Our eNewsletter is now archived online. Click here to read past issues.


Documenting, Preserving and Sharing the History of Quilts and Quiltmakers.
eBurst from the Quilt Alliance June 18, 2012   

"Home Is Where the Quilt Is" Launches Online and in Raleigh!
Members Get Ready: Voting Starts Tonight!  

 

 Home contest logo 
I'm so excited to present our 2012 contest quilts this week. The stunning collection of 119 house-shaped quilts are now presented on our website. Our first entry, by Patricia Hobbs (pictured below), arrived right before Valentine's Day but the majority arrived the last week of May (31 quilts in a single day)! We are overwhelmed with the creativity and generosity of our contest artists--thank you all! Here's a sneak peak of a few of the quilts, visit our website to see all 119 of these beautiful works of art.
Home contest quilt: Patricia Hobbs
"The Piece Maker's Child"
by Patricia Hobbs
Voting for the contest quilts will begin tonight with member's choice ballots (to determine the 1st-3rd place and honorable mention awards) going out to all current members via email message. If you do not receive an email from me (Amy Milne) by tomorrow, Tuesday, June 19, please contact us! Remember, only members can vote, so please consider joining us or renewing, or if you're already a member, encourage your friends and family to join. Details on membership are here.

Memberships must be current by Thursday, June 28 to be eligible to vote.

Member voting ends Friday, June 29 (with runoff voting as needed July 2-6). Our Grand Prize (winner's choice of any Handi Quilter machine quilting system) will be determined by our panel of professional judges including Marianne Fons, Mark Lipinski and Paula Nadelstern.

Contest winners will be announced on Monday, July 9 on our website.

Quilters Take Raleigh event Don't miss your chance to see the "Home" contest quilts in person. The national exhibition tour begins this Thursday, June 21 - Saturday, June 23 at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Raleigh, North Carolina. If you're coming to the Expo please join us for Quilters Take Raleigh, an exciting fundraiser for the Alliance sponsored by Rowan and FreeSpirit to be held Friday, June 22 at 7:00.
See the complete exhibition schedule for the "Home" quilts on our website here.

One of my favorite things about our annual contest is the variety we see. Even when quilters work along the same lines conceptually, the outcome is always 100% original. For example, here are three quilts all titled "Home Tweet Home." Birds and bird houses were a popular theme in many of the quilts, but every expression and execution is unique.
By Alice Helms, Asheville, North Carolina
Home Quilts: Marietta Vaughn
By Marietta Vaughn
Orchard Park, New York

 
Home quilt: Terri Stegmiller
By Terri Stegmiller
Mandan, North Dakota

What do these things have in common? 

1. Aurifil Designer Thread Collections (including the amazing Aurifil Thread Suitcase)
2. Having a character named after you in the next novel by award-winning author Marie Bostwick
3. Joining Mark Lipinski as a guest on his radio show Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski?

These are all prizes in our 2012 Membership Drawings!

Who is eligible to win these great prizes? Anybody who renews a membership in the Alliance for American Quilts, or anybody who joins, in 2012. Memberships begin at just $25. Join us today! The next drawing will be held on June 30th.
 
Happy week, everyone!  
 Quilt Index: Louisiana
On June 4th I posted this remarkably modern-looking appliqued and pieced beauty to the Quilt Index's Facebook page to commemorate the year 1919, when Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote. From this Quilt Index record:
"She [Grima] was a Civil War widow. Her husband was killed in 1863 at the Battle of Vicksburg. This quilt was used extensively in my father's family. Marks of rusted bedsprings indicated this."

Here's to summer and to beautiful quilts marked by stories.

With love and gratitude,
Amy

Amy E. Milne, Executive Director
The Alliance for American Quilts

  Find us on Facebook  PS. Facebook users, don't forget to "Like" the AAQ page and the Quilt Index page. We're posting new photos and links every day.

The Alliance for American Quilts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership dues and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from the Alliance, please click on the SafeUnsubscribe link below. Please remember to update your registration if you change your email address; just click here to go to our sign-up page.