More About the SMQ Guild Show

A slide show of all the quilts in the show is now posted on the guild's website.  Click here to see it.

I took photos from the slide show to fill in the gaps of the missing pictures for the special award winning quilts in my previous post.  So you may wish to reread that post.

The quilt that gets the viewer's choice award is determined at the end of the show when the votes are counted. "Morning Glory Madness" by Joann Webb, Grain Valley, Missouri is the winner.

Joann wrote this about her quilt in the show booklet, "The three dimensional floral Garden City Gateworks blocks led me to create my vision of an iron trellis with climbing morning glories in the setting.  It is appliqued and quilted by hand".

Special Award Ribbons for 2011

The Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild Show began last Friday and went through the weekend on the campus of Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.  I was again in charge of the special award ribbons.  This involved inviting talented members of our guild to create some of the rosettes and then my printing and constructing them.  My time at the show was limited this year and I didn't take as many photos as I would've liked.

The "Best in Show Wall Quilt" was awarded to Peggy Garwood of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee for "Simple Gifts".  The award money was sponsored by the SMQ Guild and the rosette was created by me.

The "Best in Show Bed Quilt" was awarded to Linda Roy of Knoxville, Tennessee for "Redbud Ramble".  The award money was sponsored by the SMQ Guild and the rosette was also created by me.

The "Hand Workmanship" ribbon was awarded to Peggy Garwood's "Best In Show" wall quilt.  It's rosette was created by Linda Roy and the award was sponsored by Tuesday Bee of the SMQ Guild.

The "Excellence in Machine Workmanship" ribbon was awarded to Rose Remund of Loudon, Tennessee for her "Blue and Yellow Miniature Sampler".  I made the rosette and it's sponsored by Quiltbee's Long Arm Quilting.

The "Surface Embellishment" ribbon was awarded to Beverly Hertler of Red Bank, New Jersey for "Seasons IV-Toward Winter" which also won 2nd Place in the Art Quilt category.

 The special award rosette was created by Tone Haugen-Cogburn and the award sponsored by the Cherry Pit.

The "Traditional Design" ribbon went to Pat Kuhns of Lincoln, Nebraska for "Solitaire".  The rosette was created by Loretta Painter.  Loretta also sponsored this award.

I created the rosettes for both of these ribbons.

The "Novice Quilt" ribbon was awarded to Kathy Dittmaier of Townsend, Tennessee for "Wyatt's First Trip to the Playground Mimi".  It was sponsored by the Mountain Creek Quilt Shop.

The "Scrap Quilt" ribbon went to Donna Wiffen of Oak Ridge, Tennessee for "Scrap-Happy Nine Patch".  The award was sponsored by Gingersnap Quilts.

The "Innovative Design" ribbon was awarded to to Judy Freidel of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas for "The Landing".  I created the rosette and the award was sponsored by Thursday Bee.

The "Just for Fun" ribbon went to Bonnie Ouellette of Seneca, South Carolina for "A Little Birdy Told Me".  The rosette was created by Sheila Raun and the award sponsored by Linda and Pete Claussen.

The voting public awarded the "Viewer's Choice" ribbon is determined at the end the show. "Morning Glory Madness" by Joann Webb of Grain Valley, Missouri quilt got it.

I designed the rosette.

The "Judge's Choice" ribbon was awarded to Tone Haugen-Cogburn of Maryville, Tennessee for "Mirror of Eri(n)sed".  I created the rosette and the sponsors were Gene and Christine Glazer.

I'm pleased to add that my entry, "Unraveled IV" was awarded 1st Place

in the Art Quilt Category.

That was totally unexpected.  I thought that if it were to get any recognition at all, it might be the "Innovative Design" ribbon.  I expected for it to raise controversy more than anything else with reactions such as, "You call that a quilt?"  I understand it got a lot of attention.  If you'd like to read how this quilt developed go here.

PS: A tutorial for making award ribbons is here.

Ready For the SMQ Guild Show

I finished sewing the buttons in place ... but not outside on the deck because the weather turned a bit cool.  The yarns look a mess as a result of working on the piece while it lays flat.

I flipped it over to hand-stitch facings to the three raw edges.

A hanging sleeve was also stitched in placed on the top edge.

Unraveled IV - 24" x 48"

Last evening all the clothing tags were over-painted with a mixture of gold metallic pigment and acrylic gloss medium.  This coating lessened the contrast between the bright white ones and the background.  In the photo above a light is reflecting off the surface of some.  In reality those reflecting the flash of my camera appear like the ones at the top of the piece.  All the labels have a soft sheen as well as a glaze of gold to give them a commonality.  They are now truly secondary to the loose yarns on the surface.  The initial reaction is no longer, "Wow! Labels."  The lettering draws attention to bring the viewer in for a closer inspection.  The buttons add visual "punch" as well as a more regular rhythm to the compositon.  I knew they belonged on this piece, because I missed them after they were removed in preparation for sewing them on.  The one thing these photos don't show is the depth of the loose yarns.  In the lower half the "hanks" extend an inch and half out from the background fabric.

