The Spoils Of War!!!

FINALLY!!!  I'm on the road again with no ill effects whatsoever.  I have no idea what that was all about, but I'm feeling great!  How weird is that???  Before leaving yesterday, I tried out my new wide angle lens ... a Nikon 2.8 14-24mm beauty meant to take in the WHOLE scene.  It's pretty nice, even capturing the tiny crescent of the new moon.  I can't wait to take it to Oregon this summer!!

I arrived in Sacramento just after noon and headed straight to the Cal Expo RV Park off Highway 80.  I didn't even know this was here until I looked up the quilt show.  What a great place!  At $40 a night, I have a full 50 amp hookup, lots of room to breathe and I can't hear my neighbors!!  A real plus for me!!  They put me in the high rent district, and of course mine is the dirtiest, but oh well.  Nice level spots too with 24 hr security!!

I completely forgot about eating lunch and rushed off to the Quilt Show!!  Parking was double the cost of entry.  At $10.00 a day, I won't be going all three days.  The show was a madhouse!!  Never get between an old lady and the fabric she has her eye on ... I saw lots of wars going on, which I tried to tiptoe around.  

This wasn't the largest show I've been too, but many of the fabrics are brand new, just out of the factory.  I love the bundles of fat quarters.  They stuff a basket full and hang it up, making it easy to take down when they hit the road to the next show.  I heard the first day was always the busiest, but I had no idea what I was in for!!

Aren't these colors beautiful??  The batiks are always my favorites .... I just wanted one of everything!!  This dealer knows his business though ... instead of selling fat quarters, they only sell one yard pieces ... for $10.00 each.  This being the first day, women were fighting over these like you wouldn't believe.  I tried to stand back until most had left the booth, but this was THE most popular due to his cheaper prices and they just kept coming.   Skirmishes were happening all over, even as the sales lady tried to dig out more from her stash to make everyone happy!!

I would love to show more of the quilts, but this wasn't a quilt "show" ... it was a fabric show ... and most were $13.00 a yard and up!!  Yikes!!  Not only that, but since the patterns were also for sale, there were NO PHOTO signs everywhere.  What's a girl to do but sneak a few with my cell phone.  It's not like I'm going to steal their pattern!!

The colors were magnificent, making the entire room look like a gorgeous flower garden.  Besides fabric, there were lots of craft things going on ... hand sewing, weaving products and three big displays of long arm quilting and embroidery machines.  Embroidery seems to be the big thing now, but with machines starting at $6,000, I won't be picking one up any time soon!!

Luckily, I found everything I needed to complete three of my projects, one being this salmon that came back from Alaska with me a couple summers ago.  It has taken me that long to find the exact material I wanted for the border and backing!

Here's the spoils I came home with ... a new Hawaiian quilting pillow design (all done by hand with a needle and thread), several jelly rolls so I can make a quilt big enough for my rig's queen bed, several new batiks in shades of blue and green, along with some extra pieces for borders.  I can't wait to get started!!

Today I'm headed to Old Sacramento, one quilt shop and Jaime's Broadway Grille for a Garlic Steak Sandwich made with fillet mignon!!  That's not exactly on my diet, but I've been good ... well pretty good ... for three weeks, so I'm treating myself.  I want to see if Guy Fieri's taste buds are the same as mine, since he recommended the place.

On another note ... I'd like to thank Barbara and Tom Westerfield for introducing me to Dakin Farms Vermont Maple Syrup.  If you haven't tried it, pick up a bottle the next time you're in Vermont ... or order it online.  There are several different categories ... this is the sweetest, most refined ... and is WONDERFUL on my NutriSystem oatmeal ... or any oatmeal for that matter!!  

And so I'm off .... it's SOOOO nice to feel better and be back on the road!!!