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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Lancaster AQS Quilt Contest Rules are Online

Calling all quilters!

The rules for the AQS Quilt Show & Contest - Lancaster are online at www.AmericanQuilter.com, click on the Lancaster show. More than $44,000 in cash prizes will be awarded in five categories. The categories are: Bed Quilts - Pieced; Bed Quilts - Applique; Wall Quilts; Pictorial Quilts; and a special category: Grand Geometrics - Created the Amish Way.

The Best of Show winner will receive $10,000 in this contest. There will be a $5,000 Best Hand Workmanship, $5,000 Best Machine Workmanship, $5,000 Best Longarm Workmanship, and $3,000 Best Wall Quilt awards. There are additional prizes in each category of $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $750 for third place.

One of the changes in the rules for the AQS quilt contests for 2010 is that you can enter any or all of our shows. Only those quilts that win cash awards in any of the AQS contests will be ineligible to be exhibited again in another AQS contest.

The winning quilts in the Lancaster show will be sent to Paducah for photography for the American Quilter magazine, and these quilts will be shown in a special exhibit in Paducah. The winning quilts from Lancaster will be shipped back to the makers after the Paducah show.

The deadline for entering the AQS Quilt Contest in Lancaster is December 1, 2009. That date will be here before we know it. You can send your entry to AQS any time - you don't need to wait until the deadline.

Remember, you can't win if you don't enter. The Best of Show winner in Knoxville entered a contest for the very first time. Enter your quilts today!

Good luck!

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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And the Janome sewing machine winners are....

Have you seen the Special AQS 25th Anniversary edition - Janome 806b sewing machine?

It's a very portable machine - great to take when you travel, or to classes --
* weighs only 12 pounds
* 20 built-in stitches
* straight, zigzag, decorative stitches, and buttonholes
* needle up/down

This machine is available through Janome dealers across the country.




Three of these Janome machines were given away at the AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Rick Loyd, AQS Vice President, announced the winners of the Janome AQS 25th Anniversary sewing machines.

The three winners are:

D. Noble, Cadiz, KY

Pat Jarvis, Maynardville, TN

Jan Pierce, Oottawah, TN

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Congratulations to these winners, and thank you to Janome America for donating the sewing machines for the drawings.

Knoxville AQS Quilt Expo - A Pictorial Review

Quilters around the country are telling us what a great time they had in Knoxville. If you missed it, here are a few photos from the show...



Congratulations to Linda French, the Best of Show winner. This is the first contest that Linda has every entered. Just like playing the lottery, you can't win if you don't enter. I bet we see more quilts from this talented quilter in future AQS shows now that she knows that her work is that good!

Barry Buchanan and Mary Beth Head man the AQS Booth. Did you get your show T-shirt?

A view of part of the exhibit hall from the AQS staff office. There were 350 booths full of goodies - all quilt-related.

Quilters visit with AQS authors at the AQS Book Fair. It's a great place to get to meet authors and have your books autographed.

The New Quilts from an Old Favorite: Burgoyne Surrounded exhibit is being studied by quilters. Right behind those quilts is the Artfull Bras exhibit of 50 bras created by the South Carolina Quilters to draw attention to breast cancer. They certainly did draw a lot of attention at the show - you couldn't walk by this exhibit without hearing giggles from those viewing them.

One of the most popular contests is the Ultimate Guild Challenge, where guilds have their own challenge and submit eight entries in the AQS contest in Knoxville. It's always fun to see how the eight quilters portray the challenge (theme, block, fabric, or whatever the guild chose).

Quilter are enjoying viewing the American Quilt Study Groups' Red and Green study quilt exhibit.

The dates for next year's show in Knoxville are July 14 - 17, 2010. Mark your calendar and plan to join us in Knoxville

Winners' List for Knoxville Show

The list and photos of the winners for the AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee are now available on the AQS Web site. Here is the link that will take you to that page:

http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/knoxville/2009/quilt_contest/quilt_winners.php

Congratulations to Linda French, Centerville, Ohio, who won Best of Show with her quilt, Circles of Life. This is her first entry in any quilt show! It is a beautiful quilt that certainly deserves this honor.

Bonnie Browning - reporting from Knoxville

AQS Quilt Expo Opened Today!

