FUN gathering!

I write about gathering a lot, but it is the kind you do with basting stitches and miles of fabric. On Saturday, I got to participate in a gathering of a different sort...the Quilters' Gathering in Ruthsburg, MD. It was the perfect day of great ladies, shopping, a make and take project, yummy lunch, and of course, gorgeous, gorgeous quilts. Two groups put on trunk shows, and I loved seeing their work and listening to their stories.

The first group up was the "Farm Bureau Beauties" out of Delaware. They had all kinds of fun, drool-worthy projects to share. I loved their charm quilts. All of those little boxes are hand appliqued, can you believe? The love and camaraderie these ladies shared with us was just as inspirational as their quilts.

The second group, the Old Kent Baltimore Applique Bee, blew us away with their Album Quilts.



I adore the bright, non-traditional colors in this one!



This one too. WOW! Now I am all fired up to try some hand applique. It won't be anywhere as intricate as these works of art, but I'd love to have a little hand sewing project to work on in the evenings.

The highlight of my day was meeting Carol, who is also knows as CajunQuilter on Sewforum.com. She is the administrator (in other words, the Moderator Supreme) of this HUGE, active discussion board about all things sewing. Even though it has over 40,000 members, it is so well-organized that it feels like a cozy little community! I've been a member for several years now, and I've learned so much about machine embroidery and sewing in general. Just like her online persona, Carol is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to sewing techniques and equipment. She is just the sweetest person, too, so it was really great to do some "real-life" hanging out with with her. And I almost forgot...there was a show and tell!!! I didn't have a quilt on hand, but I did go up and show off my Boxy bag and Sis Boom Shana Tunic. It was so nice to be in a room full of ladies who adore beautiful fabric as much as I do!