Hi Alex and Ricky,
I just watched your latest show and I was especially touched by the after set. Before I tell you why, I would like to say that I'm Italian, I write from Rome where I live and so I want to apologize for my not perfect english.
I was touched because your words about simply Quilts brought me back in time when I lived in
the US from 1997 to 2002. My husband and I moved from Italy in Maryland where in 1999
my son Roberto was born; that has been the most wonderful time of my life but even the most intense. I was a new mom, I was very lucky I had (and still have) a wonderful caring husband but still my family was on the other side of the world here in Italy and the loneliness I felt was very deep. I needed something to love and that would make go away that bad feeling that was getting me more and more so I started to spent time in to a fabric store near my place and dreaming about that wonderful fabric. I had no idea what quilting was; in Italy it's not a very common hobby so I tried to learn by myself following Simply Quilts. It took me a couple of shows to fall in love with quilting ("a little longer" to be a decent quilter...!). I've had the chance to meet quilters at the library, I joined a guild and I got to know wonderful people. I've learned a lot ever since about quilters and I feel proud to consider myself one of you. I just want to thank you Alex for your work
but especially for the passion you were able to pass to me with Simply Quilts that I'll always bring in my heart, and for the work you are doing with TQS. I can't tell you how happy I was to learn, and it was just by chance, that something like TQS existed. I'm finally able to watch you again like in the "old days" , learn more and more and especially to feel again close to american quilters despite an ocean divides us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Elena