Friday, February 13, 2015

Gone to Texas...aka Quiltcon!


I have been anticipating this day for a year and a half, and I might need to pinch myself in the morning when we (my mother, son, and I) load up the car and start our road trip to Austin, TX. This has been a dream of mine, and I'm having a hard time believing it's going to be a reality very soon.

I've spent the last month and a half prepping for Quiltcon.  I made a name tag and a lanyard.  I completely missed the lanyard swap for Quiltcon, so I went ahead and made my own.


I ordered pins so I can participate in the pin swap.


I ordered pins for my local guild so we can represent while we are there.


I put a box of my business cards in my supplies so I have them readily available to hand out.


I made two very practical bags to utilize while at Quiltcon.  The first was a Sew Together Bag by SewDemented. 


 The second was a Sewing Circle Tote by Elizabeth Hartman.


I prepped for the two classes I'll be taking.  The Dot to Dot Quilting with Angela Walters is just a supply fee, so that was easy.  I love straight line quilting, but I want to explore more FMQ.  I thought this class would be perfect.


These fabrics are all set for Playing With Value with Cheryl Arkison.  I feel like there is so much for me to learn about color value and I jumped at the chance when I saw this class.


I've been slowly collecting my supplies in a basket so I don't forget anything.


I've also been building a list of things I want to do in Austin while I'm there.  I use to live in Austin for 8 years while I was a student as the University of Texas and later as a young teacher.

I will be:
  • spending some of my time catching up with old friends and meeting precious children of the aforementioned old friends.  
  • going to church where my husband and I attended and where we were married.  There are lots of precious people there that I can't wait to hug.
  • eating a lot of food!  Chuy's (my favorite restaurant), Texas BBQ, Whataburger, breakfast tacos, food trucks, etc.
  • visiting a HEB and Central Market grocery store.  You have to be a Texan to understand this.  I probably won't buy much, but I will enjoy it's general splendor and try not to loose the contentment I've finally achieved with my local Kroger here in the Memphis-area.
  • going to IKEA.  We won't be getting an IKEA in Memphis until spring of 2016.  I can't wait that long!
  • trying to savor the time spent with my nieces and nephew.  I don't get to see them as often as I would like.
  • Last, but not least, I will finally be meeting all these wonderful quilters I've had the pleasure to meet through the blogging/online world in person.  I can't even begin to contain my excitement!
This is going to be a great trip! I have a feeling I'll be using the word AWESOME to describe my week after it's all over.  Safe travels to all those who are traveling as well.  Looking forward to meeting you!

I won't be on the blog while I'm away, but I'll be posting pics on Instagram: @simplypieced
Check it out!

7 comments:

  1. Yay! Have fun! Excited for your quilting workshop and your Austin visit. You're going to have a great time!

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  2. Have a safe trip and I hope to meet you in Austin! I miss Chuy's too, and the Whole Foods downtown is the grocery store I'll be wandering around in. I used to live on 3rd street just 2 blocks from Whole Foods (which has since moved and the building it was is now has an REI instead). I never kept my refrigerator stocked - I'd just walk to the grocery store every day or two. Why not? I am so excited for your time in town and getting to visit with friends and their new families. :)

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  3. i'm so excited for you! the fact that it's in austin is kind of like the icing on the cake, isn't it?! oh, i wish i could meet up with you at central market!!! quilt con would be nice, too. haha. chuy's is a must visit but i would also be stopping in at a rudy's. we got one about an hour away from us last year but it seems to be hit-and-miss. just not the same as eating the worst bbq in tx actually in tx. have a really great time!

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  4. Safe travels and have a fantastic time. Look forward to hearing all about it when you return.

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  5. Sounds like you are all organized and ready to go! I hope you have a fantastic time and get to do everything on your list! :)

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  6. A road trip to Austin sounds like such fun! I'm excited you'll be in the Dot to Dot class--are you taking the Saturday one? That is the one I'm in, so I hope to see you there!

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  7. Hope you had a great time. I'm sure you did. How old is your son? Did he go along with you or stay with your Mum? I can't believe you don't have IKEA in Memphis! We have one in little old Adelaide, South Australia. I imagine Memphis would be a much bigger city. Adelaide is about 1.2 million in the whole metro area.

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