An Unexpected Award

Back in February, I told the story of entering a quilt I considered a “throw-away” quilt… one I’d just given up on…

As I said in that post, I was excited to know that it wouldn’t be forever locked away in my studio but would actually see the light of day in a gallery!!

“Dots Down the Drain”

Imagine my great surprise when I received a text on the opening night that said: “You received a merit award”!!

You could have knocked me over with a feather!!

AND, I was even more excited to find out that it was the “Nancy Lukasiewicz Award for Fine Craft”.

Because I knew and loved Nancy Lukasiewicz!!

I knew her first as the director of the Lyndon House, the tiny building that housed the arts in Clarke County, GA. But under Nancy and her husband’s leadership, that small house was transformed into a gorgeous art facility with a community room (where our guild meets), 6 open studios (one of which houses our guild Charity Bee), and several large exhibition halls!!

I also knew Nancy as a soccer mom, tirelessly following the team as our sons played on a Club team.

This line from her obituary describes her best…..

Nancy was an incredibly calm, grounded, supportive person who always remained positive.

This is how I remember her and why I am so thrilled to win an award named after her!!

And I have to say, having my quilt’s photo in the Exhibition Book is definitely a THRILL…

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Come back on Tuesday….. I want to think further about how we judge our creations!!

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Paducah in a nutshell….

I am back from my whirlwind trip to the American Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky.

I drove up on Tuesday, fighting horrible traffic in Atlanta for the first 3 hours!!

I loved the “flying geese” design in this bridge over the Ohio River…..

An appropriate entrance!!!

I arrived in Paducah at 3:30, with plenty of time to visit the National Quilt Museum…..

Walking in the door was amazing…..

…but getting to spend 15 minutes chatting with Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry was the highlight of my trip…..

I will be sharing a lot of her work over the next few weeks!!

After a good night’s sleep and wonderful breakfast the next morning, I grabbed a shuttle to the Paducah show….

I spent the morning enjoying the quilts, and loved finding “I Remember” hanging in the Cherrywood Challenges….

At 2:00pm, I joined other “calendar ladies” for two hours of signing books…..

It was fun to meet the other creators and the calendar purchasers….

Someone walked by and asked what we were doing. My neighbor’s comment was perfect….”acting like we are important”!!

Here is my page…..]

Thursday morning included a quick trip to Hancocks of Paducah….’

The store was totally overwhelming….

I did a pretty good job of just purchasing fabrics that were on sale AND only light colors….

The drive back home was fraught with several adventures, including HEAVY rain….

…..tons of “slow-downs” and “stoppages”, and culminating with a low-tire warning that required me to exit the congested highway and find a gas station to fill up my errant tire…..

… and, YES….it was pouring down rain when I did this!!

I had listened to a book during the majority of the driving and just had 10 minutes left when I pulled into the garage. If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I would have sat there and finished it!!

Even though a whirlwind, the trip was so much fun and I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks……

Stay tuned!!

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If you don’t want to miss my personal tour of the AQS Show in Paducah, be sure to subscribe…….

Shout out to the ribbon makers

Yesterday I finally found a few minutes to hang the ribbons that I won at our guild quilt show.

Before putting them up, I had a good look at them and, MAN….these ladies did an amazing job!!

They are all of the same design……

A great folded design with a button in the center….

The special awards were larger in size….

….and had special buttons on each…..

The makers also came up with an ingenious way to attach them….

It is fun to see them hanging in my studio….

Now I need to get busy on some new quilts to enter next time!!

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Do you have a stack of scraps that you want to use in a fun design?

Check out this pattern for a quick and easy scrap quilt that will help empty your bins and bring a smile to your face!!

Full Color pattern includes step by step instructions for blocks and border.

Click HERE for more information.

Final walk thru the frames

I have enjoyed bringing you the fantastic quilts from my local guild show. Let’s finish up the tour today…..

I have always wanted to make a New York Beauty quilt…..

“Starburst” by Rebecca Kerr

….and this one is a beauty!!

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AAnother one from Rosie Crockett…..

“Something In the Way She Moves” by Rosell Crockett

A photo of an assortment of articulated paper dolls inspired her. She even added a grommet to each of the joints.

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I have long been thinking about a tumbler block quilt that my Mom made years ago, but it looked nothing like this one…..

“Pandemic Tumblers” by Terri McGhee

Terri makes the BEST scrap quilts and this is another great example!!

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As many of you know, I am a huge fan of peacocks…..

“Mrs P’s Plumage Ocelli” by Rosell Crockett

This was part of our guild’s “Drunkard’s Path”Challenge.

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I love the sweet flowers in this quilt….

“Pink Posies” by Mary Grider

I love her vases and flowers.

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This is one of my favorites in the show, and so creative….

“Interpretation: Savior’s Face” by Beth Vaughan

I love how she used machine stitches to draw. It is SO effective!!

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This quilt was one of the Viewer’s favorites and I understand why!!

“Ode to Mother” by Jodie Seila

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Finally, my friend Linda made this oh-so-cute chicken quilt….

“The Hen House” by Linda Murray

Bottom line here, our show was amazing…..

… and I can’t wait for two years from now when we get to do it all over again!

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One of my favorite things about quilting is motivating others and helping them in their quilting journey. As part of this endeavor, I LOVE to present programs and workshops to groups and guilds around the world. All of my programs work well with Zoom meetings, and I would love to speak to your group.

You can find out more at this link…..

Walking around the show floor

This past weekend I took you on a walk around the show floor of my local guild show. This weekend, we will continue that walk……

This is one of the cutest in the show….

“Rainy Day Dog” by Scarlett Dunne

Scarlett has just started doing collage-style quilting, and I can’t wait to see where she will take it!!

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This next quilt is a great example of collage quilting….

“Bob’s Lily” by Janelle Lang

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“Colorful Scotch Plaid”by Jeanine Henry

The colors in this quilt just make me smile!!

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“Pretty Flyer” by Marian Newcomer

This magnificent quilt was made from a kit. Marian said that it gave her a “run for her money” but she conquered it in the end!!

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My friend Sheila is a magnificent long-arm quilter, and she loved featuring the Karlee Porter “Graffiti Quilting” designs……

“Pretty In Pink” by Sheila Shepherd

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There are TONS of 1/2-inch squares in this quilt featuring Taylor Swift…..

“Swift” by Karry Weaver

I am so excited because Karry (our programs chairman) has organized a Zoom lecture from Dee Bushrod of “Pixel Quilts”. She is the one who developed this technique, and I can’t wait to hear from her!

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Finally for today, this quilter is one of the most innovative in our guild….