First Hello from Me!!

Finally I have a blog page - something that Andrew and I have been working on for nearly a year! I promised Sam my daughter if I got a blog page I would keep it up - and keep it up I will!I have just been to see Julia & Julie the movie, which is the story of a frustrated young writer who loves cooking and decides to write a blog on cooking her way through Julia Child's French Cooking for Americans recipe book over 500 recipes in a year! A really inspirational movie if you have not seen it you should.My dear friend Catherine rang me this morning and mentioned that she also had seen the movie - then she announced she was going to sew her way through Jenny Haskins' books and write a blog - so now it is official she has to do it!Simon and I have just returned from Houston Quilt Market and Festival - as always it was amazing, wonderful, awesome and inspiring. The winning quilt was by Caryl Bryer Fallert as always her work is sensational and inspiringly beautiful - and talk about a flat quilt it was like a desk top.I hit the deck running, catching up on emails, phone calls and then working on photography for CE 26 and our up coming book When Dreams Flower (which I have taken time out from to write the first page of this blog). Then I had family to catch up with, my beautiful daughter Sam and her friend (my second daughter) Kath, and then there was Harvey, Kirstin and Cleo who came down for the week-end - what joy to see them all. My friend Debs daughter Natalie got married on Saturday - gloriously perfect wedding and then it was catch up with girl friends and neighbors. Out for dinner, movies, helping Sandy (another girl friend) with the quilt she is making not to mention looking after Mz Honey - my beautiful and faithful little puppy. So that is my week in a nut shell! Never a dull moment and I never miss my 2k odd walk first thing in the morning - it is another personal commitment of mine. Life is really great - thank you God.

The Jenny Haskins' products stand looked fabulous, decorated by Simon and show casing all our wonderful products including books, Creative Expressions, current and past issues, stabilizers, threads, beads, crystals, kits - the list is endless.

We introduced Faux Knitting ® a great new technique of ours, and everyone loved it. We had our latest quilt (and up coming book) When Dreams Flower on display along with jackets, handbags, scarves and wraps. The coat was the hit of the show, with no one ever guessing we made the Faux Knitting ® fabric in the coat ourselves!

Simon had his latest amazing quilt on display, made with Simon's Terrific Trims, using a great patchwork technique. He is just so clever and the vibrant colors are spectacular. The quilt has no name yet, and he doesn't like my suggestion so if you have a good name for it let us know.

Gina, Pattie, Jenny and Janet - Four Girls in HatsWe also had RNK and CE's Light up a Life ® challenge jackets and hats on display - and the girls on the stand just had to try on the hats! Thank you to everyone who entered, the standard was exceptional. Sue Hausmann judged it along with Debi Homer (thank you ladies), congratulations to Jean Halstead, who sent her entry from England who won first place, Debi Reese from Cleveland who received second place and Linda Stiltz from St Charles, MO who received third place.This is a good start I think, for the first of many pages in this blog, as I share my life's experiences with my fellow machine artists, I also look forward to hearing your comments. I am off to visit my dear friend Maree who is not the best (maker of Maree's Magic Christmas cake recipe of which is in CE 25) due out very soon.