Aussie Sisters Celebrate Sensational Success

Helen Stubbings from Lenah Valley, Tasmania and Tracey Browning from Kanida, SA were awarded the Brother Wall Machine Workmanship Award for their quilt, Lace #2 at the American Quilters’ Society Quilt Show in Paducah, April, 2007. (image courtesy of AQS)

Brother Wall Machine Workmanship Award at the 2007 AQS Quilt Show
Lace #2 by Helen Stubbings and Tracey Browning, Tasmania

Tracey writes from Paducah…
It was certainly a lovely surprise and very exciting! Unfortunately, I arrived about 10 minutes too late to accept the award but Helen made it with only about 5 minutes to spare.

{quotes align=right} We were both shaking and pretty overwhelmed by it all and it took a while for it to sink in.{/quotes}

We received a lovely cheque and a crystal vase that sits on top of a wooden plaque with an engraved plate on it as well as a hand-made ribbon by Bonnie Browning. Helen is keeping the ribbon and I get the plaque and vase as it was my design and quilting and the award was for best machine workmanship. Of course, the quilt would not have been such as success without the enhancing of the Colouque’®, however, which truly brought out my design. 

The whole city of Paducah is renamed Quilt City for the week of the quilt show, with all the locals getting involved with food stalls and driving free buses and trolleys around all the venues and hotels for visitors. The young kids did so well working at  the food vendors and were always smiling and enthusiastic to all quilters. It was amazing that everyone celebrated with us on our win no matter where we went - quite a different atmosphere to the shows in Australia.

We managed to visit Hancocks of Paducah a couple of times, had wonderful chats with Ricky Tims, Sharon Schamber and many others who are all just normal friendly quilters like the rest of us. Bronwyn Vant Hof, another Australian semi-finalist, was staying with us in our hotel and it was fantastic to get her photo with her quilt hanging as well.

The quilts were absolutely amazing -it really is the best of the best at this show and something to aspire to!

Editors comment: I think the rest of the world is now wanting to aspire to the very high standard set by two talented Aussie girls from Tasmania.