Quiltcon 2023

Last year, as the publicity for Quiltcon started, I decided it was time to go back. Held the week of my birthday, and my 50th one this year, it seemed like a great way to celebrate. AND I invited my mom along just to make sure. 

Held in Atlanta, we were able to get a direct flight and take advantage of their public transportation to get to our downtown hotel. As we made our way into our room way up on the 34th floor, we discovered the amazing view:

We walked around a bit in the Centennial Olympic Park area to see what was nearby.

And then headed to dinner, my birthday dinner. We both ate fajitas and finished it off with the brownie sundae.

After dinner, we walked down Peachtree street, I think east? from our hotel. We learned about the rat problem at a nearby park. It started to get dark and saw that we should probably get on back to our hotel.

Back to this view!

The next day I attended a lecture by Sandra Lee Designs about her denim quilts and the design and construction of them. I have made one so far, and was amazed to see the variety of ways it can be used.

Then I headed across the street to meet my mom for lunch (Chickfila!) and tour the two floors of vendors and the quilt show floor. 

the fabric I decided I needed

From the The Quilts of Chawne Kimber exhibit. She was the featured artist. 

Breaking all the Rules...ers by Heather Joyce (Austin)

Mr. Mustachio Toothington by Patti Coppock (Tulsa)

Mojo by Carolyn McKibben (Summit, NJ)

I took A LOT of pictures of quilts. The quilts on display were so creative, with a variety of styles, and so well made. And for the most part VERY densely quilted. 

That night we went over to the Hub area that my mom found while I was finding fabric and quilt inspiration. We ate at Gus's World Famous Chicken, which was very tasty. After dinner, we went for a walk again--until the rain started.

our hotel

On Friday, my scheduled lecture wasn't until the afternoon, so that left our morning free. We ate breakfast at Corner Bakery and then caught the streetcar shuttle for a riding tour of the area, getting off at the Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park.

We walked around the King Center and then headed into the Visitor Center. It also featured an exhibit about Jimmy Carter and their shared vision to help those facing injustices.

As we were leaving we learned that they would be opening the doors to Ebenezer Baptist Church soon, so we walked across the street to wait. And then hopped into the gift shop. Each of us bought the church cookbook. 

At the plaza area outside the King Center and in the church, they used the most powerful method to communicate Dr. King's message--sound. Unfortunately I could not get one to upload onto here. Something new to learn I guess.

From there we headed back to the hotel area and ate lunch at the Hub food court. 

And then I headed on to my next lecture. Emily Lang talked about her 100 Days project quilt.

My mom was rested up after this so we decided to try the Municipal Market. Since it was past lunch, several of the shops around the perimeter had closed for the day. But it was still interesting just looking at the variety for sale.

And one more chance on the streetcar to get a picture of this John Lewis mural that I missed earlier in the day. 

We ended the trip with an early dinner at Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint (which meant we missed the Friday night band). 

A whirlwind of a trip with my mom--I was tired when we got home! So grateful for the chance to share the week and my birthday with her.