"Z is for Zoey" by Mary Kerr won Outstanding Modern Quilt at Road to California 2017.

Mary's quilt was made for her granddaughter, Zoey Rose, and the fabrics featured in the Z are from the 1930s, just little tongues of fabric that were buttonhole stitched. Mary put the fabrics into the pieced "Z" and sent it to be quilted by Karen McTavish. The only instruction Mary gave Karen when quilting Z is for Zoey was that it was meant for a book about Modern quilts with a vintage twist.

From a Road to California 2017 Article: "Z is for Zoey was inspired by a single long strip from the 1930s. Tongues of fabric had been hand appliquéd with black thread on both sides of a muslin strip. It was never incorporated into a quilt and at one point someone even cut out one of the fabrics to reuse. The quilt married Mary’s “love of vintage textiles with the freshness of the Modern quilt aesthetic."

Mary thought long and hard about the design. Once she decided how to create the “Z,” the top came together in just a couple of days. Then, according to Mary, Karen McTavish “added the perfect background with her distinctive lace quilting.”