Asheville, North Carolina, June 19, 2012
A stunning collection of 15" x 19.5" house-shaped quilts are now online and ready to inspire viewers from all over the world. The Alliance for American Quilts (Quilt Alliance) received 119 entries from 34 states and 5 countries this year for it's annual contest. International entries came from Canada, Belgium, Germany and Poland and several entries are the result of a collaboration of two or more quilters.
The Grand Prize winner will be selected by professional judges Marianne Fons, Mark Lipinski and Paula Nadelstern. The top winner will receive their choice of any Handi Quilter machine quilting system. This is the sixth year of the contest and the third year that Handi Quilter, one of the Alliance's business members, is sponsoring the top prize.
 | Real Homes Wear Quilts
by Bozena Wojtaszek of Lodz, Poland. |
 | | Open House (a dimensional quilt) by the Broadway Gentlemen's Quilting Auxilary of New York, New York |
Alliance members will again select their favorites via online voting through June 29. Members choice awards of 1st through 3rd place as well as honorable mention were donated by Alliance business members like Moda/United Notions, Simplicity Creative Group, EZ Quilting, June Tailor, Fons & Porter Love of Quilting, Interweave, The Electric Quilt Company, Attached Inc., and Dharma Trading Company.
All of the "Home" contest quilts were donated by their makers, and after a national exhibition tour, will be sold on eBay November 12 - December 10. The auction is one of the Alliance's most important annual fundraisers and provides crucial funds that support the operation of projects like Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories. Complete details on the contest and auction are on the Alliance's website here:
The national exhibition tour includes:
Contest quilts will also be exhibited at these additional Original Sewing & Quilt Expo shows:
"Home" contest entries will be documented by the Alliance in The Quilt Index, www.QuiltIndex.org. The Quilt Index website provides centralized access to more than 50,000 records, including quilts from state or regional documentation projects, museum and private collections. The Quilt Index, launched online in 2003, is a joint project of the Alliance, Michigan State University Museum, and MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online at Michigan State University.
The Alliance for American Quilts, a nonprofit organization, supports and develops projects with institutional and grassroots partners to document, preserve, and share the history of quilts and quiltmakers. www.QuiltAlliance.org. |
