For the last 20 years or so, I have been going to the Annual Quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky. It’s only an hour from my house and it’s totally my cut of tea. Vendors selling the latest sewing gadgets, the newest fabrics are revealed, and you can find bargains on just about everything sewing related. The American Quilter’s Society, which sponsors the quilt show is the biggest and best quilting organization in the world! Believe me…IT IS!
Well, the Quilt Show “officially” starts tomorrow, but many of the vendors set up their little shops downtown hoping to snag those “early birds”…like me! There is plenty to see and buy and it’s almost as good as being there on the official starting day… but my hubby has Tuesday’s off, so we went today!
Since I had no time for sewing on the purple Regency dress, I thought I’d fill you in on where I went today and what I did.
First stop was at Hancock’s of Paducah… now this isn’t the Hancock’s Fabric that many of you know… This is the worlds largest Quilt store… 60,000 square feet of nothing but fabrics and a few notions… Talk about a seamstresses paradise… this is! It was started in 1952 and gets a little bigger each year. :o)
(My camera just can’t capture a big room like this so I borrowed these pictures from ShadygroveStudios.blogspot.com)
One of my favorite bloggers was going to be there introducing her new line of fabrics from Hoffman and I wanted to meet her… She is KariAnne Wood and her blog is called Thistlewood Farms. I absolutely LOVE her blog. It’s a home decorating blog but she writes in the most wonderful story telling way and I enjoy her posts every day. One of her recent posts was called The Tree Whisperer. She told about a special tree in their yard and what happened to it. At the very end of the post is a link to a video called “Gotcha” where her brother adopted a sweet little girl from China in January. They named her Mia Kate. I watched the video a few times and cried each time. Then I decided I wanted to do something for this little girl. I emailed KariAnne and just asked her if Mia Kate had a Bitty Baby doll? KariAnne told me, “yes, she did, and it looked just like her.” Well, I just felt compelled to make her dolly a new little outfit out of the purple and pink fabric that I’ve used for all my Asian dolls when they come to live with me… I did and then I took it to KariAnne. She didn’t know me from anyone else, but I introduced myself to her and when I said my name was Jeanne, she gave me a big hug. I gave her the gift for Mia Kate and she couldn’t get over it… It melted my heart… It’s a great feeling when you know you’ve done the right thing and listened to the right voice. I don’t have a Bitty Baby doll anymore, so I’ll have to show the “baby” outfit on Rebecca.. she looks a little silly but you can sort of use your imagination and imagine it on a baby doll…
KariAnne and I chatted for a little bit but she was very busy with people asking questions about her fabric line…which is very nice by the way! It was time to move on and see what kind of “damage” I could do in the largest fabric store in the world… I did a little…but it’s too late for me to take any pictures so I’ll have to show you what I got tomorrow…
Next stop was Quilter’s Alley… woohoo…another favorite shop of mine… and I did some damage there too… Yikes, did I! Small things add up when it’s Swiss laces… but it’s the only place around that carries them…
Then we went downtown to the historic district and hit some of the vendors shops and some antique stores. It was a beautiful day, around 75 degrees and it was nice just holding hands and walking the streets. We found a little bakery that had been in business since I think 1853! When we tasted their cookies we knew why they had stayed in business so long!
Every where you went, even in little cafe’s…there were racks with bolts and bolts of fabric on them.
When we left the downtown area we headed to a few “bargain” shops that we like… Top Quality Consignment, The Bargain Hunt and The Shed. They are those kinds of places that have a big turnover all the time and you never know what you’ll find… we didn’t find much…but it was still fun looking.
Before we left Paducah we had to hit one of my hubby’s favorite places… Harbor Freight Tools… he likes tools about as much as I like fabrics and dolls. He goes in the store and is in heaven like I am when I go into Hancocks… (or any fabric store for that matter!)
By this time we were starting to drag… our cookie was wearing off and dinner was sounding pretty good. It was almost 7:00 so we decided to go to a steakhouse called The Outback… Someone had given us a gift card for Christmas and we decided it was time to use it. Dinner was great and we were satisfied with a full tummy and a full day… so we headed home…
I barely got in the door when Rebecca asked me if we could get her ladies necklaces listed tonight…SURE, I said… so we worked on them and got the pictures all sorted and went ahead and listed 2 of them but still have about 10 to get in our Etsy shop… Maybe tomorrow…right after I get back from the Food Pantry… It never stops… :o)
I’ll get back to that purple Regency dress ASAP!
