Vendor Goodies and an Update

Hi Everyone,

The first thing I want to share is an email that I got from a fellow guild member here who also reads my blog.  She is a charming lady that I had the pleasure of getting to know while working on the quilt show.  She wrote to me in regards to this Marine Quilt that I shared yesterday.

To ensure that I didn't make any mistakes, I'm going to cut and paste her email:

Hi JoAnne,

I was looking around misc quilt blogs tonight and saw your post with photos from the Quilt Show.   I just wanted to tell you that I happened to meet the lady that made the Marine Quilt.   She was there with her husband, who happened to be using a walker.   She made the quilt for her son (and his wife), and she said that the only thing on the quilt that was done by machine was the letters United States Marine Corps which she did on machine and then hand sewed them on the quilt and the binding.   Everything else was done by hand.  Her husband told me that she hand embroidered all three verses (stanzas?) of the Marine Corps song on the quilt.    Also I asked her how long it took her to compose this masterpiece and she said "30 months".   She wanted her son and his wife to put it on the bed and use it.   She was just a delight.   I agree with  you that putting it on a back wall without proper lighting was a disappointment.

Thank you Susan W. for the great information about this spectacular quilt.  I wish it had been possible to photograph it better!

Finally I'm sharing some of the fun things that I decided to purchase at the show.  Believe me, I found lots and lots of fun things, but one can't get everything!  I actually had a list of things that I wanted to look for--I don't know about you, but I get distracted by all the fun things and then can't focus.  The list really helped, too.

At the top of the list were these scissors by Karen Kay Buckley:  the small "Perfect Scissors."  The micro serrations on the blades are wonderful.   When I was paying for them, the vendor asked if I knew about her pins.  I didn't and so she showed them to me.  They are so thin that they seem more like a strong fiber than a piece of wire.  Last week Pam Buda discussed both of these on her blog.  

Another item that I really wanted was a 15" Creative Grids Ruler.  My old Omnigrid 15" ruler has 3 chipped corners.  The one I found is actually 16.5" square, but that is even better.  The show ran from Thursday-Sunday and late Saturday this month's Schnibble pattern was announced.   In looking it over, I saw where it would be extremely helpful to have a 60 degree ruler.  I couldn't believe I didn't have one, so what other choice did we have than to go back to the show on Sunday to find one!  It was actually not that easy as several of the vendors who were selling these rulers were sold out.  We did finally find one.  Have you tried these Creative Grids rulers?  I love them.  They have spots of "grippiness" that grab on to the fabric and keep it from shifting.  

Despite the fact that I still haven't used some of the patterns I got last year, I couldn't resist getting more.

I can't wait to try these:  You use 2.5" strips like Bali Pops and fold them with interfacing and/or fusible fleece and then weave them together to make these bags.  The booth had a sample of that purse, and it was simply adorable!

And of course, I had to get some tiny projects, too.  

The rest of my purchases was fabric.  I actually got a fair amount this year, but I put it away before I took pictures and I wasn't sure I would remember it all!

It seems to me that there are two main categories of things at these shows:  tools and supplies.  I'm not too much of a "gadget" person.  While I do believe in using the correct tool for the job--I don't feel the need to replace every ruler I have because I like a different style better.  I am replacing them as need dictates.  I am the sort of quilter that would much rather have a package of 25 replacement rotary cutter blades for my favorite cutter than two or three other cutters.  I lean more towards the supplies:  I am totally a "stash builder!"  Fabric and patterns, oh my!  I can't say no to pretty fabric and fun patterns. What sort of consumer are you?

Have a great day!

JoAnne