The exhibit hall at the Knoxville Convention Center features quilts galore - more than 500 quilts, and 350 vendor booths with the latest quiltmaking supplies, antique and new quilts, and quilt-related gifts.

Kathy Drew, quilt designer, and Arliss Barber, project coordinator, unveil Under Tennessee Skies, a quilt made by the Village Quilters in honor of the American Quilter's Society holding the AQS Quilt Expo at the Knoxville Convention Center. Mayor Bill Haslam looks on as a poster of the quilts is unveiled. The quilt was donated by the Village Quilters to the Knoxville Convention Center and hangs in the Clinch Concourse.

Mayors Haslam and Ragsdale present Meredith Schroeder with proclamations naming today, July 22, as American Quilter's Society International Quilt Expo Day!

Mary Bogart, Knoxville Convention Center; City of Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam; Kim Paul, Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporaton; Meredith Schroeder, President, AQS; and Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale cut the ribbon to open the first AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, at 8:45 a.m. this morning.

Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday thru Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Come see us at the show!

It's Quilt Show Time in Knoxville, Tennessee

It's Showtime in Knoxville!

Office Phones: The AQS office phones will be shut down from Monday, July 20 thru Friday, July 25, 2009. All of our staff will be at the show in Knoxville.

Show Information & Supply Lists: All of the show information is available on the AQS Web site, http://www.americanquilter.com/ . You can still view the class project photos and supplies by logging into our registration site. This link will take you to the opening page:

https://events.americanquilter.com/getdemo.ei?id=42&s=_25K0P3MKE .

The City of Knoxville is excited to host AQS and the quilters attending the Quilt Expo.

See you all at the show!

Bonnie Browning

Executive Show Director

Knoxville Instructor Wins Teacher of the Year

Pam Clarke, our longarm instructor at the AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 22 - 25, was just named the Teacher of the Year at the Home Machine Quilting Show in Salt Lake City.

Pam will be teaching 2-1/2 hour lecture/demos throughout the Quilt Expo. There are still some openings in some of her classes.

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Advance registration has closed for the show, but you can stop at the Workshop Desk to check on tickets for her classes. The Workshop Desk will open at noon on Tuesday, July 21, just inside the Exhibit Hall on Level 1 of the Knoxville Convention Center.

Congratulations, Pam!

Still need a hotel room in Knoxville?

It's almost time for the AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 22 - 25.

If you need a hotel room and want to stay downtown and need free Internet, call 865/522-2600 directly for a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Be sure to tell them you are attending the AQS Quilt Expo to save $$. We still have some rooms left in our block there.

You can walk to the Old City and Market Square to enjoy over 60 eateries, nightlife, and shopping. The City Trolley stops at the hotel for easy transportation downtown and to the Convention Center - where the AQS Quilt Expo will be located.

See you soon in Knoxville.

Bonnie Browning & the Quilt Show Staff

Don't Miss the Fun & Beautiful Quilts in Knoxville

Don’t miss the fun, the beautiful quilts, and the shopportunity in the Merchant Mall at the AQS Quilt Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 22 – 25, 2009. Knoxville is ready to welcome you!

There is still time to register – registration is open until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8.
This link will take you directly to the online registration site:
https://events.americanquilter.com/getdemo.ei?id=42&s=_25K0P3MKE .
The supply lists and photos of the projects are available at the registration site too.

Book your room now.
You can stay at one of the downtown hotels with a city trolley stop right at the hotel. You can park your car and ride the trolley to/from the show.

Call the Crowne Plaza Hotel directly at 865/522-2600.

You can book a room at the Knoxville Marriott Downtown by calling 865-588-7426 or 1-800-753-3823, Monday – Thursday (Friday is the 4th of July Holiday this week),
or book online at: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_gi_new&groupID=125209 .

We have an exciting show planned for you, with more than 500 quilts and 300 vendor booths in the Merchant Mall.

Have a great 4th of July and we’ll see you soon in Knoxville!

Des Moines Registration Guide is HERE!

The printed registration guide for the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, October 28 - 31, 2009, has arrived and is being mailed today to those who ordered a copy.

You can go to our Web site and print a copy of the guide by clicking on the link below:

http://www.americanquilter.com/documents/shows_contests/desmoines/09_registration_guide.pdf .

