Seasons Greetings

Season's Greetings to all!  Wow, this is such a busy time of year and I was so busy getting ready for a Christmas get together with some of my quilting friends yesterday that I completely forgot about our blog.  I bet many of you are frantically putting those last minute touches on your holiday Christmas gifts.  If you have any hand made/ hand sewn gift ideas you would like to share with our region, just let me know.  It's always nice to try something new!
The photo below is of a lovely hand made silk pincushion with machine embroidery made by my friend Susan Foster.    Just beautiful!

So, until January,  Happy Holidays everyone and may the joy and peace that you feel in your hearts this holiday season be with you throughout the year!

Pin Cushion by Susan Foster

Good Morning!  Did anyone have a chance to check out the Quilt Trail in western North Carolina?  I know we are all art quilters and probably not ensconced in our studios making traditional quilts, but, it's hard to ignore the beauty of these barns with their beautiful quilt block decoration. The countryside is beautiful and driving around to find the barns is quite an adventure.  Anyway, I thought I'd share a few more of my favorite photos with you.  Hope you enjoy them.

I know it's getting close to Christmas and everyone is busy this time of year.  If you have some great gift idea that you would like to share with members of our region, we'd love to hear about it.
Thanks everyone!  
Oh, and don't forget that soon it will be time to submit your entries for the upcoming Southern Accents show.  Entry information can be found on the SAQA web site.

Monday Morning Inspiration.
  I am sure that most of you have heard of the North Carolina Quilt Trail, but in case you haven't, this seems to be a good time to mention it. My husband and I discovered the by accident several years ago when we were visiting our son at Appalachia State U and we were immediately hooked into trying to find them all.  Concentrated mainly in the western part of North Carolina, the quilt trail is another wonderful aspect of living in our region. It is especially appealing to me since I love seeing these old barns out in the countryside and when they are decorated with a large, beautiful, brightly colored quilt block, well wow, that's the icing on the cupcake!  Finding these barns is a treasure hunt and if you go to the mountains to find a Christmas tree this year, it would be fun to look for some of these beautiful barns.  I can see a whole series of landscape quilts featuring the quilt trail barn!  If you want to investigate further, here's a link to the Quilt Trail web page.  http://www.quilttrailswnc.org/

And, here's a few inspirational photos.  I have plenty more and am happy to share them with you during December.

And finally, let me again mention this great opportunity.  SAQA International Artist Panel Mentorship Webinar

Tuesday, December 9 at 1 pm ET

The International Artists Panel will include three international SAQA members sharing their art quilts and discussing how their creative lives are influenced by the places they live. Alicia Merrett was born and raised in Argentina and lives in the United Kingdom. Barbara Lange and Uta Lenk live in Germany. This webinar is an outstanding opportunity to learn about some of SAQA’s international members and be inspired by these talented art quilters.

Please click the following link to register. Registration is limited, but all SAQA members will have access to the full audio and video recording of the webinar on the SAQA website within a few days after the event.

https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/590156439

And as usual, if you have any news or events you would like to pass along to our regional members, let me know!