Fabulous News

Life took a really really exciting turn today.   You will notice in my sidebar that one of my goals was to get into the National Juried Show here in Canada.  

I entered, and got the letter today.   What I told no one was that I put in more than one entry.  In fact I put in four.   I have never done that before.  But I had four quilts that I loved  and I couldn't decide what to put in.  So far in Canada there is no limit, so I bit the bullet and entered all four.  

You can imagine my nerves as I opened the envelope, praying that just one would get accepted.   You see, this is the first time I am able to attend the show.   It travels across Canada and for the second time it is in Ontario since I have been entering.   My kids were always too young for me to make the trip, but now that they are a bit older and it is back in my province, I had decided to go.   And I really wanted to see one of my quilts hanging there.

Okay, so back to my entries... the letter stated this, 'Please be advised that 'Whimsical Wonder', 'Let The Vines Shine Through', 'Serenity', and 'Bye Gram, I Love You' were accepted into the National Juried Show.  
Here is where you can insert me reading the letter 6 times over, and finally crying and laughing all at the same time.   Yes, all 4 quilts were accepted.   I still can hardly believe it.  

Three of them are art quilts, and one is a wearable art.  

I now present my four quilts that were accepted into the National Juried Show in Canada.

This is Serenity.   It is all curved pieced and sewn together, then free motioned quilted.   At that point I cut out the pattern pieces and sewed the jacket together.  It is  fully lined and then buttons are made of polymer clay by me.

Let The Vines Shine Through is my second quilt.   I created this quilt because I love the border fabric.  It is a vintage polyester!   The flowers are 3D of course and the  quilt uses hand dyed fabric, stamping, stencilling and is free motion quilted with no stippling.

Whimsical Wonder hangs in my bedroom.  I adore this quilt so much.  Unless you see it, the colours can't be duplicated with the camera.  It is 3D and jumps out at you. 

Bye Gram, I Love You is the title of the quilt I hold dearest to my heart.   Here is the story that goes with this quilt.

It was made in memory of my grandmother who died in May 2009.

Every week for 10 years I would go over to their farm and see them, to do some housework, or just to visit. I did this by myself, and then as I had my two sons, they would come with me. And every single time, just as I was leaving, I would kiss her cheek and say, 'Bye Gram, I love you'.

She was the most remarkable woman I have ever known. A farmer's wife to my grandfather, a fabulous cook, a loving grandmother, and of course a quilter. Her grandchildren and then great grandchildren were her greatest joy. She was always so excited to see us. Everything about her was fun, whether you were in her kitchen doing dishes or peeling apples, or playing euchre, you were smiling.

This quilt was made from her blouse and a sleeper that both boys wore when she held them. The clothing is stuffed to give it more of a 3D appearance. The yarns couched into the background were from a sweater that she was unravelling near the end of her life. She was so thrifty and environmentally friendly. Decades beyond her time.

And the buttons.... there is a story. The yellow buttons, quite a few of them, represent how sunny and happy life was when she was alive. The orange ones, not so many, show the time of her dying and how painful that was for us all. And the red, all the red buttons, that is to represent all the love she left behind for us.

She witnessed my birth, watched me grow up, celebrated my marriage, cherished my children, and I held her hand when she died.

These are the four quilts that will be travelling to the National Juried Show.  
Tomorrow I will post a super giveaway to celebrate my success.  For now, I just have to walk around smiling the biggest smile ever!