Quilts and things

I am in the midst of getting ready for Quilt Market, which takes place in Houston in October. The time is fast approaching and I still have much to do. This week I brought home a few quilts from the LQS that have been on display there for oh-so-long. 

Several of them are going to market with me. I am formulating how to set up my booth. The booths there are so beautiful and it is a little intimidating. The hardest part is trying to make my booth attractive in an auditorium filled with so much eye candy. 

 Meanwhile, I got it in my head that I needed a little rug in my booth. I decided to try and crochet a rag rug. I have been wanting to try this for years, ever since a fellow blogger, Finn, showed them on her blog. This was several years ago, but I managed to find her comments on the topic and went to work. First I went through my scrap box looking for long strips, then I trimmed them into 3/4" wide strips. I experimented with a couple different sizes, but 3/4" seems to be the magic number for me. I also learned that a strip doesn't go too far, and it is a little difficult pulling the seams through with the crochet hook, so the longer the strip the better. I was happy to find some really long pieces in my scrap box that had been trimmed off the backing of quilts after they were quilted. And I used a J hook and Finn used a K hook. Finn posts about it HERE and HERE. This is a fun way to use up fabric that you know is going to waste. The problem is that you get hungry for more and you run out of long scraps, so then you start looking in your stash for old or ugly fabric. Last night my husband accused me of using my good fabric for a rag rug. That's just crazy. I used old fabric. "Good" is a relative term, right?

 I have to share this darling doll furniture that my granddaughter just got from her other grandfather (the one I am not married to). He made it for her American Girl Doll. Such a talented man, and such a lucky little girl! Hmmm, maybe she needs a rag rug!