Viva Las Vegas!

Poker Face!

This past weekend, I rolled the dice and flew out to Las Vegas to deliver my first "Challenge Yourself!" lecture/trunk show for the Las Vegas Quilters Guild.  Beginner's luck was definitely on my side as my hostesses, Sue and Linda, were absolutely amazing and showed me all around Las Vegas.  Our first stop was to check out the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign where Elvis was on hand for photograph opportunities.

Next up was visiting the Bellagio and their Conservatory & Botanical Garden "Harvest Show."   Here we were transported into a fall-themed wonderland complete with ginormous pumpkins & gourds, giant floral acorns, talking trees, raccoon & squirrel mobiles, glass leaves water fountains and more!!

Go Big or Go Home!

We scored big in locating several art installations throughout the casinos along the strip.  There was a large "Love" sculpture on display within the Venetian, several Chihuly glass displays both within the Conservatory as well as in the Bellagio's lobby, and a drool worthy glass chocolate fountain.

What Happens in Las Vegas, Stays in Las Vegas

With all this art on display, I almost missed out on the quilt inspiration that was right there at my footsteps.  Luckily I happened to capture these fabulous casino and hotel carpet designs that may just call for a future quilt design!    

High Roller

Upon landing in Las Vegas, the flight attendant welcomed us to "Lost Wages."  And while I managed not to break the bank visiting any of the casino tables or slot machines, I sure did hit the jackpot visiting this absolutely fabulous quilt shop "Sew Yeah!"  There were so many temptations as I found an impressive selection of fabrics in all colors and styles.  I showed great restraint and scored a few fun fabrics to add to my stash.

Sin City!!

The biggest payoff was interacting with all the lovely guild members during their guild meeting.  Wow!  What a warm & welcoming group!!   There are approximately 125 members (with several new members in attendance) and I was just in awe at the energy and enthusiasm of their board and membership!  They recently hosted their first quilt show and had several quilt classes/workshops coming up.  But I was most impressed with their commitment to community service as they showed off these handmade bags that were filled with toiletries for the Domestic Violence shelter, quilts donated to the Sheriff's office to comfort youth and gorgeous quilt donations.

With all their positive energy, it is no wonder that I had a lot of fun presenting my "Challenge Yourself!" lecture/trunk show and sharing my adventures in Quilt Challenges with their membership.  I enjoyed introducing 20+ of my quilt entries during the trunk show portion and watching their reactions as they oohed and ahhed over the designs and quilting.  Even more encouraging was their sincere curiosity, openess and enthusiasm about participating in quilt challenges.  Several of the members approached me afterwards indicating that they are looking forward to checking out some of the challenges I highlighted in my talk.  The icing on the cake was an email I received several days later from my hostess/Program Chair of the guild announcing that the guild will be introducing their first guild quilt challenge in January!!  I am thrilled to see such enthusiasm for quilt challenges and can't wait to see what their talented members creates for this first quilt challenge!!!

You've got to know when to hold 'em...Know when to fold 'em...

Many thanks to Sue and Linda for being fabulous hostesses and taking such great care of me during my visit.  Special thanks to fellow guild member Joni, for recommending me to the Las Vegas Quilters guild.  And a big thank you to the entire Las Vegas Quilters Guild for being so welcoming and enthusiastic!!