Hovde’s quilt of Einstein took a first place at the Central States Fair.
It was a blue ribbon at the fair for seventh grader Reuben Hovde’s Einstein Quilt.
One of the biggest county fairs in South Dakota is the Central States Fair click here, which includes a carnival, a stock show, a rodeo, and agriculture and handicraft exhibits. With so many participants, it is not easy to win a blue ribbon. Hovde, who has two older brothers, said he was surprised by taking first place.
Hovde’s quilt is 80 x140 inches, with 2-inch finished squares. A standard California king-sized bed is 84 x 72, but the youth did not want to cut it down because it would have meant losing some of Einstein’s face.
He was asked how he got the idea for the quilt. “I saw a bunch of Rubik’s cubes that were put together to form Einstein’s face and thought I could make a quilt like that.”
He told his mom, a graphic designer, about his idea for an Einstein quilt. She made a pattern on graph paper for him to follow. The quilt is made up of black, white and six shades of gray material.
His quilt has now been entered in the Hill City Quilt and Fiber Show on September 7, which is held annually with more than 300 quilts shown. To view the 2023 award winners, click here.
Hovde, who plays tuba in his middle school band, made his first quilt, a rag quilt, with his mother Melissa’s help. His next quilt, an independent project, was a simple 9-patch quilt with scraps.
Hovde helped his mother put together this quilt, which started him quilting.
This was the first quilt that Hovde sewed independently.
“I like doing it, because I like the end results,” Hovde said.
After his mom said she was entering the Hoffman Challenge, an annual national contest hosted by Hoffman Fabrics that encourages participants to create artwork using their fabrics. Hovde also decided to enter.
More than 350 quilts had been entered and mom, Melissa’s quilt Waiting for a Wave (31 X31 inches), was selected as a finalist to go on tour. Her son’s quilt, Surfing on Scraps (17 X 35 inches), was also a finalist in the youth category and is currently on tour in the U.S. with other quilts.
Hovde’s favorite subject in school is P.E. and he was on the wrestling team for two years, but mom and dad, Erik, nixed it this year, “After two broken arms, two separate times, he is not doing it this year,” mom said.
Would Hovde sell his Einstein quilt? Before he could enter it in the Hill City show, he was required to put a price tag on it. “Let’s say $1,000,” he said. “If someone give me a thousand for it, I’ll make another one.”
Reuben Hovde entered this quilt in the Hoffman challenge and it is now part of collection that is touring the country.
(Editor’s note: Readers if you want to purchase an Einstein Quilt, let this editor know and I’ll put you in touch with the mom, who is also entering numerous quilts in the show.)