Yesterday was a poignant day. As you may have read, we lost our beloved 15 month old dog Alfie on Christmas morning. We all decided that we wanted to get another dog right away to heal our broken hearts, but also because our 2 year old female dog Ruby was just devastated. Things just fell into place and a local breeder our kids have known for a long time, just happened to have a male puppy available. (same breed as our female)
So yesterday, while we were driving back home in the snow, with an adorable golden puffball of sweetness, I got the call that Alfie’s ashes were ready to be picked up. If that call had come any sooner I would have been a mess. Instead, I blinked back some tears and smiled at the irony.
(If you follow my personal page on Facebook or my personal Instagram, you may have seen puppy photos I’ve posted in the last 24 hours.)
The other big thing that just happened is that I guess I was a very good girl last year, and thanks to being part of the BERNINA Ambassador program, I got a new B790 machine for Christmas! I have been working on the biggest art quilt that I have ever made, which is destined for a very special exhibit in Switzerland this spring, so it is very appropriate that I could finish this art quilt on this amazing Swiss piece of precision machinery. (Have I mentioned lately how much I love BERNINA sewing machines?!?) Many thanks to the wonderful people at Bernina for giving me the opportunity to upgrade. A new puppy *and* a new B790 – I am ready to take on 2016!
A week from now I’ll be on my way to the Tokyo Quilt Festival again. While I am taking photos and networking with Japanese quilters, our warehouse staff will begin the process of rearranging our space to create a large classroom and event space. Yes it is really happening! I already have one wonderful teacher requesting 2 weeks in June, so we are going to work fast to prepare the space and start making plans for other events.
The brand new Hampton Inn one block away means that we now have the option to host workshops, creative retreats, and other events…and invite teachers and students from out of town…which is very exciting for *everyone* here!
My photo page has surpassed 10 million pageviews which has made me do a little happy dance this week, and so I invite you to have a look at my travel and quilt images before I go to the Tokyo Quilt Festival.
Take a look at the dates and events below – I hope to see YOU in person some time in 2016!
Travel Calendar:
Jan 17-23 – Tokyo Quilt Festival
Feb 5 – Rocky Mtn Quilt Museum, Golden CO –
“No Girls Allowed” Opening, 5-8 pm
Feb 18-19 – QuiltCon in Pasadena CA
March 5 – Lecture at BERNINA Presser Foot – Longmont CO
May 8-15 – Luana’s CUBA ARTS TOUR! – Join us!
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Details soon
