Friday, October 17, was a free day. We took to opportunity to take a short road trip. First we visited the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange. This quilt museum is fairly new, and this was my first opportunity to visit it. It is located in a beautiful, old-fashioned little town full of quaint shops. The museum is set in a storefront along a main street. It is big enough to pack full of interesting quilts, but small enough that you can see and enjoy everything in a fairly short time.
The current exhibit is “Art Quilts from the John M. Walsh III Collection.” It was such a treat to see so many wonderful quilts that I had previously only seen in photos! Quilts always look so much better in real life. You can finally see them full size and enjoy every fabulous detail. I saw Rio Hondo by Katie Pasquini Masopust, Hydrangea by Velda Newman, Nottingham Reflections by Pauline Burnside, Cod by Ruth B. McDowell, Surf Swimmers by Tim Harding, Lush Life by Michael James, Bittersweet XVI by Nancy Crow, and Quilt #107 by Pamela Studstill, to name just a few. All I can say is Wow! If you’re not familiar with these quilts, you can easily see them through Google Images.
After absorbing as much of the beauty as we could, we stepped next door and went into The Quilted Skein. That shop is filled with fabulous fabrics and luscious yarns. It’s a good thing I don’t knit or crochet, I reminded myself. If I did, I’m sure I would have spent a lot more in that little shop! As it was, I did get three sets of gradations that I’ll be able to use in future fused portraits.
After our trip to La Grange, we had a lovely little picnic, enjoying the wonderful warm weather (unlike the temperature in Ohio!), and then we headed to Austin. Sweet hubby lived there for several years as a child, and he was eager to see the city and see a few places that he fondly remembered. It was late by the time we returned to our hotel in Conroe, but it had been a really nice day.
Saturday, I taught my Making Faces fused applique portraits workshop to a small group of ladies from the Golden Needles Quilt Guild. As usual, in the morning the ladies weren’t sure they would be able to make a successful portrait. By the afternoon, we were hearing exclamations of excitement as each one started to see their loved-one emerge before their eyes. Here are three of the portraits made.
After the workshop, we went over to Quilter’s Quarters. The shop was fun to explore because it is full of wonderful eye candy and good selection of fabrics. We chatted with the owner for a few minutes and then headed back to the hotel for a short rest before a relaxing open-air dinner next to Lake Conroe.
More about our Texas adventure tomorrow.
Comments
4 responses to “Our Texas adventure, Part 4”
Doesn’t “Windblown” live in this museum, I was thinking?
Quilts, Inc. bought Windblown and it has been shown at that quilt museum, but it isn’t there right now because it is traveling and being shown at various quilt shows.
Oh, kind of bittersweet. When I thought of you seeing it again, “Reunited” was playing in my mind!
That’s funny, Brenda! It would have been perfect in slow motion, too.;)