A WONDERFUL LADIES DAY OUT!!!

Yesterday my mom, dear aunt and I went to the quilt show at the local 4H club.  Oh WOW...it was a WONDERFUL day out.  We saw so many beautiful quilts and had a fabulous day of just three women enjoying each other's company.  It was a bit tough on us physically, but we took some sitting breaks to regain our strength and balance throughout the day, lol.  They even had a cafe that served hot dogs and hoagies, sodas and all kinds of home baked goods.  A yummy way to rest our bodies!

Upon entering we were each given a small token gift.  I didn't open them until this evening and realized that they were not just small squares of fabric (as I had thought), but teeny tiny hexie papers too (maybe 1/2 inch size), enough of each to make a "flower".  Of course mom and my aunt gave me theirs! I know I can't sew them by hand, but I'm hoping maybe to get a bit of help making the hexies and then I can sew the flower by machine.

I then stopped at a table to sign up to be contacted by our local quilting guild...Homemaker's Country Quilters.  I would really love to be involved with a guild.  I may not be able to make every meeting, but I sure would love to try!  

We were also given door prize tickets.  Mom and I weren't lucky, but my aunt won!  She received a bag that contained a large piece of Michael Miller Tipsy Square fabric, a key fob and a book, What I Learned From God While Quilting.  Of course, she gave her door prize to me!

Since my hubby is very patriotic, my dear aunt bought me a kit to make a "flag" wall hanging.  It isn't an exact depiction of the flag, but an "artistic" rendition.  I can't wait to make it!

And now for the things I just couldn't help purchasing!!!!!

As I said, I did purchase some things...but they were WELL worth the cost.  First up, a bag of scraps purchased from a quilt shop that is not too far away; and I never knew they existed!

Inside the "main" sales room I found a few big boxes FILLED with trims at incredible prices.  Each of these little bags of ribbon cost $.25!  Now that I have an assortment of ribbons, I really do need to come up with a "standardized" method of storing them all!

Next I purchased a bag of 7.25" x 3.25" strips for $15.  I can see a LOT of pieced goodness in my future!  I haven't had the chance to look through the stacks with more than a quick fanning of the strips.  I can't wait to take them apart, piece by piece and separate them into color categories for storage!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST.....

Patterns!  They had the largest selection of patterns I have ever seen...ANYWHERE...and they were all dirt cheap, ranging from $.50 to $1.50.  What a savings! 

My favorite in this grouping is the Christmas quilt on bottom right. 

My favorite in this grouping is the party bags.  I think I will make them in colors to match my sewing room and store my small rulers in the bags!

My favorite in this grouping is the teapot table runner. 

OH MY GOODNESS....THE QUILTS!!!!!!!!!!

And, last but not least...I will leave you with some samples of the gorgeous quilts they had on display.  Oh to someday be that good!

The flags were actually real little flags slipped into a pocket!

These aprons were adorable!  I have come to the conclusion that I really like 3-D quilts...probably why I am so inclined to use buttons on my quilts!

This is my favorite little quilt!  I just love COTTAGES!

Oh, by the way, my Stitcher's Pocket Pouch was a hit!  I was stopped by several people and asked if I made it.  They loved the idea to empty my hands for examining quilts, etc. (with gloves of course) but REALLY loved it when I explained that I originally designed it to keep track of my notions while sewing!  I may have to see if I can take this idea further!