Home From Quilt Week in Grand Rapids

After 10 plus years of attending the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah I decided to try something different this year and drove up to my friend Faye's house in Michigan so we could drive to the AQS Grand Rapids Quilt Show together. 

Grand Rapids is a Cool City with Hot Art!

They have art everywhere.  On a corner on Pearl Street. 

"Albert Einstein Between Theorems" by Jim Dolan.


There's even art in the Grand River under the bridge --

At least I hope that's art!

And they really did welcome AQS Quilt Week.  Everywhere we went we were made to feel special.  Discounts and special offers from hotels and restaurants proved they really wanted the quilters there.  The Amway Grand Hotel was fabulous, and all the employees went out of their way to make us feel at home.  

There were organized tours for the quilters to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.   I wish we could have spent an entire day there.  

The sculptures were incredible and the grounds were gorgeous.  They have a pretty amazing Children's Garden, too.  Here are a few of my favorite sculptures from that day --

 "Espaliered Girl" by Laura Ford

"Disk in the Form of a Desert Rose" by Amaldo Pomodoro

and "Listening to History" by Bill Woodrow.

I did actually take a few photos of flowers --

And I was inspired by this window in one of the greenhouses --

Actually I see a quilt there.........


One of the best parts of being at the quilt show was spending time with good friends that I don't get to see very often.  All of these ladies are online friends, but we have known each other so long that I forget that's how we met!

Faye and Bon --

 Angela and Rilla --

 This is already a little picture heavy, so I think I'll share the rest in my next post.  Maybe I'll actually show you some quilts!