QuiltBLISS 2014

We survived! And it was fun! Being a part of QuiltBLISS was such an amazing experience for me. I loved so many parts of it, and I blogged about it on the UCMQG site, so feel free to read more there. 

Last year when Pamela approached the subject of doing a retreat, and then when we drove up to Timber Moose Lodge to check it out, I knew it was going to be something really special.  Our biggest desire was to carry on the culture at UCMQG of acceptance, noncompetition, nurturing and safety. To be a weekend of luxury where everyone felt like their contribution to the quiltosphere is important, no matter how old or new, big or small.

Over the years friends have drifted in and out of my life, and I've thought a lot about what kinds of people I draw to me and what kinds of people I want to stay. We don't all have time to be incredible to everyone we pass in life, and there are certainly varying levels of involvement.  As I get older, and my kids get older, and my marriage gets older, (ha, ha!) I see how important true friends can be, and how to find them.

Quilting is a big interest in a life full of interesting ways to spend my time. Reading, cycling and birding also feel authentic to me, but quilting is the one that has drawn important women into my life. I get so much out of our Modern Quilt Group. I am so inspired by the creativity these women bring to share with me, as well as how they approach and overcome their personal struggles. We all have them. And grace and beauty can rise up out of them.

I'm also so grateful to Pamela, Anna and JoyLyn. These women have had their own life experiences and bring so much strength and comfort to me in my life. I'm so glad our lives have connected through all different means and that their kindness and acceptance of me can build me up and keep me moving toward my own goals. 

And lastly, it was so fun to have my sisters come from California and quilt with me. (Well they quilted, anyway.) We three feel the absence of our mother so much this last year and mourn and grieve in our own ways, just as we express ourselves in our own ways. Our mother was a seamstress, not necessarily a quilter like you'd think of today. And yet her love of fabric and textures and color exposed us to this artistic medium and I love that we all quilt in our own styles and in our own time. 

So a big thank you to anyone who came to be a part of QuiltBLISS. It meant a lot that you would try us out on our first retreat and be patient as we tried to show love and luxury to you all. Here's to 2015!