BLOCK OF THE MONTH OUTSTANDING QUILTS Part 2

Every year since 2008 THE QUILT SHOW has presented a beautiful BLOCK OF THE MONTH quilt project FREE for Star Members. These quilts have been created exclusively for The Quilt Show by the various designers, available only for that year from this worldwide quilting community, an Internet based show. 

These quilts always provide excellent instruction for exceptional designs. Everyone who completes one of these quilts has learned a lot and can be proud of their accomplishment.

Here are just a few of the many BOM quilts that have won awards at quilt shows around the world. Enjoy and be inspired:

 2021 COLOR MY WORLD designed by Wendy Williams. When I first saw this design, two years before it was our BOM, I loved it and knew it would be a success. The taping for the January 2021 show had to be done in August 2020. Do you remember the PANDEMIC? It was clear in April that Wendy would not be able to travel from Australia to the US to tape the show. I was sent the kit and had 8 weeks to make it, quilt it, and travel to Dallas for the taping. Here is mine:

                                                        

This quilt has won MANY awards at shows worldwide. It often wins VIEWERS CHOICE. This next quilt deserves special recognition. Carole Berry made this as her FIRST QUILT EVER. And she used WOOL! 

As she was making it, she shared progress photos on the FORUM of The Quilt Show. When it was complete, I told her she simply had to enter it in major competitions. So she did. 

Let her tell you how this quilt has done in competition. Don't think she is bragging, she is humble and gracious and deserves all the awards this quilt has brought her way:

Carole Berry "HOME"  Quilted by Cindy Paulson

FROM CAROLE: Attached is photo from the 2024 AQS Daytona Beach Show where I got first place in my category of Wall Quilts-Moveable Machine Quilted and Viewers Choice.

Other accolades "Home" received:

 

2023

AQS Grand Rapids 2nd Place

Maine Quilts 1st Place, Exceptional Handwork, Viewers Choice

Cocheco Quilters Guild 1st Place, Exceptional Merit, Viewers Choice

 

2024

Road to California 2nd Place

AQS Daytona Beach 1st Place, Viewers Choice

AQS Branson 3rd Place

AQS Paducah 3rd Place

AQS Lancaster 3rd Place

 

2027

AQS Engagement Calendar 

Thank you for encouraging me to show this quilt! I never imagined all the places it would bring me and the wonderful people I would meet. I’m currently working on a temperature quilt to commemorate our travels in 2024 following Home around the country. 

Here are photos I was sent from The Quilt Show members: 

Barbara Colvin York Quilters Guild

Karon Rufenacht  Natrona County WY fair - People's choice, 1st place and sweepstakes ribbon.  WY state fair - blue ribbon

Cec Larsen

Jacquelyn Jacobi 1^st place ribbon at the Victoria (BC Canada) biennial judged quilt show. In the bottom left I have substituted the Parliament Building in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, and in the bottom right I have substituted the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls Ontario, my home town. 

Jan Aji Ribbon Winner at her local show. 

Sandra Bonomo kept hers round when she had printing trouble and decided this was large enough. It is hanging at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. She made a facing and adding tubing to create the perfectly round shape for display.

Several people made this design their own by changing the Skyscrapers in the four diagonal corners to represent buildings important to them.. Here is one of my favorites, made by Sunday Sew and Sew Donna Daniel. She added her church, the bell tower at the University of Alabama, the Saturn V Rocket at the Space Center here in Huntsville and the Washington Monument:  

                                            

2022 GARDEN PARTY DOWN UNDER designed by Irene Blanck. The taping for this BOM was August 2021 and guess what? The world was still on lockdown and Irene could not travel from Australia to Dallas for taping. So, once again, I had 8 weeks to make this quilt, quilt it and travel to the taping.

This was only possible with the help of my Sunday Sew and Sews. And since the kit would not be available for months yet I used my own fabric. Over two long days Joan Cook helped me cut kits for 9 of us to use--each person made one pieced block and one appliqued block. They had exactly one month to complete their task--all met the deadline. In the second month I made the borders, assembled, basted and quilted it. This is one of my most favorite quilts because of the friendships that made it happen. Here it is on the set of The Quilt Show in Dallas:

                                                

Others I was sent:

Barbara Colvin Best Use of Color, York Quilters Guild

Janet Miller, Best of Show, 1st place Large Appliqué Quilts, and Best Domestic Quilting, The Arapahoe County Quilters, Festival of Quilts, 2023. Located in Colorado.

