Woo-hoo! Calna McGoldrick! Paducah, Kentucky!

Local creative talent Calna McGoldrick is excited these days.

She's in the running for top honours at a huge international quilt show.

Calna entered the Paducah, Kentucky Quilt Show & Contest for the first time this year.

The following news release from the 2008 American Quilter's Society elaborates.

************************* Echo Bay-area quilter exhibiting quilt in international quilting competition

PADUCAH, KY - Echo Bay-area quilter Calna McGoldrick has been selected as semi-finalist for the 24th annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest, April 23 to 26, 2008, at the Paducah Expo Center on Paducah, Kentucky.

Calna has been chosen to join 394 others in the annual contest.

In its 24th year, the competition is offering more than $130,000 in total prize money.

Calna's quilt [shown] - Spring Time Wandering - measures 47 inches wide and 40 inches long, and represents hundreds of hours of work.

The entry was chosen from a field of 798 quilts.

From this point on, the quilt will compete against others in its own category.

Three quilting authorities will judge this elite group prior to the opening of the show.

The individual quilt named best of show will garner the Best of Show award and a $20,000 cash prize.

In addition, the quilt will become part of the permanent collection in the Museum of American Quilter’s Society.

Regardless of how well the quilt places in the final judging, all 35 quilts will be displayed at the annual quilt show.

The annual exhibition brings more than 35,000 quilters, collectors, enthusiasts and vendors to Paducah each spring, when the city shows how it earned the nickname Quilt City, USA.

Entries are from the 43 states and 11 other countries, including Japan, Brazil, Australia and Italy.

There are 16 categories in the judged contest.

The quilts are bed-size, large and small wall quilts, and miniatures.

Designs range from traditional Log Cabin, Mariner’s Compass and Tree of Life to innovative designs using paint, threads and original designs.

George Siciliano, of Lebanon, PA, made a miniature quilt measuring 11 inches square that contains over 4,000 pieces.

Marilyn Bujalski, of Clear Lake, MN, used 30,000 squares measuring 1.2 inch in her large pieced bed quilt.

For more information, visit this website or call (207) 898-7903.

*************************