Back in Katy, again

The Mid-Atlantic QuiltFest in Hampton, VA ended on Sunday and we set out for home on Monday.  We planned a 3 day trip with the appropriate stops for antique shopping and quilt shops and so on Monday we shopped in Weldon and Selma, NC.  Paula purchased a beautiful tilt top table in Weldon and a stop in Selma yielded a much-needed antique quilt rack for me.  And thank you Connie for the warm welcome we received at your store, Whistle Stop, in Selma, NC.  Of course we picked up a few items we couldn’t live without.

It was later that night, as we were heading to our hotel in Augusta, GA (the hotel Paula, reminded us, had a large flat screen TV in our room), that we earned the 1st of our “Road Warrior” badges.  The left rear tire on the trailer decided to shred off the rim (and take the trailer fender with it!) and leave us on the side of I 20 in Lugoff, SC.  Needless to say, we never made it to Augusta (or the flat screen TV) that night.  Tuesday morning (and 2 new trailer tires later), we were back on the road.  Road Warrior badge #2 was earned on Wednesday night when one of those new trailer tires went flat on I 10 just east of Houston.  Oh and that was during rush hour traffic.  The police officer that helped us suggested that we wait for the tow truck in the parking lot of the store that was alongside the frontage road – Spice Boutique.  Let’s just say it didn’t sell any of the spices that you would find in your pantry!!!

We did make it home safely Wednesday night and we owe a special thank you to the SC Highway Patrol officer, the tow truck driver from Lugoff, SC, the Houston Police Officer, and the tow truck driver in Houston.  I also want to thank Paula and Cindy for being the 2 best car-mates anybody could ever travel with.  Where are we headed next?

I missed the Closing Ceremony for the Winter Olympics because we were reloading the trailer, but fortunately Peter TiVo’d it for me.  Yesterday I sat down at my sewing machine and made a table runner version of Sherman’s March in new fabrics and enjoyed the Closing Ceremony.  (Did anyone else cry when Michael J. Fox appeared?)  Sherman’s March is one of our most popular patterns and kits.  With the addition of 3 new black prints to Paula’s Bonnie Blue Basics II collection, we will be “rekitting” it in fabric from Paula’s collections.  Tomorrow I will be taking it to Sharon to be quilted, but here’s a picture so you can see how great it’s going to look.  The kit will be back on the website soon and we will be taking them to the upcoming shows in Dallas, Lancaster, Chicago, and Paducah.

Sherman's March in new fabrics

Close-up of fabric in Sherman's March

I did get a chance to walk around the quilt show on Sunday, so I did a little shopping and tried to get some pictures of the beautiful quilts.  I decided to concentrate on quilts that were unique and different from what we usually do and there were certainly a lot to choose from.  I was very impressed with some of the categories that were represented.  Guilds in the area sponsored many different “themes”, but the two that stood out the most to me were “Page 52” and “Once Upon A Book”.  For “Page 52”, the quilter picked any magazine, turned to page 52 and then created a wallhanging to represent what was on the page.  Great idea and great quilts.  “Once Upon A Book” spoke to me as a librarian and I was drawn to the children’s books that were represented in quilt form.  I also feel in love with the bookshelf quilt – if only my bookshelves looked that good.

3 quilts from "Once Upon A Book" category

Bookshelf quilt from "Have You Read A Good Book" category

And last, but not least, the quilt that won “Best in Show”.  This quilt was extraordinary and unfortunately my picture is not.  The workmanship was phenomenal and every detail was exquisite.  I cannot imagine ever creating a quilt of this caliber.  Congratulations to its creator.

Mid-Atlantic QuiltFest - Best in Show

Hopefully this entry doesn’t sound to disjointed, but I must confess I was watching the Oscars while I was writing.  Sandra Bullock’s speech brought me to tears.  She was so gracious and so complimentary to the other nominees.  And now I have a list of movies that I will need to buy on DVD!

Off to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tomorrow with Caitlin- Tim McGraw in concert!!!!  Can’t wait.  I’ll be busy this week with a new quilt and packing Caitlin.  She will be moving to St. Petersburg, FL for her NEW JOB.  I am so excited for her, but I will miss her.  It’s been great having her home again.

Catch you later.  Happy Quilting.