Today it's Raleigh NC

Raleigh is an early example in the United States of a planned city, chosen as the site of the state capital in 1788 and incorporated in 1792 as such. The city was originally laid out in a grid pattern with the North Carolina State Capitol in Union Square at the center. In the United States Civil War the city was spared from any significant battle, only falling in the closing days of the war, though it did not escape the economic hardships that plagued the rest of the American South during the Reconstruction Era. The twentieth century saw the opening of the Research Triangle Park in 1959, and with the jobs it created the region and city saw a large influx of population, making it one of the fastest growing communities in the United States by the early 21st century.

Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.

Last night at my guild, Evergreen Piecemakers

Tonight's lecture at Evergreen Piecemakers was presented by RaNae Merrill. She is an award-winning quilter, author and teacher. Fun stuff, looks hard but broken into easy understandable pieces.

The Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild

Visiting guilds is such a delightful experience. The Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild is a very active guild with activities that include:
A raffle Quilt
A bus trip to the Houston International Quilt show
Winter Retreats
Great programs
A library full of books and DVD's
A speaker bureau to offer programs on quilt history, offer quilt trunk show,
quilting tool demonstrations.
Bright Hopes, making charity quilts
A program putting books and quilts in schools

Check them out if you are in San Antonio!

What a Welcome Banner by Carol Bryant

Show and Tell

This guild calls it; Bring and Brag

 We played with Eye Candy Quilts

Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild

The Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild meets the second Saturday of the month at 10:00AM.
They meet at Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church at 8231 Callaghan Road, San Antonio.

I'll be there with my lecture Quilt Toppings;

Wanted quilters seeking new ways to express their creativity. This lecture taps into the strong emerging trend toward embellishment of quilt surfaces. Paint, foil, paint sticks, thread, crayons, buttons, ribbons and beads are all fun, easy ways to add that final design element to traditional and non-traditional quilts. 

The Friday before the meeting we will be playing with Decorative Thread;

Thread is no longer a ‘Plain Jane’ necessity - it’s now available in many luscious colors and types. Steering your way through the sea of threads out there can be a bit daunting. Experiment while you learn how to match thread to the appropriate needle, make the tension setting your best friend and troubleshoot your way to fun and fancy sewing.

Saturday after the meeting we will make Eye Candy Quilts; 
Quick, colorful and addictive, these stunning, joyfully embellished mini-quilts are so much fun to make they should be illegal! If instant gratification appeals, this is the class for you. Finished quilt will be about 2 ½” x 3”.

The Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild was organized on May 3, 1980. The current membership is 250 enthusiastic and talented quilters.I can't wait to meet them all!

San Antonio Texas

I leave for San Antonio on Thursday, packing madly!

San Antonio was named for Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, by a 1691 Spanish expedition in the area. It is notable for Spanish colonial missions, the Alamo, the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, and Marriage Island. 

The River Walk

San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is the seventh most populous city in the United States and the second most populous city in the state of Texas, with a population of 1,409,019. The Greater San Antonio, has a population of over 2.27 million. 

Back in the classroom

After a whirl wind week in New York, it's great to be back in the classroom. Spent the day at QuiltWorks teaching Sophie (her first ever sewing project!) and Rebecca all about making a purse.
The class: Fun and Fancy; Make a Purse
Create stunning purses that can be finished in practically no time. Make your own in class, embellish it with trims, ribbons, buttons, bows, lace, fabric, found objects and then dive into the wonderful world of beads. We will learn what beads to buy, how to sew them and how to make your own lavish beaded dangles and fringes.

Rebecca's on the left and Sophie's on the right.

NYC My last Day

I decided I had been neglecting one important City event ...shopping. So I was poking around on the Internet and I found; New York Tours | Pay-What-You-Wish. Thought I'd try one so I chose Gramercy Vintage and Thrift Shopping Day. The description reads:
"Join Free Tours by Foot as we hit the second-hand stores and shop Gramercy's hottest thirfting spots.  Expect to be introduced to New York’s favorite charity shops where stores offer new and gently worn contemporary clothing, as well as vintage clothing bearing a higher price tag than thrift shops where the prices are a lot lower — It’s all about the kind of shopper you are. This Thrift & Vintage shopping day is for the woman who has an eye for style, understands the value of thrifting, and doesn’t rely on a label to tell her how to dress. She has a look of her own, enjoys vintage, and the thrill of the hunt." Suzanne led us around to some of her favorite shops, with a brief description about each Perfect! 

Note the quilts just inside the door.

I finished my afternoon with an egg cream

And a walk through Central Park

Times Square and the Threatre

Every trip to NYC should include a visit to Times Square, at night is best.

Yes, there really is a Singing Cowboy

I went to another musical; Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of the 1960s rock 'n roll group The Four Seasons. The musical is structured as four "seasons", each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music.

I highly recommend it!

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Lady Marlene bustier, lace, jersey, satin, boning, c. 1988

Today was my day to spend in the fashion district.  I like to take public transportation. I look at it as part of the City experience. This day I decided to brave the subway. To make a long story short, it wasn't easy or timely. There is something about coming out of the hole they call the subway, that totally disorientates me every time. I prefer to take the bus. Alt least with the bus, I know which is up town and which is down town.

As it worked out I spent a long time at FIT looking at the exhibitions not much time shopping. I'll try again tomorrow.

  Exposed: A History of Lingerie examines intimate apparel from the 18th century to the present, featuring over 70 of the most delicate, luxurious, and beautifully crafted objects from the museum’s permanent collection. Each piece illustrates key developments in fashion, such as changes in silhouette, shifting ideals of propriety, and advancements in technology. 

Dance & Fashion is a stunning exploration of the relationship between these two embodied art forms. Organized by the museum’s director, Dr. Valerie Steele, and set in a dramatic mise-en-scène created by architect Kim Ackert, the exhibition features nearly 100 dance costumes and dance-inspired fashions, ranging from the 19th century to the present, many of which have never been exhibited.

Halston, woman’s costume for Tangled Night, 1986, lent by Martha Graham Dance Company