This morning we had the Panel Challenge reveal at Foothills.  I never did finish mine; after the last snafu with it I put it aside since it was starting to become stressful rather than fun.  At some point <g> I will return to it.  

We had 11 ladies participating, vying for these 3 prizes.

  The stories behind the quilts were interesting, and there was a wide range of projects.  Afterwards, when it was time for us to vote for our top 3 favorites, we all agreed it was difficult to choose!

Linda Puttmann, who organized the challenge, went first.  Years ago (before she started quilting) she became ill and was looking for something to do to cheer herself up.  Since she'd always enjoyed sewing clothes (but didn't need any more clothing) she decided to try her hand at quilting.  She liked the Dear Jane pattern, but that's not an easy quilt to make, and it quickly became apparent she would have to start with something much easier.  When she found a Dear Jane panel, she knew she'd hit gold.  Heavy quilting around each 'patchwork' block gives the impression that the blocks are pieced and not just printed.  And her needle-turned applique in the center sets off the quilt beautifully.

Louise Grant used 3 different panels to make up her Friendship quilt - 2 on the front (one of quilting ladies, and one of friendship quotes)

and a third on the back.

Her 'lunch bunch' of quilters (shown in the photo) are also 'pictured' with fabric handprints that represent them. 

Judy Decker found her "Interlude" panel at the Prescott Show.  The ladies at the booth told her they had coordinating fabrics at their store in Prescott Valley, but Judy had taken the AQG bus up.  No surprise that she was thrilled when the bus stopped at that quilt store on the way home, where she reportedly 'bought out the store'!

Sharon Lichter found a flower panel she figured would be perfect for an upcoming Convergence class.  Unfortunately the class ended up being cancelled so she had to come up with her own version of a convergence.  Turned out pretty well!

And since she'd bought 2 panels, she made a second entry, a modified bargello.

Yolanda Balcazar also entered twice, with a cute snowman apron

and this chenille quilt made using 3 identical panels.

Mary Ann Caba started collecting fabric panels before she learned to quilt for that 'someday'.  I don't know how long she'd had this panel, but she did say she was "just happy to have it done!"

Sue McPherson is a new quilter, and took on the panel challenge to 'stretch' herself and 'not be intimidated'.  Her inspiration was the book Mooska, A Quilt Story. Sue appliqued and stuffed the Mooska cat, made up a little quilt (with tassels), and even constructed a pincushion (her first) from the leftover fabric. And when all was said and done, "It was fun!"

Mary Goshert had never done a panel quilt before.  She found a beach-themed panel she liked in the Hancock catalog and made this quilt for her daughter-in-law to use at their Rocky Point beach house.

 And check out the back of Mary's quilt -

Joan Davidson dug out a panel that had been waiting a long time in her to-do room (yes, a to-do ROOM!) and whipped up this tasty cappucino quilt.

Joan also shared a panel work-in-progress, Something To Crow About:

Ruth Benns took part of an advent calendar to create her Christmas in Penguin Square.

It has LOTS of embellishments!

Viola Raber had 'gotten rid' of her healthy panel stash (by making them into charity quilts for fire victims) shortly before this challenge was issued, so she had to actually go out and buy another panel. 

Linda asked me to help her tally the votes.  Then I had to make the announcement, because Linda was the big winner (she chose the Ott light.)  Ruth's penguin quilt took second place (she chose the Gingher scissors), and Mary's beach quilt took third.

Today Linda also brought me the Noah's Ark that Marty Zehr had not quite finished appliqueing.  It turned out stunning (as I knew it would!) and now I just have to decide what to do with it.

Today was our first meeting in the newly remodeled portable, and we were all quite impressed with how spiffy it turned out. It will be a wonderful setting for our upcoming November potluck.  And as of today, we're also going to be holding our monthly sew meetings there, instead of at Arrowhead Hospital.  

Sharon brought in the quilt she made from the blocks we presented to her in December 2012 as a Thank You for her year as Chapter Chair. We were to each make a 12.5" (unfinished) block using Southwest colors. 

My block is the turquoise/brown block on the bottom row, second from the left.  I used a simple design because I was 'not at my best' at that time.  So I was especially surprised when Sharon mentioned that only one block actually measured 12.5"....mine!

(I still haven't made my quilt from the blocks I got in December 2011, but I have an excuse...)

As I was walking out the door to head to the party (where they presented me with my blocks) the phone rang; when I answered it, the voice on the other end gave me the biopsy report: I had cancer.

But now that's all behind me  :-)

At some point I'll start catching up on projects, but currently at the top of the list is the wedding quilt for Jeff and Priscilla.

The cutting party at Laura's this afternoon was fun and productive.  After a delicious lunch 'catered' by Viola, the group made up about 30 quilt kits 'ready to sew'. 

This evening I watched a 9/11 show on the History Channel that used video footage captured by (mostly amateur) photographers that was extremely powerful and moving.  Surprisingly I had never seen any of that footage before, unlike the rest of the shows they've been airing this week.