Blogs and such

Work was quite interesting today.  We had three different free demonstrations that were free.  Usually we do these things on a Saturday, but we decided to schedule them throughout the day.  I was the last one to go at 2:30 and I was demoing binding tricks.  The first two demos didn't generate very much interest, but there were about 6 people lined up at 2:00 p.m. waiting for my demo!  I'd like to think it was me and my sparkling personality, but it was the demonstration on binding that people were really waiting to see.  I love passing tips onto people, and the binding I do has a join of the beginning and ending so that it is just one seam, without any overlap.  It is genius, and makes your binding lay so flat!  Everytime I show it to someone, they say they are amazed at how great it is.  I wish I could take credit for developing the idea, but it isn't mine.  But it is mine to share!  That was fun.  I think it's great fun to talk to quilters and find out how they quilt.  What they like to do, whether they just like the piecing part, or the actual machine quilting, etc.  Today I met several ladies I did not know.  What I found so interesting is that one of the ladies was probably in her 60's, and had just made her first quilt.  She sent it out to be quilted, and was talking about how difficult it was to do her binding.  It was nice to be able to help clarify that part for her.  Another lady had just sent her first quilt out to be quilted, and was just getting ready to do her binding, so she was anxious to go home and try out this method.  I'm really finding a trend lately ... people that just really enjoy the piecing in their quilting, but don't like machine quilting at all.  When I started about 12 years ago, I would have never thought of sending my quilt out to be pieced.  Part of it was an issue of, I'm making this myself, and so I'm going to make the whole thing.  I wonder if this is something that's new because of how many people own longarm machines now?  That is certainly my impression, what do you think?  And do you quilt your own quilts, or do you send them out to be quilted?  All the time, or just a larger quilt?
Last week I mentioned that I was going to turn you on to a new blog I follow every week.  So Thursday seems like a good day to do that ... I love this blog because this lady searches antique stores and finds items.  Then she posts the item and shows what she does with it.  Her blog is so fun!  Check it out ...
http://www.homeroad.net/