contest – Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Reed — Leave a comment

Busy Summer

It has been a very busy summer, designing new quilt patterns, teaching classes, attending a Niece’s wedding, designing quilt patterns for magazine submissions and entering a contest.

We entered the Accuquilt Block Design contest again this year. They should be announcing the winners very soon. Here are a few of the blocks that I entered this year. Thank you to everyone that voted for my blocks. I appreciate it very much!

Before attending a wedding, we went to a family farm, in Northern Minnesota, and I was able to walk across the Mississippi River, in Itasca State Park. This is where the great river originates and it is very narrow and shallow, enabling you to walk across. I would not try that in New Orleans where it is deep and wide. I also saw amazing sunflower fields and llamas.

My Niece got married this August in Stillwater, Minnesota. It was beautiful wedding at a flower farm and the rehearsal dinner was on a riverboat. I also went to the Como Park Conservatory, which has amazing floral displays.

I taught a Quilt-in-a-Day class on Kylee’s Kite at Bear Patch Quilting Company in White Bear Lake Minnesota. Everyone had a great time. Several students brought in their completed tops from this year and last year.

Student's Kylee's Kite — Student’s Kylee’s Kite

Student's Bear in My Watermelon Patch — Student’s Bear in My Watermelon Patch

I can’t reveal the quilt designs for the magazines yet, or several new patterns I developed with QT Fabrics. However, I can show you the Northwoods Holiday Medley Placemats that were designed for Accuquilt and the pattern is available as a free download on their website https://www.accuquilt.com/go-northwoods-medley-holiday-placemats.html

I can also show you our latest pattern, Kaleidoscope, that was designed with QT Fabrics. This pattern is available on our website, Craftsy, and coming to a quilt shop near you soon.

It is going to be a busy fall writing patterns and making a sample quilt for QT Fabrics that will be displayed at quilt market this November, utilizing a new line of fabrics for them.

Also, Blue Bear will be teaching on a cruise in 2020. We are very excited about this and hope to be able to provide you with details soon. When it is this far out, it will give you lots of time to plan and save for a quilting cruise. We are so excited to have the opportunity to quilt and cruise with you! Stay tuned.

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Reed — Leave a comment

Drumroll Please! Announcing the Grand Champion Prize Winner of the Accuquilt Block Design Contest.

I entered several blocks in the 2017 Accuquilt Block Design Contest. By popular vote, these two entries were the most popular.

Here were my other entries:

But the Grand Champion was my Purple Rose. It will be unveiled on the billboard outside the Accuquilt headquarters in Interstate 80 for an entire year. I am in the process of designing a quilt and a pattern for this block, which will be available in our shop.

I also entered this contest in 2016 and here were my entries from that year.

But the one that won Fan Favorite was Not Your Grandmother’s Flower Garden a.k.a. What Happens When Grandpa Tells Grandma No More Trips to the Fabric Store.It was designed with the Accuquilt Dresden Plate Die and Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

As a result of winning Fan Favorite, I was honored with a trip to Julien California to spend a week with Eleanor Burns, from Quilt in a Day, at her Fall quilt retreat at Camp Cedar Glen in the mountains. It was a wonderful time for which I am forever grateful.

Here are some photos from that trip.

Posted on April 28, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

When Doves Fly- Tribute to Prince Blue Bear’s latest quilt pattern.

Blue Bear was busy creating blocks for a contest, when he created this purple one that looks like birds flying. With Prince’s passing, he thought it would be a nice tribute to Prince, so he named it, “When Doves Fly.” It has 6 alternative layouts in the pattern; some are more organized and some are disorganized. This would be a great wall hanging for a modern loft or apartment. It would also look great in a student’s dorm room. The link to purchase this pattern is at the bottom of this post.

One of Many Possible Layouts
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/when-doves-fly/203859

Posted on April 12, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Blue Bear’s Accuquilt Contest Block

Grandma's Nectie Garden — Grandma’s Nectie Garden

The bear has entered a quilt block design contest and would love to win for the exposure that it would give him as a new quilt designer. He would love it is you would help him by clicking on the link below and voting for his block. He tells me that you can vote every 24 hours until 4/22. Silly bear. Even though, he does seem to be a pretty good designer.

http://www.accuquilt.com/shop/contest?confirmed=vote&entry_id=92192705

You need to confirm your email once, but you will not be put on their email list unless you check the box to opt into their emails. He wants me to ask you to ask your friends to help as well. Pesky bear, but it is a pretty quilt block and we would like for him to design some more.

Blue Bear and his friends thank you so much for your assistance!

Update: Blue Bear won the Fan’s Choice Award. Thank you everyone for all your help and your votes!

Posted on February 15, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

State Fair Winner!

Here are a couple of photos of a quilt we saw at the Florida State Fair yesterday that involved black work embroidery. It was created by Mary Kovalovsky of Brandon FL. She won a blue ribbon and deservedly so.

Posted on November 22, 2015September 6, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Blue Bear & Little Brown Bear

Here is the original Blue Bear, who won a blue ribbon at the Florida State Fair, and his buddy, Little Brown Bear. They are busy working on a pinwheel block.