Paducah Quilt Week -- 1

Did you miss me?
Sorry that I've been away and derelict of my duties. I've been to a good place, though. Paducah, KY. The one. 

Where the National Quilt Museum is. That one.

Friends waiting on me to finish my shopping at
 Hancock's of Paducah. Look they're still smiling.

I know, I've been before. But this time is a little extra special. Quilt Week and all that. Kinda important. Especially in Paducah.

Becky, Pam, me and Beth at the AQS Quilt Show

This is The Week. When everyone quilty seems to converge on the one small town in Kentucky where the fancy quilts are. Those folks are there for one reason...to make quilters happy. So there's the museum, shopping, eating, nice hotels, sightseeing, the rivers, the murals, the train, the shopping. And more.

I can't cover it all in one post, so I'll tell you about one little bit, the first morning. Hancock's of Paducah opens at 8 a.m. so we were there at, yes, 8 a.m. We shopped until everyone made a decent show of knowing how to shop for fabric. I never really made it out of the Kona solids. Really. (more on that later)

Then we happened by the Rotary building, which houses a neat little collection of antique quilts, several vendors, and a second collection of quilts inspired by the National Parks. 

I could not shop, but the girls picked up my slack. I, meanwhile, saw both exhibits twice. 

One of the bays of antique quilts had three signature quilts. I started out reading the names on the quilts and quickly realized that a few of the names appeared on more than one quilt. I was all proud and sassy, telling others what I'd just figured out. 

Then I read the information on the display. Well, my bubble was burst! Apparently the group of ladies were all friends from the same area. You've probably got it from here, so I won't be quite so sassy or so proud. Dang, for a half-second I thought I'd made a great discovery. 

I was somewhat disappointed to discover that my discovery had been made many years before and reported in the newspaper, no less. Talk about disappointed--I forgot take pictures of the signature quilts! So much for my career as a great quilt detective. 

In the end I was thrilled to get to see these and other antique quilts.  Take a look at this sunflower applique quilt. Isn't it stunning?

I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite of the antique quilts--this cotton boll quilt with four huge blocks. Each block has four cotton boll appliques and a center "flower." I especially like the way the cotton bolls stretch up into the corners. 

Which of these is your favorite?  Come back tomorrow, I owe you a post on the GSQA show in Slidell last Saturday.