Just a quick “check in” from Santa Clara, CA where the energy is flying high! After Colin dropped me off on Tuesday afternoon I hung my special exhibit (there are three images in the slideshow today) and then spent the evening getting ready for teaching and judging.
Yesterday began early with a briefing for judges over breakfast. What an energetic and knowledgeable group! With the assistance of tireless scribes and a strong focus on the task at hand we completed our judging in good time. My group of judges were comprised of Gloria Loughman, Bobbie Bergquist and myself. We had the awesome challenge to judge the innovative category with 132 amazing entries. A true feast for the eyes we just knew after our first walk about how difficult it would be to select the award winners. With the help of two scribes we soon set out to carefully evaluate each quilt as a team and formulate concise critiques. We worked hard from 8 am till 5:30 pm with about 45 minutes for lunch, and once we had proof-read our feedback and signed the judging sheets we knew we had done the best job possible. I was tired but it was the kind of tired one experiences after completing a worthwhile task. I feel honored to have been selected by Mancuso Shows to serve as a quilt judge in the US once again.
But, as “they” say… There is no rest for the wicked. This morning I welcomed a group of keen quilters who signed up to explore machine and hand embellishment over two days. After last year’s 21 students I feel almost as if I am on holiday with only 10 participants. We made a great start and everyone left with satisfied smiles and anticipation for tomorrow. Today’s slideshow features some of the work in progress and their creators…
I am having a great time here, can you tell? Stay tuned for more images and another “report” shortly. I will also try to capture some of the winners selected by four committed judging teams – the crowds are vast and there is always a large group of admirers gathered in front of the biggest winners (which makes it nearly impossible to take pictures!)… I can’t blame them!
Anna Hergert, Art & Design 
