A! Magazine for the Arts

Blake Lunsford's woodcarved Santas scored high in the Whittling Contest.

Blake Lunsford's woodcarved Santas scored high in the Whittling Contest.

Area Artisans Win Awards

May 4, 2009

ABINGDON, VA -- Several members of the Holston Mountain Arts & Crafts Cooperative have recently earned awards.

* The Grand Champion award for the 2009 Washington County Fair in Abingdon, Va., was awarded to Joyce Boatwright for her Double Irish Chain quilt. All first place winners in the adult craft categories are judged together to determine the winner of this award. Boatwright's quilt was pieced and quilted completely by hand. An Abingdon resident, she is known also for her talents in felting and is a member of the Wolf Hills Quilters.

* Blake Lunsford of Bristol, Tenn., serves on the cooperative's board of directors. In the 2009 Charlotte (NC) Woodcarvers Showcase, he placed 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention for his woodcarved Santas and 4th (out of 18) in the Whittling Contest. The annual Woodcarvers Showcase is one of the largest woodcarving shows on the East Coast and features some of the best wood carvers in the country. For more information, visit www.charlottewoodcarvers.com

* Audra Rasnake of Glade Spring, Va., won second place in Keepsake Quilts' 2008 "Home Sweet Home" Quilt Challenge. Keepsake, a nationally recognized quilt supply company, issues challenges throughout the year with various themes. Rasnake's quilt, a combination of hand-piecing, appliqué, embroidery, and quilting, was chosen from a field of 78 other entries.

For more information about the Holston Mountain Arts & Crafts Cooperative, call 276-628-7721.

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