02.24.10
One More Day
Here’s what the mailman brought over the past two days. Tomorrow is the last day to get your entry together. I look forward to seeing your submission!!!
02.22.10
A Quick Visit to Lindsay
Yes, indeedy. It’s almost time for signboards to go up. The banner has been delivered to McDermont Field House, and soon it will grace the side of the building. Quilt Show!! April 9, 10, 11!!!
I was SO disappointed today when I realized it was a no mail day. No mail meant no magic envelopes filled with photos of your amazing creations. Rather than sort through and register entries, I made use of the time to travel to Lindsay. When I walked in with bookmarks, they smiled. When I walked in with a signboard, someone asked, “Quilt Show again? Already?!!” Yes!!! Already!!! It will be here sooner than you know. See you then!
02.16.10
tick, tick, tick…
Hear ye, hear ye! The clock is ticking and time is running out to submit your entries for our 2010 show. The deadline is February 25.
The mailman has brought a slow and steady stream to my mailbox for the past month or so, but there’s something missing…I’m missing YOUR entry!! I know I’ve talked to dozens of you who intend to enter the show. I hope you don’t delay too long. That deadline is sneaking right up on you!!
Other than that, things are moving along briskly.
One thing I want to mention is our vendors. In January, we posted our 2010 vendor list. However, there have been some changes since that time. Not every vendor listed on the website will be coming to the show. Our Vendor Chair has received more than one phone call from a vendor who will be unable to come, due to serious illness in the family. We have a waiting list, so we won’t be short vendors, but I did want to tell you that those who are actually present in April might be a bit different from those who listed on the website. I’ll try to get an update together for you and post it here.
And that’s about it. I look forward to receiving your entry(ies) and seeing you at the Show!!! Mark your calendars, April 9, 10, 11…
02.05.10
A New Award
Are you going through your latest work, trying to decide on just the right quilts to enter into the show? Are you worried that your work is not “artsy” enough? Banish those thoughts right here and now!
I am pleased to announce that Best of the Valley has a new award sponsored by Dr. Ted Sobieralski. It is called “Grandpa’s Choice,” and will honor the “Best Traditional Bed Quilt.”
The good doctor tried to describe the parameters for selecting the recipient, but we did him one better. HE will personally select the quilt to receive this award. The rosette will be accompanied by a $100 premium. Can you see why I’m so pleased to make this announcement?
If you’ve got a great quilt, please enter it in the show! We want to explore and acknowledge all kinds of quilting, and yours might be just the quilt we’re looking for to make the show complete. The deadline is February 25, so you’d better take those pictures soon!
Thanks for stopping by, and see you at the show. It’s a mere 2 months away!
02.02.10
Our Featured Artist Has a Blog
Hello BOTV Friends! Are you getting your entries ready for the show? Don’t forget the deadline - it might just sneak up on you. Entries need to be postmarked by February 25, 2010. I’ve received a number of entries already, as well as many sponsor checks for prize money. The vendors are making their final payments and the facility is prepared for our April show. Behind the scenes we are working furiously. Once the doors open, I trust you will have a wonderful time, examining all of the things the show has to offer.
Did I tell you that we have two Hoffman trunks coming again this year? We’ll have both wallhangings and wearables on display.
Our Featured Artist, Anna Koelewyn, has also been busy. Not only has she been frantically trying to finish some wonderful new pieces, she’s begun a blog. You can find her on Blogspot, as The Artist Within. (This is the first time for me to try to insert a link on Word Press. I hope it worked!)
I guess that’s it for now. I just wanted to be sure you were thinking about the show, because we (The Committee) most definitely are. In a little over two months, it will be Show Time! Hope to see you there!!!
01.19.10
Check Our Updates
Hello, Hello!
We continue to work behind the scenes to pull together the 2010 Best of the Valley. Our vendor space is sold, and you will find a list of this year’s vendors on the website. There are links to their websites, if available, and you might want to see who our vendors are. Who knows? You might want to preplan your show shopping! 
We’ve also made arrangements with two local hotels to offer Best of the Valley rates during the show. The links to the hotels are on our home page. Hopefully this service is something our out of town attendees will take advantage of.
