Machine Quilters Expo

I spent the weekend at the MQX show in Manchester, NH. I have wanted to go for a couple of years and finally made it. I took two classes aimed at beginners with machine quilting frames and came away with some terrific tips and more confidence in quilting on my frame. I again spent lots of time looking (and yearning for) a longarm but the long and the short of it (no pun intended) is that I am short on space for the longarm setup. I did spend a bit of time playing with a Nolting Fun Quilter which is a 17" machine which would fit on my Gracie frame. I'm leaning towards this option. Now to get my DH to lean in that direction! How do I get him to finance yet another machine??? Ladies, all ideas are WELCOME!!!

My friend Diane and I had a great time staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. Our room overlooked the minor league baseball park. This was the view from our window. Too bad the Fisher Cats were away-in New Britain CT!

We saw some fabulous quilts. There are so many talented quilters out there! Here are a couple of my favorites.

We also spent gobs of $$$. I bought the quick zip system for my quilting frame which will make the loading process easier and though I promised myself I would not buy any fabric, I did. There was a gal with Japanese fabric and loads of taupes. I couldn't help myself!!

On Saturday night, we got together with my cousin,Mary. She and I were inseparable during our teen years (12-15) and I haven't seen her since my mom's 70th birthday party which was 2 years ago. It was sooo great to see her and catch up with her and all of her family's activities.

On our way home, Diane twisted my arm and we hit the outlet mall nearby. There was a Chico's outlet there and we both stimulated the economy a bit in there. All in all, a wonderful weekend!

Lastly, my son arrived home today from Colorado for a two week visit!! I can't believe it has been six months since he left. He is still in love with Colorado and will be returning to a new apartment and a new job as a landscaping foreman in Vail. He'll do this til the snow flies again and he returns to his position at the ski resort. We are making plans to visit him this summer once all the snow has melted!!

Work is very busy leaving little time for quilting. I did finish another knitted hat for charity and I continue to work on the Round Robin. Our exchange is just a week or two away so I hope to complete it this weekend. I'll try to post pics of that this weekend.

Til then,

Quilt til you wilt ~~~

A special Award for Special Ladies

This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY -- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these blogs!”

I was presented with this award from Kay. Thanks, Kay and RIGHT BACK AT YA!! I don't usually like this stuff but this one award is neat because it focuses on the friendship of blogging. There are a few gals out there that I share a special kinship which has developed from our love of quilting and now extends to a more personal level. I follow over 100 bloggers so to pick only eight is tough, but here is my list:

Debra
Libby
Finn
Amy
Kate
Wil
Joanne
Patti

All of these ladies are super quilters, some are traditional, some are arty and they all love quilting and fabric. But for me, the sharing of bits and pieces of their personal lives makes their blogs more interesting. They are moms and wives, they have jobs and family dilemmas, they are women in different stages of life and they share that with me and others through their blogs. That's why this award is for them.

Check them out!