Yipee!  I got a first place in Paducah!

Return to Bali

I have entered my quilts in many shows, gotten one first at Quilt Expo (Madison) and one honorable mention in Houston and several times my quilts have hung as part of the general show. Nothing, however, prepared me for getting a first place in Paducah. On the Sunday of quilt week I got an email that said that I had won a ribbon.  This, in itself, was exciting.  I told my DH that if I could get us a room, I thought we should go.  For anyone who has gone to Paducah you know that this can be daunting, however, I found two nights in Metropolis at the casino for a reasonable price and jumped at the chance.  The awards are given out on Tuesday evening and then there is a preview after.  I have a friend that was there and her quilt was also getting a ribbon, so we met up and went together. She got an honorable mention. Yay!  As they did the categories, I got a bit nervous.  My category, Small Wall Quilt Stationary Machine Quilted was about half the way through. They announced third and I thought second would be nice, they announced second and I think my mind went blank.  Hearing your name announced as first is a thrill.  I only hoped that I could make it back to my seat without dropping the award!  I cannot tell you who won the next three or four categories, I was so stunned.  What an experience!  It is fun to stand by your quilt and talk to people from everywhere as well as friends. 

Border Stars and Quilting Detail

A bit about this quilt. The idea came from a fabric my DD brought home from a trip to Bali.  She had brought several pieces, but I did not want to cut this piece up.  After some consideration, I decided to try to do something with the large birds that were on it.  I had also wanted to do the Millefiori quilt.  This seemed a good place to combine the two.  The colors came from the original fabric. I had never done broderie perse, so that sounded like fun.  As the design developed, the center almost designed itself, however, the star border was not so kind.  First, I chose the wrong colors, then, after changing colors on the points, they still didn't show up.  By extending the gold past the stars, I finally achieved the effect I wanted.  The blanket stitch around the edge flattened the quilt nicely and made it look as though the center rested above the border.

It is going to be hard to top this, but I just finished another quilt which I have entered in Houston and am planning a new design.