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Are you kidding?  Look at those stunning cowboy boots!  She must be from Texas!

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Just in time for the Holidays, Jinny Beyer has a fantastic gift for one of you.  She is giving one lucky TQS Member an autographed copy of her latest book "The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns".  This book is a must have for quilters and historians alike.  Jinny shares over 4,050 blocks with their historical reference and includes instructions to make the blocks any size you want.  Sure to be the must have book in any quilter's collection and it can be yours...FREE!

To enter to win, go to jinny@thequiltshow.com and type in "Quilter's Album" in the subject line.  Deadline to enter is Monday, December 14, 2009 at midnight PST.  Jinny will ship internationally, so everybody is encouraged to enter to win this autographed copy.

(Note: you can also just type the email address into your email program if you are having problems with the link)

BONUS:  Download Jinny's "Border Print Placemat Pattern" for FREE:  click here .   

To watch Lesson #1: "Jinny Beyer Designing Fabric" click here.

To watch Lesson #2:  "Jinny Beyer Using Border Prints" click here.

Stayed tuned for more TQS lessons from Jinny!

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January 4, 2010 – It’s the deadline for entering the 2010 AQS Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah.  You’ve dreamed about entering a show and this year you’ve made your masterpiece.  Your friends tell you it is wonderful, your family tells you it is wonderful, you even think it is wonderful, but you’re afraid to enter it into a juried quilt show.  Have you ever considered if everyone were afraid, there would be no quilt shows?  Sometimes you just have to put on your “big girl” panties and go for it.   So here you go…10 Things to Know About Entering a Show.

1.  Check the deadline.  The quilt show might be in April, but the entry deadline might be in January.

2.  Read the rules for that particular contest/show.  Every show is different, a quilt that qualifies as a wall quilt in one show, might be a bed quilt in another.

3.  Complete the entry form.  Aside from the obvious name, address, and telephone number, you’ll need to have a name for your quilt, the dimensions of your quilt, and the insurance value of your quilt. Most contests will insure quilts up to a certain value without an appraisal. You may also need the name and contact information for your local newspaper.

4.  Select the category in which your quilt belongs.  Again, check the rules to make sure you enter your quilt where it will be best represented.

5.  Write a descriptive paragraph.  Some shows require a description of your quilt; others want a brief description of your design process.  Be just as creative when writing about your quilt, as you are when you are making it.

6.  Give proper credit.  If you used someone’s pattern or book, or altered an existing design, make sure you give credit to the originator of the design.

7.  Photography:  Two photos are usually required: one of the entire quilt and one a close-up of the quilt.  A photograph can make or break an entry.  You don’t want Grandma Suzie’s shoes peeking out from the bottom of the quilt.  For help in photographing your quilt, watch Episode 205 where Gregory Case (Photo Man) discusses properly photographing quilts and Episode 308 where he shares great tips on what to emphasize in your quilt photos when submitting them for a show.

Photos usually need to be submitted on a CD.  You can do this yourself or have it done for you at a local shop or online.  You can have your photos taken professionally.  Gregory Case would be an excellent choice:  http://www.gregorycase.com/ .  C & T publishing also has a photography service: http://www.ctpub.com/client/client_pages/sites/CT_photoservices.html.

Some shows require that you send a headshot to accompany your entry form.    Generally, they want a picture of you from the shoulders up, against a plain background.  These do not have to be professionally done, but if you feel you might be entering more than one contest, it might be worthwhile to have one made up for you.

8.  Entry Fees:  Most shows/contests require an entry fee.  This can range anywhere from $10 to $40 dollars per quilt.  Some fees are lowered if you are a member of the organization running the show.

9.  Sleeve and Label:  If your quilt is selected, it will require a sleeve and a label.  Read the rules to determine what that particular show requires.  An excellent document on making a sleeve can be found at: http://www.americanquilter.com/documents/shows_contests/sleeve_instructions.pdf  

10.  Shipping:  Once selected, you’ll probably have to ship your quilt unless you live nearby.  Make sure you pack it per the show/contest directions.  Some shows are very specific about packing materials and shipping labels and they may require the use of a particular carrier.  There might also be a return-shipping fee.

You can do it!

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Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness.  This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves.  We don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

Medline is donating a portion of the sales of the gloves to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Check it out.

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Tonight begins the first of eight days of celebration for Jews around the world.  Along with special holiday foods cooked in oil, gift exchanges, and lighting of the menorah, they will remember the victory of the Maccabees in 165 B.C.E.  Upon returning to the temple for its rededication the Jews found only one oil flask containing one day's oil remaining.  They used the small bit of oil they had to light the Menorah, and found that the oil lasted for eight days. 

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Quilters love new and cool tools, and what quilter wouldn't want a chance to play with the hottest new tool on the quilt scene today--the AccuQuilt GO!  Small and portable, the GO! gets the cutting chore done in no time flat. Well, TQS is giving you a chance to win one of your very own, and there are no strings attached. (Well, maybe a couple!)

1. You must be a TQS member (Basic or Star).
2. Only one entry per member allowed.
3. You must enter to win by sending an email to go@thequiltshow.com .

It couldn't be simpler...but don't wait!  You must submit your entry by 12:00 midnight PST on December 28, 2009.  The winner will be announced in the newsletter January 4, 2010..

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I guess you could call it sunny CA- but from SNOW in the bay area yesterday to a hard freeze last night (that's our fountain) - we do seem to have wacky weather going on. What's going on outside your window today?

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The remarkably talented Jinny Beyer is a wealth of quilt knowledge.  And we are thrilled that she generously has joined us in the TQS Classroom to share with all of us her secrets to "Designing Fabric" and to "Using Border Prints". 

In Jinny's Lesson #1, she shared her pattern for her White Nights Lap Size Quilt.   This modified log-cabin quilt is pieced using Jinny's White Nights collection.  The collection draws its rich, bright colors form the Hermitage Musuem in St. Petersburg, Russia. The intricate border design was inspired by the gilt work at the Palace of Peter the Great.  Wouldn't you love to make this quilt?  Now you can!

One lucky person will win Jinny's "White Nights Lap Size Quilt Kit".  Valued at $118, it's free to one of you this weekend!  To enter, click on jinnybeyer@thequiltshow.com and write "White Nights" in the subject line.  Deadline for entry is Monday, December 7, 2009 at midnight PST.  So hurry!

(Note: you can also just type the email address into your email program if you are having problems with the link)

To see more of Jinny's patterns and kits, visit her at www.jinnybeyer.com.

To watch Lesson #1: "Jinny Beyer Designing Fabric" click here.

To watch Lesson #2:  "Jinny Beyer Using Border Prints" click here.

Stayed tuned for more TQS lessons from Jinny!

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The Full-Spectrum Natural Fibers, Quilts & the Textile Arts Exhibit at the Binghamton University Art Museum in Vestal, NY, which we highlighted in a previous video, will be closing December 5.  This show actually includes three distinct exhibits, The Evolution of Fibers, Vibrations:  Color Resonance in Antique Quilts, 1860-1940, and a Contemporary Quilt Show featuring quilting pioneers such as Carol Doak, Libby Lehman, Hollis Chatelain and many more.    Click on the flyer for a panoramic view of this glorious celebration of quilting from a completely different perspective.

If you missed the original video of the Full-Spectrum exhibit, click here.

For additional information visit www.artmuseum.binghamton.edu.