PIQF Preview

Yesterday we set a record for set up!  4 and half hours and we were done.  We did leave behind the bargain barn and the books and patterns which would have taken about another hour, but I put together a hand quilting frame and that took me an hour.  I guess that makes things about even.

The quilt frames are quite nice.  Very smooth and they come unfinished so you can finish they to compliment your home décor.   Quilters Rule will be carrying these frames in several sizes and shapes to meet your quilting needs.    Just a little different from the machine quilting supplies for which we are known.

Most people came to the show last night to see the quilts.  I was actually surprised by the crowd last night, but as I said most came to see the quilts and will start shopping today.  I hope.   

Santa Clara

We arrived in Santa Clara last night about 10 PM.  The good news was that we got the truck back on the road for under $250, including an oil change.  We lost a bearing in the tensioning roller on the fan belt.  I was really worried that we had a much bigger problem.

Spent the afternoon with my brother and got to see my great niece.  She has grown so much in the three years since I last saw her.  Unfortunately everyone else in the family had to work yesterday.  So after dinner we left and drove the last 134 miles to Santa Clara.  It started to sprinkle just as we arrived and while we were unloading the truck it poured.

Today we have to set up and preview is from 7pm to 10 pm.  It will be a long day.  Let’s all hope a lot of people come and are in a buying mood.

Reno, NV

Arrived in Reno yesterday about 7:30 PM, the truck is making a funny noise so I have to check it out today before we start over Donner Summit.  Really did not sleep well as I kept worrying about it.  So I am up early and checked my email and now I am trying to find something constructive to do or say.

Fuel keeps getting more expensive the further west we go.  Makes me wonder if people will still come to the show?  Of course Santa Clara is a fairly affluent area, but I have to believe that even rich people will think twice about spending $5.00 a gallon to drive to things they don’t have to attend.  Will they save the gas for the trip to work?  What a horrible thought. 

On the bright side, I will spend much of today at my brother’s home.  We do not see much of each other as we live over 2000 miles apart. 

Rock Springs, WY

We traveled just over 750 miles yesterday.  My cell phone has decided it can’t upload to my Facebook page.  We got a rock chip in the windshield that is only one week old.  Not much else can go wrong so we are looking forward to a great show at PIQF.

Gas just keeps getting more expensive as we go west.  Got a call from a friend who told us by the time we get to Reno today we will be looking at $4.05.  The cost for gas by the time we get there will be $900.  If it this show is soft as many have been this year, it will go under the microscope for next year.  We simply have to make enough money for us to come this far.  The difference in fuel will be over $500 round trip.

Oh well my problem not yours.   Today will slide down the hill to Salt Lake City across the salt flats and then across mountains and broad valley to Reno.  Another 700 miles and then on Tuesday we will go up and over the mountains and be in Sacramento at my brother’s home for the afternoon.  In the evening we will drive to Santa Clara so we can be in line early for setup.

Council Bluffs, IA

Fall is here, I have put up all the hay I can this year.  I have enough for my wife’s horses and my cows.  Most of my customers are short and asking where to get hay.  Really I can’t tell them because I do not know of anyone who has extra.  It is going to be a long cold expensive winter.  On the plus side the calves are growing well and I think the last cow is pregnant again.  If so the last calf will be born on or about June 20.  There should be plenty of fresh grass in the fields.

We left about noon yesterday and went by Nolting in Hiawatha, IA to pick up some samples of wooden hoops for the show in Santa Clara.  So if you are looking for a hoop to do hand quilting we will have some samples for you to see at PIQF.  These are the Hinterburg wood hoops.  Nolting purchased the company a couple of years ago.  Great quality and if you hand quilt you will enjoy these hoops.  We will have lap stands and floor stands for you to see.  Orders will ship directly from the factory and for this show freight is included in the price.

For those of you who attended the AQS show in Des Moines, I hope the show was great.

Stopped last night in Council Bluffs, IA, which is about as far west in Iowa as you can get.  Today we will drive and drive and drive some more and if we are lucky we will end up in Rock Springs, WY.  Not a lot to see along HWY 80 and I am sure the drought has made things even worse.   At least the snow has stopped in Western Nebraska.  Dry roads are great.

We will try to post pictures on my Facebook page. 

Leaving Huron

Today is the last day of the Quilting with Machines show. At 3pm we will begin packing up our booth and getting set to start home.  Normally we would stay the night and start out tomorrow.  But there is a freeze forecast for Sunday night and I need to get home and do some work on Sunday before that freeze. 

The show is a bit slow for us this year.  We always want the shows to be bigger and better each year.  But that is just not going to happen with the economy the way it is.   Attendance is down but those who came and purchased seemed to spend on average more than last year with us.  The parking lot was never as full as in previous years.  That could be a function of other things going on at the resort. 

On the other hand a bit of good news.  We supplied A Touch of Thread with a full line of our products and they are now a Certified Store Dealer for our products.  You can get most Quilter’s Rule products from them.  Please support their effort to bring you the latest in machine tools and rulers. 

Huron, Ohio

I have not written for some time.  Of course this blog is called Travels with Quilter’s Rule and I have not travelled for what seems like an eternity.   But it was just last month when we did the short hop to Oconomowoc for Machine Quilting Today.   I have gotten so out of the show habit.  We arrived on Tuesday afternoon, having left at 5 AM to beat the Chicago traffic.  We were successful and were on Highway 80 at 7 AM headed east in Indiana.  First thing I did was miss a turn and ended up headed for Detroit because I had the Garmin on shortest route instead of fastest.  Shortly after the first wrong turn Garmin dumped us off on highway 20 for a drive in the country.  We had plenty of time so I stayed on shortest for a while.  Through South Bend and on and on through towns and villages until I got tired of 30 MPH.  Finally decided to get on the interstate, pay the tolls and make up a little time. I had to pick the only entrance that was closed going east and was forced back onto side roads until we got to the next entrance.

Off subject but if you are traveling through Chicago, avoid buying gas, it is $4.23 per gallon.

Quilting with Machines started last night at 5 PM with a three and half hour preview.  Crowd was a little light but we did better than last year.   I am encouraged with those results, but they may be reflective of Patricia’s class earlier in the day.  I really like this show Dottie, Cathy and Jodie are so friendly and do a great job.  The Sawmill is a great private resort.  If you are in the area, stop by and visit for a while.

Birgit Schueller’s Licorice and Lace won Custom Quilting and Best of Show.  If you have not seen her work you need to come to the show.  Linda Taylor is here teaching and that does not happen often enough anymore so you have another  reason to drive to Huron.  You have three more days.