After more than five decades of quilting, I still feel a quiet thrill walking into a quilt show. This year, I was deeply honored to receive First Place in the Block Contest, at the North Bingham County District Library Annual Quilt Show — the fourth time I’ve been awarded this recognition there.
The block I entered is from a pattern by renowned paper-piecing designer Carol Doak, whose work has influenced generations of quilters. While the structure of the design is hers, the fabric selection and placement allowed me to bring my own voice to the piece — a conversation between designer and maker that I’ve always loved about quilting.
The block contest starts out with a focus fabric that you pick up at the library for a small donation of $1.00. You must then use that fabric in any way you choose to create a block that measures 12.5" square.
For this block, I chose fabrics that balanced bold contrast with a vintage sensibility, carefully considering how color movement would guide the eye around the star. Precision piecing was essential; every point meeting cleanly was part of honoring the integrity of the design. The light blue floral fabric was the focus fabric for this block. In thinking about the fabric pull I opted to focus on a patriotic theme since this is the 250th Anniversary year for our country. I made a template for each of the paper piecing sections and cut and labeled my fabrics for easy in assembly.
Quilting has been part of my life for over 50 years. It has seen me through seasons of change, growth, and creativity, and it continues to challenge and inspire me. Awards are lovely, but the true reward has always been the process — the quiet rhythm of stitching and the satisfaction of bringing something beautiful into the world.
One of the things I treasure most about the North Bingham County District Library Quilt Block Contest is that it’s a blind competition.
Visitors to the show vote for the block they love most — without knowing who made any of them. Names are only revealed at the very end.
So this First Place Honor means something especially meaningful to me. 🏆
It was chosen purely on the work itself.
Here are some photos of the Pieced Blocks portion of the Block Contest, So many talented contributions! All of the blocks are then raffled off and given to the winner of that raffle!
If you’re interested in more of my work, original designs, patterns, and curated vintage fabrics, you can find them here at Sister of The Divide as well as on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
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