Квилтер из штата Айова получила высшие награды на ярмарке штата за патриотичные лоскутные одеяла

Robyn Holden of Shell Rock is celebrating an impressive showing at the Iowa State Fair after two of her quilts earned some of the fair’s highest honors. After entering two pieces in this year’s Iowa State Fair competition, both quilts received some of the top awards in the quilting exhibit, which for Holden was “exhilarating.” “I was pretty excited,” she said. “It’s something that, as a quilter, I’ve always wanted to have my work be recognized because of all the time I put into it.” Her red, white and blue quilt, “Heavenly Abode,” earned the America 250 Award as well as Best Pieced. She created the quilt as part of Australian quilter Kathryn Kerr’s Star of Wonder Challenge, a quilting program she participates in with a group of eight women from around the world. She said that it took her 1,200 hours to complete the quilt, which Holden estimated took around a year and a half from start to finish, also noting that the quilt has 11,600 pieces in it. “It was a beast,” Holden added. The patriotic quilt will also have the opportunity to travel beyond Iowa. In November, “Heavenly Abode” will be included in a special exhibit of quilts for Kerr’s group in the Houston International Quilt Show in Houston, Texas. Her second entry, “Striped in Glory,” received Best of Show and Best Overall Workmanship and Design. The quilt was created from a pattern based on a quilt made in 1876 in honor of the centennial celebration of the United States. Holden participated in another program with quilter Anne Dawson from the state of Washington to start and complete this quilt. Because of Dawson’s interest in history and antique quilts, the local quilter was drawn to the 15-month program. “I thought it would be fitting for the 250th anniversary of the country,” Holden noted. The recognition was especially significant considering the level of competition at the state fair. Holden explained that she found out about her honors after walking around the state fair with her husband, John, on Aug. 14, when she saw the ribbons. “I had no idea,” she said. “It feels good to be recognized in that way.”