Leaving Houston

Alas, my time here is done. I'll be flying home in a few hours. My feet are tired, as well as my credit card. It was well worth the effort to come, though. I thoroughly enjoyed every second! Today I though I take a break from quilt photos to show other sights. Here are a couple of shots from above of the vendor area.
If you've never been, I wanted to try to illustrate the magnitude of the venue. Unbelievable!
Here's the outside of the Convention Center. It goes on and on and on....
I adore the bright red smoke stacks on top.
And here are some buildings across the street. I thought the reflections in the building on the right were way cool.

I've learned so many things while I was here. I learned how to make a sweatshirt jacket without it looking "frumpy." I've learned some important tools for applique. I've learned some neat tricks for fusing fabric. And I've learned that some Canadians call their UFO's "PIGS," Projects in Grocery Sacks! All important stuff!

Oh yeah - I learned I have an accent. I was told that by a wonderful woman from Oregon. Who knew? Me, an accent? Yes, born and bred in Alabama. Comes with the territory!

Even More Houston Photos

More Houston Photos

Houston Photos

Houston, Day 1

What a great time I'm having! I was at the Convention Center yesterday just as they opened. I walked from my hotel with a lovely woman from Germany. Here's the very first photo I took - Sharon Schamber showing the back of her Best of Show quilt - lovely! It may be hard to see here, but those white things are actually little mirrors. Her backsides are always as gorgeous as her fronts!
And here's my friend, Judy R.'s Schizo Rose, hanging in the Celebrate Spring exhibit - LOVELY!
At first this quilt didn't catch my eye, but then I looked closer. The "plain" blocks were each quilted with a face - it's called Multiple Personalities.

See what I mean? Very cool, indeed!
And of course, I'm always a sucker for a dog quilt! This one is a digitally tranferred photo that has been heavily quilted.

Many, many more photos to come - I may post multiple times today.

And the shopping!!! Oh my! I came back to my hotel yesterday afternoon and dropped off a load. Then last night after another round, the strap on my tote bag broke - a sure sign that I've overdone the shopping a bit... I'll show pics of some of loot eventually, too.

Last night I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my two Birmingham friends (one lives in Seattle now). It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day. Then at MIDNIGHT(!!!), while sleeping away, the fire alarm in my hotel went off, LOUDLY. I threw on my clothes (no socks, no bra) and went out in the hall, debating on whether to grab my loot from the show. I decided there was too much to carry, and that I'd better just concentrate on saving my life. Luckily, it was a false alarm and we were able to return to our rooms after 15 minutes.

Houston, Baby!

I'm here, I'm here, I'm HERE! So excited! I arrived last night. I sat next to a guild friend, Margaret M., on the plane and grilled her about what to expect. She's meeting a mutual friend who now lives outside Seattle.

Two hours until the show opens this morning....I've showered, had a lovely breakfast, and now will twiddle my thumbs until time to go. I have an empty (for a short time!) tote ready to take to carry all my purchases. Not sure yet what they will be, though there is a certain type thread I want to buy, a certain pattern, and a certain fabric, too. Other than that, who knows?

A shuttle bus to the show stops by my hotel off and on all day, so I think I'll catch a ride, though I understand it's not a bad walk. I want to save my feet for the rest of the day though! Nothing much to take a picture of yet, though stay tuned.

I'm missing a bee meeting today to be here; miss you all!

Master Bathroom: Befote and After

It's FINALLY DONE! Above is the old, ugly before - cultured marble, broken tiles, rough walls.


And here's the same view now. Still neutral, but much nicer. The new cabinetry has more storage - we got rid of the knee hole. The countertop is marble. The floor tiles and tub surround are also marble.
Here's one little idea I had the contractor implement - I had him cut a hole (sort of a window) into the end of the shower. It's amazing how much bigger it makes the room feel.
I also had him install these boards (stained to match the cabinets) behind the mirrors. I made the Roman shade and the shower curtain on Friday.
But one of our favorite things about the bathroom is the new door. The old door opened in, blocking the bathtub. So we had the contractor install a pocket door instead. I was so glad he was able to install one with glass, too. The room is much more open feeling. It feels much bigger than before, even though it isn't.

I went to Thimbles today and quilted a couple of more rows on the red nine patch quilt. Hopefully, I'll finish it tomorrow. Only two more days until my Houston trip - can't wait! So tell me, what you would buy if you were to go to Houston? Fabric? Patterns? Rulers? Books? Thread?