On this cold and dreary morning Dawn Conyers braved the elements to become Drive-by quilting #9. Beaumont is on the Texas coast and it is rare for the temperatures to dive this low, but she stood in the wind on the overpass at the Majors exit (mile marker 845 on I-10) with the temperature at 35ºF. I can only imagine the chill factor up there! Way to go Dawn! At least you had a quilt to keep you warm! Ha ha.
As an additional note - each time this happens it is a rush that cannot be accurately described. With all the effort to coordinate it, there are only 10-15 seconds where taking the photos are possible. I'm always worried the camera will be out of focus or fail. In addition, zooming in to trying to get a good close-up at 70 miles an hour is challenging. I think it's as much of a rush for me as it is for the quilter.
Dawn says:
What a thrill that was!!!
My husband drove me out the night before so we could scope out a place for me to stand. It was supposed to be one of the coldest days in Beaumont but that did not matter, my heart was pounding with excitement and I was not going to miss my chance at being a "Drive-By Quilter" for anything.
My husband drove me out the night before so we could scope out a place for me to stand. It was supposed to be one of the coldest days in Beaumont but that did not matter, my heart was pounding with excitement and I was not going to miss my chance at being a "Drive-By Quilter" for anything.
I noticed that you were in our neck of the woods and I sprang into action. I sent off an email, posted on Facebook, and waited in anticipation (checking back every 5 minutes) for a response. I hoped I wasn't too late to connect. When I heard from you the excitement began. I went out the night before picking out my spot, where to stand, where to park all being safe and getting the best picture. Was I going to get any sleep that night?
The call came in the morning and you were on your way, out the door I went, I was really early, but like I said I was not going to miss you. Then the call came you only minutes away and I was ready, standing on the overpass, over the guardrail, quilt in hand and under foot since the wind was blowing so hard it
kept blowing up behind me and filling the quilt like a sail, I was holding tight. Then I saw Justin flashing the lights coming up the freeway and you hanging out the window to take pictures and a wave. I bet people thought we were crazy.
Then it was over in a split second. As I turned around and stepped back over the rail, there was a car right behind me with the window rolled down. The lady said "what are you doing" and I had to explain. "I was a Quilter and I was now a Drive-By Quilter. Whoo Hoo!!!! She stopped because she thought I might be considering jumping. When I told her no, she said "Praise the Lord". I just want to say "Thanks a billion".
About the quilt:
The quilt I'm holding is titled Passing Fancy. It is a Kim Diehl pattern and it is the donation quilt that the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild of Beaumont is offering at our quilt auction in February. It was constructed by the Happy Scrappers Bee and donated to the guild. If anyone is interested in attending or chances for the quilt, they can check online or we are on Facebook.
