Quilting and needlework has opened up so many opportunities for me. But, highest on that list would be the friendships I have made over the years. Many of these friendships have been friendships that have stood the test of time and have gotten me through many rough patches in my life.
Moving to Michigan 3.5 years ago was exciting and fun. But, it was so sad to leave all my friends and family in Ohio. I also left my network of needlework friends and favorite needlework stores. It took a year or more before I had time to get my needlework including quilting out and start working on the projects again.
Buying the Statler Longarm Quilting Machine was such a huge decision for me to make. It was a dream for me, but kind of like jumping off the end of a very high diving board. But, I decided to take the financial risk and buy one. The shop where I purchased my machine in Saint Joseph, MI, (At the Heart of Quilting) hosted a weekend class last November called Harvesting Your Creativity. I vascillated as to whether to take the class or not. I was terribly worried about the weather as it was in the heart of the snow belt. Finally I decided to take the class. And, wouldn’t you know? We had the worst snowstorm of the season that weekend!
I did not know anyone else taking this class. When I arrived in St. Joe, the weather was absolutely beautiful!! The lake (Lake Michigan) was gorgeous! It wasn’t going to snow…
So, I met a charming lady in the class who had been longarming for several years. It turned out we lived within 30 minutes of one another! Such a great find! We instantly traded names, phone numbers, addresses. The next day around noon the snow started, and it continued and continued. I had to leave the class by 4 pm in order to make it home in time for my 7 pm shift that night. The roads were awful! It was very scary, but I made it home in plenty of time for my shift.
Because of the holidays, my friend and I were not able to get together until January. She invited me over to her house which was amazing and surrounded by lakes. She had a project chosen for us to do and pretty much helped me through the entire project. The project I am referring to is this beautiful table runner which I am calling the Friendship Table Runner. It is one of my favorite pieces! But, my new friendship has had a lot to do with that! How lucky am I?
As I sit here writing this, I am riding home from another wonderful seminar! This time in Lake DeGray, Arkansas. It was an intense learning experience for me, but so fun and so worthwhile. My friend told me about this seminar and encouraged me to sign up for it. She also introduced me to two other women who I think will become great friends. The four of us drove there together and are now riding back home together. I met some fantastic women and men at the seminar! I am looking forward to hearing more from these new Statler friendships over the coming years. In case anyone is interested, the seminar I attended was The Statler Southern Belles! Such a fun time, such amazing people, and so much information!
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