I think I got lost.
So much has happened over the past few days! Where to begin?
So much has happened over the past few days! Where to begin?
The first day, of course! Saturday and the Quilt Show! Oh wow. Let me just tell you how incredibly impressed I am with the quilting talent we have in the Huntsville/North Alabama area! *So many beautiful quilts!* I worked Saturday for most of the day, being a floor hostess and then at the admissions table. It was so gratifying to see so many people walk through the doors (after buying a ticket) to see all the wonderful handiwork! I was thrilled to have the white gloves, so I could go around and inspect quilts all the more closely!
One thing that really captivated me was that, unlike at the national (or international) shows I've been to, where the quilter was from some far off state or even across the ocean from another country, all of these quilts were created by women I see at guild meetings every month. They live and work and raise their families in the same area I do. Fabulous quilting isn't just done by faceless folks. I know them! I could become them.
With a lot of practice, time, patience and practice. Lots and lots of practice.
The good news is, I bought *plenty* of new fabric to practice with!
So, I worked the show on Saturday, and took some pictures, and I think I purchased something from just about every vendor that was there (we had about twenty), even if it was just a fat quarter, as my way of saying "Thank you!" to each one of them for helping to make our show a success. From what I gathered after speaking with many of them, the weekend was good for them, too. I'm glad. Happy vendors tend to come back for future shows! I won't bore you with pictures of *everything* I purchased, but let's just say I got lots of different orange fat quarters (must be pumpkin month) and several MODA charm packs (for little baby blankets) and a very interesting tutorial on machine quilting, that came with pre-marked fabric to practice on! Fun!
Sunday, after church, Todd and I headed back to the house and I made us a quick bite to eat, then we headed back to the show so I could continue to take pictures. I'm fairly certain I got at least one picture of every quilt in the show. I got duplicates of several -- especially if they caught my eye. I'll post a few of my favorites before the week ends -- but I decided I won't post all of them! I think the guild is going to post them all -- I'll link over to their link!
I wanted to be at the show on Sunday when they drew for the raffle quilt. It was created (mainly) by one of the women in our guild. One who happened to win several ribbons. LOL -- Okay; we could enter up to four quilts. Karen did. She got three blue ribbons and one second place ribbon. Plus one of those blue ribbons won the people's choice award, to boot! Anyway, she did a beautiful job on the raffle quilt as well, and I'd have loved to have won it! But no. Oh well! My quilt didn't win anything either, but I really didn't expect it to. Not in a self-deprecating sort of way, but in a realistic, I-know-(now)-it-wasn't-a-show-quilt kind of way. I'll speak more to that line of thought later one. At five, my quilt (and my apron) were ready to be picked up and taken home!
As we headed toward home, James & Kim called and wanted to meet us for dinner. Since we were already in town, we suggested Applebees. They met us there at about six-thirty and we stayed there until after NINE! It was a fun night and we talked and talked and talked. It's nice to have that kind of relationship with your adult children!
Monday, I put my feet up! I diddled, mostly. A little tidying here, a little grocery shopping there, and a little scanning to add to the mix. I also worked on the leaf & acorn table topper. I was blanket stitching the outlines of the leaves; I started with the sewing machine and did one leaf, but I didn't like the way it looked. So I pulled out the floss and finished the rest with a double dose of thread. It looks better. I varied the stitched lengths between the two remained leaves, so they all three have a little bit of a different look. I'll probably go ahead and do this on all three of the toppers.
Jason and Jocelyn headed to the house on Monday for dinner with us. I do love my children and spending time with them! I'm really experiencing the best of both worlds in a lot of ways. I've not felt in any way useless or like I'm missing something since both my children have moved out and on . . . and yet I still feel very privileged to be a part of their lives and to communicate with them (one way or another) on a very regular [daily] basis! God is GOOD!
Work is work. And why spoil a perfectly nice post by saying more?
FIN!
:)
