Reuben Hovde took first place for the quilt he sewed.
While many 10-year-olds are busy on the computer, Reuben Hovde is winning prizes for his handmade quilts.
The Rapid City fifth grader entered his quilt in the Central States Fair, where he received the top prize of a purple ribbon.
He then next put his red, white and blue quilt in the Hill City Quilt Show and his quilt was selected first through the People’s Choice award.
Mom, Melissa Hovde loves quilting and taught her son to sew. He made is first quilt in the spring from fabric squares he had found at a garage sale.
He started his second quilt, a red and blue transportation quilt next, and spent all summer crafting it.
Then exactly a week before it had to be entered in the Fair, he told his mom, “I think I can get another quilt done before the fair, so I can enter another one.” His mom was entering 12 at the fair.
“I told him, I was not cutting any [strips of material] for him,” mom said. “And he knows he doesn’t get to use my rotary cutter.” [Quilters use a cutter with a sharp blade that can cut up to six to eight layers of cotton fabric at once.]
While his mom was working, Rueben went to her drawer of jelly rolls (precut material strips 2.5 inches wide) and selected what he needed.
Originally, he started pulling out bright colored strips, but then he started grabbing every red, white and blue strip he could find.
Exactly one week later the quilt was competed. Reuben said the hardest thing was “sewing the really long strips together and keeping everything straight.” His mom says that he uses clips instead of pins to hold the fabric together while he sews.
Reuben has a busy schedule. Last year his season on wrestling team was cut short after he broke his humerus, but he plans to try out again this year.
This year he’s added band, starting with the trombone, but the band instructor asked him to try the tuba. “He did so well that she is now having him play the tuba,” mom said.
He also likes collecting Hot Wheels and making model kits of trucks with plastic and glue.
When he has a break from school and his extracurricular activities, Reuben already has another quilt planned, “This one will be more colorful,” he said, and he urges other students to try quilting because “Kids should try all sorts of things.”
Raised well
FABULOUS!!! All the way around, This lad should be very proud of himself for his efforts at trying new/old things. LOVE IT!!! I am sure we will hear about him in the future for some wonderful achievement(s).