Home Machine Quilting Show 2011

What is the best cure for quilters who just can't get enough quilting?  A week like the last one at Salt Lake's Home Machine Quilting Show!

Here are my top 5 favorite moments:
**  Working with the wonderful show director, Ann Collet and these fabulous gals on the board to put on this premier machine quilting show.

Brenda Bell, Deonn Stott, Carol Lifferth, Leslie Randle, Patsy Shelton, Polly Holyoak,
Ann Collet-Director, Roberta Boyce, Wren Woodland

** Hanging out with the NQA certified quilt judges and assisting them as they judged the quilts and quilted wearables for the show; overhearing the judges as they gave my daughter Lauren's quilted vest a third place award;

... then being brought to tears by the exquisite workmanship of the quilt named Best of Show, made by Sue McCarty:  Harmony Within.  

She went on to win Best of Show at the Houston International Quilt Show with this quilt!  See video,

**  Running in to three friends/classmates from Madison High class of '77 at the show on a random vendor aisle, where we all converged within minutes.  Connie, Mary Ann and Arlene - such a delight to see you again after all this time!!

**  Rubbing shoulders with the amazing Marilyn Badger as we set up her incredible special exhibit of quilts and fashion garments (AWESOME!!)

**  Participating with a couple of my quilting friends in the Riley Blake Designs fabric design challenge contest and fundraiser, and the giddy surprise of seeing our quilt and hearing our names called as the first place winners!  A-MAZING!!  We giggled alll the way to the podium!

The Midnight Quilters: Debbie Proctor, Deonn Stott & Tricia Mathis.

"Isabella's Bonnets" featuring Isabella fabric by Lila Tueller for Riley Blake Designs

All the quilts in the challenge were auctioned for the charity "Lifting Liberia" to help build schools there in Africa.  The auction brought in over $4,000.  And even more amazing--our little quilt sold at the auction to contribute $850 to the cause.  Now it has gone to live with a happy woman in Idaho!

Whew, what a week!