sewtopia

It's Thursday and I'm finally catching up from the most amazing weekend.  I am so pleased that I was able to attend Sewtopia in Chicago.  Registration was last August and signing up was similar to that of a popular marathon.  Set your alarm so you remember to be at your computer when it opens.  Then type as fast as you can and hit enter.  It took me about 20 minutes but I got in!  

We started Thursday with a shop hop in and around Chicago.  Here is our leader and one of the organizers of the weekend, Amy Newbold.  She has got it goin' on! 

My favorite stop was The Needle Shop in Arlington Heights.  This sweet little shop reminded me so much of The Cloth House in London.  Really beautiful displays, fabrics, trims and notions.  Can you see all the tiny drawers in the counter?  They were full of all sorts of unique buttons.  We had fun opening many of them. 

Can you believe I'm shopping with Latifah Saafir? 

Can you believe I'm in class with Rita Hodge? (She used my pins to show us how she bastes her quilts!!!)

I conquered curves with Latifah and Y-seams with Rita.  I'll share more about these projects as I finish them.

  

Not only did I get to take classes from Rita and Latifah, but also in class with me were the first bloggers I ever followed.  These women introduced me to modern/fresh quilting and it was so exciting to meet them.  Here are Lee, Faith, and Angela catching up after a long day.  

I took their books and got autographs!  

So many "sewlebrities" this weekend.  Everyone delightful.  This is one amazing community and I'm so happy to be part of it. 

Thumbs up to:
Bernina USA for supplying us with very nice sewing machines and 3 helpful reps.
The Drake for beautiful accommodations.
Mega Bus for clean, timely, and affordable travel.