Sunday, November 08, 2015

We now return to my regularly scheduled life.

My weeks of frenzied activity at work were followed by a half-week of intense & long-overdue cleaning at home. Then came the arrival of friends from overseas & 2 days at the Quilt Festival, followed by sight-seeing with the friends. Quilt Festival was fun. The exhibit hall was a mess -- construction inside & out, but that didn't hurt the beauty of the quilts. Inspiring -- and exhausting. The pedometer on my phone said I walked more than 13 miles over the days I was there. I didn't just walk, I also bought an insane amount of fabric. Trainers, forget the medicine balls & free weights, do you know how heavy fabric is!?! I'll say I bought the fabric to increase the efficacy of my walking workout.
You're buying this, right?
No?
Well, I can't tell you why I bought so much fabric. 'Because it was there' is the best I can come up with. Alluring stacks & bundles of pretty colors, all now trying to find a place in my bursting stash.

I also got another quilt top -- very cute & cheap -- my main criteria for vintage quilts & tops. A bright, cheery wagon wheel made in the late 50s to early 60s. It is small & I am thinking of finishing it up with big-stitch hand quilting. Across the aisle from my cute, cheap top was a finished quilt that was beautiful & not exactly cheap. It was slightly older than my top, probably mid-50s, a log cabin all made in cotton sateen solids with a few sateen prints added in, hand-pieced & hand-quilted. With the seller's permission, I took some photos, hoping images of this beguiling quilt would be enough. But I kept finding myself in the neighborhood -- just visiting, you know, admiring it. Then I found myself asking the seller if she would take any less.

Now, a chance to catch my breath. And to enjoy my purchases.




8 comments:

Nifty Quilts said...

Wonderful purchases!! I could not have resisted that wagon wheel top, especially. The log cabin is glorious too. You can see the special shine from the sateens. The quilting is great too. All of this helped with upper body strength, surely. Hope you'll show more when you get the chance.

O'Quilts said...

Oh, My...can I catch my breathe...We were destined to be friends...the glory of your new quilts...This post has me going now..and I will start ironing blocks instead of moping. Ha! Now how about a fabric post...I have not seen fabric in awhile...ha.ha ha

audrey said...

Oh that wagon wheel quilt! I had that pattern hanging on the wall in my quilting room this year for MONTHS! After seeing your quilt I may have to take it back out and make one of my own.:)

It's hard to pin down exactly why we have this urge to always buy more fabric, but wowsers is it fun to do!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Fabric is indeed heavy ... Love that wagon wheel top!!!!!

Rachaeldaisy said...

Oh Wow!! and Wow!! two amazingly amazing quilts followed you home. They knew you'd give them a happy and loving home. As for all the fabric, winter's coming and it helps insulate the house.

Tonya Ricucci said...

oooh, yay, love the wagon wheel. bright and fun.

fiberchick said...

I'd start my life of crime with that wagon wheel top! Congrats on the "insane" amount purchased too. They say the key to fitness is to lift light weights (fabrics) and do multiple reps (purchases). Your regimen sounds perfect:)

Carla said...

Awesome purchases! I know what you mean about the mess this year around the Quilt Festival. I parked out past the Toyota center. It made for a long slow walk after walking end to end of GBC. I've got to where I use the valet parking but the crazy thing this year was that the valet parking was just about as far away was my parking spot. Inside I was impressed but outside was a mess.
You apparently live in the area and I don't that I realized that.