Every year I wait anxiously to hear who won the big awards at International Quilt Festival in Houston. Last night, the Handi Quilter Best of Show Award went to Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, Wyoming for Eternal Beauty.
Eternal Beauty by Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, Wyoming won the Handi Quilter Best of Show Award in Houston at International Quilt Festival. Photo: Quilts, Inc.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the quilt was inspired by her late mother, Carolyn Craven, who died in November 2011 after struggling with multiple sclerosis for 40 years.
Detail of Eternal Beauty by Sherry Reynolds. Photo: Quilts, Inc.
The quilt is “an elaborate combination of metallic thread and ornate piecework finished off with embedded Swarovski crystals that danced in the light…”, according to chron.com.
From left: Brenda Groelz, Director of Marketing and Education for Handi Quilter, Best of Show winner Sherry Reynolds, and Darren Denning, Handi Quilter CEO.
Reynolds accepted in person a check from Handi Quilter for $12,500. More than $97,000 in prize money is awarded at the annual event.
Over the Waves by Setsuko Matsushima from Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan. Photo: Quilts, Inc.
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The Founders Award of $7500 sponsored by International Quilt Festival went to Over the Waves by Setsuko Matsushima from Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan, above.
Reminiscence by Mariko Takeda of Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan. Photo: Quilts, Inc.
Reminiscence by Mariko Takeda of Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan took the Robert S. Cohan Master Award for Traditional Artistry, sponsored by RJR Fabrics for $5000.
It’s fairly common for quilts made in the U.S. and Japan to win the major awards, but less so for quilts made in Europe and South America. So I was pleased to see the World of Beauty Award for $7500 go to An Old Woman with Joyous Face by Marina Landi from Sao Paulo, Brazil and Natasha de Souza Bugarin. This award was sponsored by Baby Lock.
An Old Woman With Joyous Face by Marina Landi of Sao Paulo, Brazil with Natasha de Souza Bugarin. Photo: Quilts, Inc.
Find more winners and images at the IQF winners page for 2018.
Up next: How does a regular quilter respond to over-the-top winners at a major quilt show?
Visit International Quilt Festival to plan your trip to Festival in 2019.
I would sure love to see those up close. Beautiful!
Jan, it’s wonderful to visit a major quilt show and be able to see the winners. I’ve been to Houston a few times, always inspiring! Thanks for visiting the HQ Stitch blog. 🙂
This quilt should win each and every prize that comes along.
Fantastic quilting and design. Amazing amount of work and talent.
Cudos to both Marina and Natasha.
Wren
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?! Thank you for visiting the HQ Stitch blog. 🙂
Hey, Handi Quilter TEam!
You’be glad to know that NATASHA BUGARIN, quilted the “An Old Woman With Joyous Face” quilt on an Handi Quilter Avanté!
how fun is that?! Awsome!
thank you for the kind attention to post our quilt with Marina! <3
Thank you for reaching out. It’s always wonderful to see a talented artist using Handi Quilter as a tool to express her dreams! Congratulations and Best Wishes for continued happy quilting.