Pigeon Forge Mom's Blog

Mom and I got a behind the scenes tour of what is to come with the new addition over at Stages West.  The area is going to be called “Backstage at Stages West” and is slated to be ready June 1, 2012.   Marlene Houser, her son, Stephen, and her husband showed us around the construction area. I loved hearing Stephen talk about his dreams for the new area and how they are trying to make those dreams a reality. The Housers know what cowboy couture is all about and it is obvious in every aspect of their business.  Soon, the store will be even bigger and showcase even more top notch merchandise.

The new addition is going in at the very back of the store. It is supposed to have a “concert” feel and the clothing in the area will be concert related. Marlene mentioned that new merchandise is already starting to come in. There is going to be a stage with a mannequin band on it along the back wall. The lights and music will be run via wi-fi and they hope to showcase music from some of the new and upcoming country stars.

I already love this area and I know that my little divas are gonna love it too. I can already see them jamming out “Backstage” at Stages West!

Mom and I weren't the only mother/daughter pair at Quiltfest this year. We were among many girlfriends, sisters, and even women who came by themselves just to enjoy the art of quilting. Many of the ladies meet up once a year just for this event. This year a lady from Zimbabwe won the honor of farthest traveled and I was so surprised at the number of ladies that stood when recognized for having attended every year since Quiltfest started 18 years ago!

Pigeon Forge and quilting just seem to go together...both exude coziness, family, and treasure.  

One of the quotes hanging in the quilt exhibit at the Music Road Convention Center was “A quilt is a treasure which follows its owner everywhere.”

So very true!  From the beauties that were entered for judging to the quilts turned during the antique bed turnings, they were all treasures to someone. The heart, soul, and time that go into every detail of stitching, fabric choice, and pattern are worth way more than any price tag that could ever be placed on these treasures.

Lenora Crawford, the instructor in the class that mom and I took, mentioned that she uses fabric as her medium for art. Quilting has become more that just making bed quilts. She loves photography and takes many of her photos and turns the images into wall hangings by blending different color and textured fabric pieces. She stated that it is better than real life in fabric if colors and textures are blended correctly. Lenora adds fabric paints to make the pieces look more realistic. Her work is as beautiful and unique as any museum painting or framed art.

Mom mentioned more than once how high tech quilting has become, from newer styles and textures of fabrics to less hand stitching and more elegant machine detailing. Many of the vendors sold kits that take away the excuses from those of us that are a little challenged at putting the idea all together. The fabrics and patterns are right there...just gotta put the heart and soul into it! We also noticed that even the threads have advanced with the times. Now there are metallic and variegated threads that make the details pop.

Pigeon Forge...thank you for allowing my mom and I to experience the treasure of Quiltfest!

Today was such a fun filled day with my mommy at Quiltfest. We started the day off with breakfast at Log Cabin Pancake House. It is one of my favorites in Pigeon Forge and we shared my favorite menu item - Pancakes Royale. Then it was off to our class - Mini Blended Fabric Art Collage.

 

Wow…it was way more difficult than it looked! We learned to blend 1/4-1/2 inch pieces of different colored and textured fabrics together to create a picture. 6 hours later and with lots of laughs, we both finished a piece and were very proud of ourselves.

 

More than once today, several of the attendees commented to me about how nice it was to see that the younger generation was interested in keeping quilting from becoming a lost art. There are some great vendors here. Mom and I played with a $30,000 computer generated quilting machine. It was high tech and fast!

 

Quilting has become more than just the hand pieced quilts made from flour sacks that I remember from my great grandmother. It has evolved into very detailed colorful quilts to quilted clothing, baby accessories, and more. We have our fingers crossed that mom will win an embroidery machine in one of the many drawings.

 

Our night ended with a fun time at Dixie Stampede…Mom loved it! I love that I can share so much fun here with my mommy. Can’t wait for tomorrow!