Houston

Boy!  What a trip.  I left on Friday after work so we could spend Saturday at the show.  I have always worried about going on a Saturday, that it would be too crowded.  It was magnificent.  No traffic...on the road or at the show.  We did not have to stand in line to buy a ticket to get in.  We were not cramped shoulder to shoulder.  This allowed us to actually get in the booths and shop.  You had more of a chance to talk to the vendors, especially the ones doing the demos.  There wasn't a crowd you were competing with the be heard and they wanted to sell.  The only downside was that several things were already sold out.  But hey, there is shipping!  My big purchase was Pearl P's Autum Harvest Baltimore quilt. I will be working in this for probably a decade.

The blocks are so cute.  They have pumpkins, squirrels, crows, scarecrows and wheat.  Plus a few more things.  I bought IT ALL...the show stopper special.  The kit, the applique tool kit, and the special tool kit for applying the glue baste.   I would have purchased the thread too, but they were out.  I was with my sister in law and she was surpised I called my husband to get permission to purchase.  He had told me earlier in the year when I saw it on Keepsake Quilting that I could purchase it.  I wasn't sure about it because, it was fusible (already attached and cut out), and it was so expensive.  I know it will take me a long, long time to get it finished, but I will do it.  I think with having my sister in law working on it also, we will encourage each other.  The good thing is, I have it here and don't have to wait for it to be shipped monthly.

Now for some pictures:

BEST OF SHOW

 

BEST HAND QUILTED

I noticed something about my picture taking when I was updoading the images to the blog.  I am a quilter, so I generally focus on the quilting aspect of quilts.  That is why you see pics that are of the quilting and not of the entire quilt.  If I liked the quilt becuase I might want to make something like that or the block really apeals to me, I take a pic of the entire quilt and sometime a closeup of the blocks.  So that is why you do not see pics of the entire quilt in the following photos.  This is not all that I took, just what I posted to the blog.

 

 

 

Have a good day.  I've got to go to work.  I forgot to post about Jim's weekend.  He stayed home, it was opening weekend for deer season.  He got an eight-point buck.  So there will be meat in the freezer.  (We only kill what we will eat.) He was at the meat processor when I called him about the quilt.  He is very happy with himself.

Houston Bound

I'm getting off work early today and heading to Houston.  I am going to my sister-in-law's house to spend some family time.  Tommorrow, she and I will go to the show.  I haven't been in several years.  I am so looking forward to going.  I am not planning on doing a bunch of purchasing, but will have the means to do so if neccessary.  I will take pictures and post after I return. 

Hubby is not going.  This is the first weekend of hunting season.  He plans hopes to get a deer.  I cooked venison burgers last night for supper.  So good.  We have just a few sausage packages left from last year and one stew meat.  Our favorite way to eat venison is to marinate it with one of the McCormick Grill Mates for a long time and grill.  So full of flavor and tender.  We eat that a lot in the summer.

Have a great weekend.

Houston

The trip to Houston was great! We went to the show on Friday. I only bought some things for making a crazy quilt. The turtle quilt was displayed so nicely. I walked around a corner and there it was, center on the wall (the largest on wall) with spotlights on it. The tourquoise color "popped" out and the quilting looked really good. There is gold metallic in the fabric for the turtles and the light made them sparkle. A kind lady took a picture of me and Laurie in front of the quilt.


We did so much sewing on Saturday. Her daughter is expecting her second baby (looks like anytime now, the baby has dropped and she is dilating). I had so much fun sewing baby items. Laurie bought robes and other items at the goodwill store and we cut them up to make diaper pads, diaper covers, and pants. I have a HUGE supply of lace, so everything we could put lace on, we did! I have all boys, so no lace there. I also took my serger and had some "bonding" time with it. Here is a picure of Laurie doing some cutting:


And finally, here is my first post on Design Wall Monday:




I purchased a kit to finish it. It is a Santa Stick. I am not using the fusible interfacing to lay it out, just cutting the squares and sewing them together. I don't know if the fusible would be easier or not. Keep an eye out for the final result.