GSQA -- Go Lori!

My friend Lori Steib from Baton Rouge is the new president for the Gulf States Quilting Association (GSQA) and presided over her first meeting last Saturday. She's a natural! Here's a picture of her (on the left) presenting a quilt to the outgoing president.

The meeting was interesting and there are many happenings going on. The biennial quilt show is in early April and seminar will be early 2021. There are meetings, classes, Pursuit of Excellence events and so on. I've found a very active group of like-minded people. My goal is to attend as much of these events as possible. I'd really like to attend the meetings, despite that some are out-of-state. We'll see.

The speaker for this meeting was Teresa Duryea Wong, author of American Cotton: Farm to Quilt. You can find her website here. After hearing her speak, I want to find a copy of her book. It just seems interesting to find out more about the fiber that makes the fabric that we love. She also shared vintage and antique quilts to show and used them to explain how cotton and quilts were made before machines took over the world.

In addition to the business of the meeting, we saw quilts during show and share, heard several announcements about upcoming shows and events, and ate delicious goodies. Best (for me) were the door prizes. I won the grand door prize of a Bernina 125th Anniversary quilt kit. 

Cotton and I enjoyed opening the box and petting the new fabrics. These, I think, will be perfect for some zippered bags for the girls. There are several with metallic gold designs, which the girls seem to love. I'll leave you with pictures of a few quilts shown at the meeting.

 

Houston IQA {3} Ribbons!

Every quilt on this post is a ribbon winner. That's about all I can tell you. It's possible to look them all up in the catalog, which I always purchase, but if I take time for that, you get fewer photos. I'm going with the photos. You can look up the winners in the catalog which is now online. 

Janet Stone's Garden Variety Sampler which won Best of Show 

And a tighter look at parts of the quilt...

My personal favorite part of the quilt is the topiaries.

Did you notice the sheep?

Can you just imagine!

Win? Me? Really? YES!

A few days ago I got an interesting email from Leanne at She Can Quilt informing me that I, me!, was a winner of (now get this) the big prize on the September Scraptastic Tuesday linkup. Yea, big prize--$40 gift certificate from Mad About Patchwork.
(No affiliation, they're all just good, generous people.)

Then came the next email telling me the gift certificate was ready! Now do you think I had waited to start shopping. Not me! I know a good thing when I read it. 

So I already knew that there was a sale happening--40% off. And the softest fabric in the prettiest colors was waiting with bated breath to come to Fleur de Lis Quilts! 

Shh, don't say it out loud, but I added some yardage above the $40, and you know in your heart that every quilter reading this blog would have done the same.  Now there was one little caveat: the postage was pricey. I did at least ask if there was another option. But by the time I knew the answer three minutes later, my little heart couldn't let go of that gorgeous fabric. 

So I paid the bill. Who's really going to tell me I can't? Well, too bad for them. I did. And there it is. Now all this took place at some point last week. On Tuesday there was a package in the mailbox. Just that fast and easy.   

I ripped into the package and petted and loved, and we had a photo session. Then I petted some more and loved. And showed Cotton (no one else was home) and he was as excited for me as anyone else in this overly emotional family.

So there you are: sometimes you think you're not so lucky (or maybe you spent all of your luck, cause that can happen) and then with almost no effort at all, a package appears in the mail because you won something. And when you get to choose the something, there's the extra winnings of getting to go shopping. 

Thanks again, Leanne! The fabric is perfect! I loved every minute--shopping, ordering, (code for asking goofy questions) and petting! Girl, I had fun petting my little yards of fabric. (It's been a while since my last fabric fix.) We should do this again soon, but let's wait till Katy answers goofy questions from other customers.  

Thanks Mad About Patchwork! Some of the best customer-service people work at your place. And though I tried her patience, Katy could not have been nicer. If she beat on her computer a few times, it's because she was dealing with me. You can forgive her now. 

One more thing: everybody go over there to Mad About Patchwork and just look at the pictures. No, seriously. Go. Tell me the picture below doesn't meet your aesthetic tastes. That's what I'm saying. And if you buy something at 40% off, you will have made a great deal. If you pay postage, that's on you!

Winner!

Apparently there many, many aren't many people interested in receiving my selvage scraps. Only four people left comments, but one of those four should win.  Drum roll, please...

Number 4 is the winner! That would be Linda! Here's her sweet comment, which I do appreciate. 

Linda said...

I would make coasters, mug rugs, zip pouches, pot holders, etc. I have started saving selvages for the past few months. Thank you for such a generous giveaway.
Linda "Cookie" Lawrence
Mandeville Louisiana 

Interestingly, Linda lives in Mandeville, which is only about three hours from my home, right on Lake Pontchartrain. So it shouldn't take long for her to get it.

Linda, I've sent you an email. Please send your address so that I can get the selvages out to you asap.

To the hundreds three of you who entered this fabulous giveaway, thank you for your kind comments. Keep entering--perhaps you'll win next time! 

Happy quilting,

Welcome Home Winners

Pretty quilts you are.  Pretty enough to be winners, every one. 

Congratulations to you all.

It feels good to win a ribbon or two, even though it was a small, local show.  This show is sponsored by the Cottonport Museum as a fundraiser.  As such, it allows quilts from around the state.  This year the show was a bit smaller than usual, possibly because the dates had to be changed and another guild was also having its show. 

That guild is the Patience Quilters' Guild. I showed photos from the here, and I'll have more photos to post tomorrow.  Come back for a visit, won't you?

Linking up with:

Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts 

Off the Wall Fridays at Creations Quilts Art Whatever

Simply Pieced for Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday

Mail and mail and more

There have been some nice surprises coming my way of late.  

 Last semester I helped one of our dual-enrollment students.  Taking a freshman English, he was struggling to bring his grade up and since I'd taught him twice already, he decided to ask for help.  I was very happy to do so, especially since he came early in the semester and I know he's a hard-working student.  In the end, he brought the grade up to an A. 

 A very grateful young man brought this into my classroom last week as a way of saying thank you.  

I've been spending more of my precious computer time reading and responding to some of my favorite blogs.  One of those blogs, Silly Mama Quilts, was having a giveaway last week, which I happened to win.  The prize?  A nice little bag of scraps!  Yes, scraps!  All sorts of scrappy sweetness. 

 Poor Richard still doesn't get my excitement "over some scraps that most people would throw away."  Well, darling, you don't have to get it....I get it!  In fact, I get it enough for both of us.

There are so many bits and bobs and bix and boggles that I can't even tell you.  Just know that one little bag of oddments can really make a girl ecstatically happy.

But there's more!!! {fake TV announcer voice}  Ramona, our Louisiana Traveling Quilt guru and cheerleader, sent out a small package.  It came in the mail....but it was much bigger than I thought it would be since I expected a small square of quilt label to attach to the back of the Louisiana Traveling Quilt.  My top hasn't made it home, yet, but it should arrive shortly, which means that I'll have a fun project to quilt and bind and label.  And the label is ready and waiting for the top.  

Don't you love all the little pretties?  I'm so loving the journal!  And who can't use a pretty pencil and a Sharpie in an odd color?  As for the lovely note...I can tell you that this one is extra special.  I think I'm going to enlarge the bird photo so that I can snag a few quilting motifs from her.  What, you wouldn't?  

Then the last of the good news: I was nominated or chosen or received by default the Teacher of the Month award for our school for the month of February.  It's the second time in my 25 year career.  (The first time was last May.)  Richard and I went to Marksville tonight so that I could receive the plaque in person.  

All in all, it's been fun to be recognized, acknowledged, awarded and thanked for all sorts of activities.  And, wait, fun activities! Now that's winning all around!