Award Ribbons for SMQ Guild 2012 Show

"My Velvet Elvis" was delivered along with the special award ribbons for this year's quilt show. Once again, I was in charge of getting them made. A number of talented guild members were invited to create rosettes to represent specific awards. The ribbons are printed on my home printer and then I construct each one.

"Surface Embellishment" rosette is created by Bridgette Matlock, the chairperson for this year's show. The "Hand Workmanship" rosette is created by Isumi Sasaki.

"Innovative Design" rosette is created by Tone Haugen Cogburn and the "Traditional Design" one by Loretta Painter.

"Novice Quilt" rosette is created by Jane Dunham and the "Scrap Quilt" one by Leona Harden.

"Machine Workmanship" rosette is created by Cyndi Herrmann and the award presented in memory of one our deceased guild members is created by Linda Roy.

"Just For Fun" rosette is created by Sandy Kambic and the "Viewer's Choice" one is created by me.

I also created the two "Best In Show" rosettes as well as the one for the "Judge's Choice" award ribbon.

When the show is over this next Sunday I'll post which quilts won these awards.

Go here for a tutorial for how I construct the award ribbons.
Go here to see ALL the ribbons (and the quilts they were awarded to) for the years I've been in charge of creating them.

Ready for the SMQ Show 2012

My entry for Smoky Mountain Guilt guild show is ready for delivery tomorrow. It's completion has kept me busy since I got back from our Hawaii trip mid-January. Here's a peek at the bottom portion.

My Velvet Elvis - 32"x 43"

It's constructed in my "unraveled" technique with a variety of chenille yarns. Lengths of those are machine couched around patches of Elvis stuff I had been collecting ... motifs cut from fabric, hats, neckties, scarves, shirts, a silk blouse, and a sock.

After this step was finished, I began sewing and hot gluing charms and jewels between the patches and to the borders ... lots of sparkling bling ... somewhere around 1500 pieces give or take a few.

Long time readers may recall this post from 2009 when my husband had gifted me this charm bracelet...

Back then I thought there was an Elvis crazy quilt in my future. Well, this is a crazy quilt, but not the kind I originally had in mind.

After the quilt show opens this next Friday on March 23 I'll post a photo of the whole quilt. The event takes place for the whole weekend at the Cooper Athletic Center on the Maryville College campus in Maryville, Tennessee. The times are 9-5 on Friday and Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday.

Thinking Puppet

Yesterday we went to the Art Extravaganza, Webb School’s annual art sale that features original artworks by more than 70 acclaimed artists from around the country. There was fine art, handcrafted jewelry, pottery, glass art, sculptures and metal art. We liked a lot of different artist's work, and were especially enamored with Daniel Lai's wall sculptures that featured reconstructed books (go here to see an interview about his work). It wasn't easy deciding which one to choose (go here to see a selection). This one won out.

 Thinking Puppet - 12"x 12" x 12"

A major factor in our choice was WHERE IN OUR HOUSE FULL OF ART WOULD IT GO? Recently we had moved an art piece from our bedroom to the entry way by the front door. Thinking about that specific available space and the angle at which a wall sculpture would be viewed made it easier to choose this particular one.

It's wonderfully interesting on its own. The interaction of the puppeteer  with this display of old dolls on my dresser tickles me.

Just beyond the end of that dresser is a display of more dolls along with a whimsical Pinocchio puppet and soft sculpture dunce figure, both of which are created by artists.

We have an eclectic mix of furniture and art in our bedroom The Victorian rosewood sofa was inherited and the copper and silver Turkish tray table was old when we got it forty-five years ago. For nearly fifty years we've been sleeping in Great Aunt Jane's double bed.

This 1970's modern room is filled with light from four patio doors, a full length window beyond the desk plus two celestory windows. We commissioned an artist to faux finish the walls with a cloud strewn sky effect. Often the morning clouds we see through the up high windows blend in perfectly with the painted ones.

Well, I didn't start out to give you a tour of my bedroom. But while I'm at it, here are photo views from each end of the deck that two of the bedroom patio doors open onto.

IF Tennessee were warm year around I would be tempted to furnish the deck with the elegant outdoor furniture that looks as if it belongs inside  and IF we didn't have to move everything that's out there into our bedroom while we're gone during summer. As it is, it's a wonderful place to have morning coffee and read the paper when it's warm. Also, it's protected from the wind so it can be nice during the cooler months on warmish afternoons. The post about my working on "Unraveled" out there a year ago February is here.

Scraps, Scraps, Scraps

I'm pleased to be the recipient of quite a few scrap bags from my quilting friends. As you've seen in previous posts, I like to stitch those colorful bits together.

I delight in how these pieces that are considered too small to be useful go together. I keep combining pieces and sections until I can cut blocks. Here I'm working on 8" ones for a cuddle quilt and pieced  4 1/2" corner squares for it.

All twenty-five 8" blocks and sixteen 4 1/2" corner blocks are finished. I also cut forty 8" sashing pieces plus a 4" border from the black fabric with the tiny irregular white dots.

The binding is cut from the black fabric with the lime green dots. The big white polka dotted black fabric will surround the cut 24" square of the red with large colorful circles for the back of the quilt.

I'd really like to get these parts together to create the delightful quilt I see in my minds eye. However, there are other projects with deadlines that take priority. Soooo....all these pieces are packed up in a "kit" until I can do so.

Favorite Quilt Revisited

There are a lot of quilts that I've made over the last 18 or so years. This is my all time favorite.

 Spectrum of Love - 60"x 60"

It's the one quilt I couldn't sell. Instead it's gifted to our older son and his wife so I can visit it. They ended up decorating their living room around it. I love that they love it.

It's entered in this weeks "Be My Valentine" contest on the Quilting Gallery blog. There are:

• Total submissions: 31
• Total countries: 6
• Total provinces: 3
• Total states: 20

Go here to see all of them and to cast your vote for the four entries you like the best.

To read the complete story for this quilt go here.