The AQS Show in Dayton Beach

 I am on day 3 of 4 of the AQS show and classes. I have one more to go to and I'm done. I guess I don't have the stamina for these things anymore and I am exhausted.

My first class, Wednesday morning was with Kathy Dunigan. She used to run an Acadamy of Applique every year and I so much wanted to go. It just never worked out as it was always out of town and the tuition alone was over $500 to work on one block all week long. On top of that there was airfare, hotels, food and other items. I just couldn't justify it. When I saw she was teaching here, I jumped at the chance to take 2 classes with her. One was on turned applique using a medium interfacing and the other was machine applique. I enjoyed both of them and learned a couple of new tricks.

During the machine applique class, I used a Brother sewing machine which I had never used before, and I really liked it. It had a lot of features that my almost 20 yr old Bernina doesn't have. It is sewing only, with no embroidery, but that's what I need right now. I always thought Brothers were very cheap, but this one seemed really nice. When they told me they had a show special for 1/2 the regular price, I decided to buy one. I also received a couple of other free items. I was ready for a different machine, but I didn't want to buy one for thousands at this point. If I need embroidery, I can always use my Bernina.

Three of my other classes were long arm classes with Julia Quiltoff. She is a sweet girl originally from Russia, that does beautiful quilt work. I really wanted to hear and see some fresh ideas and she was very good at sharing hers.

I have one more class in the morning and I'll be finished here. The vendor area was pretty busy. this year. From what I heard, last year was very quiet and attendance was down. I ran into 2 of my customers from Chattanooga. They were checking out the vendor booths. And in class I met three other people that have shopped at Chattanooga Quilts or had family there.

I tried to take pictures of some of the quilts in the show area.  There were so many that were over the top as far as design and quilting. I don't know how they come up with their ideas. Here are some that I really liked.

This is the lady that made this quilt out of wool rather than cotton. It was truly beautiful and had a lot of embellishments.

Carole Behan-Berry Wins 1st Place at AQS QuiltWeek - Daytona Beach 2024 (youtube.com)

The show certainly gives you plenty of inspiration.

By the end of Friday, I was so tired. I knew it was going to be a long week, but I did enjoy seeing so many gorgeous pieces of work.

When I got back to the motorhome, Abby and Bentley sat out side with me, they in their strollers  for a while until it started to rain. Then, it was in for the night and dinner time for the kids. Tomorrow will be another busy day.