Quilt Show Ramblings & Some Eye Candy

I'll admit to not being particularly inspired to write much of anything this last week. Lots of emotional stuff just clouding my thoughts. 

But in an effort to push past, I thought I'd share something that does make me feel inspired...

my trip the the AQS Lancaster Quilt Show!!

This venue was anticipating upward of 20,000 attendees representing 48 states & 4 countries! This amazes me, since we live right in the middle of Cow Town USA, BUT we are known for our quilts!

I don't me "we" as if I'm known for my quilts, because I most certainly am not -just meaning in the more collective Lancaster County, PA way ;-P

I like to look at the spectacular quilts, BUT, they do often give me a bit of the "will I ever grow up to quilt like that????" feeling. The talent can be a bit overwhelming. 

Of course I try to reassure myself that I COULD if I REALLY put my mind to it. I just choose not to. I'll concede that some of the quilts, those with the perfect, tiny stitches that just about cause your eyeballs to implode from strain, would more than likely truly push me over the edge into the oblivion of insanity. 

(Or wait, am I already there?)

I didn't take any classes while there. I'd been hoping for a longarm quilt class, but there wasn't anything offered for me. (Looking forward to Hershey's show in July for that!)

And really, if I'm going to be honest here, I go for the shopping. Period. It's something akin to the giddy pre-teen girl feelings over boys -- only it's not. It's middle-to-older-aged women getting giddy over fat quarters, notions, threads, and patterns out the wazoo!!!

So here's my loot:

Big cones of thread for the longarm machine!

 I'm loving this Australian woman's designs -she combines simple embroidery stitches with piecing/quilting. (The two on the left are Lynette Anderson Designs.)

These patterns below are for my mini 12"X12" standing quilt frame.

 My good friend, Suzanne, and I bought the red "Holster". It's touted as a rotary cutter holster, but we thought it looked a little small for our rotaries & decided they'd be perfect for holstering our cell phones to our jeans!!

Then there are some fabric markers, a scary looking scalpel I use for mega stitching errors, and some Handy Nets for my big cones of thread.

 I was beyond ecstatic when I saw AQS had added THIMBLES to their collectibles this year!!!!! Yes, I collect thimbles! 

And I always get a pin at the bigger shows that offer them. Not last year, though, because they were overrun by our masses & ran out.

 And the real Eye Candy is the fabric...

I guess you realize I didn't happen up this kitty at the quilt show. No, but my Furry Purry Stan Stan the Hairy Man was waiting for me when I got home.

My stitching obsession grows larger than life....

....and beyond my pocketbook as well! Seriously, as if hoarding quilting supplies wasn't enough, I've decided to revive my first stitching love: cross-stitching. My 18 yo daughter & I hit a cross-stitch show this past Saturday & came home with various patterns, Aida fabric, a Stand-Up Finishing Instructions Kit, and more ideas & inspiration than I have money to support!!

So where do we go today? Michaels... whose logo says, "Where Creativity Happens". Let's just be clear on this.... creativity rarely strikes me in the middle of a buying frenzy because I've lost most rational, sane thought beyond I MUST HAVE THIS and this and this, and ooohhh one of these.... hmmm I might NEED this when I do THAT. Sigh.... it's a sickness in stitchery consumption, I know. I spent $90+ on 53 clumps of floss, another storage container for my exploding floss collection, 4 wooden letters for younger daughter to paint (who incorrectly quoted how much they were!), 1 paint for said wooden letters, 6 more aida cloth "just in case" (although one is the very cool shimmery stuff called "Silver Dusted"), a book called "Sample the Seasons", 1 flashlight (random!), 2 candy bars & a bag of Riesen's.

The candy was to restore our depleted energy of course! Because after that I still had to do the weekly grocery shopping chore.

