The 2015 Quilt Block Design Unveiling

Last Thursday was a whirlwind, but it was certainly a blast! The winning design of our 2015 Quilt Block Design Contest by Sherry Rose was unveiled to a crowd of over 100, mostly retreaters from Country Traditions 5^th Annual Let’s GO! Quilting Retreat. Sherry attended the unveiling with her husband and son, while runner-up Heidi Fry also attended the event.

Sherry’s “Rainbow Twinkle” design is featured on a 17-foot sign outside our offices, and Heidi’s “Abby Burst” is displayed on a 5-foot sign inside our offices just above the entrance to the AccuQuilt Quilt Gallery.

“This is by far the best part of my prize package,” Sherry said after seeing her design being unveiled. Her family looked on proudly and snapped pictures with their cell phones.

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As if the quilt block design unveiling wasn’t enough, the retreaters were privy to a phenomenal presentation by the awesome and talented designer Edyta Sitar. She was such a great and entertaining speaker that she captivated everyone there. After her introduction by AccuQuilt president Greg Gaggini, Edyta received well-deserved applause and enthusiasm from the crowd. Meeting Edyta was probably the most exciting part of the day for many of the retreaters as they not only got to see some of her amazing quilts during her trunk show, but they also got to pick her brain for quilting tips and techniques.

Before starting her trunk show, Edyta told funny stories about how she started quilting and joked about many other things with her accommodating husband Michael, proudly bearing the brunt of most of her jabs. The topic of Edyta’s presentation was “Why People Quilt,” and she skillfully showed us the reasons why through her own quilts. Her designs tell the story of weddings, birthdays, babies, love of country, memorials, and so on. While presenting her stunning quilts with Michael’s assistance, we admired them openly in between bouts of laughter thanks to Edyta’s excellent comedic timing.

See a few of the striking quilts from Edyta's trunk show below.

On Friday, AccuQuilt visited with the retreaters again at their 4-day retreat at Country Traditions in Fremont, NE. Quilters shared their quilting stories, their current projects, and gladly posed for photographs. Edyta was also there teaching an appliqué class complete with plenty of tips and tricks for the students. She also answered their questions and provided one-on-one assistance when needed.

We want to thank everyone for making our unveiling event a memorable one. A special thank you to Edyta Sitar for effortlessly inspiring so many of us. Also, thank you to Leslie Main and the entire staff at Country Traditions for hosting such a wonderful retreat. Congratulations to you as the event was a huge success!

Until next time . . . keep sewing and quilting!