Tuesday, October 25, 2011

To market, to market


To Market, To Market
          To Market, to market, to buy a fat pig, 
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig. 
To market, to market to buy a fat hog, 
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.


Yes, I've run away from home to go to the Market!   Quilt Market to be more accurate.  And run-away-from-home certainly fits.  YOU try convincing the Stanley that I need to go to Market! He really just doesn't understand quilters. Odd, isn't it? 43 years together and I still have to explain it to him!  I'm quite sure that "old Key saying" about Birds of a Feather originated with quilters!  We're like family!  It doesn't matter if a body makes scrap quilts or art quilts or traditional or...whatever!  Besides, if my friend can come from Sweden to market, surely I can come from Oklahoma! 
Show up at any quilt-related event-- a quilt show, a festival, a quilt shop (or shoppe) or Market! It's amazing that there's never a stranger. Somehow we all "belong" and it's a great place to be.  Even standing in sort-of-a-line at the Sample Spree-- hundreds of women! -- before you know it everybody around is like old-time friends. .... that is, until the doors open for Sample Spree!  Look out, here we come!  
That's what a "regular" quilting class looks like.  I wish we (at Key Grocery & Quilts) had room for a classroom! I'd keep it hopping all the time!  Anyway, on Friday, there's a School House series that is reminiscent of classes.  For 20 or 30 minutes each all through the day, vendors show & demonstrate their new products.  At least a couple-hundred of us mill through the George R. Brown Convention Center to get to the classes that seem to interest us most.  Fun, fun! 


Saturday the actual "market" starts- there'll be pattern people & fabric people & notions people & batting people & sewing/quilting machine people plus books & laces & buttons & threads!  Lions and tigers and bears OH MY!  


I'll be looking for  the 2 quilts I had a hand in finishing. Hope I see them! 
Here are a couple of glimpses. The 1st one reminded me of wheels - see the green backing fabric?  So the prints were quilted with "tire tracks" & hubcap in the center, and the white sashing is the Dallas mixmaster at every corner!  I know- I have a vivid imagination...


The 2nd one is a quilt full of baskets! Lots of fun quilting on it.  Hope I don't offend anyone for posting just a peek! 



5 comments:

lissa said...

Alicia,

Thank you thank you thank you. The quilting is wonderful and the girls love their quilts. We appreciate all your hard work!

-modalissa

Sarah Beth said...

We got to see your beautiful work during the market preview at United Notions yesterday! Absolutely stunning work Alicia! You are truly blessed with such talent. :)

KeyQuilter said...

thanks bunches, Lissa & Sarah Beth! The pleasure was all mine in getting to quilt them!

Outlaw said...

Love, love, love the quilting. Now if I could figure out a way for 'The Wheels on the Bus' to be playing while the quilt is on display......

Karen said...

The quilting is absolutely beautiful!!!. Have a ball at market.
Karen