My Favorite Things...8

Oh Baby, did we have fun at Faustina on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

LakeHouse Dry Goods hosted, Gina Halladay was our unofficial moderator, and a total natural in a big group of people.  She has been blogging about as much as anyone I know of in the quilt industry.  Gina started the conversation with the everyone by asking each of us to give our names and then asked us to tell a little about ourselves.  Deb Luttrell the Quilting Queen of Quitman told us about several of her slam dunk hits like Patchwork Party and QuiltFlix...Did you know that she has a large log cabin that she rents out to quilters as a retreat on some of her land in Texas? Yowza! Deb's friend Jerry Stube of Quilter's Quarters talked about her life as a quilt shop owner and cancer survivor...(and being a success at both...you go girl!)  Kris Giannetti from Cozy Cottage Fabrics expressed her admiration for the quality of the blogs she had seen in our industry, as well as the trials and tribulations with her own digital camera.  Pam Vieira McGinnis and Elizabeth Scott were both great to meet.  I have admired Elizabeth and Pam's work from a far but hadn't really had much time to get to know them before our dinner...they are lots of fun and full of ideas. Tammy Tadd who carries our entire line of LakeHouse fabric in her bricks & mortar and online store, said that she had recently commissioned a 12 year old girl to set up her blog! Tammy seemed really fascinated by everyone's story...she even took notes.  Cindy Taylor Oates was her usual low-tech loverly self.  She said that she was inspired by all who attended to think about what her blog would be about...she was happy to tell us that she'd just successfully completed her first course in Adobe Illustrator, which she loved, and that she'd be using it to publish her patterns.  Heather and Anna Maria came late but not least, as they were both even more adorable in real life than in their blogs.  They had the kind of optimistic can-do career /motherhood stories that reminded me of myself at that age (minus the children, of course!)...wait I'm tearing up...That reminded me for one (and I am sure others too) that I was glad to have been born a woman in the U S of A back in 1957, we have opportunities that most other women world wide only dream of.  Penny, Jean & Martha (my SLC show posse) were more quiet that night at dinner than any other time during the entire trip...but they all later told me how much they enjoyed hearing everyone's story.  I was a combination of joy (at being able to get everybody in one place to talk!) and nonsequitur sentences...(the old girl was just plain tired!).  Quilt market is usually a blur of memories for me...but this time it's a blur of poignant memories.  We all really enjoyed each other's company.

Here's a picture that Penny had the good sense to get up and take.  I sat mesmerized with my back to the camera (second from the left).

Speaking of enjoying each other's company...two of my favorite friends!

Back in two shakes...H2

Comments

[Thimbleanna]

Awwww, look at those cute furry faces. Loving your blog! I checked some of your links -- didn't realize the "candy" fabric was yours -- I had several friends in a frenzy looking for it for me months ago -- HAD to have it and finally got some! Yay! Thanks for carpetbag pattern info -- I have sent an e-mail. We share the same birth year -- it's our big year! WooHoo!!! Oh, and hope you'll post when Cindy Taylor Oates gets a blog -- I'll be looking!

[pam]

Love your two friends there. And thanks again for the invite to the dinner! I had a great time and it felt so cool to be invited!

[Elizabeth]

Can sure see why those are 2 favorite friends!
I also had a great time at the dinner--so much to take in.

[happy zombie]

What a fun get-together that must have been! I see that all hands are above the table and no one's blogging via a crack-berry in their lap.

[Cottage Magpie]

Love the big group photo! It's like the Star Chamber of bloggy quilting peeps! Love it! And the doggies are cute, too! ~A :-)

[Bren]

Your little ones are such cuties! What precious faces! I'm so impresed that their little rope-bone is so intact. . . Bailey goes through about one a week. . . strings all over the floor. . . !

[Jennifer Paganelli]

Wow Holly...blogger of the year award and you just started I'll never keep up...these are beautiest...digging it all so much...all the best, JCome back soon I miss you guys already..Jen

[Anna Maria]

Was such great fun to be included, and look forward to seeing you again soon I hope.
Loving your favorite things
xo,AM

[Gina Halladay]

Hi friend,
We must play again soon. I say Disco dancing and dinner in Houston. Your Blog is Fantastic.
Kisses
Gina

[Gina Halladay]

Hi friend,
We must play again soon. I say Disco dancing and dinner in Houston. Your Blog is Fantastic.
Kisses
Gina

[Gina Halladay]

Hi friend,
We must play again soon. I say Disco dancing and dinner in Houston. Your Blog is Fantastic.
Kisses
Gina