Quilt Odyssey ~ Hershey, PA

Well, yesterday was a very fun, full, and tiring day! It was the day I'd been waiting for with much excitement--attending Quilt Odyssey!

Our two buses, full of chattering women (and a couple of husbands), left from Patchwork Plus, my local quilt shop, and headed to Hershey, PA, for an all-day quilting and shopping extravaganza.

I signed up and paid for the Quilt Odyssey trip weeks before I even knew about my June surgery date and still didn't cancel after I found out...hoping that I'd be well and recuperated enough to travel. Thursday's 6-week checkup with my doctor confirmed that I was ready for an adventure. Well, maybe not raring to go quite yet but willing to give it a shot!

We arrived at the Convention Center around lunchtime with temps nearing 100 degrees. Most ladies went inside to look for eateries, and some of us found tables outside for our bag lunch--amazingly, a breeze made it quite comfortable.

Here's the lobby area with raffle quilts being displayed. We were allowed to take pictures of the quilts being judged in the show (except the antique quilts), but we are not allowed to post any on websites. I so wish I could show you the beautiful quilts I saw!

And guess who I met? Pat Sloan!

When I asked if I could take her picture demonstrating free motion quilting on George, the long-arm APQS quilting machine, she asked if I was one of her Facebook friends. I told her, "No, I'm not on Facebook, but I do read your blog, and I've won one of your giveaways!"  It was fun meeting a famous quilting author, teacher, blogger, and radio host.

Pat's blogging each day of the Quilt Show if you'd like to see more pictures of the Hershey area and Merchants' Mall. You can find Day 1 here, Day 2 here, and Day 3 here.

Here's one of Pat's patterns which she packaged as a quilt kit. She told me the pattern will soon be listed on her website for free. I held the package of beautiful patriotic fabric for the longest time deciding whether or not to buy it. I ended up leaving it there, and now I wish it had come home with me. I know the perfect spot on the wall for it! 

Here's a picture of the booths and shoppers at the Merchants' Mall.

I almost brought this June Bugs pattern home with me but didn't. This booth had patterns for each month of the year for 12x12 quilt blocks. The July pattern was a patriotic scene with a watering can! I loved them all! My family must be very proud of me for the money I didn't spend!

I  had a wonderful time in Hershey! The bus pulled back in to the Patchwork Plus parking lot at 10:00 p.m. It was a very long but very fun day! Wish you could have been there with me.

~Deb

Comments

[Leslie From VA]

It sounds like a perfect day for a quilt loving friend! I am so glad you had fun!

[Tammy]

Glad that you were able to make the trip.

My family must be very proud of me for the money I didn't spend!-that is hysterical!

[Mommy of two little blessings]

Spoiled rotten, in a good way. *smile* To see so many beautiful things at one stop. Thanks so much for sharing your time with us. The pictures are wonderful. Sincerely, Mommy of two little blessings & so much more!

[Rose]

Oh Deb what fun! And excellent to know that you were well enough to go, i do hope that you recover well from your adventure. I wish I could have gone with you!

[Kris]

What a fun day, so glad that you were able to go.

[victoria]

So glad you were up to making the trip. It looks like there were some beautiful quilts there.

Victoria

[Jo]

How lovely - I love quilt shows, and that one looks fabulous. Well done for not buying everything they had! Glad you had a lovely day out.

[Sherrin]

Thanks for posting about your adventure :). I had to look at the map so I could see how far away you went - quite a trip for one day! Thanks also for the picture of your new project. It looks lovely and it will be fun to see your finished quilt.

[Rosemary]

I was lucky enough to go to the Hershey show too....beautiful quilts of all kinds...spent way too much money...did a make n take and ended up buying a Janome Horizon...class machine. Great time with my sister and a friend.