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Ponnie Brinkman Scholarship Winner Announced

		Corey Ralph from Edmonton, AB, Canada has been chosen as the recipient of the 2016 Ponnie Brinkmann Retreat Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to a newbie quilter who has exhibited enthusiasm and great progress. Nominees may not have been quilting for more than three years. Additionally, they must have completed a minimum of six quilts and should exhibit confidence, enthusiasm, and originality. Their style of quilting (traditional, contemporary, or art quilts) does not make a difference in the selection process. All nominations for the scholarship are submitted by a quilt guild's board of directors and signed by the nominating board's representative.
		About Corey Ralph Corey is originally from Newfoundland, Canada. Being a family of all boys, his mother recently expressed her disappointment that she had no one to whom she could pass down her love of quiltmaking. Never one to pass up an opportunity, Corey told his mom...“show me… I’m interested!”. As noted by the board of the Edmonton Modern Quilt Guild, Corey “has become much more than a hobby quilter, a student, or customer. He has jumped in to all aspects of the quilting world with vigor and passion. In less than two years he has completed 29 full sized quilts, including hand-guided longarm quilting on most of them.”
		Corey volunteers in many organizations and has raised thousands of dollars for worthy causes. His passion and support for AIDS Lifecycle is remarkable. Not only has he ridden in this epic 500+ mile road-journey charity event, but he also designed and made three full-sized quilts for raffle in support of this great cause. CLICK ON QUILTS FOR LARGER VIEW
		He also produced an entertaining and successful fundraiser called *Fight Song*. Corey wrote, directed, played piano, and sang in this full-scale stage show production which included local entertainers and a beautiful backdrop of nearly 100 quilts. Corey will receive full tuition and $500 toward his expenses to attend an upcoming Ricky Tims La Veta Quilt Retreat in La Veta, Colorado.
Corey's Bears Paw Quilt		The Fight Song Quilt, by Corey Ralph
Detail of Elizabeth quilt, by Corey Ralph		Kool Kaleidoscope Quilt, by Corey Ralph

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Enrollment Now Open for 52-Week Photo Challenge

The Ricky Tims 52-Week Photo Challenge Class

Enrollment is Open - Save 75%

Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time! Enrollment is now open for my 2017 52-Week Photo Challenge class. Learn to get better results from your camera and stop using your nice camera as a point and shoot. In addition, you'll learn Photoshop and Lightroom. You'll also learn the Elements of Art and Principles of Organization. The course progresses over 52 Weeks (a full year) but it's all done in bite size pieces.
WATCH VIDEO FROM 2015 WATCH VIDEO FROM 2016
Though this is not a quilting class per se, I frequently meet quilters who want to design their own quilts and simply don't know where to start. Over 90% of quilters do not have a background in art or design. This photography class allows an individual to learn the design elements of art and the principles of organization in a friendly and manageable way. It's a lot easier to take hundreds of photographs than it is to make hundreds of quilts. Photography will accelerate the learning process.
The 52-Week Photo Challenge is one of the most comprehensive photo courses you'll find anywhere! It starts with the basics of photography - understanding how your camera works and learning to make it do what YOU want it to do.
PRESENTED IN THREE PARTS Enrollment for Part One is now open! SAVE 75% through December 15, 2016 NOW ONLY $149 Sign up today!
TESTIMONY from 2016 "Ricky Tims is a great teacher and I've learned a great deal this year. I got my first ever camera that isn't strictly a point and shoot, so the class pushed me to learn the camera in addition to the techniques that Ricky assigned. He also teaches some Lightroom and Photoshop techniques.They are both very powerful software packages and I've only touched the tip of the iceberg. It's been great fun with a great group of students. It's well worth the time and expense. This will be a lifelong endeavor. (Kind of like quilting and sewing and collecting books.)" — Arlene Abernathy

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Black Friday - 32% Savings!

Yum, yum yum. All the holiday fun and no calories! Sale ends Sunday night.

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HRC Quilt Block

		History was made in 2016 when Hilary Rodham Clinton became the first woman nominated by a major party for U.S president. Historically, quilters have often incorporated political themes into their quilts. Additionally, quilts with political symbols or design elements are sought after by collectors because they are documents the times. For those would would like to commemorate this historic achievement, I have create a FREE, easy-to-make quilt block based on the HRC campaign logo. Scroll down to download the FREE pattern.
		U.S. Patriot Fabric Bundle NEW! Get a three-fabric, fat-quarter bundle to add to your Red, White, and Blue collection! It's only $15.99! Featuring: Blue Suede Shoes Holly Berry Vanilla Bean Download for FREE!

