Manheim Farm Show Results

I'm so glad I made the effort to enter my quilts in the Manheim Farm Show this year, but it's just not the same experience when it's not in your own town!  (And, no fun when you're taking your own pictures!!)  Half the fun for me is looking at the exhibits of people I know and looking at them with friends or family; that just wasn't the case here.

Anyway, it was a good experience.  I met up with another fellow competitor, and we enjoyed admiring the quilts together.  Here's my assortment of entries:

Wish I hadn't been too lazy to carry my camera into the exhibit hall with me; a cell phone just doesn't capture the quilting details very well...

Funny thing, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first" most definitely applied in this case - almost all my quilts had the exact opposite results from the Etown fair - ha!  So, my competition strategy remains the same as always - take any and all quilts and hope for the best!

I thoroughly enjoyed examining this "Metro Rings" quilt that got Best of Show.  I happened to be in line when the exhibitor was dropping it off on Sunday and had the good fortune to chat with her about it.  I was thrilled, as I'm just getting ready to piece the exact same pattern for a customer.  It uses the Quick Curve ruler.  

I thought her quilting was spectacular.

Can't wait to get started!

Manheim Farm Show Newbie

I'm heading off the the Manheim Farm Show with this stack of quilts - a first for me.  

Wish me luck!

:)

Fort Hunter Day 2015

I had the fun of participating in Fort Hunter Day again this year.

The weather was glorious!! 

I demonstrated English Paper Piecing (both my beloved EPP stars, as well as some hexagon flowers) in the tavern.  

I love those big windows and all the light they allow in; it makes stitching indoors a pleasure on a beautiful September day!

(Kathy O., your swirls on my Suburbs quilt made the perfect backdrop for my display!)

These two Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts from my mother's side of the family were hand pieced instead of EPP'd, but I still wanted to showcase them, as this pattern could easily be EPP'd.

To keep sticky fingers away from my quilts and projects, this year I set up a table next to me with some plastic shapes identical to EPP shapes.  That way, young ones could touch and play and be creative to their hearts' content after seeing the real thing up close.  

Please know, I do believe quilts are meant to be seen and touched, but not by multitudes of sticky fingers!!  :)

I stitched a few more EPP stars between chatting with visitors.

Meanwhile, my quilt guild was over at the Centennial Barn gallery with their fabulous display of quilts.

I was honored to be able to display a few of my creations along with the other members of my guild:

And, here is the first peak of the quilt our guild made for the 230th anniversary of Dauphin County, commemorating African American involvement in the county's history.  

It's really quite remarkable....

So grateful to be able to participate in such a fun event!

One Last Day...

... of EPPing on the beach for the season!

More EPPing at the Beach!

There's Nothing Better Than...

... a little EPPing at the beach!!

Today

On the final stretch of my Machine Quilting Sampler Quilt!