Two weeks ago in April I was honored to be one of the featured speakers at the 2015 Gathering of the Guilds in Osoyoos, BC. It was an amazing day, filled with laughing, quilting, shopping, and fun. I got to meet so many amazing people!

The Osoyoos Quilters Guild hosted the annual event, and they did an amazing job. From the charity blocks to the table settings, everything followed the theme of “Black Tie Affair”. Everyone who attended wore black and white, the charity quilt blocks were black bowtie blocks, and each table setting had a handmade basket in black and white filled with yummy treats and healthy snacks. It looked awesome!

I was given a display table right up front. I did not expect it to be so large OR front and center, and had a mini panic attack. Luckily my mom is super awesome (and really should be an event planner) and she helped me pull off a great looking display of patterns, quilts, and little ceramic quails. I am not ashamed to admit I have been coveting those quails for years….

I handed out buttons, cards, and sold patterns in the morning. I talked with lots of quilters from all over the BC Interior, enjoyed a yummy breakfast of homemade muffins and pastries, and met fellow presenter and Canadian Quilters Association Instructor of the Year, Dianne Stevenson of Black Crow Quilts. She is a very talented, very knowledgable, and very inspiring lady. Dianne was the afternoon presenter, and her lecture, “Feed Sacks and Fancy Things”  was so interesting I forgot to take pictures. She had some pristine feed sacks that looked brand new with her, as well as a collection of vintage quilts, feed sacks, and even an antique barrel label! Also, we found out that Dianne and her husband BIKED ACROSS CANADA five years ago! She learned a lot about Canada’s history in that trip, and it sounded amazing. I can barely bike to work and it’s only three blocks away…

Me and my display table

I presented my trunk show in the morning. My mom and grandma were in the very front row taking pictures and (silently) cheering me on. I talked about my journey as a third generation quilter, my inspirations, my achievements and my failures (which we all know are just learning experiences). I was able to finally show the quilts from the book that never was and talk about how that experience was a defining point for me as a quilter. I had almost 25 quilts in my trunk show, and as it turns out, all but 2 were made in the last 18 months. There were even quilts that I wasn’t able to show, due to the timing of quilt market, and I realized just how much I actually do.

There is a reason its called a trunk show

At lunch time I went upstairs to visit the merchant’s mall. I was delighted at the number of quilt shops in BC’s Interior, especially the new ones that have opened in the last couple years. It shows that quilting is alive and well in this part of our beautiful province. I picked up some thread to try on the long arm from Peach Tree Quilts (I also cleaned her out of Mochi), and a curated bundle of fat quarters from Heart n’ Sole Quilts just because it was pretty (Bonnie and Camille with Joel Dewberry is a match made in heaven)!

I also stopped by to chat with Barb at Poppins Quilt Parlour. Poppins and I have a long history together, and every time I go in there (which is really maybe twice a year) Barb remembers me every time! Poppins chose my quilt, The Long Road Home, to compete in the Canadian Cottage/Trend Tex Challenge. Each shop could only chose one quilt per category, and mine ended up winning first place. Now I am going to be teaching classes there, and she even had these great little cards announcing the classes in her booth! Star of the West and Sherbert at the beach are the two classe I am teaching. You can find more information under the Calendar tab of the blog =)

The day was amazing, and made a wonderful end to a very, very busy month. Thank you so much Maureen Wood and the Osoyoos Quilters Guild, for having me!