Thanks for coming along with me on my stops in Paducah, KY!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a lovely time you had yesterday. Oh, I’m so glad for you. A diversion in one’s daily routines can bring such refreshment, especially when there’s so much inspiration (fabrics, supplies, tools) abounding. I feel a boost just thinking about it.
Thanks for sharing your life with us. I do so enjoy your blog postings….and it was so great to hear about your making, giving and posting about that lovely outfit you made for the Bitty. What a kind act.
Take care.
Hi Becky,
We did have a great time on our little outing. It’s always fun…like you say…when fabrics and tools are in the mix!
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s post. It wasn’t necessarily dolly related but there was a doll in the post…and I showed some vintage hankies…
Thanks Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a lovely day you must have had! Paducah is a beautiful place, and the annual quilt show brings in throngs of fabric enthusiasts. I went back in 2004 with my mother and two sisters. We had a blast and spent tons of money on fabric, books, and notions! I remember that discount flat fold table at Hancock’s! I still have some of the fabrics I purchased in my stash!
Love your photos of the antique shops! I think you and I are of like minds when it comes to sewing and antiques! Those hankies are just beautiful! I especially love the pink floral one on top! What fun for you and your husband!! It must be nice to only be an hour away. It was about 8 hours drive from my mother’s house in NC.
The outfit for Bitty is adorable and such a lovely fabric! How very sweet of you, but we all know what a big heart you have and such a kind and giving soul!
Hi Karen,
It’s hard to resist that flat fold table, isn’t it? I’m right there with you. You see things on that table you can’t find anywhere else. I still have plenty of patterns in my stash just like you…
There used to be a store downtown called Dogwood Lane that sold those floral jumpers with ceramic buttons down the front… They usually had a theme to them and went with the fabric. We would spend a long time pilfering through the buttons spread out in bins looking for matches… I spent tons of money on buttons!
Thanks for your kind compliments Karen,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I can see that you had a wonderful day yesterday. I have told myself, more than a few times, that I NEED to take a trip to Paducah to attend this quilt festival. Somehow, time just gets away from me and I do not make the proper arrangements. Rats!!
Today I enjoyed the pictures you included in your blog. I totally enjoyed seeing women who look like me. All dressed out in jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts and the short gray hair cut that us 65+ bunch seem to wear! No magazine models with long tone on tone layered tresses wearing slender jeans and heels! I felt comfort and joy! I needed this boost as I had a rough day yesterday and was feeling kicked around. Further in your blog you said something that resonated with me. It was what I was feeling and knew but to hear it was encouraging. “It’s a great feeling when you know you’ve done the right thing and listened to the right voice.” After being “swiped at” yesterday I made a decision and the outcome made me feel relieved of a huge amount of stress and anxiety. I actually slept the entire night without waking up at 2:30 to 3:00 am with a sense of anxiety. Sometimes you have to just “delete” things from your life that add discomfort. So, thank you for, “It’s a great feeling when you know you’ve done the right thing and listened to the right voice.”
I look forward to seeing pics of your purchases and hearing the rest of the Paducah story.
– Jeannie
Hi Jeannie,
We DID have a really nice time and it was great to get away. Maybe someday you’ll make it to the quilt show. It is inspirational and so motivating. We used to have a group of ladies go each year and all the way we talked about the new patterns we bought and what we wer going to make first…all those dreams!!!
Yep…when you go tot the quilt show you usually try and wear something “artsy” that you’ve made but you always wear comfy shoes!
I’m so sorry you had. Rough day yesterday but so happy you got a good nights sleep… I hope today was better than yesterday…
I’ll share my treasures and a few stories…
Thanks Jeannie…
Blessings, Jeanne
I just lost my post, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have come back to read Jeannie B’s post, which was wonderful. It was good to see all those real ladies deeply involved in something they love. Carolyn Heilbrun (Writing a Woman’s Life) told a story about Dorothy L. Sayers’ reply to someone who said that women didn’t look very attractive in pants. Sayers pointed out that sometimes women had something more important to do than looking attractive to someone else. Looking attractive is great, but surely being interested and involved and productive is a nicer way to be attractive.
