A Colorful and Inspiring Day

Friday was a road trip day...and thank goodness...I needed it even more than I thought! My dear friend Lorrie and I made a trip to Omaha, Nebraska for the 4th Annual AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Unveiling event...and we had a FABULOUS day. We left Des Moines a little before 8:00 and made it to AccuQuilt a few minutes before 10:00...perfect timing, as the festivities started at 10:00 AM. We were greeted with a very warm welcome from Steve Nabity (CEO), Linda Pumphrey (National Sales Manager), Lynn Gibney (Director of Marketing), and all my favorite AccuQuilt staff members...seriously AccuQuilt has the friendliest staff around...and they were all outside to greet us! Once inside, I couldn't wait to meet the special guest Ricky Tims (woohoo!)...he was kind enough to autograph my GO! Arabesque #3 die (one of his designer dies for the AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter) and pose for a couple photos (here is where I thank Lorrie for taking the photos of me with Ricky Tims). I was also thrilled to see a bunch of familiar faces from last year...always so much fun to see quilting friends from across the country (and Canada)!

After meeting celebrity quilter Ricky Tims, we entered the AccuQuilt Quilt Gallery (always worth a visit if you are in the Omaha area) where some of his AMAZING quilts were on display...they were breathtaking...I mean SERIOUSLY incredible! I managed to get most, if not all, of them photographed for you...even with the hoards of people crowded in for viewing..click on any image for a larger, more detailed photo...

Asternoon Delight
Year made: 2009 - 36" x 44"
Created by Ricky Tims

Bears in Bertie's Log Cabin
Year made: 2004 - 53" x 53"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Dad's Lone Star
Year made: 2002 - 92" x 92"
Pieced, appliqued, and quilted by Richard Tims and Ricky Tims
(Father and Son Quilt)

Viva Violetta
Year made: 2007 - 58" x 58"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

New World Symphony
Year made: 2002 - 90.5" x 90.5"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Time Warp
Year made: 1999 - 82" x 82"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Self Portrait
Year made: 2012 - 22" x 22"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Bohemian Rhapsody
Year made: 2002 - 88" x 88"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Simple Gifts
Year made: 1996 - 88" x 88"
Pieced and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Lifelines III
Year made: 2012 - 50" x 50"
Pieced, Embellished, and Quilted by Ricky Tims

Next we entered the AccuQuilt Dream Studio, where attendees of the event were busy making pillow cases  for American Patchwork & Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge...it was insane in the dream studio (as you can see from the photo) - wall to wall people busy sewing pillow cases...it was almost overwhelming just to walk across the room!

Our next stop was the AccuQuilt warehouse where there was shopping...yes, I said shopping! AccuQuilt had set-up a merchandise area with all sorts of goodies for sale...including "gently used dies" at greatly reduced prices...and how could I pass that up...both Lorrie and I found several dies we *had to* have!

We then made our way outside to the where Ricky Tims would be making his presentation to a tent full of enthusiastic quilters...and what a marvelous presentation it was...thoroughly enjoyable. Ricky is so down to earth...and listening to his life story was inspiring and uplifting...

Next was a performance by "Steve and the Stitches"...and to say it was amusing would be an understatement...the whole entire crowd was smiling, clapping, and enjoying the entertainment!

It was then time to reveal the 2013 Barn Quilt Contest winners and unveil the grand prize winning block...I must say it was sad to see a new 17' x 17' block in the place where my winning block has been for the last year, but Sue's block definitely looked FABULOUS on display and I was so excited for her!

After the unveiling, it was time for lunch...and barbecue really hit the spot...but more importantly,  it was time for door prizes! Lorrie and I had a conversation about how we never win drawings of chance...it just doesn't happen...and we watched quite a few happy quilters take home some stellar prizes. When Linda held up an adorable pink GO! Baby Fabric Cutter Tote, I leaned over to Lorrie and said "you could use that" and her response was "yes, I could"...and guess what, they called her name...we were dumbfounded....and SO excited!...I was just thrilled for her to win a prize to take home. Then the most incredible thing happened...as they called names for the last few prizes, I heard my name too....what?!...this never happens... My door prize the coolest thing ever...the book "Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece" by Yoko Saito (it is a DELIGHTFUL book) and an assortment pack of SCRUMPTIOUS AURIfil Threads (so totally awesome!). WOW, WOW, WOW...what a perfect treat for our trip...

After saying goodbyes and gathering our purchases and winnings, we headed off to one of our favorite quilt shops...The Quilted Moose in Gretna, NE...this shop is a must visit whenever we are in the area! We managed to find just a few a TON of marvelous things to take home...yes, we did some power shopping...in fact, time flew by while we were in there...and although we had plans to possibly visit other shops in the area, we knew we had a two hour drive to get home (and I had an anxious puppy in the kennel that I knew needed dinner and a potty break)...so after enhancing the economy of Greta, NE, we headed for home.

