I've had a wonderful two weeks away! I spent a few days with my mom at her home in the North Carolina mountains - just me and her - what a treat!!! She took me to her little "home" town of Waynesville, and I was totally charmed! Just look at that view! There were quilt blocks everywhere on the buildings. I especially liked this unusual one on the Police Station building ..... Mom was excited to take me to a few quilt shops in town. One turned out to be one of those mountain shops that sells cheap, ready-made quilts :( That was rather disappointing, but then we checked out Quilters Quarters..... This is a really nice shop, with lots of fabric and loads of tools and notions!!! I was impressed :) Tons of black-and-whites!!! Lots of colorful moderns and an amazing array of Stonehenge & other mixers!!! And BATIKS!!!! Lots and lots of them, in all colors and patterns - Ooo-la-la!!!! They had quilt blocks displayed outside on both sides...... no quilter would miss this building!!! Here is my mom sitting on the little bench beneath a small quilt block at the entrance :) Hi Mom!!! Miss you already =^..^= After my relaxing and oh-so-enjoyable visit with my mom, I hopped in the car and headed back west, but only a little ways. I turned off the Interstate at exit 407 and headed to Pigeon Forge to spend a week at the Mountain Quiltfest quilt show! Yippee!!!! I know a lot of you were there, too :) For the past couple of years, I've joined up with five of my bestest friends to rent a cabin for the week of Quiltfest. This was our view from the porch of our cabin....it felt like we were on top of the world!!! We stay for a full week and just enjoy retreating from the busyness of our daily lives. Our cabin had no wifi, so no blogging for me!!! That was difficult at first, but after a few days, it felt nice to just let it go for a while. First we move all the furniture around and set up our sewing stations, and then we go shopping for groceries - gotta have fuel for all that fun you know :*) There's so much to do - shopping at local quilt shops, viewing the Quilt Show, taking classes from national teachers, checking out the goodies from all the show vendors ..... This year, we had the added treat of Mona assigning herself as the Entertainment Director - she brought the first 3 seasons of Downton Abbey on DVD and we watched them all!!! Photo courtesy of Amazon.com Some of us (like me!) have seen every episode since it began, but others had never seen any of them. It didn't matter - we were all glued to the TV from first episode to last! And it was really fun seeing it through the eyes of newbies :) I didn't get as much sewing done as I usually would because I kept stopping to hear what they were saying or to relive a favorite part, but it was worth it. This series is just spectacular!!! Thanks again Mona =^..^= I took two classes this year - "Quilting as the Third Design" by Hollis Chatelain, and "Pieced Borders" by Marsha McCloskey. I purposely chose classes that did not involve me starting a new project and bringing home another UFO - 'Been there, Done that' too many times to count! You too? Yeh, I thought so :*) Hollis is an amazing artist and shared some very valuable lessons on color and how to choose the most impactful thread colors for quilting. She emphasized using the color wheel to choose quilting thread colors that will pop or disappear, depending on your desired effect. It was pretty fascinating! Then each of us shared a quilt with the class for creative ideas about how to quilt it. Already I am definitely thinking differently about how I want to quilt some of my quilts-in-waiting! Hollis did not allow any pictures in her class, but you can check her out at her website HERE if you are interested in learning more about her and her quilt art. Be sure to check out the gallery of her quilts - AMAZING!!!!! My last class was on Saturday with Marsha McCloskey. She is famous for her Feathered Star designs... We learned how to draft designs for borders that will fit and enhance our quilts.... This is another class that left me thinking differently and more creatively about how to finish my quilts. Isn't it fun to learn new things and grow in our art? I love it!!! I wasn't able to take as many photos at the quilt show as I would have liked because my phone battery was low, but I'll leave you with a few that I loved..... Gorgeous Storm at Sea design!!!! Three shots of "Poppies" - look at that quilting detail !!! Loved the block and layout choices of this gorgeous Oriental! What a creative way to use panels and large prints! This quilter definitely has a fine sense of color usage for the most impact This picture doesn't do justice to the awesome colors in this Niemeyer Bali Wedding Star quilt! Diamonds are Forever with a lovely floral border! And a really fun and funky camel :*) And last, but not least (except maybe in size).... some Miniatures!!! Tiny, tiny pineapples :*) (I was thinking of YOU Janet O!) And this one was simply amazing....... See how tiny those little Lone Star sections are? Unbelievable!!!! I had such a wonderful time! But of course, it is always nice to be home again. It has taken me a few days just to rest up LOL!!! I'll be checking back in tomorrow with a knitting finish and some odds and ends - home to see you then! Hugs & Blessings! Teresa =^..^=