National Quilting Day this Saturday and my Second Blogaversary!!

So, what are you going to be doing to celebrate National Quilting Day on March 21?


Oh! Did you not know that there is a national holiday for us quilters? Bonnie Browning, the Queen of Quilt Shows for the American Quilters' Society, has an explanation of how National Quilting Day began and you can read it here.


I didn't know about National Quilting Day until I moved to Kentucky almost 13 years ago. Quilting is really big here and is a big part of Kentucky heritage. When I first moved here I joined a Quilt Guild, of which I am still a member. Quilt Guilds all over our state celebrate National Quilting Day. Some of them host pot lucks, some go on shop hops, some get together and sew quilts for charity, and some of them gather with other guilds to have a big celebration, which is what my Guild does.


For the past 18 years my guild, the Raintree Quilters Guild in Evansville, IN, and the Patoka Valley Quilters' Guild in Jasper, Indiana get together and have our own Tri-State Quilters' Day. Each guild takes turns hosting the event. This year is Raintree's turn. Quilters from Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana join with us and have a great day shopping with vendors, enjoying our guest speakers, and sharing ideas with each other through our Show and Tell session.


I am the chairperson for our guild, which is sort of the reason I haven't blogged since the beginning of March. (Well, that and cleaning out a room which got other rooms messy, discovering Facebook (thanks to Pat Sloan) and Twitter (thanks to Kimberly Jolly), exercising and dieting (thanks to Sharon)my husband working from home after working out of state and out of the country for the past 7 years while flying home every other weekend, quilting, and...need I say more?) It's just been busy around here!


Here's what's planned Tri-State Quilters' Day. My favorite part about Quilters' Day is the shopping, of course! We have 10 vendors. Six of them are quilt shops. My favorite quilt shop will be there (Hi, Betty!!) We have a woodworking business that builds all sorts of ways for you to display your quilts, such as ladders and quilt racks. There will also be sewing machine dealers, and, if you're wanting to try out or buy a long arm quilting machine, a Gammill dealer will be there, too!


There will be quilts on display from all three guilds. There will also be a special quilt display of 20 quilts to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. These quilts made their debut at the Quilt Show I chaired this past summer, and they have traveled all over the state of Indiana. On Lincoln's actual birthday they were at the Indiana state house right outside of Govenor Mitch Daniels' door. The ladies who made them were so excited.

If you want more information about Tri-State Quilters' Day, please e-mail me. And, if you live close by and attend, please find me so we can meet! Connie W. lives close by, but she has to work on cleaning up her Kentucky house from ice storm damage. Maybe we can meet another time, Connie!

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The second part of my title mentioned it being my Second Blogaversary. It doesn't seem like 2 years, but it has been. I have enjoyed every minute of every hour (many, many hours) that I have spent blogging with all of you. I have laughed, cried, and learned so much about quilting, crafting, and decorating my home. All of you have been a blessing to me. I love you all!

Since it is my 2nd blogaversary and I'm going to be shopping with quilt shops on Saturday, I thought it would be the perfect time to have a giveaway to celebrate!!! Leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw a name Monday morning.


What are your plans to celebrate National Quilting Day?


Edit: Comments to enter the drawing are now closed. For those of you who entered, I bought 3 prizes!!! Check back later to see if you win!