Lancaster Registration is Now Open!

Registration is now OPEN for the AQS Quilt Show & Contest in Lancaster, PA, March 24 - 27, 2010. If you ordered a printed registration guide, it was mailed yesterday (10/21/09). You can also print a copy of the registration guide from our Web site.

Here is the link for the Lancaster registration site: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/lancaster/2010/general_info/ .To navigate, click on one of the buttons related to the information you need: General Information, Contests, Registration, Vendors, or Teachers. You can register by U.S. Mail (just print and complete the registration form and mail it to us with your payment), by fax with credit card payment (270-898-1173), online with credit card payment, and by telephone (270-898-7903) beginning on November 3, 2009. As a reminder, you can only register for yourself online; if you need to register for additional people, call the AQS Show Office at 270-898-7903.

The show will be held at the Lancaster County Convention Center (LCCC – 3 East Vine Street) and Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square (headquarters hotel at 25 S. Queen St.), with quilt exhibits and vendors in Freedom Hall, the Commonwealth Ballroom, and the Heritage Ballroom. Additional special quilt exhibits and vendors will be located at Liberty Place Theatre & Conference Center (313 W. Liberty St.), a short shuttle ride away. Classrooms will be at the convention center, and more classrooms and the lecture hall will be across the street in Southern Market Center – all are located in downtown Lancaster. The Spring Quilt Blossom Festival is an AQS-sanctioned event and is located at the Continental Inn, Route 30 (2285 Lincoln Hwy E).

Quilt Contest: You can submit entries for the quilt contest now too. The deadline for submitting quilt entries is December 1...there are five categories:
Bed Quilts: A-Pieced
Bed Quilts: B-Appliqué
Wall Quilts: C-Wall Quilts
Wall Quilts: D-Pictorial Quilts
Special Category: E-Grand Geometrics - Created the Amish Way

Lodging: Now is the time to book your hotel room. Shuttle service will be provided complimentary to all attendees staying at AQS-approved lodging properties who booked through the Passkey reservation system. You can book online by visiting https://resweb.passkey.com/go/quilting, or by calling 1-800-PA Dutch (800-723-8824) for housing assistance.

Come enjoy the pastoral scenery in Amish country, hundreds of quilts, and a quilter's shopping paradise in the Merchant Mall. Make your plans today!

Photo credit: www.discoverlancasterpa.com / Terry Ross

AQS-Sanctioned Events in Des Moines

As you are making your plans to attend the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, be sure to include these AQS-sanctioned events in your schedule. There will be a free shuttle from the Iowa Events Center to these locations. There are more quilts to see in each of these sanctioned event locations!


Des Moines Botanical & Environmental Center
Go to the Des Moines Botanical Center for a fresh taste of fall and quilt displays. AQS members will enjoy FREE admission to the Center with their AQS badge. A FREE shuttle will run to and from the Iowa Events Center to transport you to and from the Botanical Center. There will be quilt displays in the North Wing Gallery, Scarecrow Display and refreshing Fall flower beds in the Dome. The Garden Gate Gift Shop will have Fall specials. The Riverwalk Cafe will be open each day of the show from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. for an outstanding lunch opportunity!

Historic East Village – Welcomes the American Quilters’ Society
Visit this historic area in Downtown Des Moines. Shops and galleries in the East Village feature quilt and fabric art exhibits. Visit these locations in the East Village:

From Our Hands, 400 East Locust, Ste 8, Whimsical and quirky fabric pictures by Iowa artist Meg Prange

Arte’ Gallery, 400 East Locust, Ste 3, The Water Series: Environmental Awareness Quilts by Omaha artist Jean B. Mills (Part of the proceeds of the sale of these quilts goes to water conservation projects)

Colores by Nita, Learning Quilts by Iowa artist Nita Allen

Sticks Gallery, 521 East Locust, Fabric Paintings by Michigan artist, Cris Roberts-Antieau, featuring appliqués of vintage fabrics and hand painted frames

Found Things, 520 East Grand Ave., Contemporary Art Quilt Exhibit

Pick up a map for the locations of all of the quilts on display throughout East Village. For more information, e-mail ann@from-our-hands.com. Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Free admission. Free shuttle bus from the Iowa Events Center.

Historic Valley Junction Quilt Walk and Quilter’s Open House, Valley Junction, West Des Moines

Historic Valley Junction will again be hosting quilters during the AQS Quilt Expo featuring new and antique traditional quilts; contemporary art quilts; vintage textiles; pieced art quilts from antique kimonos; fiber art; museum-quality antique textiles, and handcrafted, traditional textiles from 40 countries. The quilt stores carry fabric that ranges from 1930s-era reproductions to contemporary chic material.

Also, Valley Junction stores will showcase quilts in their stores for the Quilt Walk in this quaint area of West Des Moines. The award-winning Quilt Walk and special exhibitions will run from Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Attend the Quilter’s Open House on Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.; enjoy a pleasant evening of unique shopping, distinctive quilt exhibits, special events, complimentary refreshments, and delightful dining.

Free shuttle bus from the Iowa Events Center (ends at 5:00 p.m. each day, except during the Open House on Thursday when the bus ends at 8:00 p.m.)

For more information, e-mail Nicole Selser: nicole@walnutplaceretreat.com. Free admission.
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See you all at the show in Des Moines....where 1,001 quilts will be on display!

Des Moines Advanced Registration is Now Closed

You can check out Des Moines, the Iowa capitol city, at night, but during the day you need to be at the Iowa Events Center for the AQS Quilt Expo - Des Moines, October 28 - 31, 2009. Show hours are Wednesday, October 28 - Friday, October 30, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, October 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Halloween). Daily admission is $11.

