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

Snoozy Sunday

It's been a loooong Staycation week here, redoing a bathroom.  Not too many things went together as advertised the first time...and in the case of reinstalling our old cast iron clawfoot tub...it has taken several shots and we still have some adjustments to make.  We have beautiful light icy blue paint on the walls, a little touch of beadboard to showcase the old tub and a pretty new floor and a super cute new vanity.  I'm pooped!  So for a few minutes, I'm declaring break time, before the darling of the hardware store returns, so that I can share photos of last weekends Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show.

So Here Goes!  Gotta Make It Quick!!  Enjoy!!!

This years theme was Purple Mountain Majesties

I Love This Paper Pieced Kitty!

 

Hubby was a fan of this Dahlia!

Stunning!

Can you see the inset zippers?

Something about this quilt makes me want to do the Hula!

We LOVED this little art quilt.  The original photo of this old pump was on display with the quilt.

The little window has clear vinyl over it so it look like the number face is still protected with glass.

Aloft.

Interesting Study in Value.

I have a soft spot for this design...must make one of my own!

Cute little Dresdens & Hexies!

 A Quilt to Cuddle in!

Drop Dead Gorgeous!

Cathedral Window Variation

Calling All French General Fans!

 

A Unique Sampler

Home Sweet Home

Doesn't Matter How Many Times I See It, I love it!

Cozy

La-La Lavender!

 

Itty Bitty Pieced Blocks!  Not A Stripe!  It's All Pieced and only about 12" long all together! 

And aren't the little jewels stitched to the back the cutest thing ever?

 

Warm & Wonderful!

A Little Americana!

Another mini quilt, hand quilted!

Older Youth Division

Younger Youth Division.

The quilt on the right was made by a boy who attended Quilt Camp locally.

Next Years Theme is Scrappy!

God Bless Our Most Beautiful Birds of Prey.

 

He's Ho-ome!  Happy Sunday Everybody!

 

~Nancie Anne



Doing The Happy Dance!

Early In June almost 500 Quilters submitted their photos of unfinished quilts into

The Better Homes & Gardens, American Patchwork & Quilting, Handi Quilter Big Finish Sweepstakes.  (Boy, that's a mouthful)

I submitted the following photo of my little lap/wallhanging size top, that I made as a "second unknown til reveal time, to surprise Lynn" version

when several of us participated in the Country Charmer Quilt Along in 2013. 

This quilt was part of a little secret that Sue Abrey, aka HRH, aka Quilt Times blog, cooked up! 

Sue made her own second wonderful surprise version too,

and, as we are prone to, we had a lot of fun egging each other on!

 

Mine is a combination of Lynn Wilder's Country Charmer

& Julia Ziegler's A Tree For All Seasons.

 

Here's another photo of the still borderless quilt! 



Soooo...I've been sitting on this news for THREE weeks, waiting til we got all the i's crossed and t's dotted & now the sponsors have made their official announcement, so I can officially remove my hand from over my mouth and share!!!

 

  Out of almost 500 entries, my little quilt (with a border) & I are flying to Salt Lake soon!!!!!

  I am looking forward to meeting the other 3 winners and the Handi Quilter Educators who promise to provide "One-on-one guidance, hand-holding, encouragement and expertise"!

We will be guests in the Handi Quilter Classroom in Bountiful for a 3 day educational experience that I have been assured by Lynn is incredible! 

Yes, I told Lynn right off the bat 'cuz, afterall, I just had to tell somebody...and I wanted to pick her brain a little before I accepted the prize, knowing that she adores her Handi Quilter Longarm & has experienced a Handi Quilter retreat.  As it turns out, she enjoyed the first retreat so much she returned a second time!  She sang the praises of the Educators saying "You HAVE to go!  You'll learn so much!" & added that "the food is great & they treat you like family!"
 

Thank you SEW much to All People Quilt.com
 Meredith Corp.,

Better Homes & Gardens, American Patchwork & Quilting,

& Handi Quilter

for extending this great learning opportunity for myself and the other three ladies who are scattered across the US to learn tips and techniques to finish our own quilts!
 

Serendipity Quilts

This weekend is the Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show & I just had to share some photos from a special display.  There were about 10 quilts...I'm just sharing my four favorites today!  They are all inspired by Susan Carlson's Serendipity Quilts.  Glue, netting & quilting is all that's keeping everything in it's place in these Art Quilts.

"Purple Pansy Eater" is actually more vibrant in person.

Taken from a family photo, her eartag was replaced by a quite lovely dangly earring!

I fell in love with her!  She could follow me home anytime she wants!

 

 This peachy little Filly is called Sun Blossom.

Little girls sure like to dance with Butterflies...or is it the other way around?

 

This is La Mama...taken from a black and white photo of an Alpaca.

Do you suppose some of his veggies are fermenting? 

I can practically hear the rumblings of his modified ruminant stomach!

Did you know that while most ruminants (animals that chew a cud), have a 4 compartment stomach, the South American Camelid Family has just 3 compartments?  This makes them much more fuel efficient which is a good thing in the High Altiplano where the air is thin and the vegetation is sparse, and a not so good thing when they immigrate to the land where Food Equals Love!

That's your lesson from the obsessed, card carrying, self described, Llamama today kids!

 

My only other experience with purple Lama Fiber was when we experimented with Kool-Aid dying during our 4-H years with the kids, supplied by our big, sweet, roman nosed, white Llama with the leaky heart valve & the angular limb deformities. Ironically he was named Lucky, only because his Dams name was Lucy!  He was the greatest babysitter we ever had, for both 2 leggeds and our 4 legged weanling Crias.  It was also not uncommon to see goat kids bouncing around him and twisting and leaping off his back if he happened to be laying down.  Bless his sweet imperfect heart.  We weren't sure he'd live to be 6 months old and he lived to be 18 years old!  We all, including our Vets, learned so much from this old guy, when camelids were still a bit of a North American mystery. Mostly, we learned love, patience, purpose and tolerance from him and to look at every day he was still with us as a most precious gift.

 

"The Lookout" is related to La Mama!  Their makers are sisters!

Raccoons are so darn cute!  I love them...except for when they start helping themselves to our spendy cat food! 

I loved this display.  I've been fascinated by this technique since I fell in love with Judy Mathieson's Ewe, "Rosie With The Golden Fleece" (click inside the quotation marks to see Rosie!) that she had laying on her Meet n' Greet table when she was the featured artist at Quilting In The Garden in 2012!  There she was demonstrating her wonderful Mariners Compass piecing technique on her cute little featherweight and it was everything I could do to keep from gathering Rosie up in my arms and hugging her!

 

So, if anybody needs me, I'm likely down the street in Julia's classroom paying tribute to one much loved critter or another!

 

There's more quilt show to come, so keep an eye out!

 

Hummingly Yours! (Llama Speak)

 

~Nancie Anne