So, there you have it, my day at the 4th Annual AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Unveiling event...it was a perfect day - I couldn't have asked for more - time with a dear friend was just what the doctor ordered (all the quilty goodness was a bonus!).

A "Girl Day" - Time To Play

Monday was a GREAT day - I took the entire day off to take a 350+ mile road trip with my friends Mary, Kimber, and Lorrie...and boy did we make the most of the day! We had been planning this "day away" for a few weeks...a visit AccuQuilt in Omaha, NE and retail therapy at a couple wonderful quilt shops and antique shops in the area. Since I was only able to take one friend on my prize-winning AccuQuilt trip, I really wanted some of my special local friends to share in my excitement by seeing my gigantic winning quilt block on display and have a "girls day" of shopping, lunching, and sightseeing.

Leaving West Des Moines bright and early, we headed straight to AccuQuilt for a tour. It is about a 2-hour drive...and it was quite fun to pull up to the building and see my quilt block in all it's glory once again. Inside, Carolyn took the four of us on an inspiring tour, where we got to see the new display in the AccuQuilt Gallery - "Quilts In Many Pieces". This new exhibit is based on a small selection of Linda Pumphrey's extensive collection of antique quilts from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century - the antique quilts inspired several AccuQuilt team members, along with Linda (GO!bal Sales Manager for AccuQuilt) and her mother, to create/recreate quilts using the AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutting system. The antique quilts were shown side-by-side with quilts made today using the GO! fabric cutter. The display was wonderful and all four of us were quite impressed - we took lots of photos and read about each of the quilts. Next, we were privileged to see the AccuQuilt Dream Studio...and although it was being put back together after an event, it was still amazing and I still want to spend my vacations everyday in there! Our tour continued through the warehouse, where staff members were happily packing and shipping orders...and I drooled at the racks and racks of AccuQuilt dies...I honestly wished I had a shopping cart and unlimited funds. At the conclusion of our tour, Steve Nabity (Chief Energizing Officer at AccuQuilt) came out of his office to greet us and take a photo...and we got to spend some quality time with Linda Pumphrey and all of the AccuQuilt team - everyone was enthusiastic and accommodating - and it was definitely a joy to take the tour and see my AccuQuilt friends - we had a GREAT time - seriously, working there would be my "dream job"! To read more about AccuQuilt's new headquarters and see additional photos, visit my post from June 25, 2012.

My gigantic barn quilt block greeted us as we arrived...

AccuQuilt Gallery
Left - Flowers and Hearts - c.1900
Right - Love Blossoms - Melissa Merriman - 2012

AccuQuilt Gallery
Left - English Hexagons - c.1840
Right - Diamonds are Forever - Linda Pumphrey - 2012

AccuQuilt Gallery
Left - Irish Chain with Flowers - c.1860
Right - 1860's meets 2012 - Carolyn Marsh - 2012

AccuQuilt Gallery
Left - Square in a Square - c.1890
Right - Patches of the Past- Barbara Scott - 2012

AccuQuilt Gallery
Bottom - Yo Yo's - 1930's - Mida Vesta Gieseker
Top - Yo Yo's Much Smaller - Mary Pumphrey - 2012

A lovely display in the Quilters Dream Studio...

A very fun sampler quilt in the Quilters Dream Studio...

Fabric and GO! dies in the the Dream Studio...aren't the fabric cupcakes adorable??

Pallets of GO! dies in the warehouse...

Racks of Studio dies....a girl can dream...

AccuQuilt Offices

After leaving AccuQuilt we headed to a marvelous quilt shop just a few minutes away (The Quilted Moose in Gretna, NE) for some retail therapy. I always enjoy visiting this shop, where gorgeous models are intermixed with bolts and bolts and bolts of fabric! It always takes me multiple trips throughout the shop to even begin to see everything and I always leave with a shopping bag full of inspiration for my latest projects...

The busy morning really helped us work up and appetite and we headed to our final destination - the town of Fremont, NE. I really wanted my friends to experience to warmth, charm, and hospitality of Main Street in Historic Fremont and visit a couple special places. We started off by having lunch at J's Steakhouse - this was a favorite when I visited in June...I was really hoping everyone would like it - and sure enough, we had a FABULOUS lunch! After lunch we visited two local antique shops - Park Avenue Antiques and Yankee Peddler West- and although it was quite warm in the afternoon, we enjoyed our browsing and did find a few items to purchase. Lorrie had the best finds, purchasing the largest antique wooden spool (bobbin) I have ever seen and a huge loom shuttle. Our last stop was (obviously) Country Traditions, where I got to see the friendliest staff on earth (I love the Country Traditions family!) - I just adore this shop - the atmosphere, the staff, and the selection are top notch - I couldn't wait to share this quilt shop gem with my girlfriends! The shop was decorated beautifully with new Christmas displays and bolts of fabric...making it extremely hard to narrow down my purchases. We shopped till we dropped and found lots of new stash to take home. To read more about Historic Fremont and the STELLAR Country Traditions (and see a bunch more photos), visit my blog post from June 24, 2012.

