Patrick Lose Studios: A Great State Fair!

Another Iowa State Fair is history and it was definitely one to remember. We had a blast! All but a class or two were sold out and, although the weather was unbelievably perfect for most of the run, I think the rainy weather a couple of the days was to blame for the few empty seats. There were almost 700 quilts entered in the competition for which I was one of the judges and I loved having the opportunity to see each one up close. It was especially awesome to see the quilts in the junior division and the level of talent in Iowa’s young quilters. I’m certain there are more blue ribbons in their future.

Our sponsors were amazing and offered so much to the classroom to make each class enjoyable and educational for the students. I really want to thank RJR Fabrics, The Warm Company, Havel’s Sewing, Fons & Porter and Suzanne Sievers and The Stitch in Jefferson, Iowa for providing the great Janome machines that were a part of this and last year’s classroom. Suzanne was also on hand much of the time to help students in learning the fine details of the machines and to assist with our Piecing For Prizes competition which was another huge success this year!

One of the best things about the competition was the fact that my 12-year-old niece, Morgan, decided to give it a try. Even though she had never sewn before, she walked away with a quilt top she made in an hour and a half. That’s Morgan at the top of the post. Below are our first and second place winners in the competition, a mother/daughter duo who brought lots of energy and laughs along with them! Believe it or not, Christina (daughter) completed her quilt top in 36:42!

The photos that follow are a few memories from the fair. We’ve already begun
discussions to make next year’s fair even better, so start making your plans now
to get to the 2015 Iowa State Fair! I hope to see you there :)