Lancaster Instructor Edyta Sitar: In Her Own Words

My love for fabric began at a very young age when I used my mother’s newly hung drapes to create my first fabric project! My mother recognized my passion for fabric and thus began the journey with fabric and sewing. Creating beautiful gowns opened the door into creative textile design and established the building blocks which lead me into a quilting adventure.

One of my biggest blessings is my husband, Michael. I not only fell in love, I was introduced to the family tradition of quilting by my mother-in-law, Carol, and grandmother-in-law, Anna. My husband's grandmother welcomed me to live with her and the day I stepped through her door was the day I started quilting. She made it clear to me that when I live with her, I will be quilting with her. And so she sat me down across from her, with a quilt on a frame between us. She taught me how to rock the needle and that's where my quilting journey began. I have been quilting for 18 years.

My quilting studio is in a barn that my husband built for me. My favorite part of my studio is the loft upstairs. I get a perfect light and can leave all my fabrics spread out up there. I call it "fabric nesting". Something that makes me a little bit unique in the quilting world is the fact that I love using my batiks and prints in the same quilt. That allows me to enjoy all my fabrics and get great results.

I love gardening so flowers many times become my inspiration for colors and patterns. Students are my inspiration for teaching, and my favorite thing about teaching quilting! They are always happy and excited to learn something new. And what amazes me about quilting is that it does not have a language barrier. I once had a student that did not speak any English and we were able to complete a project during a class perfectly communicating with body language.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. My children and my husband are my greatest motivation, providing the basis that you can accomplish anything you want if you just set your mind to it. Being able to do what I love and share this love with others is the greatest feeling and reward I could imagine! This is the Cinderella dream for me. My daily companion is my little dog, Max. I think he likes quilting too because every time I lay out a quilt… he immediately wants to lay on it.

Edyta travels all over sharing her passion; connecting to and inspiring quilters of all levels by sharing personal, stimulating stories about the quilts she makes. As the owner and co-founder of her company, Laundry Basket Quilts, www.laundrybasketquilts.com, she has been published in magazines world-wide and her quilts have received numerous awards.

She is teaching the following classes at the AQS Quilt Show and Contest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 16 – 19, 2011…

#42804 Why We Quilt – Let Us Count the Ways (lecture)

#43506 Painting with Fabrics-Fusible Appliqué

# 47104 Dresden Star-Perfect Points

#47502 Foundation Piecing-On Eagles Wings

#47509 Mosaic Quilt




Click here to register for the Lancaster show and to sign up for one of Edyta's fantastic classes.

Countdown to Lancaster Contest Deadline

There is still time for you to enter the 2011 AQS quilt Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Entries must be postmarked on or before November 5, 2010.

Here are the Quilt Contest Categories:
Bed Quilts: Fabric quilts made for a bed, using any quiltmaking technique.
    A. Bed Quilts – Pieced
    B. Bed Quilts – Appliquéd
Wall Quilts: Fabric quilts designed to hang on a wall, using any quiltmaking
technique.
    C. Wall Quilts – Hand Quilted
    D. Wall Quilts – Home Sewing Machine Quilted
    E. Wall Quilts – Longarm/Midarm Machine Quilted


To read all of the rules, just click here -- you can read and/or print a copy.

If you have any questions, contact Erin Ulrich at erinulrich@AQSquilt.com or 270-898-7903, ext. 174.

AQS Quilt Show - Lancaster, PA: 2011 Registration is Now Open

The Registration Guide for the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster, March 16 - 19, 2011, is now available. You can order the printed Registration Guide or go online to register by clicking HERE.

Registration can be made online, by mail or fax NOW. Telephone registration does not open until January 5, 2011.










If you are bringing a charter tour to the show, contact Laura Davis, Registration Coordinator, for assistance in getting tickets and information for your group. You can reach Laura by e-mail: lauradavis@AQSquilt.com or phone: 270-898-7903 ext. 132.

