Quilter's Road Trip!

I set aside today to prepare. I'm heading up to Hampton, VA next week for the 25th annual Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival; by my rough calculations I figure that I've been to more than half of them.  I am taking a class from Augusta Cole again this year. I loved the class that I took from her last year (although that quilt is far from finished) and enrolled in her "Wheel Of Fortune" class this time. Today I pulled fabric from the stash closet and chose a bright palette and a white on white for the background. I can't stress enough the importance of keeping a well-stocked stash closet at home, just for times like this. Saying this makes me feel better; less guilty for the sheer volume of fabric amassed in there. Following the directions for class preparation I cut all the strips and packed them up to carry with me for Thursday's session. I'll be sure to report back with show and tell from not only this class but from the Vendor's Mall and the Quilt Show too. I've already put together a shopping list of exciting new items to look for.

All packed up and ready to go!  Is it too soon to start packing my clothes and snacks?

I finished quilting this sweet baby girl quilt this afternoon and applied the binding, then basted it down into postion for the finishing hand stitches.  This quilt measures 42" X 48".

Here's a close-up of the quilting, a simple pantograph design called "Cloud Stipple".

I'll be taking these two quilts along for finishing, in the evenings. There's nothing like four days of shopping, a quilt class and one fabulous Quilt Show to look forward to; not to mention happy reunions with friends. I should be able to squeeze in some productive hours during "down time"... we'll see.

Life is Good!