I just returned from a week long stay in Paducah, Kentucky. I flew into Nashville, rented a car and took a leisurely drive to the show. I have been in Paducah on a number of occasions for the annual quilt show and knew I would not be happy unless I had my own transportation. The show, classrooms, vendor, etc. are spread out all over the town and it’s much easier to get around with a car than waiting for the buses. If you have not been to this show and decide to attend, trust me either drive or rent a car. You’ll be glad you did. On Saturday and Sunday Libby Lehman, Donna Wilder and myself judged the quilt show. The quilts were amazing and I loved looking at them up close. It was wonderful to be able to touch each quilt and think about how much time each and every person who entered put into their quilts. We judged close to 400 quilts in 2 days. No easy job. The highest number of quilts came from Japan. Illinois had the second most quilts entered.
And the winners are—————
Janome Best of Show went to Tribute to Tolkien. It was made by Sue McCarty from Roy, Utah. Sue’s quilt was incredible. The stitching on her quilt was perfectly outstanding. Sue’s prize for winning this award is $20,000.
Here is a close-up. Everything you are seeing is thread work.
The Moda Best Wall Quilt award went to Fashionable Ladies of the 20’s and was made by Valeta Hensley. Valeta won $5,000 for having the best wall quilt. It was longarm quilted by Bill Fullerton. The workmanship was some of the best I have ever seen. I loved the design. The fabric choices were just perfect for the design.
Another of my favorites was made by Pat Holly. Pat’s quilt is a miniature entitled Pink Elephants Too. (If you wonder why there is a glare all of the miniatures are displayed inside a glass case). This little miniature quilt had more work on it than some large quilts. And the workmanship was excellent. I loved the colors and the edge finish. I have no idea how Pat even picks up those little pieces let alone machine appliques around each edge so perfectly. I am in awe.
This quilt was made by Mark Sherman and he won first place in the Longarm/Midarm Machine Quilted category. The name of the quilt is Wings and Feathers. Well done Mark. Beautifully done.
This was my judges choice. It is called Moondance and was made by Melanie West. I loved the fabric choices and the design. I do have an attraction to circles which might have pulled me toward this quilt as well.
Thanks to everyone who entered. The quilts were incredible. One of the things I noticed this year was the interesting background fabrics the contestants chose. That was a real joy to see. Quilts just keep getting more creative which is why I love this art form so much.
A big thanks to the Schroeder family and their staff for all they do for the quilt world. We appreciate it.
That’s all for this blog. In the next blog I’ll have some more winning quilts for you to view.