Back to Virginia.....by way of Rwanda....sort of.....these are not real spears used to catch dinner, rather decorative spears and they grabbed my attention while at Beth's house. Aren't they neat?
Imagine my delight when "that girl who can COOK" served a South African Bobotie (Bob-boo-tie) for dinner last Thursday evening. This was my first experience with African food and it was amazingly delicious. Malva Pudding was served for desert. After such a delicious dinner I was so very tempted to stand and shake my bah-boo-tie!
I felt so very spoiled, not only by the food, the surrounds but also the amazing company I was enjoying. Frank, Beth's husband, has been making his own knives and I must say they were a bit scary to see at first (I didn't know he made knives when I first saw them).
They grab your attention don't they? When I learned Frank made these knives I took the time to look over the craftsmanship and they are absolutely beautiful knives. A house full of creative energy....yep....absolutely full.
I left Friday early afternoon to travel to Virginia for my
Wonder Woman Weekend and on the way I stopped at
Jinny Beyer's Studio.
I had an extra 45 minutes to stop and soak in the beautiful fabrics and quilts.....more soul food :)
I asked and was given permission to take these photographs....enjoy!
Imagine several of these shelves full of
Jinny Beyer fabrics.....yes and I was fortunate enough to be standing within arms reach of every last bolt. I behaved myself....only because I didn't want to have to unload the entire shop into my housed...LOL.
This handy gadget caught my eye....it is a "
Golden Gauge Calipers from Jinny Byer." I'd never seen one before
This handy tool allows you to find proportions without doing the math.....spanky indeed :) Impressive gadget and I'm so glad no one asked me to develop that tool....you'd still be waiting.
The sky was very different than the day before....the clouds were just beautiful.
It was only a 45 minute drive from Leesburg, VA to the
Bolger Center in Maryland where my weekend would begin. I passed some houses that looked like a small nation could live comfortably inside and the one below made me stop my car and get out for a photograph.
This will be someone's home....the large window in front brought a wee bit of envy....but now the housework that will need to take place to keep that home up....well....lets just say I'm so pleased it does not belong to me! If they plan to plant grass on that hill....you know I'd be laughing until I leaked watching someone mow that....better to plant some of that crazy growing ivy and leave well enough alone.
My first time to the
Bolger Center and I was pleasantly surprised by all the lovely gardens and patios. The rooms were very nice and the food was plentiful and delicious as well. The weekend was all I needed it to be and more.
A wee bit of digression: When my mother passed last year I knew I needed to find a time and place to get away to recenter myself and I wanted to spend some time with with someone or some people that I admired and respected. There could be no sewing....this was going to be "soul time" for me. Time to BE and not DO....know what I mean? That's when I learned about
Iyanla's Wonder Woman Weekend and I immediately signed up. I was filled with anticipation and excitement and could hardly wait for my weekend in October 2013 to come. Life did what life does....a week before my trip a nasty black rug reached up and grabbed me causing my left foot to dangle from the bottom of my leg....it was U G L Y. I told the folks at
Iyanla's Institute to hold on to my money because the first chance I got to attend the weekend in Virginia....I'd be there.
The first time I heard
IyanlaVanzant speak, I think it was on the Oprah program, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. She is a woman who says it like it is...what I call
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)....my favorite kind of people. What ever the weekend would bring, I knew one thing for sure; my mind would be stretched and I'd more than likely leave with a big smile on my face and in my heart. That is exactly what happened and that's all I'm going to say about my weekend.....you'll have to go for yourself if you want to know more. If you go, please tell them all that "Ownership" Class of Spring 2014 says Hello :)
a portion of Beth's studio
At Beth's invitation, I returned to her home for Sunday evening to rest before making the 7 hour drive on Monday morning. She is one smart girl because I really did need that rest and having more time with she and Frank, well....lets just say I was like a pig in mud.
Pure Inspiration
Above and around the doorway there are postcards that Beth has received in exchanges. They were all special and a few really grabbed me:
This was a gift from a friend that Beth framed, it is a landscape of Africa. Ummmmm, yummy isn't it?
The right side of Beth's studio....pretty darn inviting I have to say.
I'd love to have been able to stay and stitch for at least a week if not a month....my co-workers were waiting and I wanted and needed to get back to
IHAN® Headquarters.
I'm here now.....just in case you were wonderin'.
Happy Smiles,
Kelly
This is the brochure for the challenge and you can read more on the Hoffman Fabric Website.
Not only would Suzy's Christmas make a fun table runner, I think it would make a great Christmas quilt for any young child. 