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MysteryConvergence Challenge Results

MYSTERY CONVERGENCE CHALLENGE 2016 RESULTS Click on quilts for larger view.		Click on quilts for larger view. Prize-Winners

Grand Prize Winner $250 cash, plus entire RT hand-dyed collection, over $1400 value total prize package.		*Harmony and Balance* Carol Moellers Greene, Iowa - 54 x 53 "My Harmonic Convergence is made using the Fire Dragon Challenge fabric. I added 2 other Ricky Tims hand dyed fabrics which complement the Tree of Life batik panel I purchased from Shalawalla Gallery & Gift Shop in La Veta. I fussy cut out the appliques for my Harmonic Convergence from the panel. Four Harmonic Convergence sections were made and joined together. The special message this quilt conveys is all about the cycle of life and the harmony and balance that must be presence in order to have a happy and healthy life. It is quilted with Superior King Tut variegated thread."

Best Harmonic Convergence $50 cash, plus 10 yards hand-dyed fabric, $300 value prize package.		*Watching Butterflies through Double Convergence* Daniela Martisovitsova Pella, Iowa - 52 x 53 "My mystery fabric was red, which is my favorite color. I combined it with Stephanie Brandenburg 'sketch flower fabricated fabric that looked like colors on a palette. These created magical convergence that flowed from the artists palette to a garden of flowers. Magical fairies at the lower outside convergence are letting in the black (color void) butterflies to fly in the inside convergence where they acquire proper coloration. These black colored butterflies are created with a stencil and inked in. Colourful butterflies are appliqués and seem nicely puffed up because of the wool batting."

Best Grand Convergence $50 cash, plus 10 yards hand-dyed fabric, $300 value prize package.		*First Class Convergence* Cindy Bell Neville St. Louis, Missouri - 40x 34 "This is a mind picture I saved from a flight home from Fairbanks more than 10 years ago. I looked out the window and saw the moon, glaciers and aurora and now it is a quilt! RIcky TIms hand-dyed fabric, handmade Silk Fusion, Shiva painted moon, hand embroidered glaciers."

		Ten Finalists
		View from the Couch Cathy Cunningham Sanibel, FL - 34 x 34 "I combined 3 parts of Ricky's Caveman fabric with one part of a formal print with metallic gold accents. Took forever to decide how to quilt it, but I finally decided to try couching some gold-flecked yarn onto the grid to make it look like a woven window grill. The border is quilted in an amish feather pattern. Both the feathers and the couching were "firsts" for me."

		*Quadratic Convergence* Dana Mason Frankford, DE - 56" x 46 1/4" "Quilt is based on the Fire Dragon mystery fabric I received and uses a batik, a print and another of Ricky's hand dyed fabrics. I pieced 4 identical curved sections and joined them as the basis of the center convergence. The corner border treatment is machine appliqued bias strips. Superior Thread's Rainbow was used for all quilting except stitching in the ditch."

		*Twisting and Turning* Susan Chandler Valley Center, KS - 31.5" x 32.5" "I love the blue/purple/green of the challenge fabric mixed with a print I couldn't walk away from one day of shopping. The print circles escape into borders and across stripes intertwined with black and white ribbon tails."

		*A Feathered Convergence* Karen Oliver Westmont, IL - 32" x 33" "Harmonic convergence with set-in corners, heavily quilted with free motion feathers. All fabric is Ricky Tims hand-dyed, except black inner border."

		*Eye of the Storm* Edna Johnson Pambrun, SK, Canada - 26.5" x 26.5" "Converged Tumbling Block surrounded by 120 degree Snail Trail to edge of quilt to put a new spin on Convergence Quilting. This art quilt was a mystery from start to finish. Thanks Ricky!!!"

		*Under the SEA-horse* Lisa Encabo Sublimity, OR - 23 x 43 "I am a novice SCUBA diver and one of my favorite fish are the seahorses – although I’ve yet to see one in the wild. Machine pieced background, seahorse fusible appliqué collage, machine quilted."

		*Bubbles* Bobbie Deans Bridgetown, WA, Australia 38" x 36" "Grand Convergence"

		*Flying High* Lynn Meador Dallas, TX - 33 x 34 "Harmonic Convergence made with gradation and hand dyed fabrics and a fabric panel, applique birds and trees, thread painted trees and other thread enhancements, densely quilted"

		*Dragon Breath* Marion Nickey Calimesa, CA - 45 x 38 "Grand Convergence with free motion embroidery, fm quilting and bobbin work using Caveman Bright with inserts before cutting strips. Flame quilting echos swirl of inserts. Dragon is original drawing. Would love to be fly on wall when you see photo."

		*Pathway to Thankfulness* Dana Lynch Olive Branch, MS - 32 x 39 "The story of this piece starts in the bottom right corner with the broken pieces that represent me, and the devastation I felt when given a diagnosis of uncurable cancer in May of 2016. My face emerges from the broken pieces and begins the journey on the pathway of circles. Each circle has a word embroidered on it starting with fear, and then darkness, broken, pain, Believe, treasures, peace, joy, hope, and thankful. The silhouette represents me being thankful with open arms to receive the love surrounding me represented by the three curling pieces from the edges."