2008 AQS Nashville Quilt Show Trip

It was a last minute decision to go to the show this year but a good decision! I enjoyed seeing all the quilts and when I laid down the night after the show my head was swirling with ideas and colors for what I wanted to make next.

Perhaps the most important item I took on the trip was my GPS unit! It came in handy as we maneuvered the highways of Nashville.

It's only a three hour trip from Louisville (unless you get stopped on the highway because of road work). Will it never end??? But not a bad drive so I'm really disappointed this is the last year the show will be in Nashville. I heard the rumor it will return some year in the future so I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

We arrived in Nashville in the evening and checked into our hotel. Then we went to a Mexican restaurant and had a tasty meal. After that we returned to the hotel and met up with some friends and chatted for a few hours before hitting the sack. We knew we had a long day ahead of us after all!

The next morning after breakfast we headed to the show. We were really lucky this year as one of the ladies in our group had her husband along with her. He volunteered to take us to the front door of the hotel/convention center to drop us off (we saved a lot of walking and lot's of money by not having to park at the show).

Bob was great about the entire day. He picked us up in the afternoon and took us out to lunch then took us back to the show. He also took the morning purchases back to the hotel and when we were finished for the day he came back to pick us up! Now that was service and it gave us the maximum amount of time to see everything in one day.

There were rows and rows of vendors and quilts at the show .... so much to see and do. Boy my feet were tired at the end of the day! We sat around the hotel room that night and since I had my laptop computer with me I turned the ladies on to "The Quilt Show". Alex and Ricky will be happy to know they will have a few new members soon. We watched a couple of shows and chatted the evening away. Midnight came on us before we knew it and sleeping that night was really easy.

We got up the next morning, ate breakfast said our good byes and hit the road for home about noon. Now you would think that we had shopped enough for the weekend but my traveling companion suggested we stop at Jo-Ann's on the way home! We were already on the road and had pulled into a gas station to fill up (gas was at least .50 to .60 cents cheaper here than home). So I pulled out my GPS unit and typed in Jo-Ann's and sure enough three Jo-Ann's Fabric stores came up. One was 4 miles away from where we were so I pushed the button - the directions popped up and we were on our way! See more details below of our successful shopping trip at Jo-Ann's.

Best of Show - AQS Nashville

You could pick out the winning quilts because there was always a crowd around the quilt. I wish I could post pictures of the quilts I saw but I know that is a no-no so I will direct you to the AQS website where you can see a slide show of the quilts.

Dawn Gerber - Best of Show ... it really was a nice quilt!

I wish there had been more crazy quilts at the show but it was not to be this year. There were a lot of traditional quilts, reproduction quilts were big this year, and of course the Art Quilts were in abundance and I saw a Dear Jane Quilt or two.

I did see at least two Crazy quilts and the one by Ellen Purdy won a ribbon. I googled her when I got home and found this picture on this site. It is the same quilt as the one at the AQS show. I see she won a ribbon at the Northern Star Quilt show for the same quilt. Good Job Ellen!

2008 Nashville AQS Quilt Show

Plenty of shopping and

...lots of quilts.

Nashville Shopping

When we were at Jo-Ann's I picked up a few pieces of fabric. Just a few ...

Plastic containers were on sale so I picked up a few of them. A person can never be too organized after all. It's amazing how much stuff a crazy quilter can acquire in a short period of time.

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect containers to carry my goodies with me on trips and I'm hoping this one will work. It has a handle and is roomy but not too big. We will see as I'm planning on taking it to the EGA Convention next week.

But here is my grand 'purchase' of the trip. I've always wanted a pair of the Gingher Designer Series Shears. But they are soooo expensive and I could never justify the expense, well as I was walking through the Jo-Ann's in a small Tennessee town I saw a pair - very patriotic don't you think? Had me thinking of the Olympics.

They had a sale sticker on the hang tag above them and the price was way more than 1/2 off ... I just knew they were marked wrong but I picked them up and tossed them in my basket figuring I'd check the price when I checked out and sure enough they were on sale! Yahoo - I now have my first pair of designer Gingher shears - this might begin a new collection as there are so many pairs that I like!



My girl friend said she saw me pick them up and she was lurking behind me to grab them up in case I didn't put them in my basket! They were the last pair on the shelf but I'm afraid I disappointed her by putting them in my basket. Just couldn't pass up a bargain!

Nashville Shopping

I was looking more for threads and silk ribbon for my crazy quilts as I browsed the vendors at the show. Here is a quick view of some of my bounty!

I also found these silk ribbon packages at one of the vendors ...

I admit I don't usually hoop my projects but I'm taking a class at the EGA National Convention next week and one of my classes requires several different hoop sizes. I already have a few hoops but I went ahead and picked up these smaller sizes because they were sizes I didn't have.

I may never use them again but I'm keeping an open mind and will see if I like using hoops. I'm still missing one of the hoop sizes listed on the supply list and hopefully I will be able to pick it up from one of the vendors at the EGA Convention - if not I'll just have to make due with what I have.

It gets expensive making sure you have all the items teachers put on their supply list. And then they also require a kit for the class. Learning isn't cheap but it sure is fun! The charms aren't for class ... they were just too cute to pass up.

Last but not least I picked up these packs of Post Card and ATC's backs. Remember I said I wanted to try my hand at making Post cards ... I thought these backs would come in handy when I make them. I think I could dye my own also. This gives me an idea ... oh goodie another project. I need to get my dyes and paints out and see what I come up with.

My Roommate is a true shopper!

I took a picture of the bags and bags of beautiful goodies my friend bought during our shopping adventure. This lady really knows how to shop and the fabrics she got were beautiful! She picked up enough kits to make at least 10 quilts!! When will she ever have time? The Vendors loved her!

She loves the reproduction fabrics and we found a lot of vendors this year that focused on these fabrics. If I had the time (and money) I might be tempted to make one of these quilts. But I know my limits and right now I just don't have time. But I may pick up a few of these fabrics to work into my crazy quilts soon. I admit I did gather up a few cards from these vendors so I could shop online when I'm ready!

Look at all the delicious threads she found! I'm pretty sure the vendors had a good show from what I saw.

Nashville TN AQS Quilt Show

I'm sitting in my hotel in Nashville relaxing after a day at the AQS Quilt Show. My feet are tired and my wallet is a little lighter. I think these shows are as much about shopping as looking at quilts! There were a few crazy quilts but mostly traditional and Art quilts. Lots to look at and see. Now to relax and stitch a little in my room.