I recently received a photo from a student who had taken a machine applique class with me in Canada. This is Sandy Madden’s finished block from the Oriental Flower workshop. Sandy, I am so very proud of you and your great work. Your block looks fantastic! Sandy is from Kamloops, BC, Canada. 
I received an email from Bernice Sayer from Australia. Bernice made my “Japanese Garden” pattern and entered it in the Queensland Quilters quilt show. Bernice won a 1st place in the Professional Applique category. Way to go Bernice! Your quilt looks fabulous. Bernice sent me the picture below and a link to the shows website in case any of you want to check it out. There are some beautiful quilts to view. Here is the site http://www.qldquilters.com/
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At the recommendation of students and friends I read a book called “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel”. What an enjoyable read. This is the author, Beth Hoffman’s first book. After reading this one I will look forward to reading more of her books. The story is told through the eyes of 12 year old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt. CeeCee’s mother has mental health issues and her father travels with his job and drinks too much. The time period is set in the 60’s. CeeCee’s mother is killed by an truck while crossing the road and her great-aunt, Tootie, comes to rescue her. CeeCee goes from a life of poverty to a life of privilege in Savannah. When CeeCee left Ohio she had no friends to speak of except for one elderly neighbor lady. When CeeCee goes to Georgia she makes fast friends. The book is heart warming and fun to read.
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I just returned from a wonderful trip to the Capital Quilters Guild in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was one of the most delightful groups I have ever had the pleasure to work with. From my initial contact, Roberta, to the two program chairs, Penny and Bridgit, every detail of my trip was expertly handled. I had taught in the area this summer for the North Carolina Quilt Symposium so it was nice to see some familiar faces and to meet a lot of new quilters as well. I was also able to make connections with a quilter/friend of mine, Gail, who used to live in my neck of the woods. Gail and I dined at Irregardless on Friday evening. The food was beyond heavenly. My appetizer was called “Vegan Sex” and I’m here to tell you I know how it got it’s name. (You figure it out!) The base was mashed sweet potatoes. The middle, tabouli and the top, avocado. Oh my goodness. The main course was excellent as well. And while we dined they had live music playing in the background. It was a very enjoyable experience. You can find out more about the restaurant by going to its website http://www.irregardless.com/ I would go back to Raleigh just to return to this restaurant. That’s how good it was. I’ve said it in blogs before but quilters know good food. Gail made me a really great broccoli salad for my lunch on Saturday. I’ve ask her to share her recipe. Hopefully she’ll agree and I can share it in a future blog.
I loved spending time with this guild and hope they invite me back again. What a great group of people. You know I get to attend many guilds meetings while waiting to be introduced for my lecture. Well, this guild had a ton of charity quilts to show that were donated by members. It was very impressive. And the show and tell was impressive as well. If I lived in the area I would definitely be a member in this guild. They play well together. You can find out more about the guild by going to http://capitalquilters.org/
Here are some of the students hard at work in the Saturday workshop.
I’m actually home for a week and plan to do some sewing. Imagine that! And then it’s off to Quilt Festival in Houston. I can hardly wait. Until then…..