AQS Quilt Show

Well its taken me a little while to get a chance to actually sit down and post something!! I spent all day Friday and Saturday at the AQS quilt show, and boy did I have a fantastic time. But it was very exhausting! Friday I was on my feet from 9am to 6pm and my tootsies were hurtin'!  I checked out the vendors and most of the quilts before my "white glove" shift.  White gloving is where you stand in a designated section of quilts and watch all the people to make sure no one is touching the quilts or you are there  to answer questions anyone may have, and you stand out cause your wearing white gloves.  At some shows the white glovers are able to turn a corner of the quilt so you can view the back, but not at an AQS show!! 

Then on Saturday I  went back to all the vendors that I wanted to buy from and made my purchases.  By going home and thinking about it overnight I bet I spent about half as much as I would have, but I still spent too much!  I worked the volunteer check-in for the afternoon and then helped with take down from 6-8 and two days later my thighs are still sore.  It was great to meet and spend some time chatting with two other male quilters from Lansing!  I am not the only one, there are others out there just like me! 

The best part was spending time with my quilty friends, I do enjoy that the most. 

Here I am amongst some of the beautiful quilts at the show, oh but you can't put any pictures of any quilts on the Internet!  So I had to block them out or I would really be in trouble with the quilt police!!

A day with friends

Randy at Lost & Found

Sunday we had a wonderful day with our friends, Brian, Patrick and Randy.  We just don't get together enough so it's always great when we do.  We had lunch at The Green Well, a new restaurant in Grand Rapids on Cherry Street.  Okay, I don't really know how new it is but we had never been to it!!  It was a very fun place, and with the weather being so nice we actually ate outside!

Then we spent the rest of the day hitting 6 different antique stores in town that are open on Sunday  To bad for the ones that were closed, we would have stopped! 

Patrick and Brian at Lost & Found

I did find a couple treasures that I had to have.  I found a stool, which I have been looking for one to use in my sewing room so I can scoot between my sewing machines easier.  I found this great one at Century Antiques.

Now I have a good excuse to pick up that chicken home dec fabric I've been eyeballing at Hobby Lobby.  It will make a great cover for it!

 
 I also found this cute little cast iron chicken bell.  I just don't know where I'm gonna put it yet. 

Me and Randy at Century Antiques

It truly was a wonderful day.  I do so enjoy getting together with friends.  I can't wait until we can do it again.

Kent County Fair

Saturday we went to Lowell, Michigan.  We first stopped at a couple small antique shops.  I got a couple issues of the Poultry Tribune from 1929!  Then we walked by a comic book store and they had these superhero lidded cups with straw!  I, of course, had to have one!  This will be perfect to use in my cubicle!  I may have to go back, they also had Wonder Women and Batman.  The fair was fun, a little muddy but at least it was not so gall dang hot.  The day ended with having a very nice dinner with the in-laws.

The New Ewe

I had a quilt show meeting the other night so I got to see some of my friends but since they kinda frown on chatting during a meeting I didn't have much time to visit.  I did get in a few minutes at the end.

Last weekend we went to the Newaygo county fair and stopped at some antique shops in Newaygo and Fremont.  I didn't get anything exciting this time, but I did see a Six Million Dollar Man metal lunch box.  I really should have bought it! The most exciting thing was a knitting and quilting shop right next to the antique store in Newyago!  I was told we didn't have time to stop! Yeah right!  

It was a charming shop called The New Ewe. It ha a very nice selection of everything.  I picked up this fun fabric and a queen bee tape measure.  I thought this fabric would be great to use in making some scissor holders.

Muskegon Trip

I'm sorry I haven't shared much lately,  I'm trying to get used to this new job schedule... having to work at all could be called a new experience after being laid off for 20 months!  After I get home and finish dinner and do a little housework, the next thing I know its time for bed.  I know I don't have to tell you about all that, but I've got to get used to it again and I need to get myself more organized so I can get some things done in the little time I have!!

A couple weekends ago, we took a trip to Muskegon to visit the county fair and along the way we stopped at the Muskegon Antique Mall.  It was a wonderful antique store.  I finally picked up one of those old iron presses I keep seeing and telling myself one of these days I'll buy one.  Well, I finally did!  It is a very nice one, free of any rust.  I think it will make a wonder book end on my new bookshelf.

Our nephew, Austin, went with us and of course he does not search each booth as methodically as we do. So he is always a few booths ahead of us. He came back to inform us that there was a booth coming up that Uncle Bobbi was going to love!  And he was right! It was filled with antique sewing things!  I spent a good time picking through all the carefully put together little grab bags full of a variety of sewing items.  I ended up choosing two bags of old spools of thread that were bagged up by color.  Of course, I got the yellow/golden assortments!  Then I added a couple from my stash of old thread spools and put them in a nice Ball jar!  I am very pleased with my new room decoration!

I may have to add a piece of fabric and some stuffing between the lid and the ring to make a nice little pincushion on top for some pins.  I'll have to dye some yellow fabric myself to make it extra special!

I have been searching for a receptacle to put my embroidery stabilizer and other type of rolled items in.  I have my mothers old crock that I am currently using and I wanted to find something a little shallower to put the shorter things in where they won't get lost.  When I saw this crate with Cotton Club written on the side, I knew it would be perfect in my studio.  Now its not as shallow as I would have liked but I could not resist.

When I first glanced at it I could have sworn that it said Fat Quarters on the bottom!!  I think it worked out great, and there is room to grow!!!  You can never have to many types of stabilizer!