Happy Heart Happiness!

Our quilt group, Northeast Quilting Friends, went on a day trip yesterday to Blackstone's Home Decor, for a Fleur Di lis quilt show, then to lunch at Puerto Vallarta, then last but not least, went to Happy Heart Quilt shop. We did our usual sight seeing adventure, thanks to yours truly that can't talk and watch for the exit at the same time. But, thanks to our Kentucky borns in one of the car pool cars, we were able to find our way to Happy Heart after the other two places.

These are my purchases yesterday:

1. Fabric for a purse-I got the tool and pattern in Arkansas while visiting my folks.

2. Aurifil Thread-the best in my opinion. It looks like it costs a lot, but, there is about 3 times as much thread on these spools than on most others, so it's real value for the money.

3. More fabric for my Christmas in July project, log cabin is the theme.

4. 4 yards of white on white muslin for a dresden plate embroidery pattern.

5. The cutest leather straps for a purse.

6. Fabric for a Table Topper-a class we are teaching in our quilt group.

7. Fabric for several Snappy Totes which I will be teaching in Northeast Quilting Friends. I plan to give them away as gifts-the go together pretty fast, once everything is cut out.

And so there you have it, purchases for old UFO's and some new ones. Today, I think they are called WISP's-Work In Slow Progress. Maybe that sounds better than Un-Finished Objects.

The Kentucky State Fair 2010 Woohoo!

Well you know I like me a good state fair. Horses and quilts Oh My!

I've gone, I think every year since we've moved here in 1996. I must say that over the years I've seen a decline in the attendance. Our quilt group goes every year on Senior day, .50 to attend and I go on one weekend with my husband, where we pay the full 8.00 price of admission. Luckily, I get to sneak in with the carload of seniors and split the cost of the 8.00 parking. We went this last Tuesday, Mary, Shirley and myself were all that were up for it from our group of 20 this year. Now, why is that? I suppose it's the economy and the high price of attendance may have deterred a few. There seemed to be fewer quilts this year, it was most noticeable in the spacing of the quilts, there was quite a spread between them.

This is my suggested program for a fun 3 hour day at the fair. Shirley and Mary and I parked in the back and first walked into the mules and jacks building around the back by Cardinal stadium. On the way to the quilts we walked through Freedom Hall and watched the fabulous horses that Kentucky is famous for.

Then we went straight to the quilts in the South Wing. Mary had 2 quilts entered this year and she won a ribbon on one and why she didn't win on the other is beyond belief.

On our schedule for our quilt group, Northeast Quilting Friends, we are planning a French Braid Class in January and a Log Cabin themed Christmas in July party. There are lots of ideas for these 2 projects on display this year.

Besides being known for horses, Kentucky is the birthplace of bluegrass music. After the quilts we walked outside to Mike Linings famous fish restaurant tent in the South Wing B parking lot. We picked up massive fish sandwiches and could have easily split one between the 3 of us. Next we walked to the tent that had the bluegrass band, Whiskey Bent Valley Boys playing, that good old bluegrass music. It can be happy and bluesy at the same time. I love it.

From there you enter the South Wing building one last time and make your way past the Lynn's Paradise Cafe Ugly Lamp contest and through the throngs of people that are interested in flea market type things like pots and pans and the Sham Wow! of which I have to admit being a purchaser of. Exiting the building at the far corner we patiently waited for the Shuttle that never came.

Our impatience got the best of us and we decided to walk to the car in the back parking lot. We traveled through the West Wing building where we were able to pick up one last treat, the Miller's Border Collie show. Now, the upside of having low attendance was I actually got close enough to see this show that has been 6 or 8 people deep in years past and it was a treat to actually see it.

Q the First in Quilting

A few members of our group went to Q the First in Quilting. Boy do they have that right. It is a lovely shop in Lexington, Kentucky. Even our most frugal of gals was tempted to spend a little at the shop. We ate at the Ramsey's out front, it was good, but, too loud.

Anyone in the area needs to take a trip to see this fabulous shop.

A Block of the Month is like ice cream on a July day

Yes, I'd say that's not a stretch. If you are like me and you are a long time quilter, a monthly visit to your favorite LQS (little quilt shop) can be just the right spark you need for injecting a bit of renewed excitement. Yes, you get to see the finished product on the wall, usually, but, it's kind of fun to see how you put it together month by month, paying monthly as you pick up the project. I'm assuming most quilters reading this understand how a Block of the Month program works. It sort of speaks for itself, the LQS sets a designated time for you to come in to get the pattern and fabric to take home and sew.

Visiting your LQS monthly also lets you see what's new in the quilt world. Fondling fabrics and maybe buying a little extra is great therapy. If you have a nice LQS, then you have a good time visiting with the ladies behind the counter. It concerns me when entering a quilt shop all you feel is the stress from the workers. I can't imagine why any shop would not encourage a friendly repartee with customers. To me that is building bonds with the general public. I guess I understand the demands of paying rent and employees, taxes, etc., but please shop owners, do some exercises or something to work that stress off before you open the door.

Right now my BOM (Block of the Month) is being led by The Gathering Room in LaGrange, Kentucky. It's a Christmas quilt. I've got a couple of UFO Christmas quilts, but, this one really caught my eye and it uses a fabric called strip it that

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Piecemaker Quilt Pattern-every quilters nightmare challenge

Piecemakers Quilt Calendar is a quilter's challenge. You can get a pattern book if you like and maybe it's laid out a little better, but, the blocks are large and the pattern pieces have to be joined together by flipping through pages and finding the connecting pieces. Piecemakers is an organization of sorts that supports various causes and is a quilt shop as well.

I'm working on the 2003 quilt calendar and have completed several blocks. I've actually put it down for years and am now picking it back up again as I have felt the need to finish some of those pesky UFOs.

On my design wall are a few of the blocks for my calendar quilt, which is a 12 block pattern with a medallion center all trees and crazy quilt designs. Next to a couple of those blocks is a block of the month from one of my favorite LQS's. It's a Christmas quilt using strip it material. This is a striped fabric that makes making half square triangles a cinch as you are cutting into the printed strips of fabric and basically sewing squares together, instead of piecing the triangles.

Veredicto del pulpo Paul España.flv