-under relationships before figuring out how to transfer the design to the quilt itself.
Because the quilt was already loaded on the frame, marking the circles became a challenge of its own.
She created large plastic templates with placement references, traced portions of the circles, rolled the quilt, and continued the process section by section.
"I prayed that after marking and quilting the top half of the circle, rolling the quilt and marking the bottom half, that when my quilt came off the frame, they actually formed precise circles," she recalls.
The relief came when the quilt was finally removed from the frame.
The circles aligned exactly as she had envisioned.
Color My World | 2026 Award: BERNINA of America Best of Show – AQS QuiltWeek Paducah
Seeing the Quilt Through Others' Eyes
For Karen, one of the most rewarding parts of exhibiting Color My World has been hearing reactions from fellow quilters.
Some admired the intricate quilting.
Others were surprised by the quilt's dramatic backing.
Following the recommendation of her longtime friend and quilting mentor, Renae Haddadin, Karen chose a solid white backing fabric.
The decision meant every stitch would be visible.
"There is no place to hide," Karen says.
Color My World Back Details | 2026 Award: BERNINA of America Best of Show – AQS QuiltWeek Paducah
But the result transformed the back into what many viewers described as a second quilt entirely.
Standing beside the quilt also brought another realization.
Karen Kay Buckley | Color My World Back Details
Many attendees shared stories of classes they had taken from Karen over the years and how her teaching had influenced their quilting journey.
"I loved teaching," she says. "Their comments made me feel really good about sharing my techniques in order to make their work easier."
Conquering the Longarm
When asked what Color My World taught her, Karen's answer comes back to growth.
The quilt proved that she could do more than create original appliqué designs.
It proved she could create original quilting designs as well.
"I think the biggest thing this quilt proved to me was that I could conquer the longarm to enhance my appliqué," she says. "And that I could create my own original quilting designs just as I had been creating my own designs in appliqué."
Karen Kay Buckley | Color My World Applique
Quilting with INNOVA
Karen credits fellow quilter Renae Haddadin with helping guide her toward the right longarm machine.
"She knew enough about my style to recommend the perfect machine," Karen says.
Today, her INNOVA continues to be a trusted part of her creative process.
"With regular cleaning and oiling, it does everything I have asked of it."
For a quilter who believes there is always more to learn, that's exactly what she needs, a machine ready to grow alongside her.
About Karen Kay Buckley
For more than 40 years, Karen Kay Buckley has been creating quilts that blend artistry, innovation, and exceptional craftsmanship. Known for her colorful appliqué designs and creative approach to quilting, Karen has become one of the quilting industry's most respected teachers and quilt artists.
Her award-winning quilt Color My World received the 2025 INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and the 2026 BERNINA of America Best of Show Award at AQS Paducah. Whether teaching, designing, or quilting on her INNOVA Longarm, Karen continues to inspire quilters to keep learning, creating, and challenging themselves.
Karen Kay Buckley with Color My World | 2026 Award: BERNINA of America Best of Show – AQS QuiltWeek Paducah
From Karen Kay Buckley
One thing I keep saying is that I still feel as if I am new to the longarm. I know some people think that sounds crazy, but I am the type of person who feels there is always more to learn. Years ago, I took a class from a young quilt teacher and she told me afterward that I made her nervous. She assumed that after quilting as long as I have, I knew everything. I told her that was her first misconception. It is impossible to know everything. I hope that after all these years I can still learn new things, and the longarm was that for me. There is truly a learning curve. I had quilted on my domestic machine for many years, which certainly helped when learning my INNOVA. I purchased my INNOVA right before COVID. While that period was difficult for everyone, staying home gave me time to play, experiment, and become more comfortable with my machine. One of the most valuable learning experiences came through my local guild's Comfort Quilt program, which donates quilts to local charities. My philosophy was simple: I could practice, test different threads, experiment with quilting designs, and learn more about tension and technique while helping others at the same time. The finished quilts receive a label that says, "Love and Comfort from the Letort Quilters." My name never appears on them, which made the process very freeing. I learned a tremendous amount, helped my guild, and supported my community. It was truly a win-win-win.
Karen Kay Buckley with Neal Schwarzberger, President of ABM International, Inc. | Color My World 2025 INNOVA Master Award for Contemporary Artistry - International Quilt Festival Houston, Texas
Karen's story is a reminder that quilting is a lifelong journey of learning, creativity, and growth. From designing a single appliqué block to creating an award-winning masterpiece recognized on some of quilting's biggest stages, Color My World showcases what can happen when artistry, dedication, and passion come together.
One of the best parts of attending quilt shows is experiencing quilts like Karen's in person. The intricate details, quilting texture, and craftsmanship often reveal something new with every viewing. We invite you to explore the INNOVA Event Calendar to find upcoming quilt shows, exhibitions, and events where you can see incredible quilts, connect with fellow quilters, and discover the work of talented INNOVA quilters from across the country.
Whether you're just beginning your quilting journey or creating your next show quilt, INNOVA is proud to support the artists, educators, and makers who continue to inspire our quilting community every day.
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