Another great retreat

Another successful quilting retreat has come and gone. Twenty two quilters spent the weekend sewing, eating, drinking, and talking (and not always in that order). I am in awe at the amount of work that was accomplished. Show and tell was stunning and I am sure that the quilts just get more and more spectacular every year. As usual, the staff at McIntosh Inn catered to our every whim. We are so lucky to have found a place that is so accommodating.

At Taylors, classes are winding down for the semester but we are having a teachers meeting in early December and I am sure the line up of classes for January will be better than ever. Visit www.taylorsewing.com to see the list of classes available.

Christine and I are working hard getting ready for "A Country Home Studio Tour". We've both been quilting up a storm and look forward to setting up at Linda Scallion's home. Tour dates are November 28, 29 and Dec 5, 6 from 10am to 5pm. Hope to see you then!

International Quilt Festival

Exciting news! A Needle Pulling Thread made its debut at Quilt Festival and the response was overwhelming. Carla and I worked long hours and introduced the magazine to anyone who would listen. There were so many people there and the crowds were still good despite the economic times. Shoppers were more selective about what they spent their money on but they were still spending - me included!

Elizabeth Dillinger's "Holiday Sparkle" quilt which was on the front cover of the Festive Issue and hanging in the booth was a huge hit. Everyone stopped to admire the quilt which was a great lead in to our spiel about ANPT.

The quilt show was stunning. I spent a bit of time admiring the Canadian exhibition as well as the Quilting Arts show. I could have had a lot more time but we were too busy to get away from the booth for long periods of time.

As exciting as it was to be there I am sure glad to be home!

Fall Activities

The summer is coming to an end and that means all the fall activities will soon begin. Next weekend, Sept 11 and 12 is the open house at Taylor's Sewing Centre. There are lots of new and exciting classes and most of the samples are already hanging in the shop. Be sure to stop in and take a look around.

The originellie's retreat is filling up quickly so if you haven't sent your cheque in - do it soon or you may be disappointed. There are only a few spaces left.

Christine and I have almost got all the quilts done for Northcott with the help of her mother, Judy. Visit www.northcott.net to see the Olympic quilts. There are some really nice designs. Donna has booked a trunk show so you'll be able to see them in person soon.

Fall Classes being planned

Next week we will be having our teacher's meeting at Taylor Sewing Centre to plan the new fall classes. There should be lots of fun things to do. Visit www.taylorsewing.com to see what we have planned. The new schedule will be up by the beginning of August at the latest. If you are interested in a particular class or want to learn a new technique let me know and I will try to teach something to incorporate those requests.

Save the Date

I just got off the phone with Howard Travel and we are busy making plans for a bus trip to International Quilt Festival, April 16 - 18th, 2010. Mark this very important date on your calendar because this is one adventure you won't want to miss. The tentative plan is to leave on Wed. April 14. It will take approx 8-9 hours to get there. On Thursday I thought it would be fun to have a day touring around Chicago. We will spend Friday and Saturday at the show and trust me you need a minimum of 2 days to see the International Quilt Exhibition and to visit the approx 500 or more exhibitors. We will return home on Sunday, April 18th. If you are at all interested please let me know. I'd like to start a list to have an idea of how many people would like to consider this wonderful opportunity. I will let you know the cost as soon as I hear back from Howard Travel.