Michigan and 4 years ago

Hellooooooooooo!

I hope you had a fun Memorial Day weekend. We did! We celebrated David's birthday and had a wonderful visit from my sisters in law despite all the rain. Some days I feel like I live in Seattle instead of Wilmington! ;)

So a month ago, I was invited to give a "Chat and Play Date" with the Thornapple River Rippers Quilt Guild in Hastings, Michigan. This was the first time I had ever been to Michigan and this was also the first time I had 22 students in my class. They were all so wonderful and we had a great time making my Peter's Pumpkin.

This cute lady is Jane. I loved her clothes and sense of style. I'm good at decorating a house, but I am terrible at decorating myself. hee,hee,hee. I'm always in awe of people who can put fun outfits and accessories together.

This is Rebecca, the President of the guild. She is a doll and a professional painting contractor. I had the most wonderful dinner with her and enjoyed getting to know her better. What a terrific lady! Oh, and I totally wanted to steal her shoes!

This is Sally. I was soooooooooooo excited she brought her little hexie quilt for me to see. Can you believe there are 1100 little hexies in that thing! OMG!!! She made me the most delicious salad for lunch. Thanks Sally!

One of the most wonderful and best things about the trip was being able to meet my blog friend, Brenda. It's so exciting getting to meet friends in person. Brenda is such a doll and I was so grateful for all the help she gave me schlepping my gear hither and yon especially in the rain.

Brenda took two days off from work, traveled over two hours and stayed at the same Bed and Breakfast so we could meet. I loved hanging out with her.

She is an architect and so she loved staying in this Victorian B&B, the Adrounie House. She, her husband and her daughter also own an old historic home that they restored and remodeled. I loved seeing the photos.

This was the first time I had ever stayed in a B&B and Don and April, the owners, made it a very special treat. April made the most incredible oatmeal I have ever eaten. Brenda and I enjoyed tea in the parlor and we even took a 15 minute cat nap! LOL!!! If you are ever in Hastings, MI, be sure and stay in this lovely home. The bed was like sleeping on a cloud!

I had such a great time with my Michigan friends and am grateful and honored they invited me to visit. Which brings me to four years ago. It's hard to believe that four years ago, I took a big hop of faith and decided to make The Raspberry Rabbits my full time job. I had been through so many changes after my job loss, the economy, etc. Looking back on this whole experience of growing a business, writing a book, designing patterns, teaching classes and so on, I sure have learned a whole lot. Some things were easy, but most things were learned the hard way. Moving forward, I'm excited about the new direction of my designs and the collaborations with friends.

This is Julie of Auntie Ju's Quilt Shoppe. She is the sweetest and also lives here in Wilmington. I have drooled over her gorgeous booth at shows for years. She carries so many wonderful wooly things.

I'm delighted to announce that my new designs in collaboration with my dear friend, Jules Woolford, whom I told you about last week, will be featuring Julie's hand-dyed wool. Here's how they look with our Valdani "Wilmington" collection. Yummy don't you think?

Going forward, I will also have a new class for 2017. I'm working on the designs now and should be able to show you them within a few months. The class will have a bit of a twist and something I think you will really enjoy while at the same time staying true to my beloved Folk Art Fusion style. More on that later.

Thank you for following along with me on my adventures. It sure has been so nice having your friendship and support. The bunnies and I are forever grateful.

Hugs and see you next Wednesday!
Michelle