Advance registration is recommended. Workshops are filled on a first-come basis. Registrations can be faxed (270-898-1173) or mailed to the AQS office (AQS, PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290). For registration questions, please contact Laura Davis, Registration Coordinator, at lauradavis@AQSquilt.com or 270-898-7903, ext. 132.

Online registration will be open in a few days - our Webmaster is busy getting it formatted for us now.

We have a great line-up of instructors for Des Moines: Frieda Anderson, Bobbie Aug, Kim Brunner, Karen Kay Buckley, Eleanor Burns, Carol Butzke, Darlene Christopherson, Mickey Depre, Karen Gibbs, Renae Haddadin, Klaudeen Hansen, Linda Honsberger, Laurie Malm, Cheri Meineke-Johnson, ReNae Merrill, Marti Michell, Nannette Moore, Christopher Nejman, Marsha Radtke, Andi Reynolds, Florence Reisen, Nadine Ruggles, Ami Simms, Mildred Sorrells, Helen Squire, and Terry White.

The 2-day Insurance Appraisal workshop is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and the 1-day Fair-Market Value Appraisal workshop is available on Friday at the Des Moines show.

Thursday is Dressed-Up Denim Day in Des Moines. Now is the time to be dressing up your own denim vests, jackets, jeans, dressed, etc., with trims, embroidery, applique, crystals, decorative stitches, stencils, and whatever else you want to do. Be sure to register for the Denim Divas Fashion Show to share your beautiful hand-crafted couture denims. This event was so much fun last year that those who attended asked to do it again! And wait until you see the couture garments that the Denim Divas (Laurie Malm and Cheri Meineke-Johnson) have made!

See you in Des Moines in October.

AQS Staff....

Des Moines Registration Guide

Make your plans now to attend the 2nd AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. The listing of hotels is on the AQS Web site. Here is a link that will take you right there:
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http://www.americanquilter.com/documents/shows_contests/desmoines/09_desmoines_hotel_list.pdf .
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You should call the hotel directly to make your reservation and be sure to tell them you will be attending the AQS Quilt Expo.
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The AQS Quilt Expo is held in Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center. Classrooms are on the first floor, and the exhibit hall is on the second floor. A food court is on level 3, and other food venues are located in the hallways throughout the building.

The Des Moines Botanical & Environmental Center is one of our Sanctioned Events. They will be having floral displays in quilt designs, and an exhibit of quilts sponsored by American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. Admission is free with your show name badge.

See the state capital at night.

These photos are courtesty of the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau.


The Registration Guide for the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines is being printed.
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We are busy working on getting all of that information online so we can begin online registration as soon as possible. We will post here when the online registration is ready.
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If you want a copy of the printed Des Moines Registration Guide, you can send an e-mail to Laura Davis, lauradavis@AQSquilt.com or fax your request to 270-898-1173. The cost of the printed guide is $2.00.
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We have some fun events in Des Moines, including a fashion show of Celebrity Bags by Christopher Nejman - wait until you see the techniques he uses; An Evening with Ami Simms; The Denim Divas fashion show where you can show off your own embellished and decorated denims; a fun time with Eleanor Burns; and Brunch with Karen Kay Buckley. That's a sneak peak of what's happening in Des Moines.
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Bonnie Browning

Only 2 days left to enter Des Moines Contest

June 24 is the last day to enter the Des Moines contest. Your entry can be mailed/postmarked on June 24.

Here is the link to download the rules: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/desmoines/2009/quilt_contest/

Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!

Good Luck!

Bonnie Browning

Don't Miss the Des Moines Contest Deadline

Have you entered a quilt in the AQS Quilt Expo - Des Moines? It is not too late. The deadline will be here soon - entries must be received or postmarked by June 24, 2009 for this year's Des Moines contest.

Here are the five categories:

Categories with $42,250 Total Cash Awards

Bed Quilts: Fabric quilts made for a bed, using any quiltmaking technique.
1. Traditional
2. Innovative
Wall Quilts: Fabric quilts designed to hang on a wall, using any quiltmaking
technique.
3. Traditional
4. Innovative
Fabric Art: Works of visual art utilizing fabric as the primary medium.
5. Fabric Art

And...here is the link so you can print off the rules and get your entry completed:

http://www.americanquilter.com/documents/shows_contests/desmoines/09_desmoines_rules.pdf

You only have a few days left - send us your entry today!

Good Luck!

Bonnie Browning
Executive Show Director