Thursday, October 29, 2009

More Tiny Quilts



The marathon vending sessions in Houston and in Santa Clara are now behind us. I still have a ton of email to answer and John and Kate are keeping the lasers busy catching up with custom cut projects. Oh, and we still need to finish unpacking both vans - the quilts are inside but there are bits and pieces of booth accessories still out there. Kate and John had fun in Houston with the crew at the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative booth AAQI showing off the four quilts involved in the "Smackdown" fundraiser.

My booth helper and I had dinner in Santa Clara with Jackie Robinson and Sue Nickels. Sue explained to Jackie about the "Smackdown" quilts and added that she thought John should be disqualified because his quilt arrived after the deadline; nice try! Hope the quilts raise a ton of money for Alzheimer's research.

John and I took advantage of the cool, breezy but snow-free weather in Red Lodge to plant about 200 bulbs. It is notoriously rocky in our area but we had pretty good luck. In the afternoon, we sat visiting in the living room, enjoying the sunlight glinting off the native grasses in our "yard". The grasses absolutely sparkled as the wind moved through them.

Then John pieced these two little quilts, an Arabic Lattice Variation and another miniature Storm at Sea. They both measure 15" x 18". The little Storm at Sea will be in the catalog soon.

And here's my opinionated book review of a fairly recent book, "The Kite Runner". I am glad I read it. It is a first novel and there are some places where a reader can tell that. But I was fascinated about the look at Afghanistan and Kabul before the Russians invaded and the sad aftermath which includes the Taliban's rise to power. Again, I'm glad I read it; even a little insight into another culture is important these days.

Back to work

Brooke

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Quilt Smackdown!

Here is a news release and the whole scoop on the Quilters' Challenge we have been telling you about. The event starts at International Quilt Festival on Wednesday. And, even if you can't make it to Houston this year, you can vote for your favorite online. John shamelessly solicits your vote!


Please visit the AAQI Website to see images of the quilts - I can't figure out how to get them copied from Ami's email and they are Beautiful! And so is the Championship Belt!


Brooke


World Quilt Federation Smackdown




Four Quilting Heavyweights Face Off to Fight Alzheimer's



(Burton, MI)--October 12, 2009 In honor of National Alzheimer's Awareness Month four small quilts by world renowned quilters Hollis Chatelain, John Flynn, Becky Goldsmith, and Sue Nickels will be auctioned to benefit the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). The no-holds-barred, knock-down, drag-out, head-to-head, quilt-to-the-death (not really), grudge match will be held November 1-10 in the AAQI "Smackdown Auction Arena."




The 10-day online silent auction is all about bragging rights—and raising awareness and money to fight Alzheimer's disease.


Chatelain, Flynn, Goldsmith, and Nickels created miniature masterpieces representative of their quilting style specifically for this head-to-head challenge. The quilts range in size from 16" x 16" to 18" x 18".


The World Quilt Federation Smackdown quilts will be shown prior to the auction, for the first time anywhere, at the International Quilt Festival (IQF), Booth #4660, in Houston, October 14-18. In a gutsy move Smackdown promoter Ami Simms (a.k.a. Founder and Executive Director of the AAQI) will allow the Smackdown quilts to be purchased at the IQF. Each quilt carries a price tag of $10,000.


"I'm fully expecting all four quilts to be available for the November 1st auction," said Simms, "but I'm pretty sure the George R. Brown has a defibrillator on site just in case."




A Viewers' Choice component to the “Smackdown” will also be offered. Anyone wishing to support the work of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative can make online donations to the nonprofit in amounts as little as $5 beginning immediately, assigning their donation to one of the four quilts. One dollar equals one vote. The quilt amassing the most votes will win the Viewer's Choice Award. The Viewer's Choice Award donations have no bearing on the sale/auction outcome whatsoever.




About the AAQI


The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (http://www.alzquilts.org/) is a national, grassroots charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. It auctions and sells donated quilts sponsors a nationally touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's. The AAQI has raised more than $316,000 since January 2006. Ami Simms of Flint, Michigan is the founder and executive director of the AAQI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation operated entirely by volunteers. She is a quilter. Her mother had Alzheimer's.




The World Quilt Federation is totally fictitious. Any similarity to professional wrestling is obviously intentional and all in good fun, although the winning quilter will receive this cute belt.


WQF Smackdown Champion Belt made by John Flynn.

Contact:Ami SimmsFounder and Executive DirectorAlzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative1200 Creekwood Trail Burton, MI 48509(810) 637-5586http://www.alzquilts.org/
Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/smackdown.html#ixzz0TTftxSF9