We have a great line-up of national instructors, including:
Kathie Alyce
Laurel Anderson
Bobbie Aug
Karen Kay Buckley
Jane Garrison
Diane Gloystein
Klaudeen Hansen
Dianne S. Hire (co-hosting Quilter's Fun Night on Wednesday)
Linda Baxter Lasco
Stacy Michell
Judith Baker Montano
Sue Nickels
Rachel Pellman
Andi Reynolds
Sherry Rogers-Harrison
Nancy Sapin
Mary Sorensen
Helen Squire
Edyta Star
Sally Terry
Ricky Tims

Many of the classes will fill quickly, so register soon to have the best chance of getting the classes you want.

A listing of the AQS-approved accommodations is printed in the Registration Guide. To book your rooms at these special rates, click here for online booking or call the PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-723-8824. They can also assist you with lodging at Amish bed and breakfasts, country inns or farm stays.

AQS Quilt Contest - Des Moines - Deadline is Approaching

Now is the time to prepare your entry form for the AQS Quilt Show & Contest in Des Moines, Iowa.

Your quilt images on a CD-ROM (one of full quilt and one detail), completed entry blank, and entry fee must be received by AQS or postmarked no later than June 7, 2010.




Quiltmakers will be vying for $44,250 in cash awards. The five categories are:
Bed Quilts - Hand Quilted
Bed Quilts - Machine Quilted (Home sewing machine or longarm/midarm)
Wall Quilts - Hand Quilted
Wall Quilts - Machine Quilted (Home sewing machine or longarm/midarm)
Fabric Art - Quilted by Hand or Machine

You could win one of these special awards:
Best of Show award is $10,000; $5,000 each for Best Hand Workmanship, Best Machine Workmanship, and Best Longarm Workmanship; and $3,000 for Best Wall Quilt.
Plus, in each of the five categories, the first place winner receives $1,500; 2nd place receives $1,000; and 3rd place receives $750.

Be sure to check the measurements of your quilt to make sure it meets the size requirements for each category. Each quiltmaker can enter up to two quilts, one per category. Click here to download the rules and entry form.

If you have any questions about entering your quilt, contact Erin Ulrich, AQS Contest Coordinator, at erinulrich@AQSquilt.com or call 270-898-7903, ext. 174.

Deadline for Entering the Paducah Quilt Show is January 4

Entries for the 2010 AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky, must be postmarked January 4, 2010 or before.

In all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, don't forget to prepare your two digital images for each quilt entry (you can enter a maximum of two quilts). One image must be of the entire completed quilt. The other image should be a good detail of your quilt - choose a spot on your quilt that shows off your work the best.

More than $120,000 in cash awards will be given at the 2010 AQS Quilt Show. The Janome Best of Show winner will receive $20,000. We just announced this week that Janome is the new sponsor of that Best of Show award.

Read the rules carefully and make sure you have chosen the correct category for your quilt. Measure the quilt to make sure it fits the category you have chosen. Complete your entry form and mail it by January 4, 2010.


Erin Ulrich, AQS Contest Coordinator, is processing entries now. You don't need to wait until the deadline to send in your entry. If you have any questions about entering your quilt, you can e-mail Erin at erinulrich@AQSquilt.com or call her at 270-898-7903, ext. 174.


Good Luck!

Bonnie Browning
Executive Show Director

AQS Finalizes Plans for Paducah Quilt Show!

We promised we would let you all know more about the Paducah Quilt Show as soon as we had it. Below is the press release that was just sent to the media.

Now is the time to finalize your plans to come to the show April 21 - 24, 2010.


Press Release

American Quilter’s Society
Finalizes Plans for Paducah Quilt Show

Contact: Bonnie Browning, 270-898-7903, ext. 146
bonniebrowning@AQSquilt.com

Paducah, Kentucky – September 4, 2009: The American Quilter’s Society announced today that contracts have been finalized with hotels and convention facilities for the 26th Annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah, to be held April 21 – 24, 2010. The Executive Inn attached to the convention center is now closed and will not be available during the April show.

