Hello, I'm Deanna Springer live at the Great Wisconsin Quilt
Show with insights to this year's event and I'm joined by
Karla Overland. Welcome Karla. Thanks for having me. And you
are the owner of Cherrywood Designer Fabrics? Yes I am. And
where are you located? We're in Brainerd, Minnesota. So I came
down this morning and I'm so happy to be making the drive to
Madison. And you hand dye all of your Cherrywood Designer
Fabrics. Yep. Me and a team of about ten people. We die a
little every day. You die a little bit every day. Your
fabrics are beautiful. And we'll take a look at those.
We're here to talk about your quilt exhibit that's traveling
the globe. And it's stopping here for three days at the
Great Wisconsin Quilt Show. Tell us about the quilt exhibit,
how people got involved with entering a quilt, and tell us
about some of the quilts that are here. Well, it's called the
Poppy Cherrywood challenge. So this year the theme was poppy.
However you want to interpret that. So everybody got eight
colors. And all of these quilts are made from just eight colors.
They couldn't add any other color. They couldn't add any
other fabric. But they could do any technique, any
embellishment, any threads. folding and manipulation. And
it is just incredible. And they all have to be 20in or 24. Is
it 20in square? 20in square. They look much larger in life
because they're so graphic. Yes. And the quilts next to you is
very interesting. It's a three dimensional quilt. Yes. This
every year people get more and more. They just try different
things. So we're getting a lot more three dimensional quilts.
And this one's very interesting because it's a door with a
hinge here. And you can actually open up the window and
there's another quilt underneath with all hand hand
stitching with embroidery floss. And it's very popular right now
to do that. Large stitching with embroidery floss. Yeah. So
that's just an example of the dimension. A lot of these have
dimensional leaves. And there's actually a lot of war. The
motifs because because poppies are veterans. Yeah. Yep. It's
the official flower of memorials and remembrance. So
you'll see a lot of interesting. I spotted those right away when
I walked up to the exhibit and it's set up day, so people
can't see the show today. But we have another challenge
coming out. That's. Yes, that's already announced. Tell us a
little bit about storytime. So storytime is the next
Cherrywood challenge. And this is based on that nostalgic feel
from us reading children's stories ourselves or reading to
our kids. So I selected eight colors again. And these are
real like subdued vintage kind of colors. And it's the same
thing. You can only use these colors. However we do have an
additional we call it a sketchbook bundle that you can
add some neutrals if you want. So this these must be used in
the challenge quilts. Yes. And there's a separate pack that's
a little bit smaller that complement it that are optional.
Yep. That's optional. And they have to be 20in square. And
same thing. You can just go hog wild, do whatever you want for
technique and also interpret this however you want. If you
want to, you know capture that that feeling of reading to your
children or if you want to base it off of a book, we just ask
that there's no licensed images in your quilt, and it has to be
original design. As with any want to get into problems with
licensing. That's a good point. Yeah, and you can learn more
about the Cherrywood challenge. Where at Cherrywood fabrics.
Com of your website. And you're right here on site at the
Cherrywood Nook in the Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio and Quilt
shop booth, right inside the front door. Yes. And you have
with you the Storybook Challenge fabrics. For the
first time in 21 years, the challenge fabrics are available
at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, right? The schedule has
moved up, so now we have the fabrics here to sell and the
deadline is February 15th. Okay, so everyone needs to visit your
website and print their entry forms or apply right online.
Well, you just buy the bundle and the rules come inside the
bundle. Oh great. And then when you submit the quilt, you take
a photo of it and upload it to our website. And that's where
you register. So for the people that buy the the pack here
today at the show this weekend, they go to your website to see
the challenge rules or you have them here, they're there.
They're already inside. Yes. Well, no wonder we can't see
they're hidden so well inside. Well, great. It's a beautiful
collection. And I know after the challenge was abyss. Yes.
So what's happening with abyss right now? So abyss is in the
stage of getting put together, like this collection here. And
those will start traveling this fall, and they'll be here next
year. And they are amazing. Amazing. Yeah, lots of blues.
We love blues. Yeah. And some little sparkles of pinks and
yellows, too. And you know, the abyss has such interesting
creatures. So to see what people came up with is just
super creative. Quilters are amazing and talented and so are
you. Karla we so appreciate you hand dyeing these fabrics. And
it's I know it's a multi-step process and a lot of rinsing,
and though they Cherrywood is the only fabric that has the
look of suede after you've done all your labor of love to make
it so beautiful, so congratulations a lot into it.
You do. Thank you so much. Great job, and thanks for being
here. Oh, you're very welcome. And you can come and see Karla
at the show in the Cherrywood Nook and see all the beautiful
fabrics. You have many fabrics, I would say over 100 different
fabrics and packs you have here today and this week, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday at the learn more about this year's
event and next year's event, head over to quilt Show.com.
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