Stash Enhancement Expedition: Paducah 2014

I had a great time in Paducah these past few days.  It's such a treat to spend quality time with my two best friends, Sharon and Ellen, and this year we all wore "contestant" ribbons for our Round Robin quilt, A-Round with My Friends:

The quilt is directly behind me, except I don't recognize that woman in the middle. 

Red and White--By the Numbers was there too but I didn't take any pictures of it--since I know what it looks like and it was a side-hanging quilt and it's hard to get good shots of those. 

A friend of Pam Dransfeldt, the awesome Joyful Quilter!, took this photo for her.

Shopping wasn't too bad.  I bought an old quilt top as a show souvenir from Cindy Rennel's Antique Quilts, www.cindysantiquequilts:

 

And I added to my own stash, mostly reproduction fabrics:

 

The large piece of batik yardage on the far right is for our guild's next raffle quilt--it's back and background, very glad I found that.  I'll be eager to see what fabrics our members got to add to that quilt.   Members were asked to donate one fat quarter as a way of participating in the project.  I wrote all about and showed the project here.
It was a terrific couple of days--I got to see most everyone I wanted to see and was able to have lunch with one of my favorite people, Mary Sorensen.  The teachers who know me from Houston, Chicago, Long Beach, etc., all do a double take when they see me in Paducah--that's funny!  "What are YOU doing HERE?" 

Now to clean off my cutting table, ironing table, put all this stuff away and get back to being creative.  When asked what I'm going to do with this new stuff, I simply say: "Put it in the closet with its' friends, the stuff I bought at the last show, and the show before that, and the one before that...  If you're a quilter, you get it.  If you're not, you never will.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Off to Paducah!

It's that time of year--the American Quilter's Society in Paducah, KY.  I don't go every year, but this year I have 2 quilts in the show so I made hotel arrangements 9 months ago and tomorrow my two best quilt friends and I are headed up there. 

We went last year and, as we often do, we planned a 3-way Round Robin project to commemorate the trip.  We each selected a focus fabric and each of us bought 2 fat quarters for each of the other two.  Of course, we added more fabrics during our stash enhancement expeditions.  I wrote about my block and fabrics here.  The only rule of our swap is: there are no rules.  We each make a center and pass it and the desired fabrics along to the next person.  Eventually, we get our own back and can decide what, if anything, we want to do next.  This works because we trust each other and it's not like we don't have anything else to work on--no rush on this project.

Here's what I've been working on the last few days:

Sharon's Neighborhood with Guard Cats

Sharon made the houses and trees.  Ellen added the picket fence borders.  I got it during the height of tax season so it just sat on the wall for awhile.  Someone saw it and said "you should add a cat".   Yes, of course!  We each have one cat so I added Sharon's smoky gray baby, Ellen's orange Gigi, and my long-haired tortie, Patches.  As they are all house cats, each sits guard at their front door. 

Sharon will see this for the first time tomorrow morning before we leave for Paducah.  I hope she likes it!

I already know that neither of my entered quilts are wearing a ribbon but that's OK with me--they are hanging in some pretty glorious company.  Less that half of the entries receive ribbons and that's as it should be.  I'm glad others will get to see my work.  And since one of them is a Round Robin I made with Ellen and Sharon (and worked on for 7 years) we all get to wear "Contestant" badges--and share in the fun/experience together.

Now I'd better go pack--clothes, essentials, and my handwork bag--can't leave home without that. 

Let's quilt!

Barbara