Kaden Norris’ favorite sport is basketball. It was natural for him to choose a basketball pattern of fabric to create his quilt for 4-H. It was that quilt that won him second place at the county level and third place at the regional level of competition.

Norris, 10, participated in the 4-H Club as a fourth grader at Phil Campbell and participated in both the birdhouse-building and quilt-making competitions. Although his birdhouse didn’t win any prizes, his quilt garnered attention from judges.

Norris had tried sewing in the past “but it didn’t turn out right.” His basketball quilt, which he made with help from mother Tessa Norris, used a knotting technique. “I got two pieces of quilt from Walmart, and I started tying them into little bitty knots,” he said. “It took about three hours to make.”

The endeavor, Norris said, was more difficult than he thought it would be.

“I kept messing up at times,” he remembered. But he stuck with it. “I’m not a quitter.”

When the first place winner at the county level did not indicate in time their intention to move forward to regional-level competition, Norris’ second place quilt was next in line. At Calhoun Community College in Athens, Norris talked with the three judges about his quilt and was excited to be awarded third place and a white ribbon.

“I was very proud of him,” Tessa Norris said. “He’s awesome. He’s excited about 4-H. He comes in with all the projects, and he’s ready to go.”