This past week or so was spent with my two cousins--Annie from California and Le from New Mexico. Before five years ago, I hadn't seen Le since I was 12 years old. (and, believe me, that was a LONG time ago!). I had seen Annie more recently and have really enjoyed getting to know her as an adult. We have so many similar interests that I have in common with no one else in my family. And it was a relief to discover that as sometimes I have felt like a wanderer in a vast wasteland when it comes to familial commonalities.
And then I reconnected with Le--with whom I discovered even more similarities. She loves to quilt and she loves to garden and is an accomplished and experienced grower of food. I didn't know that and it was a blessing to learn of it and to share time with her.
This visit was the third time she has come East to stay with us and the second time Annie has come at the same time. My poor husband--3 women at one time. There weren't many edges in which he could insert himself. Whew! He did get some revenge when we played Liverpool Rummy and he won three times in a row. How's that for being noticed? He also enjoyed the variety of cooking that came with my cousins. Le likes spicy foods--which I can't tolerate--so he had someone to share those with. And Annie likes to pitch in and help to cook whatever's on the menu and to add her own interpretation. My kitchen has been busy.
After Annie returned home to Santa Cruz, Le and I headed over to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC.
If you haven't been there before, you can get an idea of the size of the store by this picture which represents about 1/3 of its space. I've been there many times, but not recently. I had been told that there was less fabric because of the addition of a sewing machine sales area. When I got there, I saw it and also a very large classroom area. I'm sure that both changes are loved by many--especially those who live in the area--and probably make sense from a business perspective, but I was very disappointed. In the past, I have really enjoyed the abundance of batik fabrics and that is no longer the case. I know things change and time moves on, but I won't be too tempted to drive almost two hours to this fabric store anymore.
After we had finished whatever shopping we were going to do at Mary Jo's, we headed around the corner to Lowell, NC to the Bernina store, Sew Much Fun. I was happy from the moment I walked into the shop. It was just a wonderful atmosphere and the fabric drew me in immediately. Lots and lots of batiks and, for me, batiks that I like to use in my appliqué quilts--not too much of the large graphics--just subtle patterns that work well for me. These are what I bought that day--along with a new batting to try--Quilter's Dream Orient. It felt really nice.
And look at the beautiful daylily that was in my garden today. Some of these fabrics are going to be just right. So . . .while I was very disappointed at Mary Jo's, the trip was a great success once we got to Sew Much Fun. Now I know where I'll find wonderful batiks in the future. And--I had a great time with Le. What more could I want? Well, I guess we wanted a good lunch before heading home--and found it at Cheddars close by. No complaints there!
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