WOW! September turned out to be a pretty good month!
I entered some quilts into the Washington State Fair for the first time. I came home with 6 ribbons!
My Rainbow Bee quilt came home with Honorable Mention in the Mixed Techniques Category. Comments included the rainbow colors and the design of the bee. Opportunities for improvement included consistent density of my quilting and some binding stiches showing.
Design score was all in the Excellent range, Workmanship in the very good or good and finishing in the very good or good.
I absolutely love this quilt and am so proud and happy that it received this ribbon. I was SO green when most of this was done. I am sure if I repeated it, it could score even higher. But I am on to other things of course.
My Big Love Quilt also came home with Honorable Mention in the Contemporary Pieced Category. “Outstanding Quilt” is a quote on the judging card. Again only a little feedback on how my binding can be improved. This is still a part of the process that I struggle with. All scores in the Excellent or Very Good levels.
Finally my Batik Block of the Month came home with 3rd place in the first time entry traditionally pieced category. Across the board, similar comments on ways to improve (binding) and things they loved (design, colors.)
In addition to that I won 2 “People’s Choice” Awards. Considering the vast number of quilts that are on display this is almost more flattering than the other ribbons. Over the course of the 20 days of the fair, I made the top four, NINE times! I only got a ribbon for the two times I was number one out of the top four. I believe I will need to look up a few of these other names on the people’s choice score card they sent home with my ribbons. Clearly they are excellent too. 🙂
Then in my professional life as a teacher, I was bestowed with the highest honor in the state. “Art Teacher of the Year” from the Washington State Art Education Association. Later I also received the “Pacific Region Art Teacher of the Year” from the National Art Education Association.