Hanging Out at The Quilting Station

My husband and I ventured out Saturday afternoon and wound up at The Quilting Station in Pace, Florida. (I know! I didn't even have to beg, whine, or threaten to max out the credit card!) He took a few pictures while I visited with Ellen, the shop owner. I have to remember to ask her about her heritage -- she has the cutest accent. I tried to talk like her when we left the shop, but it sounded a little like Gomer Pyle impersonating Ingrid Bergman! Here are a few pictures of the shop.
Nicely lit and spacious classroom.

Here are three of Ingrid Whitcher's quilts. She teaches classes here on curved piecing. She's amazing! The small one on the bottom doesn't show up well, but it's embellished with all kinds of treasures.

Ellen and I got tickled when my husband was taking our picture together. (I'm not telling what we were laughing about, and I hope Ellen doesn't either.)

Lots and lots of sewing machines! Ellen and her husband are authorized Brother machine dealers. AND they do custom embroidery and longarm quilting!

I wonder how many spools of thread are in these cabinets?

Cool notions. Tools to help you do almost anything easier!

I really enjoyed spending the afternoon there. If you're in the area, stop by The Quilting Station on May 16. Ellen is hosting my book signing. She'll have lots of copies of my new book, Scrap-Basket Surprises. If you drop by and visit with us, I may even tell you what we were laughing about. Maybe.

You want me to do WHAT?

The Pensacola Quilters Guild is sponsoring a quilt challenge. The items pictured represent the contents of a little paper bag that I selected randomly. The challenge is to use at least three of the items in the bag to make a quilt somewhere between 12 inches and 40 inches. In diameter! Yes, it has to be a circle. Every bag is different, and they all contain some really way-out things. And just in case there are any thoughts of cheating, the contents of each bag were photographed before packaging. I shouldn't have been surprised because I was told that Ingrid Whitcher was largely responsible for organizing the challenge. She's one creative person -- you can see some of her work on her blog if you click HERE.

So I'm off now to see if I can create a small round quilt with "stuff" on it! (Come back later for pictures.) Have a great weekend!