AAQI Takes Over Houston IQF!

This is a quilt by Fannie Narte that I purchased in Houston this year. It leapt off the walls into my arms and I knew it had to come home with me. It's called "Broken Wings" and the artist statement reads as follows: "This is a hand painted quilt with two borders made from commercial cotton fabrics. It's embellished with beads, hand embroidery and it is machine quilted. If you study the design of this quilt, you will see images of yellow butterflies with broken wings. If you drop a glass cup onto a cement floor, chances are that it will break into many pieces. When someone experiences life-altering changes, a good one-word description of how that person may feel is "broken." I think that an Alzheimer's patient and every family member of that Alzheimer's patient may feel broken. What was once whole and is now shattered into pieces is "broken." "Broken Wings" was inspired by these feelings."

Fannie was able to come spend the day in the booth with us at IQF on Saturday which was a wonderful thing for all of us.  She's such a sweet gentle soul just filled to the brim with inspiration!

I absolutely LOVE the quilt and will proudly add it to my ever growing collection of Priority Quilts. Now to get them all on the walls of my studio one day!

I consider being in Houston with this amazing group of women each fall to be one of the highlights of my year. It's the most difficult thing I do and at the same time, it's the most fulfilling thing that I do. This year I was struck by the number of times the exact right buyer found the exact right quilt for the exact right reason. There is a higher power at work here, and I'm so glad it can flow through our hands and hearts and into yours.  I am proud to be a part of this organization.

The following is a press release from AAQI and it gives the results from the celebrity quilt auction this year.  What fabulous quilts - I had the awesome job of hanging them on the display each day when we set up the booth.  It was great to see them so up close and personal!

(Burton, Michigan) -- November 29, 2011: The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative’s (AAQI) third annual celebrity quilt auction raised a record breaking $14,025 for the nonprofit. This year’s theme was the "Stanley Cup Quilt-Off." Twelve quilters in two teams competed for bragging rights, the highest selling quilt earning its maker the MVP award. The Feed Dogs team members were Alex Anderson, Hollis Chatelain, John Flynn, Becky Goldsmith, Renae Haddadin, and Sue Nickels. The Rotary Blades members were Caryl Bryer Fallert, Pat Holly, Libby Lehman, Judy Mathieson, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims. Hollis Chatelain raised $2,570 with her quilt "Hollow," (shown above) a 16" x 16" thread-painted, machine quilted image of a woman's face which earned her the coveted MVP award. This is the third year in a row her quilt earned top dollar in the charity auction. A Viewer's Choice component to the "Stanley Cup Quilt-Off" was also offered at International Quilt Festival in Houston and online. Each $1.00 donation was counted as one vote, raising an additional $2,277.26 overall. Profits from sales of earrings made with images of each of the 12 auction quilts brought in $1,025, bringing the total for the event to $17,327.26. High and low resolution images of the twelve quilts are available at: http://www.alzquilts.org/scphotos.html . The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative is a national, grassroots organization whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. "Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope" (a nationally touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's) and the Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilt project are two of its efforts. The AAQI has raised more than $679,000 for Alzheimer’s research since January 2006. Ami Simms of Flint, Michigan is the founder and executive director of AAQI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Her mother had Alzheimer’s.