The Paducah Story
When I headed out Monday morning to Paducah for QuiltWeek, I was able to catch an amazing shot of my beautiful hometown Saint George, Utah. If you haven't been here to visit - you should. It is so gorgeous.
The first time I have ever eaten in a restaurant alone happened on Monday night. I think my text to Clint went something like this: I don't like eating alone, this is lame.
The food however, made up for the sadness I felt. So yummy!
On Tuesday I headed over to the convention center and the bubble - I found a poster of me in the iQuilt booth. You can see a sneak peak of the project you will learn from my online class that will be available soon. All the info will be available at iQuilt.com
I participated in the All Star Review on Tuesday afternoon and had a great time. After that I met up with Elaine and Richard from AQS and went to the award ceremony for the quilts. I almost convinced myself not to go to the ceremony, but I am so glad I went.
Um ya - Coastal Lily won first place in the Bed Quilts Longarm machine quilted category. Thelma tells the story better than I ever could on her blog, you can read that here.
Best part of winning was actually meeting Thelma for the first time as well as Linda Hrcka from The Quilted Pineapple. It was probably the most animated group of ladies at the awards ceremony. It was an epic moment that will be remembered for a very long time.
Thelma and I got up super early for a live local tv news shot. It was so fun being able to talk about our quilt together.
I mentioned our win on my Facebook account and for me, this post went viral. Seriously over 30,000 people saw the post. I cannot thank you all for the love on this post and for your constant support you have given me. So much fun!
So, I had one student - Lynn - who had the longarm needle run through her finger. She was stuck to the longarm, they brought a stretcher and all. The funny thing was, they didn't have anti-bacterial ointment or a bandaid, but Vicky the Handi Quilter rep did. Anyway, I felt so bad, but she was a good sport about the whole thing. The dangers of using a longarm! I am crossing my fingers that I never experience this.
I met so many amazing quilters, but it was a total honor and shock to have Carol Selepec in one of my classes. She is a Paducah winner and gorgeous quilter. I feel completely honored that she took my class.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were 13 hour days for me. It was tough and though I am not a soda or caffeine drinker all the time - I did need some Dr. Pepper to help me stay awake. I walked into my room Friday morning and saw this Dr. Pepper waiting for me. When you teach for AQS, they take care of you and that Terry Guill is pretty awesome. The nicest man you have ever met.
Kimberly and I shared a room for two nights and had the best time laughing our heads off. It was so fun just talking to her. It was also my first time meeting her in person, but we have talked a lot on the phone - so I feel like I already have known her forever. She's a dear friend.
If you haven't been to Paducah before, you should go. I have never seen so many quilters in one spot. It was amazing. You never quite know what a quilt show can be like until you have been to Paducah.
On Saturday I had a book signing in the bubble. I was just so happy to be finished with my crazy week. I had so much fun teaching, but it can be exhausting and it was nice being able to relax and talk to people without having to worry about things that I do while I am teaching.
Clint bought me a one way ticket home Saturday night so that I could get home sooner. I am so glad he did. I do wish I would have had time to really enjoy Kentucky, but this picture really describes the beauty there. So green, blue and white. The perfect backdrop to a wonderful place.
I flew through Chicago and the skies were dark and dreary, but when we got up above the rain clouds we were greeted with the most amazing cloudscape. I really don't know why I have struggled so long with flying, but I am starting to appreciate it so much more. Being up close and personal to God's creations makes me all the more grateful for this beautiful earth.
The best part about coming home was being greeted by these little people. I am so grateful for my family. Of course they were excited about watching my luggage come out, clearly it is very exciting.
Anyway, I am so thrilled to be home for this week. I am taking it easy and enjoying my time with family. My mom is coming in for Micah's baptism this weekend. I will be sure to share that with you.
Also, I will be heading out again next week and will be teaching at HMQS - hope to see you there!
