A Day Trip to Indianapolis

Well, our 30 year anniversary trip to Italy has been canceled. Life gets in the way of our fun but, there are always priorities. We can always go to Italy next year.

My husband had a meeting in Indianapolis yesterday, actually it was Carmel a northern suburb of Indianapolis. I came along for the day. We left at about 6:45 for the 2 hour drive through the beautiful flat farmland of Indiana. The sunrise and the mist and the barns and white steepled churches made it all so pleasant.

I had 4 hours to kill so I spent my time trying out new bicycles. I've decided I need a road bike which is a lot faster than a regular bike, but, comes with a hefty price tag. More on that later, I'm still trying to decide which bike to get. The best bicycle shop in Carmel is Bike Line. They were the most helpful, if you go there ask for Marlin. He took all the time to fit me and get to know what I needed.

Quilt shops, well of course. One of my all time favorite shops, I discovered at the Bloomington Heritage Quilt Show, is Quilts Plus. They had a booth their and I had to check out their shop. Quilt Quarters was in the area also, it's massive. I was on a mission to find a raffle quilt to make for my geologist daughter...fund raiser is my middle name.

Then we ate at Shapiro's. Bagels, Rubens and chocolate cheese cake, yum!

I began the day with barns and I ended the day with barns. This is a quilt barn on my favorite walking trail in Anchorage, courtesy of Papa Johns. I don't care for his pizza, but he made one fine trail for bikers and walkers to enjoy.

Table Topper Done

Our quilt group will be teaching another free class. It's a Table Topper, which will be taught by Loyce on September 21st. I can't make it that day, so I got the scoop on the pattern and instructions. It's pretty large, probably 2 feet across. I don't know what I'll do with it yet, but, I'm sure there is a table in need of a top, somewhere.

Recipe for feeling simply quilty...smile

You know for some reason I was dragging a little bit today. From my dusty piled high book case of quilt books, I pulled out an old, old quilt book I bought on the internet and went shopping at my favorite LQS. First I started in my backyard, more or less, at the Gathering Room, and to their credit they took one look at my pattern and suggested I go to Forget Me Knot Quilt Shop, where I found a huge selection of light medium and dark blues in dusty to clear colors. Fabric selection done I headed home.

At home I had to crank up my favorite radio station, 91.9. Yes, deep down, I never grew up and I have to say I like what the kids like. In this town, this station, plays the unique tunes I am partial to. When songs come on from a past Waterfront Wednesday concert I might have attended, it's icing on the cake to listen to. Because when all things line up and the live performance is magic it is so great to hear, again and again.

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