I missed Saturday's Quiltathon --- I went to a quilt show

I knew JudyL (http://www.patchworktimes.com) was hostessing a Quiltathon yesterday, and I had every intention of working on the next charity project that is sitting on my sewing table (the framed 4 patches that I pictured previously). But did any of that get done???? NO! Instead I went to the the NJ Quilt Fest IV in Somerset, NJ.

I hadn't planned on going, since the Quilters' Heritage Show is coming up in a few weeks, but since I did not get to the show last year I figured I would wander over. It is a smaller show, and there are quite a few art quilts (actually, most of the quilts were art quilts or "out there" quilts).

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate all the work that goes into those pieces, but if I want a painting I'll take painting classes & learn to paint.

There were also alot of "abstract" quilts that took quilt blocks in different directions with the color and value placements. . .a few of those caught my eye. . .at least those made some kind of "sense" to me.

I quilt to express my creativity in a way that can be used and enjoyed, and yes, even used up (like the charity quilts & the dog crate pieces) and I just don't "get" alot of the art pieces that are being made.

Ok, enough about that, what is a quilt show visit without checking out the vendors??? I did really well on my first pass through. . . this is all I got:


Then I walked through the show again, just to make sure that there weren't vendors, or quilts, that I hadn't seen on my first "go round". . .and that's when the purse strings flew open and I got this:



All of these patterns are simple, stash reducing patterns that do not require templates. . . and I have seen these quilts "done up" on blogs & fell in love with them. . .so now I can make my own versions.

All in all I could have done more "damage" but did not really see a need to. . . I saw several embroidery patterns for samples that I really loved, but, as has been making the blog rounds lately, I don't know if that is "who I am" or "who I want to be". . . .and since I have a BOM from a now defunct quilt shop that combines embroidery & piecing I will "test the waters" with that first and see where it leads.

Of course, the fact that I have so many UFO's also was weighing on my mind. . . .and hopefully today I will be able to get some sewing done after church & some household errands that just can't wait.

In peace & pieces,