Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Follow the Quest!

So where did that name "Quilting Quest" come from? I don't know, something mundane probably, but it immediately makes me think of King Arthur! I participated in my first quest last week. Had to get to 10 different far flung shops in 5 days. I actually only had 4, due to other commitments. I do other things besides quilting - imagine that! Plus one of the days was Sunday and a few of the shops were closed. That kind of bothered me; if you're going to go through the trouble of participating as a shop you should be open for the whole event. It's hard enough to figure out how to get to the shops during the regular working hours, dealing with rush hour traffic - around here almost every hour of every day! - , and planning a route so you're not criss-crossing too badly. The Quest is free, IF you don't count the cost of gas. And I don't know about you, but it's really, really hard not to walk into a shop with all that yummy fabric and not buy something! Yes, I know that's the point. I found the backing fabric for THE WEDDING QUILT. It's like that in my head now - all caps. Not shouting, imagine a deep, important sounding voice. The piecing is done for the top and I've started basting the quilt sandwich together. I should be able to start the actual quilting before Thanksgiving! Whoo - hoo! It's only 2 years in; my daughter may get it before her 10th anniversary. You never know though, I am hand quilting.


For this quest Jinny Beyer designed a quilt pattern. The only way to get the pattern was to go to all the shops. Each one had one part of it. It is amazing to see how the same design can change due to fabric choices! The quilts went from looking modern with bright jewel colors (Jinny's) to beautiful country colors, very fall-like. Stupid me didn't bring her camera so I can't show you pictures. But you can go to the following link and see them there.  www.quiltersquest.com I did complete the quest, no grail, but now I have a new pattern and maybe I'll win some great prizes!

I even got my hubby to go with me to four shops on Saturday. Can you say Road Trip? He had ulterior motives - visiting gun and ammo shops. Nothing like a little quilting and shooting! Actually, I'm planning on doing that - the quilting not the shooting! My husband sometimes participates in Cowboy Action Shooting matches. It's just what it sounds like. People dress up as cowboys or cowgirls, and shoot in different scenarios. Like pretending they are in a saloon. There's always a story and they shoot at targets. Great fun to watch, the shooting and the people. Not to worry, they are all about safety too. They even have a mounted shooting  group. They shoot blanks at balloons (otherwise it wouldn't be safe for spectators) while on horseback. Accuracy and going through the course fast are important. Hmmm . . .  it's kind of like cross-country horseback on steroids! Some go all out on their costumes. Anyway, next year I'm planning on bringing my quilting. I can sit with a hoop, quilt, and watch the proceedings. If I put on a prairie dress, I'll even be part of the fun! Even a shootout can sa(y) quilts!

No comments:

Post a Comment