January Meeting

We had a lovely day on Saturday. I'm sorry if the weather deterred any of you from attending. I'm even sorrier if you are one of the people suffering from the flu virus and that kept you away.

 Anne's last day as President. She all smiles!

The hall had these wonderful tissue paper creations hanging from the ceiling lending an air of festivity.

We had the installation of officers:  your new President, Donna L., Vice-President of Programs, Jane, Treasurer, Marge, Vice-President of Membership, Melissa, and Secretary, Amanda. Donna P. adminsterred the oath of office. Now it's time to get to work...

Our class was the finishing portion of Betsy's Casket Etui. We left fully confident in our abilities to bring this beautiful creation to life. 

And on our IFF table, we saw some members catching up from the Halloween stitching:

A huge thank you to everyone who made this day happen. All the members who participated in set-up and breakdown. To Donna P. for leading the installation ceremony. To Dane and Nannette for seeing to the food and drink. Our guild would be nothing without the time and effort put forth by our volunteers.

See you at the February class - Amanda's wonderful beaded brooches.

Saturday Meeting

Looks like the snow is ending here in Reston. Unless things change drastically and/or Fairfax Schools cancel Saturday activities, we should be meeting tomorrow.

Sea Needles

Stitching @ Ocean City. Made a little trip to Bethany to visit Sea Needles. They were super nice and helpful. Lots of canvas, many kits, lots of cross stitch charts, yarn and knitting.

December Holiday Luncheon

Our holiday luncheon was a tremendous success. It always takes the cooperation of many, but a special thank you to our Hospitality Committee Chairs, Nannette Richardson and Dana Cobert. The room was (and the weather!) was lovely and the food was yummy. 

Let's look at some photos of IFFs.

Marge's necklace which was a class at Seminar in New Mexico. She finished both of her class pieces!

Phyllis' Knot Garden which was taught at a MAR Seminar.

Melissa is always up to something spectacular!

Here are our teachers from 2012 with their teaching certificates.

Here's the group who met the President's Challenge back in July of 2012.

The ladies who contributed to the IFF table this year (minus the photographer.)

After much socializing, door prizes and lunch, we settled in to listen to our speaker, Rangina Hamadi, the founder of Kandahar Treasure.

Her committment to the women of Afghanistan is amazing. We were all incredibly moved.

These extraordinary embroideries are stunning and when we thought about the conditions under which they are produced, we were brought to tears. 

Given the opportunity to purchase, we did. We are all grateful for the chance to learn about this organization. And in case you missed the luncheon, you can find out more at Kandahar Treasure.

Our tree decorated with ornaments from the ornament exchange.

Also congratulations to the newly elected board:  Donna L. President, Jane  Vice-President Programs, Melissa N. Vice-President Membership, Marge Treasurer, and Amanda Secretary. I'm looking forward to serving with everyone!

Seminar Update

Things at Seminar did not go my way. I ended up ill and missed my last two days of class. But I still enjoyed what I could. It was impossible for me to blog from my phone - either the Wifi connection was weak or my signal was non-existent.

This photo is from the opening banquet. At this moment Lorie Whelker was still Madame President, but we were about to install a new board. First, we got entertained by drummers and buffalo dancers. 

Here's a photo from my balcony that night. 

The resort is lovely with lots of artwork. 

 Nearly everytime I walked by this butterfly, someone was stopped and taking its photo. It's made up of real individual butterflies.

For the closing banquet, the attendess from Oatlands had a table front and center. We were entertained by a Native American storyteller, but I honestly cannot remember a word he said. That's how sick I was. 
 
Classes for next year in Louisville look fantastic. You've got until November 21st to do early registration. Go to the EGA website and see what tempts you. 

Seminar Day One

My husband, Left Brain, and I arrived in Santa Fe yesterday afternoon. The hotel is beautiful, but it is very spread out with lots of walking.

We stopped at the International Folk Art Museum before checking in at Buffalo Thunder. What an amazing place. And who there buying tickets right in front of us, but our past-president, Tinka! We had a mini-reunion and agreed that there is tons of fine needlework in the Museum.

Here's a smidge of what we saw.

National Seminar

My husband and I will be leaving tomorrow at 6 a.m. to fly to Albuquerque. Right now I'm wondering why did I book such as early flight. We're spending the day in Albuquerque and will arrive in Santa Fe Saturday.

I'll try to post photos and my impressions every day. Looking forward to being asked red or green!