MINI VACATION

My needle has turned into a magic carpet....taking me places I would never have experienced and allowing me to meet so many wonderful friends.

Several years ago I taught for the Cobblestone Quilt Guild in Charleston, SC......where Southern Hospitality was born. It was there that I meet two gals who accompanied me on one of my quilting cruises....we bonded totally and have been in touch ever since.

Fast forward.....I now live only about 5 1/2 hours from these buddies so we made plans to gather on one of the barrier islands.....an area that happily hurricane Irene pretty much by-passed on her recent terror along the East Coast.

The sea on Folly Beach were we strolled for sea shells was still a bit churned up.......yet still awesome.

Looking down can draw attention to so many interesting 'designs'.

This shell encrusted plant material was so strange...... I confess to knowing and experiencing very little about the ocean.....I am going to become more informed to better enjoy future visits.

We found 2 live star fish just out of reach of the waves.......this little guy was struggling to make its way back to the water. We helped one and then thankfully, a young girl came along and assisted us with the other!

Any time quilters gather......show and tell is required. My friend Beverly Cone shared block after block of her exquisite hand applique work. We all got a kick out of her clever tote bag. It was made from blue jeans.....a rather large size. Notice the silk ties she attached onto the belt loops to create her handles. Clever!!

She also enjoys using the 'big stitch' on her pieces......believe it or not, this main fabric is flannel cheater fabric!

Most of her blocks hand hundreds and hundreds of pieces......all beautifully and invisibly hand appliqued. We had such a wonderful visit....ate too much and stayed up too late.....making us all happy and content!!