Liz Anderson Viewer's Choice and Best of Show, Cadiz, Ky show

2023 HOMEWARD BOUND designed by Sarah Fielke: 

Susan Wolak Quiltfest Rochester NY 2024

Joyce Cambron On Display at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2025

2024 PICK A PETAL designed by Jen Kingwell:

Pick a Petal by Jen Kingwell 

2025 LAUREL RIDGE designed by Lynne Wilder:

Barbara Colvin York Quilters Guild, First Place and Best Traditional Quilt  

Evelyn Spaudling, Teal Time, Fanfare 2026 Huntsville AL 

2026 GAME ON! designed by Becky Goldsmith--this is the current year's BOM so no one has entered it in any shows yet. I expect to see ribbons on this design in the future too:

I recently completed both the SOLID and PRINT tops: 

2027 FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE, designed by Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson. This is a spectacular design that will teach you a LOT! I am learning things. Patterns will be released monthly starting in January 2027, FREE for Star Members Only:

OCEAN WAVES Colorway

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS Colorway

I will be helping to teach this project with lots of tips and suggestions. I sure hope you will join us on this Joyful Journey!

NOTE: A few of the photos were taken from the GALLERY on The Quilt Show. There are many quilts there to inspire and educate you. 

To see the Block of the Month quilts from 2008-2020 see PART 1

Let's quilt.

Barbara

LONG BEACH -- PART ONE

 International Quilt Festival returned to Long Beach, CA in early August. It is a beautiful location--I was there for the previous 6 shows, the last time 10 years ago. The weather is spectacular, especially for us Southerners--70 degrees, sunny, low humidity and ocean breezes. Pretty sweet.

The Queen Mary is docked in Long Beach but is not currently open to the public:

The Convention Center is a very nice facility and there are lots of restaurants and attractions right close by: 

As usual at Festival, there are amazing quilts and terrific vendors. Just a few photos to give you an idea.

This New York Beauty is by Nancy Roelfsema and she displayed it during her Open Studios presentation on how to improve your free motion quilting:

Superior Threads--I did some damage here: 

There are more than  quilting supplies to buy: 

I was most excited to see the Special Exhibit of Wood Quilts by Judy Murrah's son, Troy. His art is amazing and Judy would be so proud of him and how he has combined her love of quilts with his sense of design using found wood of various types: 

Troy Murrah

This version of Color My World, the 2021 Block of the Month for The Quilt Show, designed by Wendy Williams, was included in the Special Exhibit A Celebration of Color:

The vendors had lots to see also. This booth, Sewing Party, was so colorful: 

Before the show opened the first day I was taking photos while I could. This booth caught my eye because of the Color My World top on display--the patterns are now for sale: 

I was impressed with the center, very well done:

Rachel Mayfield is the maker and this is her booth. She was astonished to see me taking a photo of her quilt. As a Star Member of The Quilt Show she knew immediately who I was and thanked me profusely for the videos/blogs/Forum help that helped her make this top in a very short time, getting ready for Festival. Well done, Rachel!

Another Star Member of The Quilt Show came to say hello, Linda Jahraus. I noticed the ribbon on her badge which showed she had a quilt in the Special Exhibit The 1876 Centennial Quilt Encore! I made a point to find her quilt and here it is, Amazing work! There were about a dozen of these in the exhibit, done by a group of friends around the country: 

After my Education office duties were done each morning, I gave Open Studio presentations on the show floor. Free, two-hour demos, four going on at the same time, this is a chance to learn something, no cost, no sign-up needed, just stop by and sit awhile. I gave two presentations on Thursday, two on Friday and one on Saturday. This gives you an idea of the set up:

Over the week I was there, many members of The Quilt Show recognized me, and came by to say hello. Many were eager to show me their Block of the Month quilts and I was eager to see them. Kayla V came to several of my Open Studio presentations and got some ideas, especially for how she can incorporate quilting with  her Girl Scout troop. I insisted we get a photo:

There were more than 500 quilts and LOTS of vendors so this is just a taste. I hope you are making plans to come to Houston in November 2022--the biggest and best Quilt Festival in the world. I'll be there!

Because there is more to share, look for Long Beach -- Part Two in a few days.

Let's quilt.

Barbara