Hi, I'm Jes (and also a bookworm like Jessi) I am in the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It's orchard and wine country and there are lots of quilters...and sometimes the wine and the quilters get together!
Summers tend to be dry and hot. Winters moderately cold with a little snow. Springs too short. Autumns can be warm and long or...not! Kelowna is near the centre along Okanagan Lake, which is about 90 miles long (150km?) We claim to have a lake monster, Ogopogo, who is rumoured to be a cousin of the Lake Ness monster. (No, I haven't seen Ogie so yes, I am a skeptic!)

Hi Sonya, it's lovely to hear from you. Goodness, you are a mother of three, therefore you are a miracle maker on a daily basis. I can imagine you are extremely busy throughout your day, and I'm glad my little newsletter allows you just a minute of quiet to indulge yourself. I wonder what your plans are when your husband completes his bible studies? I have friends that are in Africa and India, working on missions with the poorest of people. They love it!

Stay in touch Sonia, all the best for 2012

cheerio for now

Hi Jes, your weather sounds almost perfect. That's the one thing I miss here in Queensland is that we don't see the changes in the seasons. We pretty much miss out on the colours changing in the trees and of course no snow. It gets cold, but that's only down to about 8 degrees celcius and we feel the cold because most of use don't have heaters in our homes. They are definitely designed for the heat which we get in abundance. I love your comment about the wine and the quilters getting together, a perfect match I say.

Thanks for popping by Jes and stay in touch.
Cheerio for now

Hi Everyone, I was reading everyone's post and I agree with GrannyH, you DO have a great post and a lot of followers which in this case is excellent for business and word of mouth. I have tons of scrap material that I am saving up for quilts, plus material I am cutting pieces out for. I love quilting and grew up helping my grandmother piece blocks together. I really miss her

Yes TessasMoon, I too miss my grandmother. She taught me to sew (I still have her tredle sewing machine I learnt on at the age of 7) and knit and crochet and I sometimes wish she was alive to see what I'm achieving these days. I know she would have been very proud...... and then told me how I could improve.LOL

cheerio for now

Hi, I am a newbie to quilting, so will be asking lots of questions. I live in Crowborough, East Sussex, England. Are there any other UKers on the quilting forum?

Hi Judy, We live in our 5th wheel full time and travel throughout the wonderful USA. We are wintering in Rockport, TX, where it is a balmy 74 degrees in early February! There are many quilters at this RV park, and I'm enjoying learning more & meeting fellow quilters!

Hi Curlytop! Wow, you've blown me away. What a wonderful existence you must be having. I love the idea of roaming around the countryside, following the good weather! And quilting at the same time. I think you're about as near to heaven as it gets. How do you do your quilting in your 5th wheeler (BTW what is a 5th wheeler?). Tell us all about it.
cheerio for now

A 5th wheel is a travel trailer that has an extension over the truck bed. Ours is 38 ft long and we pull it with a Freightliner truck. There is a picture on our website [u]www.mccorkles.org[/u]. I have a very basic sewing machine and work at my kitchen table, or in the activity room (if available) at the RV park as there's more room. We've been living our nomadic dream for 5 1/2 years, and still LOVE it!

Hi all, my name is Lucien (Lucy) and I live in the US, Upstate, NY. I retired in 2003 and for the first time picked up a needle and thread. Our JoAnn Fabrics shop was giving tutorials on how to quilt, something I always wanted to try. One of the neatest things I learned, was how to thread a needle. I used their in-house sewing machine for a bit, learned how to operate it without bunching up my material and next thing I knew I purchased my first ever sewing machine. I hand quilted my first and only wall sampler. Since then I have taught myself to embroider, cross-stitch, crewel, and needle punch--as time permits. And with the help of my Internet friend, I might add. I do love the Internet!