Susan E. Stewart received $2,500 for Gilded Roses from Sponsor Baby Lock
When you ask Susan Stewart how long she has been sewing, her reply is, “All my life.”
Susan spent many years doing heirloom sewing for a company in Alabama. She started her quilting path in 2004 and won a blue ribbon at Quilt Festival in Houston for her very first quilt. No wonder she exclaimed, “I was hooked!” Gilded Roses was inspired by the lacy, watercolor-y rose machine embroidery design from Urban Threads. Susan said she could picture the roses done in a rainbow of different shades, adding a touch of variety to an all-white and gold quilt. She added some lacy, scroll-y gold swirl designs from OESD to pick up on the lacy designs in the rose motifs and then added some large lace designs. The lace designs are John Deer Adorable Designs are stitched on the fabric and are also done as free-standing work along the edges. The quilting was done to add interest and to highlight the embroidery. It took Susan 2½ months to complete Gilded Roses, “the shortest time ever to finish a quilt!” She said that she had just finished another quilt and guessed that she “was on a roll!” What was Susan’s biggest takeaway from making Gilded Roses? “I learned that it is very time-consuming to stitch the binding on entirely by hand!” Susan said she had forgotten that she had entered Gilded Roses in Road’s 2018 quilt contest. When she received the notice that she had won, she was at home, recovering from some physical issues. Susan was thrilled and delighted to win Best Domestic Machine Quilting for Gilded Roses and exclaimed, “Woohoo! $2500!” What was Susan going to do with her prize money? “Honestly, it will go toward bills.” Susan isn’t sure what the next step will be in her quilting adventure. “I don’t know. Recent events have thrown a big curve ball at me, and I don’t know where I’ll land. If I can continue making contest quilts, I will. If I can’t, then I’ll re-invent myself! Where will you see me next? Who knows!” Congratulations Susan for winning Best Domestic Machine Quilting for Gilded Roses and best wishes for your future endeavors.]]>
