QHF Celebration

A week ago I was getting ready to open my booth for the second day of the QHF Celebration. It had been a bit of a challenge to set up, but I like the way it came together. My only regret was that I didn't have room to put out all my quilt samples.
The wonderful ladies of the Marie Webster Quilt Guild work very hard every year to pull everything together for the Celebration event. They hang quilts for display, they hire teachers and lecturers, they plan the vendor mall, they secure the venues, they plan a volunteer banquet, etc. I'm sure they were disappointed with the small turnout this year. There was much discussion about it--due to the economy, to the hot weather, to quilters going elsewhere, to lesser known teachers and speakers???? Who knows?
A small crowd meant more free time for the vendors. We did some networking, but most of us had stitching projects along to work on. It was fun to walk around and see what everyone was doing--from embroidery to hand quilting. I was able to complete some small applique projects and make some progress on a hand-pieced quilt top.
I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the quilters who did come to shop. It was great to see old friends and make new acquaintances. I had a lot of nice comments re my patterns and book. The sample quilt most commented on was my mini yo-yo quilt (never fails!). And one lady wanted to vote for my Ruby Blooms quilt as the best of show! :) Fun!
I'm sure the ladies of the quilt guild are already planning for next year. Eleanor Burns will be back and the inductees will be the Jameses, who were very instrumental in starting the quilt museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. See YOU there???