RSSFlower-laden quilt top pick at Mesa County Fair
Jackie Aguilar of Grand Junction won best of show with “Jackie Got Into Aunt Millie’s Garden” at this year’s Mesa County Fair. The hand-appliqued quilt is based on a Piece O’Cake design. The quilt also garnered the People’s Choice award.
Caroline Brueggeman of Grand Junction made this Asian quilt, “Walk Through the Garden,” which was a judge’s choice selection from the Colorado Quilting Council.
An antique quilt in a multicolored star design best represented the 2012 fair theme: “Celebrating 125 Years Past Present Future.” Owner Marlene Knizley of Grand Junction received the ribbon.
This gardening season has been a dry and difficult one for many of us in the Grand Valley. But blistering temperatures and water shortages aside, some lush blossoms flowered inside the exhibit hall at this summer’s Mesa County Fair.
An exquisite flower bed of hand-appliquéd fabric blossoms on a black background grabbed the judges’ attention, winning best of show in the Open Class Living Arts division for 2012.
The quilt made by Jackie Aguilar, a Grand Junction hair stylist, was titled “Jackie Got Into Aunt Millie’s Garden,” based on a Piece O’Cake design.
Aguilar started the project in 2009, the first time she had tried the needle turn applique method, then machine quilted the queen-size bed quilt on her Janome 6600 home sewing machine.
“It’s all cotton fabric with wool batting,” she says, adding that the quilt features trapunto work on some of the flowers and embellishments with decorative trim and yarns.
Fairgoers also enjoyed Aguilar’s colorful floral display, the majority voting for the quilt as their show favorite and bestowing on the quilt maker the annual People’s Choice award.
The judges were so impressed with Aguilar’s workmanship that they encouraged her to enter “Jackie Got Into Aunt Millie’s Garden” at the state fair in Pueblo, which she plans to do.
National competition may be next, says a thrilled Aguilar.
The county fair’s quilt exhibit is sponsored each year by members of Sunset Slope Quilters, and judges from the Colorado Quilting Council award the ribbons.
This year’s local co-chairwomen were Karla Tilford and Janet Coleman, both of Grand Junction. Fifty-five quilts were displayed.
Coleman also was recognized for her first-time quilt entry titled “Unending Card Trick.”
Two quilts were selected for judge’s choice honors — “Walk Through the Garden” by Caroline Brueggeman of Grand Junction and “Boston Yo-Yo” by Ramona Clinton of Palisade.
A ribbon also is given to a quilt that most represents the annual fair theme.
For 2012, an anniversary year, the theme was “Celebrating 125 Years Past Present Future.” The winner for the best themed entry was Marlene Knizley of Grand Junction for an antique multicolored star quilt.
Congratulations to all those who shared their quilts at the fair.
QUILTS FOR FIRE VICTIMS
An addendum to last week’s column on quilts being donated to wildfire victims in Colorado:
I since have learned that Sunset Slope Quilters made 50 quilts through the group’s Community Affairs committee, headed by Carol Brueggeman. Sunset Slope secretary Linda Keller of Fruita delivered them personally to The Sewing Circle in Fort Collins for distribution to High Park Fire evacuees.
SNOW & ICE DYEING
Learn how snow and ice dyeing creates beautiful crystallized patterns on fabric during a free stage demonstration at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival at The Ranch in Loveland.
Scheduled Aug. 17-19, the event features demos on this fast, tidy and affordable dye process as well as other demos on Zippers Simplified, Binding Options and Fearless Fabric Painting.
Twelve professionals will be teaching a variety of workshops, and hundreds of quilts will be exhibited, including the entire 2012 Hoffman Challenge collection. A vendors mall also is planned.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 per day, $25 for multiple days, $3 for students and free for those under 14.
For information and registration, go to http://www.rockymountainquiltfestival.com or call 800-473-9464.
MUSEUM EXHIBITS
Now showing through July 28 at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, 1213 Washington Ave. in Golden:
■ Dazzling Domestics: late 19th century Pennsylvania quilts from the collection of Carolyn Miller
■ Darling Dolls: Pretty Playthings of the Victorian Era
FREE ONLINE SHOWS
The people who produce Quilters Newsletter magazine are now offering an online TV show. Weekly episodes, which are free, started this month at http://www.quiltersnewsletter.com.
Ten- to 15-minute segments are shown, with such topics as today’s latest techniques and products, top quilters’ stories and their quilts, and even online visits to quilt shows.
A special guest series with quilt designer Patrick Lose is to begin in August.
Scheduled to air Thursday, July 26, is “Fun with Robert Kaufman Fabric:” A Stash book quilt made with Kona cotton solids and an interview with one of the designers.
You may want to tune in on your home computer.
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