Home from Houston

I echo Sandy's sentiments. The most special thing about Houston for me is getting together with old friends and meeting new ones. Right after that come those awesome quilts and the plethora of vendors. Both my pocketbook and feet are feeling the aftereffects, but wasn't it wonderful!

I haven't posted in forever, but retirement is finally within view and just perhaps I'll be able to drop in from time to time. Howdy to all the old-timers, and Hi Y'all to the newcomers. I look forward to visiting once again.

YES!!!!!!!

Nancie, it's *so* good to see you here again! Running into you once a year in Houston just isn't enough. How long before you get to retire?

Howdy!

Yee-Haw! Glad to see you here, Nancie.

Didn't get a chance to check back at the show, so, please, do tell: what'd you get at the show? Please include details of color and yardage; I have your address. (EvilChuckle)

Ragmop/Sandy

Would you believe that I bought not one scrap of fabric? I have somehow accumulated so much that I can no longer fit it all into the storage containers my husband built shelving for. And then I have another 12 plastic drawers full plus a couple of suitcases and two more boxes. I'm trying to either use up some of this, or at least weed out the stuff I'm not going to use and give it to some of my newbie quilting friends. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that I've started hand dyeing my own fabrics. They really build up but it's such great fun.

That's not to say that I didn't spend money -- I certain did. But mostly I purchased books (5 of them), and thread (24 spools of Aurifil), and beads ($50+) and Thimblelady thimble and DVD (plastic, not silver), and sequins and marking pencils and Ultrasuede, and the list goes on and on.

Retirement date is December 31. I'm going to visit my daughter and grandsons in Oregon in January, then back home to finish up some of those old projects.

My friend and I had a good time too and we certainly got in lots of walking! We only ran into a very few people we knew...three for me and a couple for her and no one from this group. We hunted both Friday and Saturday for everyone but struck out both days. Ditched by the cool people once again ;-)

Thursday I took an afternoon class from Donna Poster and that woman is filled with funny stories. We had fun.

Saturday we took an all day machine quilting class with Robbie Joy Eklow. She knows how to machine quilt but not so much on the nice conversation. Her opening was "I cannot control the tone of my voice so it's up to you to not get offended" sigh. The afternoon she commented that she was in her "afternoon crabby mood" and one lady near me murmured "then what was the morning mood called?" We did have fun and learn a lot but she was a bit off putting and I noticed a few missing people after lunch.

My favorite quilt was the applique one by Liuxin Newman...the quilt must be 12 inches square which made her little leaves 1/4" or so. My friend buzzed past it and I grabbed her arm and said "that's hand applique" she said "oh, I thought it had to be machine embroidery" It was that perfect.

I didn't shop much at all until the last day when I managed to order a sewing table ;-) It will be nice to finally have my sewing machine down in a table and even with the surface.

Currently, I'm taking a QU class on Hawaiian applique with Nancy Lee Chong (highly recommended!) and I did get a short visit with her at the show. Fun to talk to my teacher in person!

After a much delayed flight, broken plane seats, a fight that broke out on a plane and then being squished by a very large women with intestinal difficulties (pew!) it is very nice to be home!

marcella

I didn't run into many from this group, Marcella, but I did run into a few I knew from home. I'd have loved to have run into you!

Wonderful! :)

Oh dear! How discouraging! I hope you wrote about this in your class evaluation -- I suspect that if enough people did that, she'd learn that she's the *only* one who can control the tone of her voice.

Did you see the Japanese quilt in shades of taupe with the wheat theme? I was blown away by that one!

Oh, that sounds lovely! Which table did you choose?

I had a celtic appliqué class from her at camp one year -- she's very good! :)

Yikes! I'll bet. What airline was that with the broken seats -- I hope you didn't get one of them! And what was done about the people who were fighting? I live in fear of being squished by a very large person on a flight, but adding in the intestinal difficulties seems to me to be cruel and unusual punishment. :(

Gosh, Nancie, I wish I'd known you wanted the Thimblelady DVD; I'd have given it to you! It's very good, but it's just not for me. I also have one of her thimbles (silver), so if you need that particular size, let me know. And *24* spools of Aurifil? Wow! I should have done that! LOL!

Congratulations! Retirement is wonderful, and we'll hope you'll have some time to check in here now and then. :)

I had my eye out for both you and Jeanne (the only two I'd recognize) but no luck. It was just so big and there were so many people.

I hope you wrote about this in your class

I did as did my friend. Hopefully others did too. My friends thought was that she had received comments before about her sarcasm/rude comments and rather than change her style for teaching just puts it on the students to not get offended. Sad because she really is one heck of a quilter.

Yes, that was lovely. It amazed me that the wheat wasn't braided fabric but individual little pieces. wow.

A Sylvia table. It's a large rectangle. I had never bought a table because when opened they always have a cut out in the upper left section. For quilting that would pose a problem as a larger quilt could fall through the hole and pull. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a table and then have to buy or make something to fill in the hole too. This company has tables designed by a quilter so they had several styles that folded out into full rectangles...no holes.

Fortunately, my seat was fine but the two people in front of me were in permanent recline - not very comfortable for them. They weren't the only ones either...there were quite a few broken seats and I swear they were all told at least a dozen times to "put your seat in the full upright position" They were getting pretty tired of hearing that and then having to remind the steward that their seat was broken. And, every time the steward would pull their seat up like the person was clueless.

The fight on the plane was quite amazing. A man started yelling and swearing because the lady behind him had been kicking his seat continually and the tray went up and down many times. The final time she put it up and bounced him he just exploded. Then she was yelling and swearing back and her husband leaned forward and said something and the man started swatting at him over his head and the husband was swatting back. I think the attendants were all hiding in the back because they wouldn't answer the call button and there was no way you couldn't hear it...all the passengers were sure watching! Where's that air marshall when you need 'em? They did finally move the couple. Said couple was on the airport shuttle to the parking lot with me. She sat with her legs outstretched and bouncing and tripped someone boarding the bus but she and her husband chatted the whole way about the crazy man. I think they were all crazy.

Last time I fly Continental...I took United in but couldn't get a flight with them home.

marcella

Wonderful! I'll keep that name in mind in case I ever get to buy a "real" table.

I don't blame you. It sounds awful -- and there's no excuse at all for attendants to be ignoring a fight on board. Especially these days!