Now if only I would start to CREATE with all this creative crap!!!!

p/s Tried to post a picture but, alas, I'm getting no cooperation from the uploader >:-/

Labor Day Shopping Spree

I'm so lucky to have two terrific friends whom love to shop & sew & eat & blab with me! They are both from the next town over, but I'm in Quilt-shop Heaven, Lancaster County, PA. They both headed out my way on Labor Day to do some bargain shopping. Fabric + shopping + good friends + FOOD + a gorgeous weather day = a terrific fun-filled friend day :-) 

The fabric I was most looking for was something having to do with Toy Story. I've been looking high & low for several months to no avail. I could've ordered it online, but truth be told, I'm a fabric fondler -- I like to feel & see it "up close & personal" before I decide if it can come home. I finally found it (rather some kindly quilter woman found it when she overheard us lamenting about not finding it.... we quilters are so nosey & eavesdrop all the time, don't we?? But usually, no one cares either! Cause we all know we're nosey!) at Zook's Dry Goods. We have tons of Amish and/or Mennonite shops out here, and this is one of them. If you ever go, there's a shop next door that sells pretzels & homemade lemonade --YUM. 

Anyway, back to the Toy Story fabric. I want to make a snuggle blanket for a little boy whom I've never met, but who's very special to my heart. He's gearing up for his first back surgery to correct scoliosis. His mom & I are friends online because they're from Australia. Her little boy has Marfan Syndrome. My little boy had Marfan Syndrome. She has two little girls, and I have two girls. My little boy had also had this spinal surgery..... 7 times. I know I've written about Montie before... but just in case you're reading for the first time, Montie passed away March 19, 2009 due to complications associated with Marfan Syndrome. He'd received numerous snuggle blankets during his 13 surgical stays & during other illness related stays. For some reason kids really respond to a cuddly blanket when they're hurting. At some age, they realize, too, that someone's heart & time went into making it -someone who didn't even know them! That's how much they're loved. I've made a handful of these kinds of blankets for donation to  Project Linus and Quilts for Kids . 

Now to come up with a pattern!

I also grabbed some Christmas fabrics and .....

Halloween fabrics (I've got two mini quilt
tops done for my mini frame Zlaty!)

Stan Stan the Hairy Man -- Stanley the cat likes to curl up in my sewing room now that the weather has been cooler at night. I put him up here on my table so Smokey the spastic black lab puppy wouldn't try to chew on him.

I have lots of things I'm either in the process of making or gearing up to make. I'm going to try taking some of my wares to a couple craft shows this November, get my website up & running (it's out there, just with no content!), and set up an etsy account.

Stay tuned to see what I've been sew busy doing!

My BFF & I went exploring for a new fabric shop I'd heard about, and we weren't disappointed! WOW... have you ever headed out thinking, "We'll just see what this is all about", and then upon entering realize your wallet is in serious trouble?? haha... that was us today at Weaver's Dry Goods in Lititz, PA. There were thousands of bolts in the main store, and then about once a month they open their "warehouse" which actually appears to be an unused barn (it's Amish country, don't ya know?) & contains more fabric at discounted prices.

The first two pics show some fabric I picked up to see how they'd go with my embroidered angel.... I forgot to actually bring along the angel to match. I'm going to have to stare at them a bit -not sure if I love either one with it yet. Or maybe like my BFF suggested, I could put a plain border or incorporate some plain navy... still thinking. Any votes? Or you think I should cank them both??

These are just some fabrics that I liked for their color combos & have no plans for them -just something to add to my stash.... speaking of which, I should take a pic of my fabric closet someday. It's always fun to see how others store their stuff, eh?

I think if you click on this one, you can get a closer view of the women & their quotes. Again, I don't have a plan for this..... just liked it.

This last set of fabrics I picked up thinking I could use them to make a bag for when I go to Quilt Guild. I like having small-ish tote bags for different activities so that I can keep the stuff in the bag without having to pack it all up to go, unpack it all when I get home, pack it up, unpack it and on and on... tho I haven't actually found a smallish tote bag pattern I like yet.

I'm still having trouble posting pics where I want them.... for instance, even though my last paragraph goes with the pic down below, my text keeps advancing the picture.... huff!! Sorry! One of these days I'll figure it out.....

Hope you're all having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. My BFF is coming back tomorrow with another friend & we're going to learn how to put zippers into a purse! Bought some pre-quilted fabric to try this & perhaps I'll finish it & can post pics tomorrow?!?