Free Special Link Bus Service in Des Moines

We just received word that the Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) will be providing a special LINK service during this year's AQS Quilt Show. This bus will go from Hy-Vee Hall to Holiday Inn, Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Savery Hotel, and Embassy Suites - all in downtown Des Moines.

So if you are staying at any of these downtown hotels, you can leave your car parked at the hotel and jump onto this Special LINK  bus service. Thank you DART for providing this service for the quilters!

 

Great News! More Seats Available

We have been able to add some additional seats for the Eleanor Burns program at the AQS Quilt Show in Des Moines! Eleanor is definitely a crowd pleaser, and her shows always sell out early. This year is no exception, but the great news is that we now have a few more tickets available!

Eleanor Burns: Quilt Blocks on American Barns will be Wednesday night from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903 Ext. 132 to reserve a ticket today! We will hold your ticket for pickup at the show.

(Note: Online registration is now closed - please call if you want a ticket for Eleanor Burns.)

The Lancaster Deadline is Approaching!

2011 is the second year for the AQS Quilt Show and Contest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The 2010 show was amazing, and 2011 will only be better!

Have you entered your quilt for the Lancaster show? Just 6-1/2 weeks remain until the contest entry deadline. With more than  $44,000 in prize money to be won across 5 categories and 5 overall awards including the $10,000 Best of Show, you could be one of those winners.

Send in your entries before November 5, 2011 – you don’t want to miss out on this one! If you have any questions about entering your quilt or completing the entry form, contact Erin Ulrich, Contest Coordinator, at erinulrich@AQSquilt.com or 270-898-7903, ext. 174.

We are excited to be coming back to Lancaster and we can’t wait to see your quilt entries, so send them in now!

P.S.: If you haven't made your plans yet to attend the AQS Quilt Show at the Lancaster County Convention Center, March 16 - 19, 2011, you can click here to make your hotel reservations online or call 1-800-PA-DUTCH (800-723-8824). The Lancaster Registration Guide is at the printer and will be available online soon. You can order a printed copy of the Registration Guide by clicking HERE.

LAST CHANCE! Des Moines Registration Closes on Monday

This is it - the very last weekend to pre-register for the AQS Quilt Show and Contest in Des Moines! The last day to register for advance admission and classes will be Monday, September 20 at 10:00 a.m. central time. There are still some spots available, but they are filling up fast. Click here to register online, or call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903 ext. 132 to register by phone.

After Monday, you will need to check at the Workshop Desk in Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center for ticket availability. Admission can be purchased at the door.

We are looking forward to an exciting show in Des Moines, October 6 - 9, and we can't wait to see you there!

Register today!

Des Moines Registration will be closing Monday, September 20

Believe it or not, September is half over! That means that the October AQS Show and Contest in Des Moines is right around the corner!

The last day to register for advance admission and classes will be Monday, September 20 at 10:00 am central time. There are still some spots available, but they are filling up fast. Click here to register online, or call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903 ext. 132 to register by phone.

We are looking forward to an exciting show in Des Moines, and we can't wait to see you there!
Register today!

Still need to book a hotel room? This link takes you to a listing of the hotels that have provided special rates for the AQS attendees. Rates are listed and you should call the hotel directly to book your room. 

It's In the Bag Contest - for AQS Quilt Show in Paducah

Each year the American Quilter's Society sponsors a contest and the items are donated to the annual Quilt Auction at the Paducah Quilt Show. Bags of all kinds are so popular and quilters everywhere are making them - large, small, lots of pockets, fancy, messenger, green bags for shopping, and the list goes on and on - that we chose a "Bag" theme for this year's contest.

Here is your chance to win! $1,000 in prize money will be awarded - $200 for the Best Bag and $100 for the best bag in each of the eight categories.

The categories are:
Purse (primary function is as a purse - can be for everyday use or a fancy one for evening)
Tote (for carrying items)
Full of Pockets (how many pockets can you put into one bag and still be able to carry it loaded?)
Functional (can be used for multiple purposes)
Embellished (show your glitz on this one)
Green (made totally of recycled materials - go for it, this should be fun)
Specialty (backpack, fanny pack, computer bag, etc.)
Student-made (middle school, high school or college-aged sewers).

Sewers of all ages can enter; challenge your children and grandchildren to enter this contest. Everyone can have fun sewing. All of the proceeds from auctioning these bags will benefit The National Quilt Museum located in Paducah, Kentucky.

The rules are available on the AQS website; just click here to print a copy.

The completed bag and entry form must be received by AQS by March 1, 2011.

There are many free patterns available on the Internet for making all types of bags. Just Google "free bag patterns" and you will find hundreds from which to choose.

When you are making those bags for holiday gifting, make one or two more to donate to benefit The National Quilt Museum. You can send your completed bag(s) and entry form any time before March 1.

Good Luck...we can't wait to see the great bags you create.

Jeana Kimball – Quilting: In Her Own Words

I learned to quilt, when I was about 12 years old, from my mother and my maternal grandmother; later I was prompted to try a quilt all on my own by an ad in a women's magazine in 1975. The ad was meant to sell a bed but what caught my eye was the Double Wedding Ring quilt being used as a bedspread. Up until that moment I had thought of quilts as simply bedding – to be placed underneath the bedspread.

Seeing a quilt being intentionally used as a bedspread was a new concept to me and I decided to keep up with the latest fashion by making a Double Wedding Ring quilt of my own. Have you ever noticed that all new quiltmakers want to start with a bed quilt, usually king sized?

After using a corner of my bedroom for fabric storage and the kitchen table for a work station for many, many years, I now have a quilting studio of my own. The thing I like best about it is not having to the share this lovely large room with any other function. Great lighting, lots of storage, a comfortable chair for hand stitching, and a large work surface is great too. My second favorite thing about having a quilting studio is my Ipod player and dock. I can listen to music that fits my mood or my project. It is lovely to mix and match my favorite artists at will.

Most of my quilting work is by hand. I simply love the process of plying needle and thread to fabric (whether hand appliqué or hand quilting). It is fascinating to watch a design appear from such a simple tool as a needle.

For me, helping students find an easier way or refining a technique they have been struggling with is one of the greatest rewards of teaching. All of my classes are geared towards that end – teaching techniques that make hand stitching ever more enjoyable. There is nothing as beautiful as a quilt that was made over time. To me, such a quilt carries the essence of its maker, whether she is living or long lost to passing time.

Jeana is teaching the following classes at the Des Moines show in October… Jeana is no longer doing much traveling to teach so this is a golden opportunity to take a class from her.

#33102 Forget-Me-Knots: Classic Album Quilt Designs

#33104 Refining Needle-turn Applique Skills

#33506 Applique Borders: An Added Grace;

#38508 Hand Quilting: How and What to Quilt.








 
Click here to register online or call Laura Davis – Registration Coordinator at 270-898-7903 ext.132 to register by phone.

See you in Des Moines!