Prizes and Surprises! Congrats and Thanks!

It's "Fair Days" around here.  Beautiful, sunny days, long shadows, afternoon thunderstorms, leaves thinking about changing colors, cooler nights, garden harvest, spectacular sunsets over the mountains; the beginning of the end of Summer.

It's time for the county fair, quilt shows, art festivals, and the State fair -- "Show & Tell" events for grownups, with prizes and ribbons too.

I was pleased for many of my clients who displayed their prize-winning quilts at the 4th of July Small Town Quilt Show, and at the county fair.  (One of them won a Sweepstakes prize!)  My little Hexagarden even received a blue ribbon. :)

Mostly, though, I was so proud of all our 4-H kids from this summer's Quilt Camp, whose cute Pixelated Chevron quilts stole the show at the county fair.   I adapted the Rainbow Baby quilt pattern by Cynthia Brunz (Quilty magazine), to use with charm squares for our 9- to 12-year-old beginning quilters.  Wish I had more / better pictures of these cute kids and their adorable quilts, but here are a few.  Super quilts, super kids!

Now for more THANK YOUs!!
Last week, I taught a couple of classes (Snippets, Hexagami)  for my local quilt guild.  Susan, the guild president, sent me home with this lovely jar of Lavendar from her garden.

Mmmmm, I love that Summer scent!  Thanks, Susan!

photo courtesy of Amanda Herring

THANK YOU to my friend Amanda @ The Quilted Fish, who sent this sweet little necklace, just for making some projects from my favorite fabrics, Sugar & Spice, which she designed.  I love it!

She's a terrifically talented designer and wonderful person.  Here we are at last year's Sewing Summit - she gave a lecture on Believing in Yourself - finding your passion... and she made a sweet pincushion for everyone who attended her class. Her current line of fabric is Madhuri, featured at Quilt Festival in Portland, where she had a prize-winning booth.  Her next fabric line?  An adaptation of my favorite line, Twice as Nice.  Awesome!

A big THANK YOU also goes to Madame Samm and to OLISO for sponsoring a giveaway at SewWeQuilt... and CONGRATULATIONS to my daughter Lauren, aka La-Li, who won one of these beautiful irons, which I immediately commandeered borrowed for use in a zipper tutorial the very day it came!  I mean, I had to - it matched the fabric!!

But we've been putting it to good use in the days since, working together to make a special project for Lauren's special someone... more on that subject later. ;)

And finally, I borrowed my son's quilt submitted A Soldier's Star for the AQS Go! Have Fun quilt challenge.  The quilt was juried into the show, and I sent the quilt on its year-long tour around the USA.  I used AccuQuilt dies to make it.  The 6" half-square triangle die is my favorite, making it possible to piece the quilt together just perfectly (and so quickly!).  It won 2nd place in the pieced category last week at the AQS Quilt Show in Grand Rapids!!  That was a fun surprise to learn from a friend on facebook!

A Soldier's Star
> PATTERN <

I promised my son we would split any premiums. :)

Soldier son with his quilt and his dog, Christmas 2012.
p.s. Can you tell we live with quilts??

Thanks for making it to the end of this post!  Now it's back to work for me... getting ready for Fabric Fest - It's my job to make all the nametag lanyards...

Chevron ribbon...

...200 down, only 150 to go.

"Fair Days"

I ♥ the County Fair!

My little girls were nine years old

when they learned how to sew.

4-H Summer Sewing Camp

Is where they all could go

To learn to make some lovely things

and put them in the Fair;

Earn a little extra cash for

Prize-winning wares.

Now with confidence in their skills,

I love when I hear them say,

"Hmmmm, I think I'd like

to make something today."



Prize-winning projects!

  Things to use...

Nicole and her Modern Millie Lap Quilt

This says it all:
"Celebrate, Dream, Create, Discover, Live, Laugh, Love"

 ...to decorate...

Chelsea and her Modern Millie Lap Throw and matching Ottoman Pouf!

