Vending Is Fun When Quilters Are Involved!

This past Sunday was Mother's Day, and I want to take a sec to give a big nod to all Mothers. As females, we seem to have a special talent for nurturing. Whether it walks on two legs or four, has fur, beaks, or fins most of us are naturals at loving and caring for others. So if you'll all excuse one final Mother's Day shout out ... to my mom, Helen DeWitt, (who has been gone for 18 years). I love this picture of her. I find it so mysterious and even haunting to see photos of parents before you were born.

Helen Munro DeWitt ~ 1918-1996

Moving along smartly, I spent this past Friday and Saturday in one of my favorite cities... Dubuque, Iowa, at the Cable Car Quilters Guild Quilt Show. Book and art sales were brisk and I met soooo many fun and interesting people.  One thing for sure, no matter the age, quilters are a very ACTIVE group of women! Wow!

I finally got to meet my pattern writer face-to-face, SandyFromCedarRapids (I have to say her name as though it is one word because I have three other friends named Sandy and it get's really confusing!). What a nice person she is! We spent time together going over the next few patterns on which we'll be working. One thing is for sure that I couldn't do this "pattern thing" without her, and I'm happy she is on this crazy new journey with me. I hope to be posting photos of the first pattern soon.

With pattern writer, SandyFromCedarRapids.

So here are just a FEW of the fun, and I mean really fun, women that I met at the quilt show last weekend:

Meet Valorie and Kim...what a stitch! Valorie told a story about reading and loving the Elm Creek Series by Jennifer Chiaverini and how she thought that the retreat in that story was real. Apparently she kept telling people she wanted to go there for her birthday, until someone finally broke the news to her that it was fiction!

With Valorie and Kim--couldn't stop laughing!

 Two of Kim's quilts that were in the show. I just bought the pattern for the one on the left when I was in Rockford a few weeks ago. Beautifully done, Kim...

Kim's Quilts. Notice the First and Second Place ribbons one her quilts. Stunning!

This crazy-fun group of women call themselves the "Sew Fun Group" and let me just say that they are perfectly named...they were SEW FUN!

With the Sew Fun Group. I want to be part of the Sew Fun Group...maybe they'll make me an honorary member!

Connie and Tina visited with their mother (not in the picture). Again fun, fun, fun ladies!

With Connie and Tina. Connie is a long-arm quilter.

My vendor neighbor, Sherry, co-owner of Quilting Bee in Galesburg, Illinois. I've GOT to get to her shop ASAP...it sounds great.

With Sherry -- vendor extraordinaire!

Ready to see some gorgeous quilts?

This won the Viewer's Choice Award. The pic doesn't do it justice!

This quilt is one of the patterns that SandyFromCedarRapids wrote the instructions for! It's called "Basket Lattice".

The Quilts of Valor Booth with the QOV Iowa coordinator, Cyndy Billmeyer.

Well, I think I've yakked enough for one day. Hope you enjoyed the recap of this wonderful Iowa quilt show. Until next time...