I don’t know if this is going to continue but I’ve got free internet in my room and it’s good and fast!
So, I’m making the most of it and I’m keeping up to date with my adventures here in Houston .
Wednesday didn’t start quite so early but I got to my meeting in time and then I made the most excellent decision to sign up for the Winner’s Circle luncheon. I made a new friend looking at the availability boards and set off with Betty to join the line waiting to go in.
We were back in the ballroom with the funky lighting but I still managed to get a few pictures.
The big winners were in the place of honor at the top table with their quilts hanging behind them for a spectacular back drop.
The salads and desserts were set out ready. I always like to know what’s coming for dessert so I know whether I should leave room or not…
I decided the bread pudding definitely looked like it was worth leaving a little space…
Each winner said a few words (some said more than a few…) about their quilts and then Stevii Graves talked about Unusual Places to Find Quilting Tools, highly amusing and some good ideas too!
It turned out that Betty had quite a few friends at the lunch and I now have a whole group of new friends. Within minutes I realize that we had a friend in common… it really is a small world when you’re a quilter, even when you’re at a show with over 50,000 visitors!
As I was getting ready to leave I found out that a couple of the ladies were headed in the same direction as me and we joined the back of the line for Kaffe Fasset‘s Ancestral Gifts lecture. This is one third of the line…
We ended up on the back row so Kaffe was a long way away…
I knitted when Kaffe first started knitting and had moved into needle point when he added that to his repertoire. It seemed like I had just started quilting when his first quilt book came out but I’d never heard him lecture before. He had lots of super stories and wonderful photographs. Lots to think about.
After all that I had a little time to get my bags ready for Thursday’s classes. I have found that knowing I won’t be rushing at the last minute does help me enjoy the moment a whole lot more… And then it was time for a faculty supper before the show opened. Good food and inspiring company!
But we are all here for the show…
There’s no way anyone can get around everywhere in a few evenings so I had compiled a short list of booths I needed to visit and say hi, and then I went to look at some quilts. It was great to see them all in person having spent two days looking at the pictures.
I just have a few photographs. Here is Gillian Shearer with her quilt, sharing her story with the constant stream of people stopping to admire it.
Here’s Angela Petrocelli with her prize winning quilt Why Not? which placed first in the traditionally pieced category. This is the first quilt Angela ever made and has over 10,000 pieces. It is stunning.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Angela comes up with next!
There are lots of special exhibits every year and one of the very special ones this year is the Magna Carta Quilt from England.
This year is the eight hundredth anniversary of the Magna Carta being signed at Runneymede.
Q. When was the Magna Carta signed?
A. At lunch time*
The quilts were made by a group of quilters from England and many of them were on hand to share their story.
My featured image today shows attendees being treated to a history lesson by the group’s leader.
Day two down… the calm before the storm… day three marks the start of my classes!
*1215
How nice that you have met several of my guild members! The funny thing is that when I read the name Betty, I thought of Betty Rivers…..and there she is in the photo along with Jill and Mary Jo. It is a very small world!