The quilt show will be held at the Paducah Expo Center, the Julian Carroll Convention Center, and the new AQS Pavilion which will be located in the parking lot of the convention facilities. Quilt show admission will give access to viewing quilts and shopping the merchant malls in all three locations. Additional vendors and the AQS “Hurt” Book Sale will be held at the AQS Vendors on Kentucky in the Finkel Building (200 Kentucky Avenue in downtown Paducah). Special events will be held in the Carson Four Rivers Center (100 Kentucky Avenue).

The 2010 AQS Quilt Contest will award $125,000 in cash awards to quilters. Contest rules are available on the AQS Web site, www.AmericanQuilter.com. The registration guide will be available in early November. To order a printed registration guide, send $2.00 for each guide to: AQS, Attn: (name of show) Registration Guide, PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290.

For lodging, please contact the Paducah Visitors Bureau at www.paducah.travel, or 1-800-PADUCAH. The AQS Home Bed & Breakfast program will be coordinated by the Visitors Bureau, starting February 1, 2010.

Tour groups can contact Marcelle Cashon or Laura Davis for information on admission and ticket sales for the AQS Quilt Show & Contest by calling 270-898-7903.

In addition to the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, AQS will produce three other international quilt shows in 2010: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 24 – 27; Knoxville, Tennessee, July 14 – 17; and Des Moines, Iowa, October 6 – 9.

The AQS quilting community grows again! Quilters can now become fans of AQS on Facebook, and follow AQS on Twitter. Quilting information is also always available on the AQS Web site and the AQS Blogs (AQS Quilt News, AQS Publishing, and American Quilter Magazine).

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New AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA

March 24 - 27, 2010 will be the dates for the newest AQS Quilt Show & Contest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The AQS staff is busy selecting classes and special events for this new show. We plan to have the Registration Guide finished in late September (see below to order a printed copy of the Guide).

Below is the news release about this new event:

AQS Announces New Show for 2010

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Becomes 4th AQS Show
by Bonnie Browning, Executive Show Director

Paducah, Kentucky – August 20, 2009: Today AQS President Meredith Schroeder announced plans for the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) to hold a fourth quilt show in 2010.

AQS will produce a new show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 24 – 27, 2010, at the new Lancaster County Convention Center. The AQS Quilt Show & Contest – Lancaster will feature a quilt contest with $44,000 in cash awards. A special category in the contest is Grand Geometrics – Created the Amish Way. “We are pleased to bring an AQS Quilt Show to Lancaster and the southeastern Pennsylvania area, and to provide another opportunity for quilters to enter our contests and be recognized for their artistry,” stated Schroeder. AQS has signed a three-year agreement to hold this event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“We’re thrilled at the prospect of welcoming the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) and one of this country’s top quilting shows to the new Lancaster County Convention Center (LCCC),” remarked Josh Nowak, director of sales & marketing with the LCCC.

“We can’t think of a better setting for the AQS Quilt Show & Contest than Lancaster County – home to a rich quilting heritage within our Amish community, and where this art form continues to thrive today,” said Christopher Barrett, president and CEO of the PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The 2010 AQS Quilt Show presents an undeniably alluring opportunity for local and national quilters alike to share their creative process and outcomes, in a setting recognized worldwide for its beautifully manicured quilt of farms and fields.”

AQS also holds events in Paducah, Kentucky (pending for 2010); Knoxville, Tennessee (July 14 – 17, 2010); and Des Moines, Iowa (October 6 – 9, 2010).

Contest rules are available on the AQS Web site, www.AmericanQuilter.com. Registration guides for each show will be available online as soon as they are completed. To order a printed registration guide, send $2.00 for each guide to: AQS, Attn: (name of show) Registration Guide, PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290.

In addition to the AQS Web site and the AQS Blogs (AQS Quilt News, AQS Publishing, and American Quilter magazine), quilters can now become a fan of AQS on Facebook, and follow AQS on Twitter. The AQS quilting community grows again!

For lodging and general information on American Quilter’s Society shows, go to www.AmericanQuilter.com, or call 270-898-7903. Tour groups can contact Marcelle Cashon or Laura Davis for information on booking charter tours by calling 270-898-7903.
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