What could be better than a day at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival? TWO DAYS!Photo at left is for Kyle, who requested a look at this quilt. (Unfortunately I can't give appropriate credit as I didn't make a note of the quiltmaker's name; if anyone can supply that information please do, I'd appreciate it.)
Yesterday I posted about my impressions of the quilt show. Today's posting will be more of a "day in the life" (mine) account of what else goes on at the festival; think: "Ultimate Shop-Hop"! There were 151 vendor booths, all set up under one roof at the new Hampton Roads Convention Center. The quilt show, likewise, was held in the same location as were all the classes. Handy, if you were lucky enough to stay in the attached Embassy Suites. The Troll sisterhood riding in my car weren't quite so fortunate regarding accomodations, but a free shuttle bus made for an easy commute from our motel to the venue. The quilt shop vendors were well-prepared and loaded with varied supplies, quilt necessities and goodies to tempt quiltmakers and generally appeal to any and all needleworkers.
Here's last Thursday's page from my daily planner:
The shopping couldn't begin before 10 AM, when they threw open the doors. For all the dedicated time allotted for my "shop-hopping", I'm embarassed to report that I came home with only one small (flat) tote bag of purchases! I do admit though, happily, to having no "morning-after"shopper's remorse! That's gotta count for something, doesn't it? Please, say "yes"! I'm a little worried about myself...
My haul: 6 stencils, two FQ's and two pieces of pink fabric for a charm exchange. That's it! Pitiful.
My haul: 6 stencils, two FQ's and two pieces of pink fabric for a charm exchange. That's it! Pitiful.Happy Hour was back in our motel room. This activity (scheduled for 4 PM) consisted of putting our feet up, sipping wine and munching; all-the-while comparing notes on the above mentioned booths, and formulating a plan for the next day's shopping attack! My offering was a McManis Petite Syrah*, a very affordable grocery store find, which was surprisingly wonderful! * Go ahead, you'll want to make a note of this one!
Dinner out on Thursday was to a local Oyster Bar, Harpoon Larry's. Fresh seafood and made-from-scratch hushpuppies make this place a perennial favorite! There's always a wait, and it's worth every minute, too! (I ordered a crab cake, grilled; served up with the afore-mentioned hush puppies and delicious, fresh, tangy/sweet coleslaw... it ranked right up there on my "best-ever meals" list! The crab cake was made with only 1 ingredient--100% crabmeat. Yum!) 
Early to bed, outfitted in my flannel jammies, armed with a stack of new quilt magazines brought from home (I never seem to have time to read them there) and a steaming cup of Chai Spice tea I fell asleep dreaming about repeating the exact same schedule the very next day. What could be better?
Life is Good!
To come (Can you stand it? There's still more!): additional quilt pics,
my report on quilting trends that I observed, plus:
what worked and what didn't.
To come (Can you stand it? There's still more!): additional quilt pics,
my report on quilting trends that I observed, plus:
what worked and what didn't.
8 comments:
Drooling, Near Philadelphia!
Sounds fun! I wish I could be a Troll!!
I am always proud of myself when I can go to a shopping venue and come out with my budget intact. You should be proud of yoursel for limiting yourself to a few must have items. You have less to clean and lose later. And you still got something, so you managed to treat yourself.
Colour me green! but so glad you had such a great time!
We're drooling here...you're making the event sound pretty wonderful! :-) Ha...just looked up and read the first posted comment...she wrote the same thing. It sounds too wonderful! Glad you had such a great time. And I like that ruffle potato chip fabric!
Very cool, thanks for posting that quilt. I know the person whom created that quilt and she is famous!!
Have a great time in the Capital city.
Love the porsche quilt, so who is the famous person it is made by?
I think you did a great job with your shopping! You can always order things later, but only enjoy being at a certain location, with certain people, going out to eat, etc. while you are there. So - sounds like you are having a perfect time with some fun momentos too. It has been super fun reading about your trip!
Cheers!
Evelyn
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