East and West

A quick note before Kate and I leave for Sew Expo in Puyallup, Washington.  John is already on his way to Hampton, Virginia for the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival and a teaching job on the way back.  We packed for days and days it seems to get ready for these two shows which fall on the same weekend every year.  John called a little bit ago and has made it to Mitchell, South Dakota and is catching up on the Olympics.

Kate and I are getting to be pros at finding our way around the area where the Washington show is held.  It isn't very easy to find a hotel close to the fairgrounds although there are more hotels than there used to be.  In fact, vendor friends drive big motor homes and stay in a lot adjacent to the fairgrounds.  We stayed in a really scary motel last year and Kate wouldn't let me use the Jacuzzi in our so called "suite" because it really didn't look clean.  And they moved us to the "suite" because I complained about the smoke in our non-smoking room.

Part of our exploration of the area has been because we have needed more printing, once because the TV/VCR we use in the booth quit working, because the chair we use when demonstrating collapsed, because we ran out of receipt books, because I didn't know how to work the headlights in our new van,  just for a few reasons.

So tomorrow will find us on the road, testing out my new GPS and counting off the miles.  Here are a couple of the new Storm at Sea pre-cut kits we will have at the shows.  Unless I forgot to pack them.

Brooke

To Catch Up

I haven't posted to the blog for quite a while - first, we had our annual trip to Southern California for the Road to California Show.  It was as beautiful a California January as you could hope for and we made it out before the heavy rain started Sunday night.  The quilt show gets better and more spectacular every year and we enjoyed visiting with new and old friends. 

 A highlight of the road trip was seeing the Trumpter swans on the Snake River in Idaho - we look every year but this time there were a dozen or so.  John would tell you that the low point was stopping at IKEA in Salt Lake City; I wouldn't necessarily agree but the store is huge and crowded. I did manage to get a couple of kitchen things.

I caught a cold along the way somewhere and that is my excuse for not posting for a while.

Here are pictures of the wedding quilt John made for two of our young friends; we were able to give it to them last weekend at a gala Trivial Pursuit party.  The quilt is satin, hand quilted with YLI Jean Stitch thread and has a Matilda's Own wool batt.  Obviously, it is tough to take a good picture of satin; it just reflects so much light but it really is a pretty quilt and I think the couple likes it.   Oh, we came in second at Trivial Pursuit; it was close! 

Hope you are staying warm, wherever you are, and drive carefully out there!

Brooke

Free Admission -Hurry!

Just a quick note - I have 2 Free Multi-Day Admission coupons for the 2010 Road to California Show in Ontario, CA.  The show is January 14-17, 2010 at the Ontario Convention Center.

The first quilter who emails me and asks for Free Tickets gets them!  brookeflynn@mcn.net  Please include your mailing address.

I can't wait to get to this Show..  it's snowing, again.

Brooke

Mediterranean Quilt Cruise

I just noticed that the website http://www.quiltcruises.com/ doesn't have information on the 2011 Cruise yet. 

They sent me some single page handouts which give the dates, ports of call and instructors (no prices).  If you want a copy, send me an email with your mailing address - I'm sure there will be lots of information on the "Group Seminars at Sea" website soon but I'd be glad to send one of these handouts to you in the meantime, in case you want to plan ahead.   brookeflynn@mcn.net

Brooke

Winter Culinary Efforts

Well, we made it happily through Christmas.  No travel problems and the gifts arrived on time.  We played some games and even fired up the Wii for a lesson in tennis and in bowling.  John finished the wedding gift quilt.  I tried and tried to embroider a label for the quilt and finally called the Bernina 200 a bad name.  So that project is still to be done.

John barbecued outside even though it was 10 degrees; the barbecue wasn't heating up so he wrapped it in an old demo top quilt.  That worked good and the roast was ready on time!  I wouldn't let him bring the quilt back inside until we were sure it wasn't on fire.

I have been thinking about food a lot lately; the holiday season for one thing and then I just read "Julie and Julia" followed by Julia Child's autobiography "My Life in France".  I enjoyed every word of Julia Child's book and some of "Julie and Julia".  I don't think the cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is for me but might look at some of Julia Child's later books.  Do read Julia Child's autobiography if you have time; what a remarkable woman!  I know I won't ever buy another of Julie Powell's books, there is nothing like making your readers feel like fools for buying your book to turn them off.

Well, I'm off to debone a brace of ducks and make sauce out of a pound or so of butter; Not!

Brooke

Summer 2011 and Project Updates

We just got the publicity handouts for a Quilting Cruise John will be teaching in 2011.  That's a long time off but it's always good to plan way ahead.  Quilt Cruise  Other instructors will be Karen Combs, Christine Porter, Cindy Walter and Elly Sienkiewicz.  Oh, and it is a Mediterranean Cruise from Venice to Turkey and Greece ports.  Where is my Frommer's Guidebook??

I have my felt applique tree skirt finished and around the tree - Kate is still going to cut a few more appliques for me but I can put those on before next Christmas!  John is working really hard on a quilt which is a wedding present for some young friends of ours.  No pictures - well, I'm pretty sure they don't read our blog, but we do want it to be a surprise.  We'll have pictures of it soon; wow, it's pretty!

What I'm wondering is if 2500' difference in altitude is going to affect my cookie baking.  What if the cookies "fail" and John and I have to eat them all instead of saving them for company?  A tasty dilemma.  Have a wonderful holiday however you celebrate; stay warm out there.  Oh, here comes UPS!

Brooke

A New Miniature

Are you busy with Christmas projects?  Maybe you are getting ready for one of the other special holidays that come this time of year.  Kate just finished designing and piecing this little project.  It is in the catalog now  Catalog, in the Miniature section.  John is working on a quilt for a young couple who got married a month or so ago and I am embroidering on a tree skirt.  Kate used the laser to cut the felt birds for me and they are appliqued  down with fusible thread.  I am enjoying the embroidery and  it is a very, very good time to be working on projects inside. 

It is nippy here, below zero in the day and -15 or so at night.  I know there are parts of the country with tons of snow so I won't complain; you have my sympathy and drive safe!  I have already decided I'm not going to the grocery store today; it is too cold and I am not in the mood to excavate my car from the snow. 

Doesn't hot chocolate sound good about now?  Stay warm wherever you are.

Brooke