2013 Here We Come

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and thank you for all your well wishes. 2013 is going to be the busiest best,  year for London International Quilt Festival. Trunk shows galore with the first Jan. 2nd in Stoney Creek. I am excited to speak at the Central Library to share these wonderful works of art with the people. I will post a list of the trunk shows for the exhibit as well as pictures from the trunk shows!  Hold on 2013 here we come.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

I really don't know were to start with this post!! This time of year is sometimes a double edge sword as we take joy in the people around us, but sadness as we remember people that are no longer with us. THANK YOU to everyone pass and present for all you have given me. As we draw close to 2013 may you enjoy the New Year as much as I will doing trunk shows and looking forward to seeing everyone at the Festival. Hope the picture doesn't scare off people who are looking forward to the trunk shows. All the information will be on the web site by the start of 2013. Happy Quilt Year!!!

Santa Quilt was here today!!!

Christmas arrived early here today as 5 quilts came that were part of the Quilt Festival held in Ireland each year. They are from Africa and were part of the Patchwork Promises exhibit. Here is picture of one of the quilts with a couple of close up shots. We are also close to getting everything on the web site for the exhibit. Bernina Canada was here to get the prices for the classroom machines in place as well as being part of the vendors mall. I want to add that the vendors mall is going to empty many a wallet!!

Quilts keep coming!!!

Here are a couple of pictures of quilts from Dena Crain which I picked up in Toronto last week. Dena will be teaching during the festival. The classes will be up soon, just waiting for one last class. My next trunk show at a guild is Jan. 2nd. 2013 then will be full steam ahead till June . Look for me to post more information as it comes in. Every guild I visited in the past little while have been so very kind and thank you everyone. Pictures are not the best as they don't reflect how beautiful this quilts are.

Lucky Number 13: Port Hope

Have Quilts will travel left Sault Ste. Marie to do a trunk show the next night in Port Hope which has the nicest downtown I have seen in awhile. Great shops and very clean. As usual the quilts do all the talking at the guild meeting. A guild of about 50 members looking forward to coming to the exhibit. I love to interact with the members and a couple of the members had taken classes at the last exhibit so are looking to sign-up again. We will be working over the next couple of weeks at getting everything on the web site. All you who are entering the contest for how many km's I will do from the trunk shows listed in the countryregister let me say the trip from Monday to tuesday was over 1,800 km's.

Number 12 Sault Ste. Marie

The Quilts from Africa got their first taste of snow. A little over 25 cms. We had a wonderful time in what  we all call, The  Soo. I enjoyed a nice dinner before the meeting with four very lovely ladies, then off to the guild where the quilts where well received. It is going to great to see everyone again during the exhibit. Just to let everyone know I was in the North the picture of the sign says it all. As I keep going to the guilds the Gala dinner is really going to have quilters from all different places. The sign is a little hard to read but says Watch out for Deer and Moose.

Number 11 St. Catherines

Well it was a big change to speak to over 140 people but in some ways it is still the same as everyone really enjoys the quilts. I was a late sub for the guild to do the trunk show and since they had such a great speaker planned I am lucky to have such amazing works of art to show. This was the end of my three day trunk show trip also which for all of you following the km contest was a little under 2,000 km's . We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2013 exhibit. Next week Sault Saint Marie on Monday and Port Hope on Tuesday!!!

Number 10 New Liskeard

The second night of the three day tour is like the song second verse same as the first Just great. I was treasted to a tour of the area which I loved. The venue for the guild is very nice and again the full meeting was me and the quilts. It felt like I was talking to friends about this amazing exhibit which they are planning on attending so we can all have dinner together on the Saturday night. I did leave at 5:30 to go to Saint Catherines, and my lovely hostess was up to se me off. I will likely plead to see if they will have me back ot some later date. The chocolates are melt in your mouth good.

Number 9 Kirkland Lake

Just one great trip from start to finish!! The weather Quilting God's were looking out for me, clear all the way. I hope the ladies from Kirkland Lake all get to see this blog. THANK YOU for such a wonderful time. I wanted to ask Terry if Suzanne and I could move in to her slice of heaven on the lake. The trunk show was well attended it was good that they planned on nothing else as it was close to one and a half hours long,which I loved. I am looking forward to seeing them all again for the two night stay,plus joining us for the Gala dinner. So much has changed since I was there in the early 70's but people have remained just as nice. As I plan other exhibits I hope to be asked to return. Love my bookmark!

Have Quilts will Travel

Please everyone say a prayer to the Quilting travel God's for no snow as I am off  Monday morning for a trunk show that evening in Kirkland Lake which is a mere 750 km's one way, Tuesday :New Liskeard and Wednesday: St. Catherines. It is nice to be able to share the quilts with guilds a little farther away so they can plan on a bus trip. I worked in a group home just east of Kirkland Lake in the early 70's so am looking forward to seeing how much it might have changed and if anyone will remember me however the long hair and beard are long gone, plus I have added glasses, grey hair a couple of extra pounds.

I will post lots of pictures and share the stories.

