December 26, 2017

2017 in Review - Did I Accomplish Anything?

As 2017 is almost over, I am doing what most people do at years end, contemplating just exactly what did I accomplish this year.  As this was my first full year after retirement, I was hoping that I would get a good start on all the projects that I had been putting off while working a full time job.  My first goal was to enter three quilt contests this year.

I started out with the Kaffe Fassett 'I Am An Artisan' quilt contest.  The fabrics that we had to use were absolutely spectacular.  Such a great color palette to work with.  The added embroidery designs from Mia and Chantell made the quilt.

Blue Plate Special
Not only did this quilt win the Viewer's Choice Award, it also was published in the 2017 Quilt Festival Quilt Scene magazine, and it was hanging in the Houston Quilt Show.  I also just got notice that it will be hanging in the International Quilt Festival in Chicago April 12-14 2018.  A couple of the prizes I won have been either mailed or collected.  I received my prize fabric in the mail and then I picked up my new sewing/embroidery machine at the local Janome dealer Boutique 4 Quilters.  I also took some of the fabric I won and made zipper bags in the embroidery machine for some of my friends.  I am calling this success number one for the year!


Boutique 4 Quilters

Kaffe Fassett Artisan fabrics

Machine Embroidery Zipper Bags
Next up is the Hoffman Challenge that I enter almost every year.  It's a fun contest and the fabrics are usually very interesting and inspiring.  This years was especially fun because it just wanted to be made into a Hawaiian themed quilt.  It won the Hoffman Choice award! That was pretty exciting but then I found out that Mr. Hoffman loved it so much that he bought it and it now hangs in his office in Southern California.  It didn't get to travel with the other quilts this year, but Mr. Hoffman says that he will display it at a few major shows.

Aloha Hoffman 2017
I have received both my prize and the ribbon from Hoffman which are very nice.  This is accomplishment number two!  And yes, I do plan on entering in 2018!  Thank you Chantell and Mia for your embroidery designs!



Next was the Moda Bella Solids challenge.  This was a huge project.  One of the biggest quilts that I have ever completed.  Unfortunately it was not picked as a finalist for the Moda Bella contest.  But the great news is that Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature was a better fit for the 2018 World Quilt Florida competition in Orlando January 18-20, and it is a finalist in their competition!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be my first win in 2018!!  I still can't believe that Mia drew and digitized 80 different designs for this quilt.  And the quilt of course couldn't have been made without Chantell's modified log cabin block!

Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

Since all three quilts were completed as planned and each one of them has had great success, I am calling my first goal of 2017 complete.

My next goal was to find something 'to do' that would earn a little cash and also share my talent as an embroidery artist.  I feel that I have accomplished that goal by teaching many classes at Quilts and Lace.  I seem to have become the Kimberbell expert.  I have taught many different projects that have required different levels of embroidery skills from beginner to advanced.  But the biggest project that I taught was the 'Jingle All The Way' quilt.  I think it was my favorite Kimberbell project for the year.

Jingle All The Way
I seem to have caught the 'competition' bug because I went ahead and entered a couple more contests.  The first one was a Moda mini quilt competition and the requirements were to use some of the Moda Primitive Gatherings fabrics.  I had a few different categories to chose from and I of course chose applique.  Everyone who entered ended up sending their quilts to Lisa's shop where she displayed them for the holidays.  She just announced the winners about a week ago, and I was very excited to learn that my little Lumberjack quilt won the prize for Applique!  You can see the other winners here on Lisa's blog.  She has a wonderful shop and sells beautiful things.  I just received my very nice prize package and my quilt back.  Since the quilt was being gifted to Jackie as part of her Christmas present, it arrived just in time.

Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Prizes

The next little mini quilt contest that I entered required a Moda/Aurifil thread combination.  We had to use both a precut Moda fabric package and Aurifil threads.  I didn't realize at the time that it would not be a 'real' competition. What I mean is that they just threw in a hat all of the names of everyone who entered and picked the winner out of the hat.  So it really didn't have anything to do with talent, just perseverance in finishing your mini quilt.  But that was ok because I ended up with a really knock out mini quilt!  I love it and its going up on my wall!  I used Moda Sweetwater Authentic fabric and of course the Aurifil threads.

