Houston & a New Direction

I'm feeling a bit like Tigger as I bounce around and try to settle myself from all the excitment lately.

Of course, the election yesterday was the BIG event and I'm feeling extraordinarily hopeful about a new direction for America and the world. Obama's speech last night was great and John McCain offered a gentlemanly concession. I've said before that the country and I were in similar transition; now I am hopeful that we can move in a positive direction. I am praying that peace and prosperity prevail; it will take lots of work from lots of people. I do hope some of the naysayers will shut up and get to work toward common good.

My 10 days in Houston for Quilt Market and Festival were great. I'm still not completely unpacked and leaving my sewing machine at the repair shop on the way home seems a bit like child abandonment. I've got lots & lots of project ideas to develop and work on in the meantime and even did some small bits of dyeing yesterday and today. Many thanks to Wonderfil Threads for the opportunity to work in Houston and to Andrew for teaching me lots about thread.

This was my first time to attend the wholesale market and that was very interesting. There's been lots of discussion in various forums about posting quilts & art work so I won't do so now. One of my greatest thrills was seeing so many young designers of fabrics & patterns and more later at Festival. That is the future. I love Jane Sasseman's new fabric as well as Anna Maria Horner's and met Linda McGhee, purse designer extraordinaire, who inspired my mother early in her career (Linda's career that is).

Thanks to my bff Kathy and her sweet Philip for putting me up for 4 days and then also my 89 year old Aunt Nathalee for the remainder of my stay. Friends & Family are SPECIAL. Deborah B, http://www.deborahsjournal.blogspot.com, has lots of other great pictures of friends and Houston happenings.