Winners!

Right after arriving in Houston and checking into our hotel, Michelle and I went to the convention center to the Winner's Circle Celebration.  This is a really fun thing to do.  They have black curtains covering the quilts, and the winners know they've won something, but do not yet know what!  So the excitement in the room is fantastic, the quilts are beautiful and after all is revealed everyone can go up close to look at the quilts and talk to the makers.  It was awesome.

This is the Handi Quilter Best of Show Award Winner "Chihuly's Gondola" by Melissa Sobotka of Texas.  She won $10,000.

Janet Stone of Kansas (who created the new block of the month quilt for TQS) won two big awards this year.  This one won The Founders Award and $7,500.  It is called
"A Letter Bit of Baaltimore"

Janet's workmanship is AMAZING.

This quilt also won The Founders Award and $7,500.  It is called "Gorsuch Family Quilt Circa 1840 Revisited", made by Margo Hardie from Australia.

This quilt, "A Truly Feathered Star", made by Karen Sievert from North Carolina won Founders Honorable Mention.

"Septem Peccata Mortalia (Seven Deadly Sins) by Christine Alexiou from Canada won eQuilter.com's The World of Beauty Award and $7,500.  I asked Christine if she based her design on the Book of Kells and she said that was partly her inspiration.  This quilt is an actual book that has quilted pages that you can turn and read.  It's quite an incredible work of art.

The Robert S. Cohan Master Award for Traditional Artistry and $5,000 went to Lahala Phelps from Washington for her quilt "Forever in My Heart".

The Fairfield Master Award for Contemporary Artistry and $5,000 went to Noriko Nozawa, from Japan, for her quilt "Photographer Darling"
She said her husband is always the one taking pictures on their trips and is therefore never in any of them, so she made this quilt to honor him and all of their travels together.

The Pfaff Master Award for Machine Artistry and $5,000 went to Shirley Gisi of Colorado Springs, Colorado!  Her quilt is called "Quilt Noir".  I think this quilt would look fabulous hanging in my house :)  I am going to ask my artist son-in-law to design an artsy quilt like this for me!  I can make it, I just have trouble coming up with a great design!

The Baby Lock Master Award for Innovative Artistry and $5,000 went to Jane Sassaman from Illinois for her quilt "Illinois Album".

The Superior Threads Master Award for Thread Artistry and $5,000 went to Masanobu Miyama, from Japan, for his quilt "Wind".  This quilt is really not very big, maybe 24 inches?  Great artwork.

The Future of Quilting Award and $1,000 went to Cherrie Hampton, from Oklahoma, for her quilt "Oklahoma Windsong".

Show Judge Carolie Hensley chose David Taylor's quilt "Did You Wash Your Beak?" for a Judge's Choice Award of $250.  David is also from Colorado!  (Steamboat Springs)
Take a close look at his amazing quilting.

Judge Sandra Leichner chose Takido Fusako's quilt "Crest of Tulip" for her Judge's Choice and $250.  Takido is from Japan.



And Judge Katie Pasquini Masopust chose "Escape II" by Betty Hahn from Arizona as her Judge's Choice and $250 winner.  I took a picture of Betty with her quilt but it turned out too blurry.  You can see a picture of it on the IQA website:  www.quilts.org


I got my computer back!  So keep an eye out for more pictures!  Plus I am starting to machine quilt my pile. They are all pinned and ready to go!