Road Trip!

I'm on my first Road Trip! Woo hoo! I loaded all my quilting supplies, clothes, and a few new quilt books into my mini-van then headed out from Golden, Colorado. First stop, the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was my second visit to the center. What did I learn this time? I found out every visit brings new ideas, new inspiration, and a chance to see one or more new exhibits. Here's a bit of what I saw.




Check it out. I'm inside a bag folks at the study center think may have been made for holding snakes. Way cool! It's part of the "South Asian Seams: Quilts from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh" is a colorful exhibit of quilts and quilted items. To learn about this exhibit, check out the October/November 2010 issue of Quilters Newsletter, page 34. This exhibit will hang through November 7, 2010, so get on the road to Nebraska soon. Visit www.quiltstudy.org. I took a moment at the center to think about the makers of these amazing quilts, many of whom live in the region of Pakistan that has recently flooded. Quilting really brings our world closer.




Now this is what I call the perfect exhibit--all the quilts are just my size. I wanted to crawl under one and take a short nap--road trips do make you tired--but the white-gloved ladies discouraged that. "Childhood Treasures: Doll Quilts from the Ghormley Collection" will be up through December 12, 2010.




The shop at the study center was being stocked with lots of new goodies during my visit. These cute elephants asked me to pose with them but it had to be quick. There was a customer ready to take me home with her. Said I was so cute she'd pay a pretty penny for me. Nice lady but I had a road trip calling. I hopped down from the shelf, paid for the massive stack of quilt books I just had to have, and headed out. Next stop--a special quilt shop in Lincoln.




Got to love a quilt shop called the Cosmic Cow. And you have to meet owner Roxann O'Hare, left, and her mother Elaine Pieper. (I was told co-owner and Roxann's hubby, Rich O'Hare, was upstairs busy on the long-arm. I'll try to meet him next visit.) Rumor--actually fact, not just rumor--is that Roxann and Rich will open a second shop--Cosmic Cow: The Udder Store--early in 2011 in Seward, Nebraska. A new shop to visit on my next road trip!




Next stop--Quilter's Destination--in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. I got there just in time for class. Owner Patti Dockus, right, took a quick break from teaching for this photo. Also pictured here is Beth Friend, shop staff. Talk about a friendly shop. Beth greeted me at the door, introduced me to the shop, helped me find a specific fabric, let me wander endlessly, and never stopped smiling the whole time. My kind of place!


After a long weekend to rest and update my blog, I'll be on the road again tomorrow, this time headed for Indiana. Road trip!