I'm pleased with the resulting piece and look forward to it being in our upcoming guild quilt show.

PS: This piece was awarded 1st Place in the Art Quilt Category.

       Woo Hoo!

"Unraveled V" ?

Last evening I put together the beginning of another possible unraveled piece.

The colored squares are old silk noil fabric samples that had come from the imported fabric shop owned by my mother-in-law.  The background is a left-over piece of upholstery from an interior designer friend.

I had purchased the yarns with the intent of using them for this unraveled concept.  I want to control the flow of intensity from pure colors to neutral.  I'm still thinking about the pathways for doing that.

Instead of beginning another unraveled piece I should be getting started on my entry for this year's ArtPrize exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It is forming in my head.  But I am so enamoured and excited about this newly discovered concept.  From experience, I've found it's best to stay with a project while the proverbial "iron is hot".  There are plenty of long hours of just plain work involved in crafting fiber art.  So I'll dig out some batting, find a backing fabric, and enjoy this "rush of infatuation" for another few days.

In the meantime, this afternoon was good outside on the deck for finishing the sewing of the rest of those buttons on "Unraveled IV".  If this spell of warmth continues, I'll be out there hand stitching bindings over the raw edges on its back side as well as a sleeve.  Then it will be finished and ready to be delivered on March 9th for our Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild Show.  That show will be at the Maryville College campus from March 18th through the 20th.

PS:  Patty inquired in the previous post's comments as to whether Elvis makes an appearance in "Unraveled IV".   His image doesn't, but his name does.

SMQ Guild Show Special Award Quilts

The Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild Show took place in Maryville, Tennessee last week.  There were over 1650 visitors who came to see the exhibit of 175 quilts.  The submissions were mostly from Tennessee quilters.  Forty-five quilts were sent from 17 other states.  All the quilts can be viewed in a slide show here on the guild's website.

I'd like to share the quilts that won the special award ribbons (click to see post about ribbons) since I was in charge of those.  The person's name who created the ribbon's rosette is in parenthesis behind the award title.

BEST IN SHOW BED QUILT AWARD (Nellie Durand)
"Vintage Button Bouquet"
by Linda M. Roy of Knoxville, Tennessee

category: Bed Quilts-Mixed Techniques/Appliqued

Linda was inspired by antique button (1850-1880) found on bracelets and watches purchased at "Prized Possessions" at national quilt shows.  She placed motifs on a background of burnt cheddar.  The grays and gold/yellow mimic the colors found in many of the buttons.  Linda is well known for her hand-work and quilting.

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BEST IN SHOW WALL QUILT AWARD (Nellie Durand)
"Serengeti At Twilight"
by Leona Harden of New Tazewell, Tennessee

category: Bed Quilts-Mixed Techniques

Leona wrote, "Medallion style using orange, purples, greens, and gold.  The quilting motifs are from a study of the Serengeti region.  No piecing - all is raw edge applique."  Leona does amazingly intricate quilting designs with her Tin Lizzy long arm machine.  I wish I had taken a close-up photo of the scalloped narrow piping that was inserted at the edge of the border.

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EXCELLENCE IN HAND WORKMANSHIP AWARD (Linda Roy)
"Hummingbird Heaven"
by Mary E. Piper of Racine, Wisconsin

category: Bed Quilts-Mixed Techniques

Mary says, "This is my first large applique project.  It consists of 16 blocks with each one having a different flower and hummingbird in place.  The piecing was all done by machine; there is hand and machine applique in each of the blocks."

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EXCELLENCE IN MACHINE WORKMANSHIP AWARD 
(Loretta Painter)
"Birds Of A Feather"
by Peggy Garwood of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee

category: Two Person Team

 Peggy writes, "My version of the pattern added trapunto and I changed the border.  The hand-guided machine quilting by Kathy Drew used over 6,000 yards of thread."

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INNOVATIVE DESIGN AWARD (Tone Haugen-Cogburn)
"Rain Drops"
by Lissie Turnage of Johnson City, Tennessee

category: Two Person Team - Large

Lissie wrote, "Tennessee Quilt Shop of Jonesborough invited Judy Neimeyer to teach a 3-day class using a technique called Foundation Paper Piecing. Curved piecing and traditional skills are required to jin the units after the foundation piecing is completed.  The design and color are unique.  The crystals add to the beauty of the quilt.  It is quilted by Donna Patrick."

