You Know You Are In Texas

When you see this:

Yes, I know there is one in AL and in FL but when in Texas, you must stop at Buc-ee’s.

When the speed limit is 85, you’re in Texas.

When you see longhorn cattle grazing, yep, it’s Texas.

When you see signs for towns named Gonzales, Goliad, and Cuero, and you remember the Alamo, yes, you are definitely in Texas.

I love to visit Texas and this trip was no exception.

The Quilt Guild of Greater Victoria invited me back and I was delighted to come. Technical assistance was provided by Regina:

Quilts laid out for display:

After lunch, the workshop began--Texas Braid, a pattern by Bonnie Hunter. There were many great color combinations.

Dreamsicle and Limeade:

 Scrappy to the max:

 Pink and Purple and Turquoise, oh, my:

Kim was a little on the wild side:

Lynn had such a beautiful palette and it matched her blouse:

The second day a lot of progress was made and they learned how to cut the long stripped panels for sewing together and how to add triangles to the upper ends so you have straight of grain there, just like at the bottom. 

When I discussed how to pin all those intersections for precision piecing, someone asked "Could you add sashing between the rows?" Why, yes, you certainly could.  That wouldn't have occurred to me but here is what you get:

Anna's laid out with the light fabrics in the middle:

How Anna chose to sew the first panel, with the dark fabrics in the middle. Of course, the next sewing will join the light fabrics, with the turquoise sashing in the middle there too:

Lynn is making a table runner--she is almost done. All she has to do is add the red sashing in the middle. She will bind it with the same red:

The advantage to using sashing is you save tons of time NOT pinning all those intersections and it is very forgiving. Just be sure you cut the sashing exactly to size so everything stays true--don't just add a long sash and whack off the excess--that will make things wonky.

Here is the group the start of day two:

Quilters work best on a full stomach. Here is what came in the morning of day two:

And here is what I had. Those black grapes were amazingly delicious:

On my way back to Austin the last day, I tried out Kreuz' Market in Lockhart for brisket. There was a line at 11 am, and you order, pay and pick up your meat in the pit area--so my clothes smelled like smoked meat ALL DAY. Boy, was it good. No pictures because if you love smoked meat, they would make you cry. I have now been to Smitty's, Black's and Kreuz', all in Lockhart. No real favorite, it's all good.

Can't wait to go back again. My trips to Texas are very special to me.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

A Trip to Texas

I love Texas!  I've gone there to Quilt Market and Festival every year since 1996--Houston each time.  We had a two-day post-show tour for several years that I absolutely loved because I got to see more of the great state of Texas, including the Hill Country around Fredricksburg, the beautiful capitol city of Austin, the historic city of San Antonio, and lots of wonderful little places along the way.  I keep pushing for another post-show tour, but I can't be the only person willing to go.  If there is enough interest to fill a bus, it just might happen again.

This trip was a teaching trip.  I was met at the Austin airport by two long-time friends who belong to the Quilt Guild of Greater Victoria.  It's more than 2 hours from Austin to Victoria so I planned my arrival to have us in Lockhart for lunch.  That quaint town with its' beautiful old courthouse on the central city square is famous for Barbecue.  In AL, barbecue means pig, in TX it's beef brisket, sausage, and pig or chicken once you're full of beef.  My son has raved about Smitty's in Lockhart for many years, so Smitty's it was.

 You enter right into the smokey pit area, where the meat is being cooked.  I can smell it now, one of the best smells in the world.  You order by the pound and they wrap it in butcher paper for you--and they give you a plastic knife.  White bread only, if you want that.  They only accept cash.  Then you step out of the smokey hot pit area into a small store connected to Smitty's to purchase drinks and sides--they only take cash and a big sign says "We DO NOT have forks".  OK, then.  You find a spot at a long row of picnic tables and pick up your meat and eat it.  It was delicious!  But, I must say, I want cutlery with my meat.  So on the way back to Austin, a slight change of plans was made--I was now going to be picked up at Black's BBQ, a couple blocks away.  They provide cutlery, take credit cards, and have lots of great sides to accompany the delicious meat.  I recommend the "lean" brisket instead of the "moist" brisket.  Sorry, no photos--we just ate it all!

I was treated very well in Victoria--the Hampton Inn folks were really great and the guild took very good care of me.  Their meeting was Thursday morning where I gave the lecture "The Hard Stuff", then we had a bite of lunch.  In the afternoon we started the two day workshop and everyone did very well.  I love to see when a student "gets it" and they are really making progress.  We were in class again all day Friday and they all made excellent progress.  The class was well-received and I would be delighted to return there again some day.  Here are a few shots of the action:

Anna H.

Dee W.

Mary Jo S.

Tanya B.

Mary

Marcia N.

Janice S--I called this fabric set "Dreamcicle"

Pat

I missed the women from Rockport who had to leave early for the hour drive home--this was Friday of Memorial Day Weekend.  Their work was great too--so Diana, Helen, and Sandy, send me some photos, please!

The weekend only got better as I was delivered back to Lockhart for that visit to Black's Barbecue and a meet up with old friends.  They took excellent care of me too for the rest of the day.  The next morning it was up early for the trip to the airport and on to home.

I'm not sure I could live in south Texas if the May weather is any indication--some areas have seen torrential rain, some are just hot and humid.  This weekend's weather there reminded me of August here.  Of course, AC is everywhere and you just avoid the heat as best you can.

After another trip this week to see my grand-girl Stella and celebrate her first birthday, I'll be very glad to be at home for a couple months.  And no more airport trips until October--when I will be so eager to get back to Texas!

Let's Quilt!

Barbara