Quilt Odyssey

Going to quilt shows is just as much fun as ever when I can see this gal, Debby Brown.

The Quilt Basket Booth was located right under an air handling duct – blowing cool, COLD air down. Which I loved, however standing under it for hour upon hour Debby was COLD, hence the wearing of her Handi Quilter Sweater. I donned my BERNINA shirt this morning so here we are Fierce Competitors by day and good friends by night. Oh, bah, we’re good friends anyway.

The Quilt Basket is in the process of making the move from their current location in Wappingers Falls to Pawling – opening mid-August. They carry the entire line of the American Made Solids I came home with gray, black, lime and purple. Please don’t ask me the exact colors because, I really don’t know. I just had to have them. These are $6 per yard and have a lovely hand. I’m looking forward to doing some quilting with them in the very near future.

I very nearly purchased a thimble from TJ Lane. I was so close. Please, dear friends, don’t drop your teeth. I loved the look and feel of these thimbles when I was a hand quilter and wanted one then. They were on my “I MUST GET THIS TO QUILT LIST” way back when. These things are GORGEOUS! Amazing and beautiful and functional and did I mention Gorgeous? Who wouldn’t want to own something so very beautiful?

Traveling to a variety of shows you get to see some of the same vendors and begin to get to know them. I love Linda Pillion-Lease’s jewelry. I bought a button necklace from her that I still treasure. Today chatting with her was really different and I hope to interview her on my blog very, very soon. I listened to her tell the story of her art pieces, incorporating fabric and her jewelry. I was/am so moved that I hugged her before I left the booth. I can be a bit of a hugger if I know  you well, if not eh not so much hugging gets into personal space and well that whole introvert thing just gets me almost every time. When I hug I hug with my whole heart. The beauty I saw in her pieces and the story she told . . . . it’s a gift. . . .a personal beautiful journey. Oh damn words are going to fail me now.

I did spend some time in the quilts however did not get photos. Not for lack of trying. When I went in there were so many quilters vying for pictures of the quilts that moved me I just quit trying. I’m okay with that. Really. One thing I did walk away with a clear sense of. . . hand work is NOT a dying art. It never will be. There are so many quilters who love that part of the quilting world that it is here to stay. While hand quilters feel fewer and far between they are not. There were plenty of ribbon winners at Quilt Odyssey. While part of me rails at having separate categories for hand and machine quilting I get it – they are different and should be judged in a show accordingly. That said, they are both beautiful ways to quilt. And while I “gave up hand quilting for Lent” I can still pick up a thimble, needle, thread and get stitching.

Happy Quilting!

Teri