Penny Bartley
What do you get when you mix fabric, thread, and the talents of multiple people? The 2026 SaddleBrooke Quilters’ raffle quilt. The quilt is a unique blend of colors, from deep chocolate, turquoise, green, yellow, and even a glimmer of purple. The colors of our desert come to life in this one-of-a-kind quilt, named “Sonoran Sunset,” that can be yours.
Fourteen members of the SaddleBrooke Quilters came together to make this masterpiece. Those who put in countless hours are Martha Baker, Doreen Diaz, Debbie Dorman, Loretta Edgerton, Paula Fulton, Tami Graeber, Barbara Leesley, Pat Morris, Sheri Nockels, Stephanie Nordlin, Kelly Rospond, Barbara Turner, and Marcia Webster. Once the top was prepared, it went on to Athena Taylor to quilt and make it come to life with custom quilting.
The quilt will be raffled at the 2026 SaddleBrooke Quilt Show on Saturday, March 21, at the MountainView ballroom. You can purchase tickets from any Quilt Club member or at the show. Contact Kathy Von Bargen at kathrynvonbargen@gmail.com or 208-413-2688 for more information on tickets.
Perhaps you love the quilt but don’t have space. This year’s Quilt Raffle also includes three Dine Around prizes. The Dine Around packages are valued between $400 and $600 each and include gift certificates at a variety of local restaurants, including Bubb’s Grub, Cadillac Chaparral Steakhouse & Saloon, Café Torino, Catalina Craft Pizza, The Cheesecake Factory, First Watch, Kingfisher Bar & Grill, La Hacienda Family Mexican, Lick’s Ice Cream, Mi Tierra Restaurant, Olive Garden, Saffron Indian Bisto, Seis Kitchen, Sunny Side Up Café, Tohono Chul Garden Bistro, Village Bakehouse, and SaddleBrooke’s own MountainView Bar & Grill, RoadRunner Grill, and The Preserve Fine Dining. Just up the road, the SaddleBrooke Ranch’s Ranch House Grill & Brewery is also included. Quilt Club member Linda Eisenhart and her team have coordinated the Dine Around and have included restaurants for everyone’s tastes. And more restaurants will be added before the raffle.
The choice of the beautiful “Sonoran Sunset” quilt or Dine Around is yours to make when you purchase your raffle tickets. There will be four lucky winners chosen, and you don’t have to be present to win.
The funds from the raffle go towards supporting education to enhance quilting skills and knowledge for club members and to fund charity quilts. In 2025 the SaddleBrooke Quilters donated 135 quilts to Quilts of Valor for our own SaddleBrooke veterans, Fisher House (affiliated with the Veteran’s Hospital in Tucson), Ronald McDonald House, Youth On Their Own, and the Arizona Foundation for Cancer.
The SaddleBrooke Quilters meet every Friday at 9:30 a.m. at the SaddleBrooke One Craft Center, Room 4.
Please join us in supporting these worthwhile charities by purchasing your tickets before March 21.