Authentic Stars

Sweetwater fabric and Aurifil thread
I also completed a few other miscellaneous projects, quilts, and I did a lot of test stitching for Chantell.  I even took a few classes myself, after all, there is always something new to learn.  I think I am going to call the year a major success! Not only did I complete and surpass all of my quilting goals, but I am now an AWARD winning quilter and I have been PUBLISHED in a magazine!  I am thinking that makes for a very successful 2017!

I don't know what my goals are for 2018 yet, but I will really have to work very hard if I plan on accomplishing even half this much next year!  

Here are a couple more finished projects:

Bubby kitty even got his own quilt this year.

Houses made from Log Cabin blocks






December 19, 2017

Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

I thought I would share some pictures of the quilt that has been accepted into the World Quilt Florida quilt competition in 2018.  It is 72 inches wide by 90 inches high, making it one of the biggest quilts that I have completed.  It proved to be quite a challenge to quilt it on my Babylock.  I actually quilted it on a small fold out table with my machine sitting on top.  Not an ideal set up! But I got the job done and it turned out perfect.

This is the statement that I provided about my quilt.  "I wanted to give the impression that each block was a window and each window would give you a view of a little piece of nature.  I feel that we don't spend enough time outside so I wanted people to have peeks of what they were missing.  The whole completed quilt was pieced, quilted, and embroidered on my Babylock Destiny machine."

First is a picture of the whole quilt:


Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature

Then a close up of a few areas:


Close up of Bella quilt

Close up of 4 blocks

  And then just some close ups of random blocks:







There are a total of 80 blocks, each with a different embroidery design in the middle.  Thank you Mia for all the drawing and digitizing you did.  Everything turned out perfect and just as I had envisioned it.  A big thank you also to Chantell for digitizing the exact block I needed.  Without both of these talented women all of my quilts would still be just thoughts and dreams floating around in my head!

And most important of all, thank you to the judges at the World Quilt Florida quilt competition for choosing my quilt to be shown in Orlando in January!





December 18, 2017

World Quilt Florida Quilt Competition

Today I thought I would share some exciting news with you about my Bella Windows Quilt!


Isn't it exciting!!!  I am thrilled.  This is what they offered as a post to the local newspaper.  I will do a post about the quilt soon.  I just wanted to do a quick share about the news!


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Local Quilter Accepted into Statewide Florida Quilt Competition

NEW HOPE, Pennsylvania – Quilt Artist Cherri Kincaid of Merritt Island, FL has been accepted as a finalist in the 2018 Florida Quilt Competition at the World Quilt Show Florida. Produced by Mancuso Show Management, the World Quilt Show will take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL from January 18-20, 2018.

Kincaid’s quilt, Bella Windows - Peeks of Nature, will be on display at the show along with many other quilts created by Floridians, all competing for prizes. Winners will be selected at the show and announced on the World Quilt Florida website, www.quiltfest.com, on Thursday, January 18, 2018. Quilt and textile art enthusiasts will have an opportunity to view Kincaid's quilt among all the other magnificent displays of quilts and textile art at the event, January 18-20, 2018.

President of Mancuso Show Management David Mancuso says, “Quilting is truly art. Every quilt that is displayed at the World Quilt Show takes great skill and talent to make it come to life. This quilt competition incorporates pieces from the best quilters in Florida that will be judged, and on display to be enjoyed by quilt enthusiasts and other quilt artists."

Besides the competition quilts on display, the Quilt Festival will feature workshops and lectures taught by a renowned faculty, a Merchant's Mall and a beautiful collection of special exhibits including the international entries of the 2017 World Quilt Competition and exhibits by many Florida quilt guilds.

Mancuso Show Management has several long running shows annually, each with its own quilt competition. Besides World Quilt Florida, MSM hosts, the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, VA; The Quilt & Sewing Fest of New Jersey, Edison, NJ; World Quilt New England, Manchester, NH; the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Oaks (Philadelphia area), PA; and the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara (Bay area), CA.