 ...or to wear!

Lauren's quilted vest
(3rd place: Quilted Garments at the Home Machine Quilt Show 2011)





My cooking, sewing and quilting stuff:  Sweepstakes on the Huckleberry Jam, Judges Choice on the Chicklets

When did you learn to sew/quilt, and who taught you?
Would you like to learn??
Check my free online tutorials HERE and HERE to get started,
Or drop by the studio for "Quilt School" on Tuesday afternoons!

Happy Quilting!

More COMMENTS

Quilting on the GO!

It all started with a rolling pin. 

Deonn with AccuQuilt CEO (Chief Energizing Officer)
Steve Nabity and THE rolling pin...

Steve Nabity, a mechanical engineer, used his wife's rolling pin and cutters as dies to cut out paper shapes.  Fast forward several years, and the rolling pin process has evolved into an amazing company with incredible momentum, AccuQuilt. Die-cut shapes for piecing and applique' are revolutionizing the quilting world. 

PART I

My part of the story began with a little online barn quilt design contest.  I had never seen a barn quilt in person, but I'd been thinking about making a quilt for my son serving with his combat engineer unit in Afghanistan, and used those ideas as inspiration; bold, vibrant colors; clean lines, simple design.  Something symbolic, something that could easily be made with an AccuCutter, and would transfer well into a full-size quilt for my son.  I pushed the button and entered AccuQuilt's contest.

Fast forward a few weeks through hundreds of emails and "likes" and votes and friends (and bribery and begging...), and then came the thrilling phone call letting me know the design won 2nd place!  Met up with the wonderful AccuQuilt team at the Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, who helped me spend my winnings on a Go! Cutter of my own.  I practically mugged the poor UPS man when he came with my package! 

Just like Christmas!!  A new Go! Cutter and Carrier

1)  Load the die with up to 6 layers of fabric

2)  Cover with a mat and wind through the rollers

 

3)  Perfectly cut shapes!

  

4)  Make a quilt!

PART II
There was to be a Barn Quilt Unveiling party, with billboards of both the 1st and 2nd place designs installed on the AccuQuilt building headquarters for the next year.  With my husband out of work, and a daughter getting ready to serve a church mission to Japan in a few weeks, I didn't think there was a way our budget would allow a trip to Nebraska.  Just when I was feeling so sad about missing the big party, my dear friend Debbie Proctor called.  The 4-H Extension Agent in our county, Debbie and I have taught/sewn/quilted together since the triplets started sewing in 4-H twelve years ago.  "Get in the car," she said.  "We've got to get you to Nebraska!"

Nebraska adventures!  Are we there yet?
Clerk said it was a typo.  Should read:  YOU ARE NOW HERE!

Road Trip!  MapQuest.com instructions: hang a right at I-80, then hang a left at Lincoln, Nebraska.  918.45 miles, 13 hours, 5 minutes.  And well worth the trip!!

Deonn and Debbie with Eleanor Burns!

As buildup to the unveiling, renowned quilter, Eleanor Burns, presented a stageshow: Quilt Blocks on American Barns, with a trunk show of quilts from her most recent book, tales, and silly songs.  I laughed until I cried - she is such a kick!  I had her sign my book. (Big fan, since she told me she designed a certain ruler "just for you .......... (for me?) ....... teachers.")

Meeting Eleanor at the 2010 Sew Expo, Puyallup, WA

They had both myself and the grand prize winner come up to tell a little about our designs. Candace Door of Sidney, NE explained that her block represented what AccuQuilt was all about; piecing and applique' shapes that make the craft more accessible.  I gave my little story about being inspired by my son in Afghanistan, and the crowd cheered.  Nearly made me cry!  Then it was time for the big Unveiling!

Candace's 17-ft block was uncovered and we all gasped as the tarp came down.  It's an impressive, beautiful design!



Photo © Daniel Galvis

My 6-ft block was mounted around the corner of the building.



Photo © Daniel Galvis

  You can see more pictures of the day's events HERE!

