As a former high school teacher, my year was governed by: 1st semester, Christmas vacation, 2nd semester, and summer break. In fact, if you count all the years that I was a student myself, my life was governed by those terms for 35 years! Often, I still find myself thinking of the year in that way.
Nowadays, though, I am more likely to think in terms of "graduation quilts," "wedding quilts," "Christmas gift quilts," NIFS Spring Shop Hop, and now the annual Row by Row Experience.
These times of year determine my professional schedule and, I am tentative to admit, my vacation plans! I have already been scheming to figure out how I can get my husband, who is extremely busy with construction season, to take me on a trip before September 8 so that I can collect some rows from out of state.
As I ponder my plans, a light shines on me, and hubby says: "I need to go to Kansas City for training on August 4. Do you want to come along and we can make a weekend of it to celebrate our anniversary on August 2?" DO I??? Now, the question is: how many quilt shops in the Kansas City area are participating in the Row by Row, and how many can I legitimately get to in a three day period:) The best way to figure that out is to explore the website, check for cute rows on Facebook, use my trusty atlas and GoogleMaps, and formulate my plan.
Last year, we went to Paducah, KY via Hamilton, Hannibal, and St. Louis, MO so that I could pick up rows. With only 35 states participating last year, we covered a lost of territory that was "row free." This year...all 50 states are playing!!! If you are traveling ANYWHERE this summer, you can find rows kits, license plates, and free patterns. The pictures on this page are of the row that I designed for the Quilters Cottage in Kearney, NE. I made the row so that it can be made either vertically or horizontally. On Facebook, all you have to do it type in the name of the state followed by rowbyrowexperience and you can see pictures of many of the available rows and where to find them in that state. Genius!!!
If you haven't yet begun, there's still plenty of time! So, get out there and experience the fun of collecting rows for your own personal travel memento!
I really like that you planned your row to orient either vertically or horizontally. Corn stalks on their side, not so great.
ReplyDeleteToni, I had collected rows last year, and so few of them could be oriented up and down that my quilt would end up 100 inches long by only 36 inches wide. I was so thankful for the few rows that I purchased that could help make the quilt wider, so I decided to make a row that would be more versatile for those wanting to use it in a quilt:) I think I will do that every year. It just makes good sense!
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