Yesterday at 3:00 p.m., the advanced registration for the AQS Quilt Expo was closed. The AQS staff is now preparing the name badges for those who registered between September 17 and October 7; you will need to stop at the Workshop Desk inside Hy-Vee Hall (at the Iowa Events Center) to pick up your name badge. Name badges are being held for pickup at the show for all international registrants too.

Name badges were mailed to those who registered before September 17. If you registered early and have not received your name badge (along with the name badge cover letter) via U.S. mail, please call Laura Davis, Registration Coordinator, at 270-898-7903, ext. 132 immediately.

There are still openings in some classes and tickets are available for lectures and special events (Eleanor Burns is sold out). Check at the Workshop Desk for ticket availability. The Workshop Desk will be open on Tuesday, October 27, from 12 - 6 p.m., and from 8 a.m. on show days.

This view of Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center shows a portion of the Merchant Mall and some of the quilts on exhibit at last year's show.

Hotel rooms in downtown Des Moines, close to the Iowa Events Center, are still available. The complete listing of hotels with special rates for quilters is on the AQS Web site:

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

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The contest quilts have arrived and are being opened right now. We look forward to hanging more than 1,000 quilts for you to enjoy. Bring your best walking shoes!
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See you in Des Moines

Read the Latest News from AQS

Click on this link to read the latest news from AQS:

http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog.php/blog_id/2173

It will also give you a link to order your subscription to The Quilt Life with Ricky Tims & Alex Anderson, published by AQS.

Book Your Rooms in Des Moines

This is a reminder that you need to book your hotel rooms for the AQS Quilt Expo - Des Moines now to get the AQS-negotiated rates. After that date the rooms will be released to the public at the higher regular rates.

There are still some rooms available in the hotels downtown that are connected to the Iowa Events Center by skywalk (air conditioned and heated, as needed). The hotels listed in the top group on the hotel list are the closest hotels to the Iowa Events Center.

Here is the link to lodging on the AQS Web site:

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

Contact the hotel using the telephone number listed, and be sure to tell them you are attending the AQS Quilt Expo.

Book your rooms today. Come see more than 1,000 quilts on display in Des Moines!

See you there.

Bonnie Browning

Great Instructors - Great All-Star Review in Des Moines

Don't miss one of the most fun events at the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines - the All-Star demonstrations by the instructors. It will be held on Saturday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. in Meeting Rooms 7 & 8.

Here are the demonstrations you will see:

Prairie Point Plates by Klaudeen Hansen

Create Your Own Machine Freehand Allover Patterns by Nan Moore

Getting Started with Crazy Patchwork by Alice Wilhoit

Spiral Neck Pocket by RaNae Merrill

Making Perfect Circles, Points, and Stems by Karen Kay Buckley

Flying Geese Borders by Marti Michell

Invisible Appliqué: The Versatile Ladder Stitch by Ami Simms

Drafting New York Beauty by Renae Haddadin

Twirly Whirly Feathers by Kim Brunner

Failsafe Way to End Your Binding, Perfectly, Every Time by Marsha Radtke

Sign up now to learn ten new techniques. You will receive a handout with instructions from each of the teachers.

All-Star Review, Saturday, October 31, 2009, 1 p.m. in Meeting Rooms 7 & 8, $15 fee.

Call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903 to register for the All-Star Review.

Special Events - Come have fun with these Celebrities

Don't miss any of the special events at the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, October 28 - 31. Whether you want to see the latest in handbags by Christopher Nejman, have fun with the Queen of strip quilting - Eleanor Burns, see some great techniques for denim by the Denim Divas - Laurie Malm and Cheri Meineke-Johnson, find out how to live with your quilts from Ami Simms, or hear the latest in adding (or not) borders to your quilts from Karen Kay Buckley - there is something for you.

Christpher Nejman Celebrity Bags: A Fashion Show
Wednesday, 6 - 7:30 p.m.


An Evening with Eleanor Burns
Thursday, 6 - 7:30 p.m.


















The Denim Divas Fashion Show with Laurie Malm and Cheri Meineke-Johnson.
Thursday, 3 - 4 p.m.




Living with Quilts: A Survival Guide - Ami Simms
Friday, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Brunch with Karen Kay Buckley: To Border or Not to Border - That Is the Question

Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

To register, call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903, or go online to:

https://events.americanquilter.com/getdemo.ei?id=53&s=_2YS0TWMGH

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Come have some fun at the quilt show in Des Moines!

Next AQS Quilt Expo is in Des Moines, Iowa

Have you made your plans to attend the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, October 28 - 31, 2009? You won't want to miss seeing more than 1,000 quilts on display, along with nearly 400 vendor booths in the Merchant Mall. The Iowa Events Center will be a quilter's playground - full of inspiration, every imaginable product for making quilts, and quilters from all across the country and beyond.

Des Moines skyline

The quilt show will be located in Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center, 730 Third Street, in downtown Des Moines. All of the quilts and the Merchant Mall are in this one large hall.

You can still register for workshops, lectures, and special events for the Des Moines show. Call Laura Davis at 270-898-7903 to register by phone, or log on to www.AmericanQuilter.com to register online.

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Name badges will be mailed for all registrations received by September 16. Name badges for registration received between September 17 and October 7 will be held for pickup at the show.

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Advance registration closes at 3 p.m. on October 7. You will need to check at the show for availability if you do not register by October 7.

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1,000 quilts on display * 400 vendor booths

* special events with Christopher Nejman,

Laurie Malm & Cheri Meineke-Johnson,

Eleanor Burns, Ami Simms, and Karen Kay Buckley

www.AmericanQuilter.com

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!