eQuilter Newsletter - January 6th, 2019
eQuilter Poppies, Koi Pond, Stonehenge - Batik, Blender Clearance

It's our last night in China, and we celebrated by going to hear the Old Jazz Band at the Peace Hotel on the Bund in Shanghai. For our last 48 hours in China, we took a nighttime cruise along Pudong and the Bund, visited a Childrens Art Palace, the French Concession, the China Art Palace (Museum), Yu Gardens, Confucian Temple, and had a beautiful meal at a contemporary vegetarian restaurant.

Sophie's visit to her orphanage a few days ago was ... emotional. We spent the day visiting the children who live in the new orphanage building, visited the old orphanage site, and the place where she was found at two days old. Then we bought a new washing machine for the orphanage, plus some toys for the kids.

Sophie held and played with several of the babies and toddlers, all with special needs (health issues) and her interactions with those kids touched her very deeply. There was one small very sweet boy who we found laying in a crib, who could not walk. She picked him up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then he showered her with kisses and called her 'sister'. She met a nanny who had cared for her, the lady who chose her Chinese name, and the doctor who examined her when she was found and brought to the orphanage at 2 days old.

They called her by her Chinese name - QinXin - which is now her middle name. They treated her like a celebrity, a prodigal daughter, and everyone cried when we had to say goodbye. It was really quite a profound experience. The director was grinning the whole day, and made us promise to keep in touch. It was very hard to say goodbye at the end of the day.

I will write more about this on my blog.

We get home late Sunday night, and I'll be back in the office some time Monday. Thanks for joining us on this two-week journey to Sophie's roots. In a few weeks I'll be flying to Tokyo to photograph the quilt festival there. It is my honor and pleasure to be able to share these experiences with you. Thank you for your support of our business and our charity program, which includes donations to Altrusa to help orphans in China with health issues.

sharing your Passion for Fabric...
Luana and Paul

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eQuilter Classroom & Travel Calendar:
Dec 23 - Jan 6 - China Heritage Trip - Sophie & Luana
Jan 12 - eQuilter Charity Sewing Day - Please RSVP
Jan 24-29 - Luana @ Tokyo Quilt Festival
Feb 14-16 - 'Love Your Mother' exhibit at Mexico Quilt Festival in Mexico City
Feb 20-23 - QuiltCon - Nashville TN
Feb 24 - Lynn Koolish for CQC - in eQuilter Classroom
Mar 28-30 - 'Love Your Mother' exhibit at Spring Quilt Festival in Chicago

July 11-14, 2019 - Cindy Lohbeck - Shibori, Ice-Dyeing and Ombre Dyeing Workshops @ eQuilter
4 Classes $50 each - $80-$100 Materials Fee

See my Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

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