| Originally published in newsletter 7-7-18 |
| Tonight I am writing to you from Orsa, about 4 hours northwest of Stockholm, with a midsummer twilight sky reflected on a forest-rimmed lake. Unlike the smoke-filled skies at home in Colorado, the air here is fresh, clear and cool.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with TWO groups of Swedish quilters on summer retreat, or maybe I should say Summer Quilt Camp. Many thanks to all of the quilters who made me so welcome in Mora and Vamhus! I also discovered some Swedish patterns which I hope we can carry in the near future. Can you imagine living in a place where everyone lives in a red house? Many structures here, especially in country villages and farms, are painted a deep red that comes from a byproduct of copper mining. There are some neighborhoods in the US where having a red house would be unthinkable, but here it is the norm, and it is absolutely delightful! This time of year the Red stands out against the Green forest and the Blue, Pink and Yellow wildflowers. In the winter when they have a meter of snow on the ground, the Red must be very striking against the white snow and ice. I can’t think of any other country I’ve visited where Red is so ubiquitous. Because the big quarterfinal match of the World Cup is today, Sweden is also swathed in the national colors of Yellow and Blue. Quilting is just starting to really take off here, and it is interesting to see how quilters choose either the primary colors of Nature and Sweden, or more Modern colors influenced by the rest of Europe perhaps? They are still very much influenced by US quilting trends, but I see a budding Swedish movement and I look forward to seeing unique Swedish art quilts appearing on the international quilt scene in the next few years. If you’ve been thinking about attending one or both of Lea McComas workshops July 16-20, now is the time to sign up to reserve your spot, so we can send you the Class Supply List. I’ll be in the classroom too so I hope to see you there. sharing your Passion for Fabric… |