There is a huge, heavy book called Women by Annie Leibovitz and Susan Sontag that I took with me from the library to one of my Women’s Studies classes. The women were fascinated by the pictures of all kinds of women doing all kinds of things — I couldn’t get them to stop looking at the book, which turned out to be a good thing because the class found our standards changing — at first the women in beautiful dresses with professional makeup attracted us, but as we looked, the working women came to attract us more, with their realness and individuality. Our standards changed right in front of our eyes and we all could see and feel it in ourselves and the eyes of each other.
Jeanne, I always love it when you go to Paducah. It was the nearest big town for my grandmother when she was growing up (she was born in 88).
Hi Marilyn,
I’m afraid the women who go to the quilt show don’t care what they look like… They go for comfort and just need a bed to sleep in.. That’s it! There are all kinds of classes and workshops offered and the women eat, sleep and live for the next class…
I taught a jumper making class one time for the ladies from our church who were planning on going to the quilt show. We all wore our jumpers with our pretty ceramic buttons down the front… That would never go over today…
Paducah is a riverfront town and has been around for a very long time…that’s neat about your grandmother…
Thanks for sharing Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, can’t wait to see what you bought! So much fun. All of the fabric goodies, wow.
I couldn’t help seeing the woman in one photo of everyone crowded around a fabric table with the t-shirt “Got fabric?” And the two great signs in the antique mall. “When nothing goes right try going left!” And “Be a fruit loop in a world of cheerios!”
Made my day.
Hi Joy,
I’m glad you enjoyed the photos…there was plenty of hustle and bustle…that’s for sure…I saw that lady’s shirt too… All seamstresses need one like that…. I bet she’s got a huge stash of fabric at home…
Thanks so much Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I am so jealous!! In a good way. I will eventually, one day, get to the quilt show in Paducah. 🙂
Hi Christine…
I hope someday you can make it to the quilt show… It really is worth coming too… Just bring yourself, a pair of nice comfy tennies and a credit card!!!
Thanks Christine,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a wonderful, magical day you had yesterday, Jeanne! I felt that I went along with you, just pouring over the many pictures and thoroughly enjoying it all! But oh my, all those women shopping at the same time!! I prefer shopping when not too many people are around, I just can’t think when bumping elbows with other ladies!
Loved the antique store pictures too! We have gone through Paducah, since we used to live in Kentucky, and I never knew all this was there! That was eons ago though, when we lived in Fort Knox. I want to go back and really see the town!
What a sweet things to do for KariAnne’s granddaughter! Darling outfit, and someday she will learn of the great seamstress she got it from!
Hi Linda,
Well if you aren’t big on crowds, the quilt show might not be for you… For the most part I’d say everyone is orderly and kind but the lines can be long and the crowds can be overwhelming… When you have fabric on your mind, ou can put ip with it though…
Paducah is a great town with lots of places to explore. I hope you make it there sometime… If you and your hubby ever wanted to visit, maybe we could show you around…
Actually the little doll dress was for KariAnne’s niece…. And I hope she loves it…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
It looks like a fun trip, and I’m so glad you shared your pictures. I order online sometimes from Hancocks of Paducah; they have some pretty good sales if you can catch them at the right time. That’s funny that there are bolts of fabric even in the cafe’s. It sounds like my kind of place!
Hi Carolyn,
I m serious when I say there are fabric bolts everywhere. I saw a motorcycle shop downtown that had fabric in it and a shoe shop was selling vintage lace on the sidewalk outside their store.
I picked up a bolt of the lace but it was $59…. Oops… Too much for me… Save it for someone else….
Thanks Carolyn…
Blessings, Jeanne
I read you blog post and couldn’t help but think – this lady loves so many of the same things I do ! But then I read all the wonderful responses from your community of followers…WOW
We all have found a nice little niche here. So comforting and joyful to feel that if only for a brief moment every morning. Thanks, Jeanne, for doing what you do.