Here is a link to our 3rd video from Houston, with Lyric Kinard narrating a tour of “A Better World” exhibit. If you look closely, you might catch my portrait of Kathy Price, the director of Mission of Love, one of our longtime charity recipients. Our congratulations to all of the artists who created these portraits of their personal heroes!
As you may know, I am writing to you from London England this evening. I here visiting a friend who has been in and out of the hospital this year, and I managed to get very cheap tickets because I arrived on Election Day. Apparently nobody wants to fly to London on Election Day.
Yesterday I went on a tour of the Royal Opera House, including the costume department! They have about 24 people working at the Covent Garden location (yes the same Covent Garden in My Fair Lady), making costumes for opera and ballet. Lots of velvet and tulle lots of embroidery and applique. They have another costume and set production center in Thurrock, where they employ apprentices in scenic art, carpentry, metal work and costuming. The last ten years I have been trying to go on backstage tours whenever possible… from Opera houses to Ballet and Shakespeare theaters… to peek into the costume workshops and storage rooms. I have a friend who is a costume curator and we’ve talked about putting together a costume tour in Europe someday. You never know!
Tonight, my London friend took me to see the one-man-show with 80 year old Sir Ian McKellen, and it was one of the most fantastic evenings of theater I’ve ever seen. (You will probably know him as Gandalf in the LOTR movies, but his award-winning career spans 6 decades and countless Shakespeare plays.) I actually got a photo with him, which I am posting on my Facebook page. When we came out after the show, it was raining cats and dogs. I walked about a mile back to my hotel amid sirens and a monsoon-like rain, and every article of over- and under-garments were soaked and now there are flood warnings. But hey, it rains in London, right?
I did visit Liberty of London today, because I especially wanted to see their seasonal Christmas Shop on the top floor. I thought I was going to a museum today, but I ended up spending most of my time at Liberty, then walking back on Regent Street peeking in shops and dodging singing costumed elves and a bicycle-riding mob of Santas. Tomorrow is my museum day, and I fly home Monday after a very inspiring long weekend. Hope you are having a productive pre-holiday weekend!
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul
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eQuilter Classroom:
March 6-8 – MJ Kinman – “Unicorn Rainbow” & “Elizabeth Diamond” Gemstone Workshop
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern
Luana’s Travel Calendar:
Dec 11-16 – London
Jan 24-29, 2020 – Tokyo Quilt Festival – 1 day with Lisa Walton’s Japan Tour
Feb 19-22 – QuiltCon in Austin TX
Mar 18-27 – Wilderness Congress – Jaipur India
July 29 – Aug 2 – “Love Your Mother” Gallery in Birmingham UK