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SURFACE EMBELLISHMENT AWARD (Bridget Wilson Matlock)
"There Is Nothing Sissy About A Pansy"
by Bonnie Ouellette of Seneca, South Carolina

category: Wall Quilts - Mixed Techniques

Bonnie wrote, " My attraction to the pansy and its strength through tough winters, stimulated me to design this piece.  The background fabric is from a thrift store dress and is machine quilted.  The superimposed beaded piece is done completely by hand."

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JUST FOR FUN AWARD (Sheila Rauen)
"Games And Toys For Girls And Boys"

by Dot Fraser of Norris, Tennessee

category: Two Person Team - Small

This quilt was made for the Norris Guild Challenge entitled, "The Child Within".  It was made by Dot and quilted by Loretta Painter.

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SCRAP QUILT AWARD (Melissa Carter)

"Red Serpentine"
by Geraldine Couturier of Knoxville, Tennessee

category: Two Person Team - Large

Geraldine wrote, " Several years ago I took a class taught by Mary Mashuta.  Using her book, Cotton Candy,  I decided to use black and white fabrics with a red background to make the quilt POP.  The construction was completed in November 2009 and is quilted by Sue Drinnen."

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TRADITIONAL DESIGN AWARD (Gloria Felter)




"A Walk In A Springtime Garden"
by Ann B. Meyer of Maryville, Tennessee

 category: Two Person Team - Large

Ann wrote, "I loved the picture of the Irish Chain quilt on the cover of the quilt book, Using Your Scraps.  I used many pastel scraps that had been saved for many years plus a few purchased fat quarters.  It's machine quilted by Debbie Best."

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NOVICE AWARD (Patty Ashworth)
"Doyleen's Heritage"
by Leslie Hinson of Knoxville, Tennessee

category: SMQ Members Only Challenge

Leslie wrote, "While pondering what to do for the Pearls of Wisdom SMQ Challenge for the 30th anniversary, Doyleen Taylor said she remembers sitting under her grandmother's quilt frame.  And so the idea --on the left side is 1980, on the right is 2010 with the little girl grown up."

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IRENE WYLIE MEMORIAL AWARD (Tone Haugen-Cogburn)
"Monarch's Paradise"
by Donna Davis of Aiken, South Carolina

category: Wall Quilts - Mixed Techniques

Donna wrote, "I made this quilt for the Hoffman Challenge in 2007.  The background fabric was the challenge fabric and as it turned out, was a real challenge for me.  It won Creator's Choice.  I made some flowers by using the Petal Play technique."

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JUDGE'S CHOICE AWARD (Nellie Durand)
"Through My Eyes"
by Christine Bryden of Mosheim, Tennessee

category: Large Pictorial

Christine wrote, " This was a challenge quilt.  Most of the fabric was hand dyed or painted.  It's pieced by machine.  The design was inspired by Quiltscapes written by Rebecca Barker.

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VIEWER'S CHOICE AWARD (Nellie Durand)
"Thistles"
by Mary Ramsey Keasler of Cleveland, Tennessee

category: Large Pictorial

Mary wrote, "This is an original design based on my photos of wild thistles growing along the roadside during a hot summer drought.  The brilliant green, pink, and fuchsia colors were an inspiring contrast to the parched summer fields."

That one got my vote ... along with a whole lot of other people's.

Special Award Ribbons for SMQ 2010

This year I was in charge of the Special Award Ribbons for the Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild's 30th annual show that begins Friday, the 19th and runs through the weekend in Maryville, Tennessee.  Previously,  I had designed and made all these award ribbons for our 2007 and 08 shows.  This year I invited other talented members in our guild to help by designing rosettes for nine of the thirteen awards that I constructed for this year's show.

Sheila Rauen created the "Just For Fun" rosette with applique and machine embroidery.  Bridgette Matlock machine embroidered and painted the "Surface Embellishment" award.  While Tone Haugen-Cogburn created the rosette for the "Innovative Design" award.

Linda Roy designed and hand-stitched the "Hand Workmanship" rosette and Loretta Painter designed and machine stitched the one for "Machine Workmanship".

Patty Ashworth designed and hand-quilted the "Novice Quilt" award that goes to a first made quilt among all the entries in the show.  Gloria Felter made a basket block for the "Traditional Design" award.  Melissa Carter designed and stitched the rosette for the "Scrap Quilt" award.

This year a special award is given in honor of our long-time guild member, Irene Wylie, who passed away recently.  The rosette was designed and made by Tone Haugen-Cogburn.  Our Thursday Bee sponsored the award money for this one.

