Quilt Show

The Quilting Guild of The Villages "Showcase of Quilts" was last Friday and Saturday. How does a week fly by so quickly?! It was a busy, fun, and hard-working three days, what with helping Lora to finish setting up her DragonflyQuiltworks booth in the vendor area, cutting fabric - LOTS of fabric - and showing some of her new products - Kona Pink Flamingo, and these quilting mitts made by a woman in Brazil - and then tearing down her booth late Saturday afternoon. Now that was some physical labor.

Lora sells fabric on the bolts as well as bundles. She leans toward 108"-wide backings, and as those are always priced more affordably than 40" to 42" wide fabrics that also have to be pieced, it's a great shop from which to stock up on wide backs. Which is what I did. 🙀

Lora and me

I wish I had pictures of all the "old friends" who surprised me while I was working in the booth! Lola Z., an Iowa quilter with whom I was once in a small group; and Gayle, a Virginian I knew from quilt market in Kansas City and hadn't seen for 15 years - she had no idea I lived in The Villages! And then these new friends who are friends with my Instagram friend Dena (LivingWaterQuilter). How fun that I would meet Dena's friends before meeting her! Wish you'd been here, Dena.

As for the show... I earned two ribbons (only two quilts entered per member). Prism won third. I'm so tickled about how well this photographed! I've never looked at Prism in a way that so dramatically shows up the quilting.

This is the blue ribbon winner in the same category. It was long arm quilted. 

And my Florida quilt also placed third. 

This is the blue ribbon winner in the same category. It too was long arm quilted.

You might rightly guess that I'm championing for a domestic machine quilting category at the 2019 Showcase. And a modern category would be nice too.

After numerous comments about my Florida quilt, and inquiries about a pattern for it, I am doing just that... writing a pattern. Since I have lots of experience at it, it's proving to be not too much work to pull together. Only my lack of design software is somewhat inhibiting. I plan to sell the pattern as a download only; not a paper pattern. I'm just not up for printing, packaging, shipping, distributing and such.

So what with pattern writing, ukulele practicing, a Central Florida MQG executive committee meeting, and prepping for Di's arrival from Australia next Friday! (OMGosh!) I've started and not finished a Dainty Tote, a free pattern from Three Owls Handmade. I'm making it just because.

This week I also received a yarn order from WoolWarehouse in the UK. Attic 24 is offering crochet-along (CAL) to make a "Moorland Blanket." The designer's yarn colors are gorgeous, but not terribly suited to Florida. So neighbor-quilter-friend Becky and I collaborated to pick yarns to make our own version. I haven't crocheted a blanket in many years. It felt good to remember how to hook single, double, and triple crochets to check gauge.

The yarn is Stylecraft DK Special, and feels luscious! Now I'll be crocheting a little bit too.

The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings!

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Linda