Midweek Update

The last week or so we've been traveling, and part of the trip was a pilgrimage to Paducah, Kentucky, where I got to visit the National Quilt Museum and Hancock's of Paducah.  Our trip was a lot of fun (including several days spent in Nashville which I will share in my Thursday I Like post) and went by way too fast.   

The National Quilt Museum has a wonderful range of displays and I really enjoyed visiting it.  

I, of course, took a ton of pictures, but decided to choose just one to share that really blew me away.  This was a completely hand stitched quilt - all applique and hand quilting - made by a Japanese quilter named Keiko Miyauchi.  It must have taken years to complete!

Here's a close-up of a section of the blue fence:

I also was able to do some shopping at Hancock's of Paducah - a quilter's candy shop if I ever saw one!

It turned out to be a good idea to have a specific quilt project that I wanted to shop for there, otherwise I think I would have had a hard time making a decision with so many choices!   I decided to pick out everything I'll need for the Spring QAL at mmmquilts, called Luminous Layers.  I have two rules for the fabric for this project - I want to make it without any white or cream background fabric, and I want a solid-ish look - and I think I found just the right fabric line.

These are tonal solids with a hand-dyed look 

from a line called "Palette" by Marcia Derse.

Looks like it needs some pressing!  

I hope to be getting started on cutting the first pieces 

for the QAL in the next few days.

Sharing at mmmquilts for the first QAL link-up,

and at Quiltfabrication for Midweek Makers.