Nebraska State Fair Quilt Show–My Entries

I do love entering quilts in the Nebraska State Fair each year and feel so very lucky to win any ribbon.  I am ecstatic to win the best of class Miniature Machine Quilted and to win best Miniature Quilt award for the silk wholecloth miniature quilt I titled “Silk Refrain.”   (I think that is what I named it but really not sure – finished this quilt not that long before I took it to the State Fair and didn’t write the name down and now am not sure) A friend took this photo today as I was a volunteer in the quilt dept – a really cheesy smile but the only photo of me with my quilt that I have.  (The volunteers wear these aprons to make us stand out from the visitors as well as white gloves to handle a quilt when asked.)
The second quilt I entered was the panel quilt I made for our guild challenge last year.  It too won a ribbon – a 3rd place ribbon this time.  I love this quilt and it hangs on the wall in our family room where right now there is a bare spot until it comes home from the fair.  It also won a special contest “best basket quilt”.The special contests are sponsored premiums from various groups, businesses and individuals. We enter quilts in the normal classes then can enter them in as many of the special contests that the quilt fits the category. Special contest classes are things like “best machine quilting”, “best hand quilting”, quilt made by a person from one of several western counties, best poke-a-dot quilt, best basket quilt, best quilt with at least one star, best quilt using embellishments…and so on. It is fun to look through the special contests and enter the quilts to try to win some of the great prize moneys offered.

There were 660 quilts entered this year so lots and lots of quilts to see and study.  I love looking at the quilts from all the talented Nebraska Quilters.  I also am waiting to read what the judge had to say about my quilts.  I have learned so much over the years from both the good comments and improvement comments that the judge points out.  This is a place to learn what I did right and things I need to improve.  I can imagine some of the comments the judge will make as I am no different than all of you in that I know where I think the quilts have faults or areas that could be improved.

Several friends and I volunteered to white glove from 9 am to 1 pm yesterday in the quilt department.  What fun to get to spend lots of time studying the entries and visiting with the many visitors.  John came along too so after my white glove shift we walked around the fair for a while.  All fun but boy was I tired last night.  We left here at 7 am and got home at 8 pm so it was a very long day.

Lynn