Saturday, August 15, 2015

Hometown Quilt Show Happiness

Well, I finally had time last night to go pick up the ribbons that didn't make it home from the quilt show two weeks ago!  I was surprised to find a ribbon on the Country Homecoming Quilt when I picked it up after the show.  I hadn't revisited the exhibit area to see that it had gotten 2nd Place in Peoples Choice voting in it's division. 




I knew about the Knotty Quilter Group ribbon on Mad Hats because the ribbon sponsors go in the day before the show and pin their ribbon to their favorite quilt, so it was there when I visited on Saturday, but what I didn't know and only learned from a garbled phone message, was that it had also won 1st Place in the Peoples Choice voting in it's division!





Now, that all being explained, I will hold these ribbons just as dearly as if they were assigned by a Highfalutin Judge in a snooty sanctioned show.  I have had my works & seen others works, both quilted and embroidered, judged by those who are so uptight about an unbending set of rules & nit pick about the tiniest things, determined that they have to find a fault somewhere, that they seem to have lost sight of the real goal.  To encourage, to share, to educate.  I sometimes wonder if they have gone so far beyond broadening their own horizons, perhaps not taking time to learn about new ideas and techniques that they are no longer able to reach back & see the joy and intent in the creation. 

I applaud our little hometown show.  With limited space, this group of industrious men & women put together a great show.  They have to max out the show at 165 entries each year due to those space constraints.  In addition, each exhibitor is limited to 3 entries in the publicly judged categories, thereby making space for everyone who wishes to, to have the opportunity to participate.  They also present workshops & bring in a fantastic variety of vendors, whose expertise, goods or services we might not otherwise have the opportunity to benefit from.   It is in small hometown shows such as this that one gains the confidence to show their work in a relatively non-intimidating environment.   They have the opportunity to view the works of others, become inspired, & move forward and strengthen their skills.  This is a place where kids can show their quilt from Kids Camp or 4-H, and let's face it, if we don't inspire kids, these arts will die.
So yep, I'm proud of my little collection of rosettes, because they mean that the work of my heart & hands made somebody smile, & I can only hope that I have played a part in  inspiring, someone new to take up needle and thread today.

All this from someone with severe perfectionist tendencies!

~Nancie Anne

5 comments:

  1. Woww, you're really on a winning streak at the moment aren't you. Many congratulations. I LOVE the Mad Hats quilt by the way.

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  2. I really need to take a page from my own book! I almost didn't enter Mad Hats because I wasn't sure it was "show worthy". It was just a fun quilt that I made on a whim! In fact, the narrative I wrote on the page that hung with it says, in part, "And perhaps like the Mad Hatter's teacups, this quilt will be living in a jaunty, jumbled stack of quilts for awhile, 'til it finds it's place! I have no idea how or where it will fit into my life or into one of my children's, children's lives, but I do know it makes me smile...and laugh.

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  3. Hooray for you!!!! Maybe this will inspire me to enter our county fair...I haven't ever so maybe....we'll see;0) but once again hooray and congrats to you!!!!

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  4. Congratulations on your awards! Country Homecoming is so dear to my heart, I am so thrilled for you!

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  5. Country Homecoming won 1st at the fair!

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