Field Trip!!

Spring break means vacation time for lots of people.  For Elizabeth and Sue, spring break week was a good time for some field trips.  On Wednesday we set out for Harrisonburg and the Virginia Quilt Museum, with a detour to Leesburg on the way to visit a shop we just learned about called Finch Sewing Studio. They describe themselves as "a boutique sewing + knitting shop with modern fabric, quality yarn, cool tools, and fun, on-trend classes for all ages and interests."  This shop has a very modern yet homey feel with enticing yarns and fabrics.  They teach knitting and crochet as well as quilting and sewing of garments and home decor items.  Check out their website at  finchsewingstudio.com.

From there we headed to the Shenandoah Valley and VQM to see the Jinny Beyer exhibit.  We'd seen lots of pictures of her quilts, but never in person, so it was very powerful to see so many of her quilts in one place.  It's amazing that she does all her piecing and quilting by hand.  It was also enlightening to see her collection of antique quilts on the 2nd floor - a lot of charm/one block quilts that seemed to be the inspiration for the style of quilts she chose to make.  Here are some other shots from the museum.

Above is the museum's raffle quilt for 2015, Civil War Tribute, made by the Cabin Branch Quilters of Prince William County.  Below are a few pieces from a new exhibit that was being hung on the lower level, called Celebrate the Day.  Curated by Shannon Shirley, these quilts celebrate unusual days throughout the year.  Below are Culinary Day by Morna McEver Goletz and Elephant Day by Lisa White Reber.