50 States, Day 219

  Paducah, KY to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 128 miles

"Some things you have to do every day.  Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day isn't going to get the job done."

~Jim Rohn

Quilter Girl will get more press today, as we visited the National Quilt Museum and a fabric store. Put a skirt on me. Actually, I loved the quilt museum. And QG? She was in there like Lindsay Lohan to a jail cell.  The quilts were both well constructed (I've learned to check their quality of sewing and quilting) and artistically beautiful.

The fabric store? Just another billion yards of fabric, particularly this one, as it was a huge warehouse. Apparently they do big Internet sales.  

At 1:25 we headed out for Missouri. You know how every classroom has that One Kid? You know, everyone is told to sit at the desks and he's under it. Or the teacher calls for quiet and just as the class pipes down, he shouts something inane. Well that's how Missouri is for us. During the North Swing, we skipped it because it was just too hot, so after Iowa we headed north to Wisconsin. Then we skipped it when we rode through Illinois, same reason. Our next option would be to hit it on the Winter Swing, after Arkansas, but friends warned us that Missouri in early February would be suicidal. Our last option; after Kentucky, instead of heading south, hit MO. So far, a great plan, as the weather has been magnificent. Hopefully it hangs on a bit more.

Crossing two rivers (Ohio and Mississippi) to get into Missouri, the landscape changes in a snap. From the rolling hills of Kentucky, the current state lies flat with massive fields to the horizon. While Kentucky has farms, Missouri is farm country. Big difference.

No cold weather gear, low seventy temps and great weather, save the wind. Sure can tell we're in the Midwest, as the wind buffeted us constantly, reminding us of Kansas and Nebraska.

And now, full of quilting inspiration, Quilter, Girl!

There is a quilt show every year in Paducah and the winners from this year’s show were the first to greet us as we walked into the museum.  The grand prize winner was a quilter from Utah and the quilt was fantastic, an Asian appliqué design with a boy fishing in one corner and a dragon in the opposite corner with the end of the line around the tail.  In the center oval there were three Japanese houses, one big one in the center with two smaller ones on either side.  The quilter said the quilt represents two different people who come together to make a relationship.  Reading about the symbolism in her quilt gave me chills, it was so sweet.  The workmanship was wonderful, the colors were rich reds and blues, the appliqués were very detailed and there were 4,200 crystals on the quilt so it shimmered.  I could have looked at it for hours and seen new things.  The rest of the quilts were also very impressive.  There was one that had winter trees on one side with spring trees on the other, very cleverly done.  In one of the galleries was one man's collection of antique quilts.  He was going to auctions looking for antique tools when he came across a beautiful quilt.  He came home with the quilt, but no tools and that started his collection.  He had lots of variety in styles, ages and color of quilts.  There was a very elegant crazy quilt with lots of velvets, silks and satin fabrics.  It was very intricate with lots of embroidery.  He saw it at an auction and had to have it. His wife, who was with him on this trip, was scandalized at what he paid for it.  He had it appraised and she was pleasantly surprised with the result.  

Then there were the 3-D swirling pieces!  I wanted one of those badly.  The quilter paints colors on mylar and folds them, repeating the same shapes six or more times down the five foot tall twirly piece.  They would slowly spin in both directions.  Very creative.  The museum was well worth the time, if you have a chance to get there, take it.  You will love it.

The fabric store Kevin mentioned was Hancock’s of Paducah and I was truly in heaven.  It is a good thing I can't buy very much.  I got fabric for Kentucky and a piece for New Hampshire.  What I lusted after there is not enough space to describe!

QG

 

We're off to Jefferson City tomorrow, the Capital. See you then.

Qualifier: We were prohibited from photographing quilts except in the foyer and gift shop. Idiots.