What's Happening?

This weekend is the annual quilt show that is sponsored by the Asheville Quilt Guild. This is the second year that I have entered it and the first year that I have actually helped in the preparations. A couple of weeks ago, I helped with the judging process and yesterday I helped hang the quilts. I really like to listen to judges as they talk about each quilt. You can learn so much about what makes a "show-worthy" quilt. My friend said on the way home that she certainly had learned that she needed to work on having straight borders.

This is such a high quality show and I had hoped to post some great pictures, but holding the camera with one hand and trying to shoot around a mass of people just doesn't work for me! I hope to get some better ones when I go back on Sunday to help break the show down and pick up my quilts. This was one of my favorite quilts at the show: It's really a very simple pattern--the Drunkard's Path--but the use of color and placement of the blocks was spectacular. I'll see if I can get a better picture of the Best of Show quilt and a couple of others that I really liked. I was very pleased that both of my quilts won awards--one lst and one 2nd. It's always nice to have something that you've labored over be recognized. Those quilts are already posted on this blog, so I won't add them again.

I have finally gotten a good start on my next quilt that will focus on a swamp hibiscus. I took pictures last year of the plant in my yard and have mulled over it since. I finally got the inspiration for how I wanted the quilt to be, drew it out and then studied it some more. I started sewing the background last week and, after sewing for 2 days, decided that it looked terrible. Back to square 1. I then found a background fabric that I like, but don't have enough. Soooo.....now I have to find it. I guess I'm going to be FORCED to go to Mary Jo's! Anyway, I've started piecing the flower and I'm posting the work in progress: It has now reached the enjoyment stage--until the next roadblock. Oh well, we should welcome those growth opportunities.

The other thing we did recently was to go hiking in the Dupont State Forest this Monday. It was a great day for a hike and was so beautiful. We went on a trail that leads to Triple Falls. This picture isn't that entire vista, but it gives you an idea of what we saw. I'm looking forward to building up my mountain legs enough so that we can go back to some of the places we went to six or seven years ago. There is just something so peaceful about being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by massive trees and flowing waters.