As I think about leaving next week for the AQS Show in Paducah, KY, thoughts run through my head about the show.  The quilts, the friends I’ll run into, what I might buy, what I see that I will think about buying but won’t buy.  It’s a long trip from here but shorter than some will have to make.

For nine years, we lived about 2 hours from Paducah and many of the quilters from our former town will be in Paducah so I’ll run into some of them there.  Anywhere I teach, no matter how far away, there’s always someone who will be attending the show so I’ll run into some of those nice people there.  Becky, who is my good friend from Kentucky will be meeting me there and we’ll room together.  It’s always fun to see her.  I’ll see Betty, who is the shop owner for what was my LQS when I was in KY.

What might I buy?  Hopefully not much fabric but you never know what might jump out and attach itself to me.  I will be looking for enough of the red dot to finish the binding on this quilt.  Some days I think I’ll buy a new sewing machine; some days I think I’ll wait til my old Bernina quits and some days I think I’ll just keep sewing on the Singer 301 machines and never buy a new machine.  What would make me buy a new machine?  If Bernina ever makes a machine with dual feed, just basic stitches, metal parts . . no doubt I’ll grab one of those.  For now, I can’t see paying for all the bells and whistles which, at this time, I have no desire to use.

If you were going to a big quilt show next week, what would you do?  Simply visit with friends?  Buy fabric?  Buy new gadgets?  Buy a big ticket item (like sewing machine, sewing table, longarm)?