HMQS Update

After sleeping in on Sunday, I think I am recovered from HMQS. It was so much fun! Quilters are just great people. I love talking to all of you. I shared a booth with some other pattern designers, Crazy Old Ladies, who are friends of mine. What a riot. I want to say that it was their fault that I became as crazy as they are, but I don't think it was their fault. That kind of just happens after spending three days in a 10' x 10' space.

I spent half of my earnings across the aisle at the Rusty Crow Quilt Shop, a vendor from California. Good thing we weren't there another day or two. I might have just handed her everything just for the pleasure of taking home some of her fabric treasures that I just couldn't live without. She just had tubs and tubs of fat quarters and precut yards that asked if they could come home with me.

The quilts, of course, were to die for. I cannot even imagine all the hours that go into making them. I don't make show quilts at this stage of my life. I do love making quilts that aren't going to give me a heart attack if one of my kids curls up with on the couch.

One of my favorites was David Taylor. His award winning goat was there as well as other amazing quilts. But the best part was that on Saturday, David Taylor was there quilting his latest creation, an amazing owl. Very cool!

I collected four quilts for Quilts of Valor. That was more than I expected. I find people don't usually bring quilts to a quilt show. But many were interested and over 500 flyers were handed out. And the "Pajama Quilter's" sister won the drawing of one of my books, Simply Charming Seasons, two 1 1/2 yards of fabric and two coordinating charm packs. Yeah!

As fun as HMQS was, there was one downside. I did not get a single picture. Sigh. No excuse. Sorry.

Home Machine Quilting Show

Going to be somewhere near Utah this weekend? Come to the Home Machine Quilting Show at the Sandy South Towne Expo Center. The website is http://www.hmqs.org/ for more info. It's a great show with lots of vendors and a WOW quilt show and national teachers offering some fun classes. It's worth a visit if you are anywhere nearby.

AND if you come to HMQS, be sure to come visit my booth. It is way in the back left corner near the quilt show. Not only will I have books and fabric you may want to buy, but I will also have information about Quilts of Valor, http://www.qofv.org/.

To help the Quilts of Valor organization, I have decided to offer a drawing for quilting prizes worth over $50! To get your name in this drawing, bring a quilt to donate to Quilts of Valor. There are some guidelines like the minimum size in 50" x 60," and it does need to be machine pieced and machine quilted and labeled. You will get your name in the drawing, and I will take care of the shipping cost. QOV quilts are given to Chaplains at VA Hospitals who present the quilts to wounded soldiers. Take a look at the website for more info.

One last thing -- the vendor hours are:

Thursday, May 7th - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, May 8th - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 9th - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stop by and say hi!