Each summer the Minnesota Quilters host a quilt show in one of the major cities. This year it was held in Rochester. I took a road trip down there with some quilting friends. They were nice enough to let me squeeze into “the quilt bus” so I didn’t have to travel alone.
Once we arrived I headed straight for the vendors. I love to see what new things I can find to inspire my quilting. I had a few missions in mind. First of all, I wanted to get some pantographs for the new long-arm machine I bought. I found some great ones at Golden Threads. It was only the second day of the show, but many of the newer and more popular patterns were already gone. Not to worry – I didn’t have any yet – so to me, they all were new. For those who are interested I bought Winding Plume, Feather Me, and Whatever.
Each year, I scope out the whole show, and then buy my favorite kit. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that this year, since I had just spent a lot of money on my machine – and – I know you’ll find this hard to believe – I have a few unfinished projects in my closet. I found one kit I really, really liked at Grubers booth though. It was Market Square by Whirligig Designs. I hemmed and hawed. I walked around some more. Then I ran into my friend Karen. Guess what? She liked the quilt too and bought it. That was all it took. I had to have it too. Mine is still nicely folded in the plastic bag it came in. Karen’s top is finished. We were right. It’s a beautiful quilt. Here are some photos to prove it.
Jan's Quilt Kit
Karen's Quilt Top
I also took some time to admire the many quilts entered in the show. I was delighted to see many Glad Creation quilts. Several friends have taken the mystery classes there each spring and fall. I’ve joined them a few times and had a marvelous time. The patterns are always intricate and scrappy. One really nice feature is that usually the borders are part of the blocks and not an add on later.
We stopped at Cannon Falls on our way home for dinner at a restaurant that will remain undisclosed. We waited for our food for quite a long time. When others who arrived much later than we did finished eating we inquired. Our order had been “dropped.” Our food finally did come, although not at the same time. All of our food was on the house, but we agreed we would have rather had a better experience.
Next year’s show will be in Duluth, my favorite spot. The dates are June 11-13, 2009. I’m going for sure. Check out the MQ website for more information. Maybe I’ll see you there. Free food anyone?
