JaneVA wrote: Thank you very much for the Virginia block. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of graditude with the box of blocks. What a surprise!

Ami Simms is quite a character. The more I get to know her, the more I like her. Been through some very tough personal stuff lately and this is helping me focus my energy and do something with my emotions.

I hope you do share your quilt. It is amazing how different one little square can look when so many different quilters get ahold of them.
Thanks again.
Clara

Clara, this is great. I have a design for one already on my board. I took a class with Ami Simms at the Hampton quilt show in February, and saw a few of the quilts that were being donated. I posted up on the "who's finished" thread that I am not going to make the deadline for the hst book, because of stopping to do two quilts for friends with cancer, but I'll post a picture of my hst exchange quilt here for everyone to see when it's finished. Can't wait to see the book!
.
I was pleased to do the Virginia blocks for your SOTT surprise collection. The cardinal is our state bird, and the dogwood is both the state tree and the state flower. Enjoy. I really am looking forward to seeing the quilt you make with those blocks.

TQS/AAQI Challenge 2012

OK quilters! This quilter is issuing a challenge!
The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) is a national charity that sells small donated quilts to fund Alzheimer's research. We’ve seen Alex, Ricky, Libby, Sue, Hollis, Caryl, John, and other fabulous quilters do it. We can do it too! Let’s jump in and do some serious damage. I mean quilting.

The number I have in mind is 1,000 in 1 year. Make them, buy them, or both. Every quilt donation, every quilt sale counts. I think the TQS community could really shake things up! (In a good way!)

It’s me, Clara Lawrence, the Sorting Queen. Come join in and lets do some stitching together. (Hey, there's an idea: build your mini-quilts from left-over half-square triangles and strips!)

With the triangle exchange I was blown away by all the huge hearts and how quickly so many came to other quilters aid. I’m keeping this short. Too much data to share. Come see for yourself. You know a lot of us have more than one project at a time. It is a rare few (I envy them) who can do a project all the way to completion before starting a new. You guys can come over too, by the way.

See ya soon. Clara
www.thequiltshow.com/bb3/viewtopic.php?f=111&t=5200

Thanks for telling me. I will have to go see it again just for that. (Great excuse to look through them again) Thanks again for your block. Clara

Hi Clara, I would also like to thank you for all your effort, just how fabulous it all turned out and how pleased I was to be asked to
make a block, I thought I should also let you know that the little red and black flower down the bottom by the kangaroo is the
Sturt Pea the floral emblem for South Australia, it seems that it tends to confuse quite a few people. The smile box is great, thank
you all so much once again

Thank you very much Nancy. Have a Happy Thanksgiving yourself!
Clara

Oh Dawn (Scoopie) the photos of the blocks you secretly "sorted" are great and Rosemary (PosyP) the boxes are even more beautiful than the sorting hats!! My friend Roseanne (Romira) sent me an e-mail this morning so I'd look at all of them - what a way to start the morning!!

I not only enjoyed the photos of the blocks, but the photos of all of you getting together at the TQS dinner to enjoy the evening. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to meet new friends and to be with those ladies with whom I have made lasting friendships through this exchange.

Debbie and Clara, you deserve everything we all did for you!! All hail the Sorting Queens!

Have a happy day and I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!
NancyW

The smilebox is up with all the blocks in it!!!!
Thank you Scoopie! They look wonderful.

Clara

[url]daily-blog/107-just-for-fun/15335-sisterhood-of-the-traveling-triangles-says-thank-you[/url]

You guys can keep a secret. I didn't have a clue!!! Job well done.

Clara

Scoopie wrote:

Oh Crocus, you are too funny! I did not know that you had sent an email to Ritzy that was intended for me! But, I must say, I did the very same thing, twice! Fortunately, those who the secret was being kept from, were not the ones I had mistakenly sent the emails to. It CAN get confusing! You would not believe how many Debbies (3), Shirleys (2), Barbaras (4), Terrys (3), Sue or Susans (3), Kims (2), Karens(2) Jans (2) and Annes (2) I was emailing on a regulars basis. And, yet it was a secret till the every end! Hooray!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

A spool of thread! There is a pattern in Edyta's book with a spool quilt in it. You can see her quilt hanging behind her in this interview last year: http://www.qnntv.com/videos/2771-quilt-market-2011-edta-sintar/



Order the book here: http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/Shop/shopindex.htm
Friendship Strips and Scraps

crocus999 wrote:
A cotton reel!

Thanks go to so many people in this wonderful exchange and the surprises it held.
I want to stop holding my breath now and tell you that I almost blew the whole thing but I have Ritzy to thank. She REALLY knows how to keep a secret. With all the emails going on and the secrets, hsts, batiks, strippers, secret blocks, (I had to get copyright permission from our provincial quilt organization to reproduce my block - their logo) some to Austrailia, some to the UK, a blessing from Korea etc...and the extra friends I've made and contacted through all this, I mistakedly sent an email to Ritzy(Arlene), that should have gone to Scoopie(Dawn) and was horrified when she wrote back to say she didn't know what I was talking about. Well, I almost croaked! I wrote back to tell her that I made a mistake and got mixed up with all the new TQS friends and organizers, writing to people with screen names, real names etc. I was in a bit of a tizzy! I asked her to NOT SAY ANYTHING. She wrote back and told me " I know nothing!" (and she didn't ask questions!) Thanks goes to Ritzy for being so trustworthy and keeping the secret. I am releaved that it truly was a secret. So sorry that I almost blew it, but we can count on each other as kindred Sottt sisters. Good job, Ritzy! Three cheers for Ritzy!
whew! glad to get that off my chest

Now someone's talking about 2012? But I know I'd be a sucker for it, if this thing goes...what's a spool?

Thanks for letting me rant on.