Today was a Damned Good Day!
Three times a year, I travel for work. The trips are mapped out way ahead of time, and the days I'm on travel are between eight and thirteen. So, three times a year I am issued two "comp" days to make up for the fact that there is usually two weeks in a row I don't get a weekend. Today, I used one of my comp days.
Today, I drove my mom up to New Hampshire to attend a quilter's show and expo. It was the first time I'd gone to this quilt show, and we enjoyed it very much. I was impressed with some of the artistry, and less impressed with some of the color choices. One of the categories in the show was "Kids Can Quilt" - the youngest entrant was six. And there were quite a number of boys who entered their quilts!
I got to see long arm machines do their thing. Those things are incredible! But they are also quite large! I want one, but for one thing $$$$ and for another, you basically need a shed or large room to house just that (and damn, some of the vibrations those machines set up is amazing).
A trend we decided we were Not Fond Of was the use of heat-seal crystals on the quilt tops. I mean, what? Also, one entrant to the show appliqued a feather boa to her quilt. Again with the what?
My mom and I agreed on our favorite. It was not flashy or glitzy, but it was so artistically crafted, and the artist took a theme (one she obviously loved) and made the prettiest wall hanging for her home. It got a third place ribbon in the Art/Pictorial category. It was called "Letters From A Broad" and her theme was the alphabet.
One thing I wish they spelled out was what the criteria was for each award category.
I mean, I understand some of them, but some weren't as obvious. Like "Our Daily Bed" was for bed quilts, and "Edge to Edge" was all about the quilting transcending the borders.But what exactly were they looking for with "Innovative Template"? And while I could appreciate the meticulous work that went into the one ribboned Best In Show, it didn't knock my socks off, so what made it so spectacular to the judges? What were they looking for, specifically, with each category? I wish I knew. Because some of them were dreadful, and some of the better ones didn't win any ribbons, and there is really no way to know why.
Anyway, after a couple of hours we were both kind of reeling. So many colors and patterns! I think my mom was still overloaded when I left her at her house. We called my dad from the road home, so he knew we'd be home in about an hour, so he could go play golf (while Max is growing up, he still can't be left alone for too long or he'd have an accident - about an hour and a half to two hours is his limit).
Really really nice Friday off.
Today, I drove my mom up to New Hampshire to attend a quilter's show and expo. It was the first time I'd gone to this quilt show, and we enjoyed it very much. I was impressed with some of the artistry, and less impressed with some of the color choices. One of the categories in the show was "Kids Can Quilt" - the youngest entrant was six. And there were quite a number of boys who entered their quilts!
I got to see long arm machines do their thing. Those things are incredible! But they are also quite large! I want one, but for one thing $$$$ and for another, you basically need a shed or large room to house just that (and damn, some of the vibrations those machines set up is amazing).
A trend we decided we were Not Fond Of was the use of heat-seal crystals on the quilt tops. I mean, what? Also, one entrant to the show appliqued a feather boa to her quilt. Again with the what?
My mom and I agreed on our favorite. It was not flashy or glitzy, but it was so artistically crafted, and the artist took a theme (one she obviously loved) and made the prettiest wall hanging for her home. It got a third place ribbon in the Art/Pictorial category. It was called "Letters From A Broad" and her theme was the alphabet.
One thing I wish they spelled out was what the criteria was for each award category.
I mean, I understand some of them, but some weren't as obvious. Like "Our Daily Bed" was for bed quilts, and "Edge to Edge" was all about the quilting transcending the borders.But what exactly were they looking for with "Innovative Template"? And while I could appreciate the meticulous work that went into the one ribboned Best In Show, it didn't knock my socks off, so what made it so spectacular to the judges? What were they looking for, specifically, with each category? I wish I knew. Because some of them were dreadful, and some of the better ones didn't win any ribbons, and there is really no way to know why.
Anyway, after a couple of hours we were both kind of reeling. So many colors and patterns! I think my mom was still overloaded when I left her at her house. We called my dad from the road home, so he knew we'd be home in about an hour, so he could go play golf (while Max is growing up, he still can't be left alone for too long or he'd have an accident - about an hour and a half to two hours is his limit).
Really really nice Friday off.