Deonn with Diane Harris of Quiltmaker

In addition to the unveiling ceremony, they hosted a barbecue for everyone, and tours of their facilities.  Diane Harris, from Quiltmaker magazine, invited Debbie and I along on her tour.  She has written up a fun overview of the day on Quiltmaker's Quilty Pleasures  blog.  Karen Selken, who designs the AccuQuilt projects and quilts was our tour guide. 

Karen Selken talking about her designs:
Go!  Winter Bliss, Storm at Sea
and Chitter Chatter (free downloadable pattern HERE)

We met up with fellow HVQ guild member, Kathleen Whiting, vacationing with her family.  They picked the perfect day to drive through--just in time for the unveiling and tour!  

Deonn, Debbie and Kathleen with Lee Nakamoto
Heber Valley Quilters in Go! Green.
Lee said we did a good job of brand marketing...

Lee Nakamoto (Orchestrator of Consumer Intelligence) was Kathleen's tour guide!  We were very impressed that every single employee has to make a quilt!

Lee Nakamoto, (Orchestrator of Consumer Intelligence)

The party wasn't quite over yet... while we were touring the facility - Mr. Nabity had been busy drawing names to win little Go! Baby fabric cutters... and BOTH Debbie and I won!!

Go! Baby winners!!

PART III
In conjunction with the Unveiling Party, AccuQuilt put on a 3-day Go! Retreat, hosted at nearby Country Traditions quilt shop.  72 quilters from 27 states were treated to a catered breakfast, a welcome from the CT staff and AccuQuilt team, then began our classes.  We learned all about the history of the company and how to use the provided Go! cutters.  We learned to make the Drunkard's Path blocks, then got to try all of the dies for Go! and Go Baby! fabric cutters.  See some fun pictures HERE.

Drunkard's Path blocks

I have always avoided curved piecing, but with die-cut fabric, you get perfect curves, a center notch to align the pieces, and the blocks practically make themselves!  I am hooked!


Debbie and I both finished our lap-size quilt tops, then she cut out shapes for a Baby's "Touch and See" quiet book while I quilted my Drunkard's Path quilt on one of the store's longarm machines following the Unveiling party, just in time for Sew & Tell that evening.  It was amazing to see what folks have created with their AccuQuilt cutters!  More pictures HERE.

We were also treated to a real treat with desserts from All My Brownies  from across the street.  She spent about 20 minutes describing her luscious desserts, and we nearly fainted just from her mouthwatering descriptions!  72 quilters in a room full of chocolate...

But the night was far from over!  In an amazing Oprah-like moment, Steve Nabity had his crew come in with armloads of Go! Baby cutters, one for every Retreat Attendee!

See the video HERE: 

We're all going to name our Go! Babies "Steve"!

But wait, there's MORE!  On the last day of the retreat, we were again given special treatment:  An exclusive barn die, custom made just for us!  Leslie Main, store owner of Country Traditions, designed a pattern for a Go! Barn Banner, and gave each of us a copy, plus a kit of fabric to make it.  Then yet ANOTHER gift - a little USB with all of AccuQuilt's downloadable patterns.  Our cups were truly full!  And still a whole day to sew or shop or do whatever we wished, with mini-classes on binding, grain of fabric, EQ design, how to machine quilt, etc.  I quickly made the binding for my Drunkard's Path quilt using a Go! strip die, then stitched it to my quilt.  Debbie made another quiet book. 

We got in the car, ate a brownie, got a picture of a barn ↑ in need of a barn quilt... drove to Lincoln Nebraska to visit the International Quilt Study Museum for a few minutes, then headed West (yes, it was into the sunset...).  I finished hand-stitching my binding somewhere on the road through Wyoming.

What an experience!  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, thanks to Debbie!  New places, new techniques, fun and prizes galore!  The very best prize?  New quilting friends at AccuQuilt, Country Traditions and from across the nation!

Now about that rolling pin... stay tuned for more adventures!