QuiltCon Day 1

Started the day with a long line when Registration was supposed to open at 8:00 am; there were a couple hundred people in front of me.   Once they got the computer glitches fixed around 8:20, the line moved very quickly and I was through in about 5 minutes.

Many of us also got a great goody bag, based on the number of sessions and events for which one registered.

And inside the bag…

They also sent us this cool QuiltCon App for our phones

Once you login….here’s the main screen

 
You can even set alerts for yourself  and my class on Friday  is the next event (since I took the photo late on Thursday).

Here’s the screen for the Quilt Show and Vendor Hall  layout

 

Last screen I’ll show you is a diagram of where each event is held. This is actually a multi- screen tab since QuiltCon is on different levels in the Austin Convention Center.   You can click on the red dot and a dialog box opens and tells you what the event is.  Pretty cool!!

 

My first day was six hours of sewing (yes….SEWING!!!) with Katy Jones of I’m a Ginger Monkey fame.   Her class was all about taking traditional blocks and making them modern….basically we supersized them.  Her quilt top of nine blocks is on the left in the photo above and we all made four 24 inch blocks.   That’s my Shoe-Fly block on the right (the gray and orange).   It took Katy about an hour to notice the yellow block (top middle) was wrong.

Katy’s materials did not arrive in Austin from the UK, so we had to wing it, which was part of the fun.   Lot’s of math and a bit of seam ripping.  We each had a Baby Lock “Rachel” sewing machine which we could purchase for the low price of

Where’s my Opal when I need it!!!   Kept looking for the exclusive sensor system and scissors.

Here are my four finished blocks

The day was a blast and Katy signed my badge
As you can see, I had a lot of events scheduled (and purchased ) for Day one.  Didn’t make yoga….hahahaha…..what was I thinking when I selected that every day.   Didn’t make the copyright lecture either since I did have to get a bite to eat.   Stayed for half of the lecture with Alexia Marcelle Abegg.   It was just okay and I was distracted since many of the QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge quilts were hanging in Lecture Hall A.   Our Silly Goose was not there, so I had to find it ….  It was next door in Lecture Hall B which is a more intimate setting.   Just got a peek from the door since I wasn’t signed up for that lecture.  Will get some photos on Friday.

Since I had some time (all of ten minutes)  I stopped by the Sizzix booth and got a great deal on the Big Shot Pro which will be shipped to the house..  Also had fun with, guess who…
Hmmmm…might be time for the Botox or eyejob!!!!  Yikes.

Then I quickly walked the show floor looking at the winning quilts.  Here are a few of them…

More quilt photos coming on Day 2.

We wrapped up Day 1 with the Moda Dance Party.  They had to move the event because of the number of people who purchased it.  It was held at Mohawk Bar a multi-level rustic locale about a twenty minute walk from the hotel.  When I got there….it was like the morning all over again… a few hundred people back in line but this time in the cold windy night.    Here’s a shot from the rooftop deck of the line about an hour after I got in.

Ended the evening with a Pecan Dark Ale….yum

 
More QuiltCon fun coming your way.