That phrase always triggers a scene from Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. The multigenerational Joad family is piling into the rickety jalopy, and it’s Rose of Sharon’s face I recall. Don’t you love that name? They pronounced it “Rosasharn” in the movie, so it was years before I read the book and saw that beautiful name in print.
So I went to the quilt show this past weekend. It was awesome.
And crowded.
There were young people
Vintage people
Prize winners
Amazing Biblical quilts
And free motion quilting
Designers
Birthday Girls (Happy Birthday Edyta Sitar)
And my favorite – Authors!
I hadn’t looked at a program or been to a large show before, so I was pleasantly surprised to meet Quilt celebrities.
Quilters are so kind.
Patience Griffin was so generous with her To Scotland With Love novel, first in a long series that are in my reading future.
Arlene Sachitano and I chatted about Puget Sound, the setting for her cosy mystery collection. I so appreciate her “cosy” approach to writing. I don’t need graphic yuckiness in stories to make them exciting.
And Marie Bostwick hugged me! Do you know she completed a triathlon?
I admire people who can sit down at a keyboard and make a real thing out of alphabet letters. They pull it out of their insides, their brains and their souls. They spill their guts to the world, and then market themselves in order to be exposed to more people.
Yikes.
You may have noticed that my photos in this post expose me. I intended to stay anonymous on this blog, so it’s a huge leap for me. I think I decided to show myself because I was inspired by all the friendly people at the show. I got permission to snap photos at every booth or display. I took pictures of the authors and designers by themselves, but they insisted I get in a picture too. I told you they were so kind.
Especially this guy.
My husband thinks he’s a real cut-up.
Cuts With Scissors 