I guess that’s it for now. The clock is ticking and the entries are coming in. Don’t forget to take your pictures and send in your entries. We know that you’ve been busy over the past year making something wonderful, and we can’t wait to see it!!
And if your quilt isn’t finished yet? You’ve got a little over a month to get it done. That’s my plan. Goals are good.
01.06.10
OOPS!!
ouch! I don’t know what calendar I was looking at when I typed up the entry forms, but if you’re thinking “February 25 is Thursday, not Wednesday,” you are correct.
Don’t worry. If you mail your entry on the 25th, and it is postmarked as such, it will be accepted. But rather than wait until the very last day, why not get your entry together now and send it in? When I’m not on the computer, I’m making an effort to get my entries together for this year’s show. I’m sure you’ve finished something that you are eager to share. Be assured that we are eager to see it as well.
And again, sorry about that date confusion. I don’t know what I was thinking!!
01.05.10
Welcome 2010!
By now the sounds of ringing in the New Year are beginning to fade and the reality of early January is setting in. In the Central Valley, that means the fog is here, and incentive to stay indoors creating is ever-present.
For those of us at Best of the Valley, things are heating up. By now you should have received your entry forms in the mail, that is, if you are on our mailing list. If not, you can click on the “entry form” page of the website and print your own. Don’t forget to print out the page of guidelines as well.
If you are new to quilt shows, you can also find tips for photographing your quilts and how to make a quilt sleeve.
The first completed entry forms have already arrived. If your entry is finished, be it doll, quilt, or wearable, there’s no time like the present to photograph it and submit your entry. Don’t forget, they must be postmarked by Wednesday, February 25, 2010, for consideration. That date tends to sneak up on all of us, even when we’ve marked our calendars.
And if you’ve never entered a quilt show? Perhaps 2010 is the year to consider it. Without artists willing to share their work, there would be no show. We appreciate each and every one of you who takes that step and enters.
And if you don’t want to enter this year? Then plan to come and see the show on April 9, 10, 11. Perhaps you will find just the inspiration for your next masterpiece. I know that I often do just that.
Happy New Year, and Happy Quilt/Wearable/Dollmaking to each and every one of you! See you in April!!
11.19.09
Get Ready, Here They Come
Hmmm. I seem to be having some photo insertion difficulties today. I wonder why that is?
The Committee has been busy behind the scenes, here’s a hint as to how we spent our morning:
This was taken about 20 minutes before the workers arrived. Two hours later, the envelopes were stuffed, stamped, labeled and sealed. They should be hitting your mailbox by next week. These are the entry forms, and we are hoping that you are on our mailing list and enter at least one quilt. If you are not on our list, all of the entry information should be online soon. It’s been submitted to our webmaster, and I’m hoping that she’ll get to it in the next couple of days.
If you can’t wait, click the “contact us” link on the website and email me. I’ll mail you a hard copy.
Good luck with your submissions, and be warned! Our entry deadline of February 25, 2010, will be here sooner than you think!!
10.29.09
A Sneak Preview
Last week I went to see an art quilt exhibit. It is called “Pins and Needles,” and it is currently at the Hanford Art Center in Hanford, CA. The works of members of the Common Threads Quilt Guild are on display, and it is quite the display indeed. There are some more traditional pieces, but for the most part, this is an art gallery, and the quilts in the exhibit are art quilts.
Our 2010 featured artist, Anna Koelewyn, has several pieces included in the show. I thought I might give you a preview of what you might see in our April show. Keep in mind that she’s not just an art quilter. She has quite a body of work, spanning the tradition from large pieced bed quilts to itty bitty pieces of art…and everything in between.
This first piece is called Dreams of Yosemite. I believe she began the work in a class taught by Rose Hughes.
The next was one of my favorites in the gallery. It is called “Earthquake: It’s not my fault.”
I love her attention to detail, and the off-setting of the two pieces. It captivates me.
Hopefully it’s caught your attention as well, and you’ve already marked your calendar for April 9, 10, 11, 2010. Best of the Valley is coming right up, and it’s going to be a wonderful show!