SQUEEEE!!!! It's in...

My entry for the AQS Modern Quilt Challenge has been juried in!!! 

 

 I got the official notification letter via email yesterday.  My quilt will be joining 112 others hanging at AQS QuiltWeek Des Moines, October 2-5, 2013.  Not only will they be judged, a number of them will be selected to travel as an exhibit for a year.  I'm excited that I even made the cut!!

 

Why, you might ask  - not because I'm that good but because this was my first concentrated effort to do a 'Modern' on purpose. 

 

I'm a quilter, I do a wide range of styles.  I don't usually define myself with a particular group or trend.  I do traditional, traditional with a twist, art, contemporary, modern, pieced, applique, mixed, etc.  I use batiks, novelty prints, hand dyes, classical prints, civil war reproductions (this one is very new to me as part of a challenge), solids, florals, etc.  I design on graph paper with colored pencils.  I don't follow patterns as they can make me twitchy.  I have to do it 'my way' or 'make it better/me'. 

 

Oh now wait, I'm not saying that my way is better, as on occasion as a result of my decisions, I have ended up:

1. trying to re-invent the wheel which we all know is stupid, or

2. short of an impossible to find, out of print, desperately needed to finish this design fabric, or

3. tearing my hair out, muttering unprintable words causing DH, dogs and cats to nervously tiptoe around the house.

 

It's just the way my mind works. And believe me, it's pretty scary in there! Like right now, the design wall is blank,

 

 the 'Summer Stripes' blocks are hanging out in piles (and messy ones at that) on the cutting table. 

 

 Because I am struggling to get a layout that I like, because I couldn't just follow the inspiration quilt & I *had* to make over 200 blocks to do it my way.

 

I need to get back to the design wall later today.  I got myself into this mess and I'll have to arrange myself out of the mess and on to a quilt I like.

And I'm rambling, because it's Juried In and I can't help myself, so I think I'll go touch some fabric and try to calm down.
Besides, I need to make a hanging sleeve...