Years ago, I  planned on attending a  quilting retreat in the Smoky Mountains. I was looking forward to three days with other women, sewing, eating, laughing and just working on UFOs. I packed the car to the ceiling with snacks, drinks, a cooler, clothes, and everything I could possibly need.

I have never liked basting my quilts. I tried all kinds of methods from basting in a hoop to using a Q-Snap Frame (anyone remember those?) I went to Quilt-A-Fair in Colorado and saw a demo of a quilt being basted with curved safety pins. Man, was I impressed!

A couple of years ago some ladies from my quilt group decided to take a road trip to the Lancaster quilt show.  There were ten of us and we decided to caravan in two cars. The show was about an 1 1/2 hours away.