New Mexico Roadtrip

Just came back from a great trip out to New Mexico!  It has been awhile since I've been out there to visit my sister and her family.  Amazing how fast the kids have grown (they are driving cars and at university!  how did that happen?!)  Anyway, autumn is my favorite time to visit New Mexico...partly due to weather and partly because of chili harvest!

The colors out in the southwest just seem so much more intense.  Even when the skies were overcast. 

Loads of both color and pattern inspiration all around!  Like these windows in the old railyard building in Albuquerque where they hold an art and farmers market on Sundays.

Or these tiled stars leading to a restaurant in Santa Fe.

and these tiles...hexies below the watchful dog and colorful tiles on the walls!

Visited a wonderful quilt shop in Corralles called "Quilt Ole."  Great selection of fabrics, notions, patterns, and staffed by some really nice folks.  (and if you go there make sure you stop at Hannah's for lunch and get their cranberry bread pudding for dessert!  amazing!)

Workshop and roadtrip

Two days road-tripping with quilting friends to attend a wool applique workshop with Lisa Bongean and searching for that perfect purple for an applique workshop wore me out!

The workshop was hosted by the Cobb County Quilt Guild.  They did a great job.  Lisa is a wonderful teacher.  Any workshop where you complete 70% of the project during the actual workshop is a winner in my book!  Learned a lot of different techniques too.  The fabrics are a bit darker than I can usually work with but I'm going to finish it up with a bit of crazy quilted wools for a border and make a pillow/cushion.

One the way to Atlanta we stopped at Sweet Home Quilting in Conyers.  Really a cute shop.  It was in the Quilt Sampler Magazine a few issue ago.

Then on the way home after the workshop we stopped at Little Quilts in Marietta.  Another great shop...I think I'm having a case of quilt shop envy!  We don't have a real quilt shop in my part of the state and these are a three hour drive.

These are some of the purples I found that may go into my next project.  I have spent the last six months in search of the "perfect" purple for a civil war reproduction quilt.  I think now I just have to pick from the stack that I have stashed away for the project and get going...after taking another nap.