I might have mentioned a time or 10 thousand that I designed a line of fabric for Blank Quilting Fabrics (owned by Jaftex along with Free Spirit, Henry Glass and Studio E). Well that fabric will be arriving next month! Finally, after all the anticipation, I will get to hold it in my hands!
So be on the lookout for the fabrics (Fat Quarter Bundles, kits and yardage on my website) as well as at your local quilt shops.
Also, I will be adding a new lecture presentation to my website all about designing fabric and the steps and skills learned along the way. It's a fun interactive presentation that just might inspire you to design your own fabrics!
New workshops will be available using new patterns and featuring Daisy Talk fabrics of course! I am happy to help plan my visit to your guild with any combination of presentation and workshop that best suits your group.
Contact me, or have your guild program chair contact me to schedule a visit and plan a fun event for your guild. Don't forget, I'm still doing zoom presentations for groups that need an online visit.
Let's make 2022 the year we quilt together again and play with some DAISY TALK!
Thanks for your support and allowing me to continue my dream job,
Diane
September turned into October while I was in France. I enjoyed lots of travel with my sister to both the US west on a train trip through the Rockies, then on a crazy adventure through Paris and half of France. We said goodbye to our sweet old Buddy who at 14 years old, gave us all the love he could. Koda, my daughter's new puppy joined the family just a few weeks later while I was in France. Hiking continues to be my therapy and I finished a quilt for myself for a change! I'm still longarm quilting for customers and happy to quilt for you! I am still taking orders for Christmas delivery!
Hugs,
Diane
Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors at the moment and when I saw the title of this book I knew I needed to read it! I even booked a hotel in Paris on Rue Amelie for our last night to walk the streets and see the surroundings in real life. Neither the book or the neighborhood disappointed. It was so surreal to stay at the posh little boutique hotel on the same street that the book was located on. It was really fun to experience it first hand. I highly recommend the book even if you aren't planning a visit to Paris.
This gorgeous sketchbook is a collection of drawings and representations of buildings and locations around Paris and beautiful text that accompanies it tells of the history and architecture and all sorts of information that is interesting and unique to my favorite city in the world. I bought this copy at the famous Shakespeare and Co. book store just a block from the first hotel we stayed in Paris. It's just across the river from Notre Dame in the Latin Quarter. If you are in love with Paris and love history and cool facts, this book will be a beautiful addition to your coffee table.
I really enjoyed learning about Paris in the 1920's - 1930's era and the social scene involving some of the great artists. It was interesting to learn about the life of Lee Miller who wasn't afraid to reinvent herself from model to photographer. I wasn't familiar with her before reading the book, but was very intrigued by her determination and courage. I hope you enjoy this fascinating book as much as I did.
This audio book was so much fun to listen to! The premise of these 5 'retired women' going on a hen party to Paris is funny enough, but the things they discover about each other and themselves is so heart warming and charming and interesting. They each have their own stories and different perspectives but they balance each other out very well. It's probably my favorite audio book this year. If you want to laugh out loud (literally) please listen to this book. It's so delightful!
You might notice that all the books are based on Paris this month. I was in a mood to keep my heart in Paris after my recent trip to France. I love the coordinate my reading with my life experiences when possible and this just let me savor my own memories a bit more. Thanks for indulging me!
Enjoy every story,
Diane
THE FINE PRINT: These links are affiliate links which means I make a few cents off each purchase made using these links. As always, I write my own honest reviews and never recommend anything I wouldn't personally enjoy. Thank you for your support and merci!!
France will always be one of my favorite places on earth! I was lucky enough to enjoy a 10 day trip to Paris, Nantes, Mont St. Michel, Rouen, and Givery earlier this month. I took over 500 photos, so it's been a bit slow going on the sorting and choosing what to share. Let me just say that it was so marvelous in every way possible. The food, the people, the sights, the history, the quilt show, I couldn't possibly choose a favorite experience, so I will give you a peek into the trip with just some of the memorable moments.
We spent our first few days in Paris. We stayed in the Latin Quarter just across the river from Notre Dame. We were able to walk the area and see so many sights including: Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, the oldest surviving tree, the Musee D'Orsay and Jardin du Tuileries. We took an Uber to Montmartre and walked the entire neighborhood including Sacre Coeur. On the way, we asked the driver to stop by the Arc de Triomphe so we could snap a photo of it all wrapped up by the famous artist Christo. It was 60 years in the planning and is said to be his last grand scale work. (We also happened to see it being unwrapped on our way to the airport on our final day before heading home.)
Then we took the train to Nantes, and who did we see in the train station in Paris? My friend Cecile!! She was so helpful teaching us how to use the local tram in Nantes, and now I feel like I can do it anywhere! We also spent a morning at the Pour L'Amour du Fil show, and enjoyed all of the lovely quilters and exquisite quilts. It is such an honor to have my quilts displayed in their gorgeous magazines. And I can promise you, that quilt friends really are the best friends!
After a few days exploring the castle and gardens in Nantes, we rented a car and drove north to Mont St. Michel. This has been a dream of mine for decades to experience this magical place and it did NOT disappoint. We walked all the little lanes and along the ramparts, and we climbed all the way to the top and toured the cathedral. It was simply awe inspiring and gave me chills to think of all the history of this incredible place. Words cannot describe how perfect this experience was for me.
This could possibly be one of my favorite books this year. It is set in London and involves a young woman who finds a reading list and how that list helps create connections with other people who she would not have otherwise met. The characters are charming and endearing. The books on the list are ones that can help us all shape the way we view life. The act of reading and stories can also help us understand how much we have in common with others who appear to be so different from ourselves. It's a fun tale of people and choices and dealing with what comes our way. I highly recommend it!
This book broke my heart and healed it again. It was so well written and the characters were wonderfully developed. The family relationships that were biological as well as chosen were so inspiring and beautiful. The depiction of life in the Warsaw ghetto was devastating, but the human spirit and the determination to survive and rescue others was nothing short of astounding. This book will stay with me for a long time. I would highly recommend it.
The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina
I love the way the author weaves the reality based story with the mystical elements and familial connections together. It is the story of a truly unique family and their evolution over a generation. It all comes back to the matriarch and she is quite the creation. If you like magical and realism and family drama, this book has all three mixed together in the most page turning way. I couldn't help but cheer them on and wish them well.
Enjoy every chapter,
Diane
This was a hard month. Not all the things that happened felt like they needed to be shared. My mom is still recovering from a fall that resulted in a compression fracture in her spine. Kelly went back to Athens for her second year of vet school and we said goodbye to Boomer. Our hearts still break every day. He was just that special. He was my constant companion and he always knew what I needed. Sometimes he just sat vigil next to me while I cried, and sometimes he slowly climbed up in my lap for a snuggle, as if I wouldn't notice an 80lb lap dog if he moved slowly enough. He was the greatest source of comfort that got me through the worst year of my life. Taking him on daily walks was the best therapy for both of us. The hole he left in my heart is enormous
