That is really right about the special surprises. We went to the Bloomington IN quilt show this year and they had the best ever garage sale room( in addition to great quilts and friendly ladies). Oh, so many special things to buy. Fabric all $2 per yard and LQS quality. Boxes of books and patterns. Heaven. I even got a huge box of yarn for my mother in law and met the woman who donated it. The local shows are my favorites since they are showing quilts made by people like me and over the range of experience from beginner to master. The Paducah quilts are more like artworks and something I would never even attempt but lovely to look at.
I met a grand prize winner once and she said she spent 4 years on her quilt.