A gift for a best friend’s birthday is gaining international recognition after being submitted to two contests.

Dianne Craig and Marlene Isom have been friends for decades, and the pair enjoy quilting together as members of the Athens Dixie Stitchers. So when Isom’s 60th birthday rolled around, Craig had the perfect gift in mind — a block quilt featuring everything Isom loved, called “All About You.”

“I was a school teacher, so there’s a schoolhouse, and she’s got the orchard,” Isom said. “Everything I love is in there.”

Craig even included a poem, “It’s All About You, My Friend,” which further described the quilt. The poem explained the quilt, from the stars that represent Isom’s place of birth to the trees that represent her and her children and the “46 friendship stars, one for each year we’ve been friends — 45 on the front, 1 on the back, to represent a friendship with no end.”

Isom loved the quilt so much, she convinced Craig to submit it to a quilting contest.

“I kept telling her, ‘You’re going to be disappointed when it doesn’t get in,'” Craig said. “I didn’t think get in because I’ve seen the quilts there. There’s some talented people.”

In fact, Craig and Isom go each year to see the quilts in the American Quilter’s Society QuiltWeek contest in Paducah, Kentucky. This year, they’ll be going to two shows — and Craig’s quilt will be in each.

AQS announced in January the quilt would be one of 203 semifinalists featured March 27–30 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. First-, second- and third-place prizes across seven categories will be awarded, including a $10,000 prize for Best of Show. More than 15,000 people from 37 U.S. states and 12 countries are expected to attend.

On March 8, AQS announced the quilt will be one of 410 featured April 24–27 in Paducah, Kentucky. That contest, now in its 35th year, will have more than 50 awards and $125,000 in cash prizes. More than 30,000 people from 44 U.S. states and 16 other countries are expected to attend.

Winners will be announced at the show and posted on the AQS website, www.QuiltWeek.com.