I was slightly ahead of my time and in the 80’s had a wonderful time at Quilt Festival and Quilt Market in Houston, Texas.  I still do a little quilting but returned to “sewing” about ten years ago and am having a wonderful time.  Now, I venture down to Puyallup, Washington and spend every minute I can immersed in sewing heaven.  I see new things, learn new things, and meet wonderful new people  My weekend there is truly “my” time.  I come home absolutely energised and delve into new books, try new techniques, and do my best to improve my skills.  The biggest problem I used to have was fitting.  Learning tissue fitting from Palmer/Pletsch books, patterns, and videos has been the best step for me.  When your family asks you what you’d like for Christmas….suggest they help with a weekend at a sewing show!  In western Canada there are small shows but once you’ve been to Puyallup the small shows just can’t compare.