A (always) smiling Nicole working hard on a shop model - quilting and getting paid for it!

A Christmas tree decorated with fat quarters - LOVE IT!

On the two and a half hour drive home we talked at length about our day, our fun finds, and all the wonderful people we met along the way - it was a FABULOUS trip! It is always hard for me to take a day completely away from my desk, but this trip was well worth a vacation day - I am so glad I got to share some of my favorite places with my dear friends....it was great to spend the day laughing and catching up...and it definitely lifted my spirits and left me feeling refreshed and revived. Thank you so much to my girlfriends for making the day a complete joy...and thank you to the AccuQuilt family, the Quilted Moose, J's Steakhouse, and the entire staff at Country Traditions for making this a road trip to remember!

Omaha Quilters' Guild Quilt Show 2012 - "A Piece Rally"

Here is one more post from my recent prize-winning AccuQuilt trip...I know the others have been a little lengthy, so I will do my best to keep this one short and sweet and let the photographs do the talking.....but I just had to share about my visit to the Omaha Quilters' Guild Quilt Show. I was able to attend this special event after the Barn Quilt Unveiling last Friday - it was held at the LaVista Conference Center, just down the road from AccQuilt's new headquarters.The show itself was quite impressive and I enjoyed leisurely walking the aisles and aisles of breathtaking quilts. The bright colored carpet and the lighting in the building made it a bit of a challenge for photography, so the colors may be a bit off - but as we all know, photographs never do this form of art justice...and you can click on any of the photos to get a closer look at the details. Let me start by showing you the big award winners....

Best of Show
New Year's Dragon - Sandy Bernasek

Best Hand Quilting
Blue Birds and Blooms - Leslie Halbleib

Best Machine Quilting/Large
Starry Path - Carol Nish

Best Machine Quilting/Small
Victorian Floral - Karen Hradec

Visual Impact
Georgia - Merna Bowman

Judge's Choice
Let's Ride - Judy Unrein
The embellishments on this piece are amazing - check out the feathers in the witch hats...

Best Scrap
Pieces of Dear Jane - Patty Kennedy

Best First Quilt Entry
Twisted Bargello - Greta McClellan

Aren't ALL the quilts you have seen so far AMAZING?! Well, now I have to share with you some of my personal favorites...although I could see the beauty and craftsmanship in each and every quilt on display (the entire show was stellar), these next few quilts all spoke to me and had a little something special....

First Place Professionally Machine Quilted/Bed
Lollypop Trees - Lorraine Stenoish
This was incredible in person - bright and cheerful!

First Place Bed Quilt, Hand Quilted
Nebraska Winter - Susie Jorgensen
The quilt front is wool and it is backed/binded with flannel - LOVELY!

First Place Professionally Machine Quilted, Kit or BOM
From The Heart - Dorothy Lange
BEAUTIFUL center medallion applique...
and a wonderful assortment of 6 1/2" blocks....

Honorable Mention Professionally Machine Quilted/Bed
Wildflower Sampler - Barbara Wagner

....and here is my VERY FAVORITE QUILT of the show - I absolutely adored this - I love the whimsical houses and trees around the the border...and ALL the circles you see in the pieced center and on the trees are yo-yos that are hand appliqued in place. I know this photo does not do it justice...if you click on it to see the enlargement, you can see a little more detail...

Second Place Bed, Mixed Technique, Machine Quilted
Sew Many Yo-yos - Karen Hradec

There was also a lot of great shopping at this event - the merchant mall was extensive....and I think I found my new favorite quilt designer! I fell in love the second I walked into the Cozy Quarters booth (Quilt and Applique Designs by Phyllis Paul). OMG - I could have bought every single kit/pattern she had in her booth - her style is so very "me"....she does a beautiful job of embellishing each design - adding wool and beautiful details - every single quilt was a treasure....and she had the best miniature quilts. Not only was her booth warm and inviting, but her quilt kit packaging is WONDERFUL - she does the most unique packaging for each of her kits...I was blown away by her creativity! Phyllis was kind enough to let me take a few photos in her booth to share with you...she was just delightful (I wonder if she needs a new best friend?). I purchased two kits while in her booth (and let me tell you - I had a hard time narrowing down my selection...but after almost a week in quilt heaven, I had to show some restraint!). I already have two kits picked out to purchase from her online shop for gifts...and well, I could buy her whole entire collection for me...

The two kits I purchased...
The "Tiny Baskets" kit is in (what else) a tiny basket...
and the "A New Day" kit is in an a small black gift bag
embellished with a strip of the focus fabric and a wool flower.
ADORABLE!

So there you have it - some of my favorite things from the 2012 Omaha Quilters' Guild Show...I must remember to put a visit on my list for 2013...I'm sure it will be worth the 2-hour drive. For more information, visit the Omaha Quilters' Guild website at http://www.omahaquiltersguild.org/.