I designed and stitched four rosettes.  There are flower petals both under and on top of tulle netting in those that have blossoms. These two for the "Judge's Choice"  and the "Viewer's Choice" awards.

 And these for the "Best of Show" bed quilt and wall quilt.

There are instructions for how I made these ribbons here where they can be downloaded to your computer as a PDF file and printed out.  A major thing that I now do differently is to print directly on the satin ribbon rather than onto a "T-shirt Transfer" that got ironed on.  I also fuse two layers of the satin ribbon together before constructing the award ribbon.

To see photos of the SMQ Show special award ribbons I've made in previous years go here for 2007 and here for 2008.

SOLD!

"Come With Me to the Kasbah" has been displayed at Good Good's Gallery in Saugatuck, Michigan since last fall. Fifteen minutes after I had stopped in there to say "hi" to the staff this afternoon that piece sold. Woo Hoo! They think I brought good luck ... especially in this economy. Think I may stop in more often if that's the case.
To read about the creation of this piece go here.

The End of SMQ Guild 2009 Show

Stack-n-Whack quilts intrigue me as do kaleidoscopes. I almost missed recognizing this quilt as one.

Twisted Sisters

It was made by Sue McCoy of Knoxville, Tennessee. As far as I can figure out this is a border print and Sue used it as such on the outside edge of the quilt. That green cord inserted between the binding and border is a nice touch.
The print of this fabric made wonderfully subtle patterns.

This lopsided photo is of the quilt made by our guild. Raffle tickets were sold before and during the show to raise money for our service projects ... the biggest one being quilts for children at Knoxville's Ronald McDonald house.
I had donated the three stack-n-whacks at the center bottom of the quilt. Loretta Painter donated the topiary tree block that I had made for her from a s&w block in an exchange. I had cut all 150 blocks that resulted from one design repeat into circles because of my love for kaleidoscopes. I got a variety of sizes by cutting various width strips to be whacked through for each block. To see the bed quilt I made featuring those blocks go here.

There are two Best In Show awards. One for a bed quilt ...

Aunt Mimi's Flower Garden

This top award winning quilt is created by Elsie M. Campbell of Dodge City, Kansas. She wrote for the show booklet, "I'm known as Aunt Mimi to my nieces and nephews. I love to garden, whether on my quilts or in my front yard. This quilt was my first bed sized, all machine made quilt. I loved watching it grow over the several months as I stitched away."
This quilt was displayed in an area where the back side could be viewed as well. I've always loved being under a quilt and holding it up to the morning sunshine to see the pattern and colors from the under side.

... and one for Best of Show Wall Quilt.

Life in Holly Ridge

This amazing quilt is created by Nancy Prince of Orlando, Florida. She wrote for the show booklet, "Approximately 50,000 yards of thread and 5 million stitches created the thread painting designs. No embroidery cards were used. The background fabric was hand painted and Tsukineko inks were used to ink the doors and windows on the houses and bias-sided stores. My grandchildren are the merchants in the town. It took approximately 1500 hours of frustration, a ton of trial and error and incredible fun and ultimately total joy to complete the quilt. Take a look around the town and step back in history a bit."

It also received the Surface Embellishment Award.

I've saved the one I consider to be the best for last. It was awarded Viewer's Choice, so I'm not alone in my judgement.

Icing On the Cake

This fabulous quilt is created by Linda Roy of Knoxville, Tennessee. It is hand appliqued and then hand quilted. It also received the special award for Hand Workmanship.
Linda says she based her design on old embroidered wool coverlets or quilts.
It all began with the rich chocolate Japanese background fabric and Amy Butler print fabric.
Post Note: Linda gave me what was left of that print fabric and I used it for this bird.

This show had live TV coverage three separate times on "Live With Allison". To see videos of the broadcasts go here. These are the numbers of the taped segments:

3764227 - Interview with show chairman
3764220 - Interview with Linda Roy
3764213 - Best of Show Quilts

The video screen on the TV's web page is on the right-hand side and you'll have to watch a commercial before each segment. OOPS, I just checked the links and they don't come up easily. You may have to go "digging" for them.

As you've seen and read through my posts about the Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild show, it is much more than a venue for our members to share their quilts with the Knoxville community. It is open for quilts to be entered from all over the country and beyond. Consider entering your quilt in our show next year. You, too, may come away with an award ribbon and part of the $5000 cash prizes. At the very least you'll get a professional critique of your quilt and it will be seen and appreciated by 1200-1300 visitors to the show.

All of the quilts in this 2009 show can viewed in a slide show on the Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild website. Links for slide shows of every quilt show dating back to 2005 are there, too.