Paducah KY

Paducah is "Mecca" for quilters.  Especially during the American Quilter's Society quilt show, held each April.  Attending this show has been on my "to do" list for some time.  Last fall, I decided to "just do it" and made travel arrangements.  Though it is supposedly possible to fly into Paducah, instead, I booked a flight to Nashville and a rental car (about a two hour drive away) from Wednesday through Saturday. Even last October, the only hotel room available was about 20 miles away!   As I didn't arrive until 3-ish, I chose to check in, rest up and wait until Thursday morning:

The show was absolutely fantastic -- and absolutely overwhelming!  I could barely decide which quilts to photograph, though I did take a lot of pictures.   Here are a variety for your perusal:

The one that made my jaw drop was the winner of the handwork category.  Called "Star Struck", it was made of more than 12,000 hexagons!   Here's a short  interview with the quilt maker.  

By mid-afternoon, my senses had gone into overload and I called it a day.  My plans for Friday were to find the bricks-and-mortar store of Hancock's of Paducah, and to visit the quilt museum.   Took a long time to find the store, as I drove all around Paducah, mostly the wrong way on the right road, but it was worth the trouble!  My goal was to purchase fabric for a new quilt and curtains for D#2's room, and I was absolutely overwhelmed by the bolts and bolts and MORE bolts of fabric in the store!   Every time I thought I'd located just the right coordinates, I'd stumble across something new that made me rethink my plan  After a great deal of second-guessing myself,  I gave up looking, took what I'd chosen and checked out, making a substantial contribution to the local economy.

The quilt museum was smaller than I'd expected but no less impressive. 

There were two special exhibits on view, on either side of the main exhibit space, with previous award winners from the 20 years of the AQS show (and the lifetime of the museum) on display.   No photos were allowed inside, but here's a nearby sculpture installation, commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and would happily do it again in a couple of years.  Maybe with company next time!