Dunnville Dots Number 8

All I can say is I really really enjoyed last night. Great interaction with questions, comments and a few laughs. I received a lovely hand made card with a guild pin. I am sure that we will be seeing everyone from the guild in June, as they looked terrified at the thoughts of me coming to stay at each person house for a week if not enough people come to the exhibit:). Tonight I am off to the Cultural Prosperity Planning for the City of London.

The Month Ahead

Let's look to see where November will take us for trunk shows:November 7th Dunnville, November 19th Kirkland Lake,November 20th New Liskeard, November 21st St. Cathrines,  November 26th Sault Ste. Marie, November 27th Port Hope. We have a cultural planning meeting in London November 8th, pick up quilts in Toronto, write article for the country register about the trunk shows. We plan on having all the informtion about the exhibit on the web site by December 1st. Classes all up, lecture information up, Vendors mall links up, day pass tickets up, exhibit long pass up, link to Hotel up, Bus tour companies links up. Looks like things are looking UP UP UP!!  Anyone wanting to join me for a few days painting the Quilt Racks please let me know, also making new backdrops for the racks. Do we know how to have FUN!!!

Pieces and Patchers Number 7

A great evening at the Pieces and Patches Quilt Guild. They are the smallest guild I have spoken at but such a warm and attentive group. To be able to be a part of quilt guild meeting, sharing the quilts from Africa is really something special. It's the little things that make you realize how lucky I am. In the lovely thank you card I was given last night was a gift card for Tim Horton's which I think is so thoughtful it gave me a nice coffee on the ride home. November is looking to be busy as two more guilds have called to book me for that month. Let the good times roll and roll and roll:)

Royal City Number 6

Once again back to a guild that I have spoken at before so lots of familar facs. I got to speak from the main altar which was great for showing the quilts.  I told them if not enough people attend I would need to spend a week at each of their homes! A wonderful group and with the threat of me coming to visit for a week eveyone of them will be at the exhibit:) Next trip is not until the 22nd but if anything comes up before then I will Blog.

Halton Quilt Guild Number 5

Had a great time last evening at the Halton Quilters Guild. The Quilts really do all the talking but need someone to get them to the guilds. I brought some Country Registers for people and they were all gone right away. Can't wait to see the guesses for the km contest which is on page 5. People always come up to me after the trunk shows with such nice comments and last night I got a gift. A lady gave me a scrubby (a pot cleaner) which she made while I was speaking. Picture above. I wonder if once the other guilds know that I got a gift, they will now all feel they must keep up!! The bar has been set very high. Next week off to Royal City in Guelph and with autumn taking hold of Ontatio the leaves are just a burst of colour.

Peterborough Trunk Show number 4

Nice early morning drive to Peterborough just around 4 hours, to share the quilts with the 100 plus members of the Kawartha Quilters Guild. So nice to have so many helpful hands to hold and walk the quilts around the room will I just talk away, my phone rang which I would not as a rule have on but was getting ready to take a picture, a reporter from one of London's newpapers was calling so I asked the group to shout a big Hello and I would call him later. This was to do with the quilt exhibit!!

Culture Days London

Spent a wonderful day Saturday as part of the Culture Days London. I was part of the AFOLA displays which shared the culture of different countries from Africa. Great music, fashion show and dance. This group will be the greeters, white gloves at the "Out of Africa" exhibit. Such a bonus for not only us but everyone that attends the exhibit!!

Number Three Brampton Guild

It is so nice to return to a guild because one feels so comfortable and the ladies at the Brampton guild are just amazing as they all looked younger and slimmer then my last visit. We had a wonderful evening viewing the quilts and talking about the exhibit itself and when they can sign up for classes. One last thought before I finish, Do you wonder it the quilts could talk they would ask us if we only knew a few words such as Wow, Amazing, Oh my God!!! Just a thought.

Number Two and counting!! Region of York

Bonus time last night in Newmarket! I was able to have dinner with a family I hadn't seen in years and then shared the wonderful works of the Quilts of Africa. I hope everyone had as good a time as I did. I am sure they will coming as a group because as I told them if not enough people come I will have to stay with each of them for a week at a time, and it's so much cheaper to come to the exhibit then feeding me for a week :) Off this evening to Brampton. On the Road Again!! Thank Heavens they are Canadian Roads and not African.

Trunk Show Number One: Port Perry

If the first trunk show is a sign of things to come I can't wait for the other 28. What a lovely group the Port Perry Patchers Quilt Guild are. They made me and the quilts feel right at home. I am blessed to be able to share the wonderful works of art from Africa and know that we will be seeing a group from Port Perry at the exhibit. The country register in Ontario is running a contest for everyone to guess the total km's I will travel doing the trunk shows so look for your copy in early October or go to their web site www.countryregisterontario.ca to enter. Bernina Canada is giving the prize of a Bernina 46 sewing machine!! The list of all the guilds and where they are will be in the October/November issue. Good Luck.  Here is a clue LOTS of KM's . Another bonus of going to the guilds is that I eat so early I get the early bird seniors special!! I think this is good but it would be nice if they asked for proof of age after all since when is senior 39?!