I'm Just Sayin

I’ve just returned from Dubai where I had a fantastic time teaching four master class sessions to about 80 students on one day and the privilege of judging their quilt show on the next. My co-judge was Ina Meyer from South Africa. Dubai is a multi-cultural city with a tremendous number of Ex-pats working there. The women focus their time on patchwork and there were amazing quilts to see. The Desert Quilt Guild (formerly the Dubai Quilt Guild) works in conjunction with Classic Quilts and Quilting, a wonderful quilt shop owned by Shanker and Mala Ramakrishnan.

Here is a link to photos of the winning quilts in a ‘digital magazine’ format.

Below are photos I took while I was there. It was a short trip, but I made many wonderful friends and met fantastic quilters from all over the Middle East.

Check out the winners at the Dubai Quilt Show here.

Ricky had a fantastic time teaching four master class sessions to about 80 students on one day and the privilege of judging their show on the next. His co-judge was Ina Meyer from South Africa. Dubai is a multi-cultural city with a tremendous number of Ex-pats working there.

From the desert in the Middle East to the Ozarks in less than a week! Woohoo!!!!

March was a busy month and after my "quick jaunt" to Dubai for the Dubai International Quilt Show I headed to Hot Springs Arkansas.

Our Super Quilt Seminar in Hot Springs might be history, but the memories and fun we had are sure to remain for many years. We appreciate the support of the host guild, Hot Springs Area Quilt Guild, and the presence of Hickory Hill Quilts. Alex Anderson and Melinda Bula were guest presenters. 

Below are some photos from the event. We sure hope to see you at an upcoming Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar.

Day One: Registration begins and the doors open (left), andThe Great "Strip Race (right)

Ricky, Alex and Melinda answer audience questions.

Enjoying the quilt show.

Ricky teaching an attentive audience.

A most unusual gift - a roll of toilet paper with the Arkansas Razorback's mascot logo and "Hawg Wipes" embroidered right on the roll!

We are pleased to announce that Florine Turlington from West Richland, Washington has been selected as the recipient for the 2013 Ponnie Brinkman Scholarship. The scholarship was established as a tribute to Ponnie Brinkman, a quilter from St. Louis, MO who met Ricky, a then fledgling quilter, and invited him to his first guild. 

Recipients of the scholarship must be "new quilters" who have not been quilting for more than three years. They are nominated by a quilt guild for showing great promise and enthusiasm for quilting. Florine will receive free tuition to Ricky Tims's La Veta Quilt Retreat plus $500 toward expenses.

Details regarding submissions for the 2014 Ponnie Brinkman Scholarship are available here.

Congratulations to Florine!

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will be announcing the Ponnie Brinkman Scholarship Winner on December 3rd. Stay tuned!

Social issues have always been a part of the quilting culture. Quilts supporting war efforts as well as anti-war statements have been created as a way for the artist to speak. Quilts made in support of the temperance movement of the early 1900s were made to express a stance. Artist don't communicate with words, they communicate with imagery which filters in through the eye. Musicians communicate with sounds and emotions that filters in through the ears. I'm an artist more than I am a writer, so for me, music and art are my best vehicles for communication.

I have made quilts that express my personal philosophies. I made a quilt to work though the emotions of 9/11. Yesterday I made a quilt to expressing current social issues on marriage equality. I feel blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to express ourselves without fear of adverse repercussions,  imprisonment, or death. I mean no disrespect for anyone's choice of opinion, I'm just an artist sharing my work and making my own statement.

Interestingly for me, the simple shapes in the marriage equality logo screamed, "Make me a Modern Quilt!" - and so I did. "Modern Quilts" are a new style of minimalistic quilts.  They tend to have larger open areas of negative space, the pieces are often large, and the quilting creates a dominant, but repetitive texture.

This one is called Red See. It measures 32" x 48".