I'm also exploring different venues for next March, and at the rate we are making progress on invoicing, most likely a new Trade show Decorator!
We have so many spring quilt shows in our area.... we were traditionally the first for many years.... and everyone seems to have followed us... Puyallup Quilt, Sewing Expo (about a 2 hour drive), then our show, with another small show in the same town the same weekend this year.... a neighboring guild had one the week after us.... then this weekend was the PDX Quilt, Sew Craft Expo.... and then a mid-valley show next weekend about an hour south.... We had approx 1000 paying visitors, about the same as last year, but the vendors aren't happy about the influx of so many shows so close together.... Everyone is either saving for the next show, or just spent their money at the last one....
UFO progress...
I had entered my "On Ringo Lake" Bonnie Hunter Mystery in our show... so it was definitely on my " to do" list for March. I actually did this one on a long arm, with help and assistance from a member of our guild who does Long Arm finishing on many of our Quilts of Valor. We chose an overall design and in about 4 hours, I was on my way home.
I had to finish my "Whole Cloth" project for my Quilting Rockstar Status, which had our graduation on the 29th of March..... I finished just before the posting deadline by one day....
I chose to use a variety of geometric shapes, surrounded by a variety of background fills. I'm calling it "Shapes I", as I see a series of these in my future. I used a soft gray shot cotton on top, 80/20 Hobbs batting plus a layer of wool batting, and quilted it with a soft gray Glide Thread. I'm very happy with how it turned out.
My March UFO for the APQ Challenge was this lovely vintage, well aged piece that was started in the mid-1990's. Wow! that was last Century! I believe it is my oldest UFO. I didn't get anything done on it early in the month, but I took it to our retreat the last week of March, and got the top assembled with a couple of hours to go before April 1. It helped to have friends cheering me on!
This is now 82 x 82 approx. This was originally an internet exchange of blocks. Thank goodness I had just enough fabric to add the outer border and cut binding. Next up is to piece a back out of some of my homespun plaids and get this quilted. I love Churn Dash Blocks!
I also finished this table runner earlier in March... this was from our 2010 quilt show, where I took a class from Judy Niemeyer. I finished piecing the top earlier this past year, but we wanted a small display of items completed as a result of guild workshops... so I decided to go ahead and quilt it. Done!
And... "Good Fortune", the 2019 Bonnie Hunter Mystery went to Retreat with me as well! I got it pieced together and ready for it's Minky Backing and Quilting. I did forget to take the four final corner pieces with me, so they are missing in the picture.
This is a graduation gift for our granddaughter who will receive her BS in Nursing this spring.
And.... I had committed to helping with the Quilts for Cure project which helps to bring snuggly comfort to Kids with Cancer. Michael Miller Fabrics sent me the box of blocks, and fabric while I was at retreat. It is now a top, and I'm waiting for the box with the batting and thread.
