I belong to an online quilting group called Quiltville Hearts - it is a sister group to Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Chat.
Our group voluntarily puts together "hug" quilts for quilty sisters and/or families, near and far who are going through a rough time, be it surgery, cancer treatments, loss of a loved one, etc.
I've sent in blocks to add to them over the time we've had this group, but this was my first chance to quilt and bind one. I happily accepted the position when asked... since the recipient lives in Cambridge, ON. It was way cheaper for me to mail a completed quilt to her than it would have been for one of the members from the states.
I enjoyed every minute of quilting this "hug" and was so grateful to all the members who had contributed blocks, some were even signed by a member in Australia!
Anyways, Kathy posted on her blog about the quilt and I was awestruck with the pictures she took and the things she wrote.
It just goes to show that a "hug" comes in many forms and they're always appreciated.
Click on Kathy's name above to go to her blog, or here.
I love travelling. Most people do. It brings to mind sunny beaches, exotic foods, enchanting people and new, wonderful experiences.
After our cruise with Bonnie Hunter this summer, Jim and I both want to take another trip and/or cruise. Bonnie is currently on a cruise in the Caribben with about 60 of her followers/fans. They are going to have a fantastic time.
I happened to click on Jim West's site www.sewmanyplaces.com as he's the one who organized both these cruises, and is actively promoting Bonnie's Bali trip next year. Jim West is an amazing individual, has incredible stories to tell, and is a pleasure to travel with. Even without our name tags during the cruise, I'm positive he would have remembered all of our names.
While that would be an absolutely awesome trip, I really can't justify the price to go. The trip itself, plus my travel costs to and from the west coast of the United States to start and end the trip, as well as spending money, would probably equate to about $500 per day. Definitely not in the budget. I'll have to live vicariously through Bonnie's blog after their trip is complete.
As for the reason for my blog today, when I was on Jim's site, I noticed the tab for a magazine. Curiousity got the better of me and I clicked on the button to see what it was all about. Quiltposium is a very unique title for the magazine.
Expectedly, the magazine lists and describes in detail the trips and tours that they are organizing in the near future and even a couple years from now.
What I wasn't expecting, were all the inspiring quilting related articles, some by well known quilt artists and others by Jim himself. In addition to those, there are recipes, links to quilt related sites and free quilt patterns that you can download.
Since I was reading the Summer 2011 issue, I wasn't prepared to see my face, and those of my quilting buddies on the cruise! The article doesn't specifically talk about us, rather it speaks of the different dynamics of personalities of people who travel together, good and bad.
A very interesting read, and I'm happy to say, I believe our summer cruise group had a blast without any issues with personalities clashing. They were such a wonderful, helpful, friendly group. I chalk that up to the quality of people who follow Bonnie. They speak volumes about the type of quilter she is, how she views life, and her generous nature. People of the same caliber seem to gravitate to one another, and our bunch of cruisers was definitely no exception.
I'm sure I speak for a lot of people, when I say, "Thank you Bonnie for bringing us all together, for sharing your expertise, and being the beautiful person you are. You have become a mentor, an inspiration and a dear friend."
Look at these happy quilters!!
PS. Jim, if you read this... I love the story of "Joe the Barber" in the Spring 2011 issue. *hugs*
