International Quilting Day

Yesterday was IQD and Loose Threads hosted its annual event for the 6th year. It was another wonderful day of being with friends, laughing, and sharing.
34 quilters were in attendance and everyone was busy chatting and sewing and visiting from 9-4.
Andrea Torrens was our featured guest this year and she demonstrated how to make a "Hidden Wells" table runner from striped or border fabric - it is such a cool technique. And Andrea is a great instructor!
The rest of the day people worked on their projects, visited with one another, and helped fellow quilters with their work. There was a sale table with wonderful fabrics!
Thanks to the generosity of companies contacted, everyone went home with a door prize and a loot bag - I have so wanted a bobbin tower for the longest time!!
The food table was laden with lots of yummy home baked goodies, as well as lots of other good eats :-)
Thank you to those who brought in non perishable food items for us to donate, and a big thanks to that generous person who donated money in lieu of canned goods.
Here is an email I received from a first time attendee, Marijke:

International Quilt Day with the Loose Threads gang is an experience I enjoyed more than I realized I would. As I left the house before 9 a.m., my husband asked me when I’d be home. My response was “it depends on how much fun I’m having.” Since I didn’t get home until well after 3 p.m., it’s probably safe to say I had fun.
As a quilter who didn’t know a single person who quilted when I began over 20 years ago, getting together with women who share the same passion is a delight. Spending the day with these women is a blessing, a breath of fresh air.
Despite our hectic lives and the time we need to spend on every day things, to see the beautiful pieces of work that we all manage to put together is awesome, in the true sense of the world. You can’t rush a quilt, because it will show that it’s rushed, so quilting is a great way to force yourself to slow down.
For the day, I shared a table with Joyce, Denise, Betty, Debbie and Flora (I hope I got the names right!) and the conversation flowed, ideas were shared and laughter was not far away. I also have something for my birthday list now – a needle threader. I’d never tried one before but once Flora showed me how to use hers, I wanted to walk away with it.
As I wandered around the tables and saw the different projects, I was taken with a desire to try so many different things I’d not tried before – in particular, turning a photograph into a quilt. Our guest speaker inspired me to try new designs for table runners and the door prizes that those around me won showed me new gadgets that I’d not tried before. But seeing them used made me realize that some of these gadgets are pretty cool. Of course, I won a super prize myself that will be used well.
Thank you Roz for contacting me time after time to remind me of the guild. Thank you to everyone for being so welcoming and kind, and you’ve all gotten me hooked on International Quilting Day. See you next year!

Look for photos and other comments about IQD in the very near future.

And at this time, I would like to take the opportunity, on behalf of Barbara, Roz, and myself, to wish everyone a very happy Pesach and Easter. May your holiday be filled with family and friends and peace.
Sharon