Memorial Day and Special Visit

This Monday, Memorial Day, we will honor the memory of our U.S. servicemen and women in America who died in battle, and we will salute our current veterans and soldiers. Let's be sure our Veterans Administration Hospitals are doing right by our vets. If you're in the U.S., please — in addition to attending a parade, decorating a grave or memorial, or heading out to a family barbecue — please write a brief note to or call your elected members of Congress, urging them to do what's right by our vets. They deserve it (and more).

Earlier this month, serendipity struck. Kate York — a very talented quilter and blogger from Melbourne Australia — visited with her lovely mother, Suzanne. When we'd learned of Kate's upcoming trip to the U.S. on her blog Kate's In Stitches, we invited her to come by if/when she was passing through. On their drive from New York City to Boston, they stopped over for a brief studio tour, a walk around the neighborhood and some sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, and tea (note to self: have Aussie tea on hand for visitors from Australia!).

Meeting Kate and Suzanne felt to me like I'd been reunited with long-lost friends. They're kind, funny, smart, creative, imaginative, unassuming, and gracious people...and we laughed a lot. What could be better?!

Kate zipped out to the car, and came in with this beautiful quilt she’d made for a wedding gift for her friends in San Francisco. She would deliver her quilt to them later during her whirlwind trips across the U.S. For the colorful top, Kate used the free Daydream pattern and fabric I designed for Moda:

So pretty! Apparently Roscoe thought so too (eh hem...little grey fur blob in lower left corner. Sorry Kate!). I'd been watching this quilt come together on Kate's blog, but there's nothing like seeing it in person. What a treat! For the backing she used a scripty print from Ikea.

An extra special and very well-traveled wedding gift.

Congratulations to Stacy and Nick!

Kate's online store is Bella's Patchwork. Oh yeah and Kate's full-time work is as a PhD scientist in genetics research at the University of Melbourne — an impressive fact that she was very slow to mention. So modest! I look forward to our next get-together...in Houston at Quilt Market. YAY! Hope to see some of you there, too.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

kate