Okay....I'm going to tell you about when my husband left with his secretary 18 years ago....

I can't begin to tell you what an uplifting

time this last week has been!
I was in my old stomping grounds...
where my ex husband left me 18 years ago...
when he left with his secretary...
leaving me with 4 little kids to raise on my own.


I never dreamed that years later I would be
back in the same area...
with tons of people praising me for my work...
and that I would have a business credibility
far and wide all across the nation.
Maybe if I did...
I wouldn't have shed so many tears!
So this is a special thanks to all of you
who stopped by...
and left encouraging words


about us...
our booth...
our designs...
and whatever else.

I love you all!
(Keep reading....I tell more about that crazy life on down in the post...)

The Pacific Int'l Quilt Show I will never forget.

I was so wiped out after our all-night drive...
and long set up the next day....
but somehow

Thursday morning I showed up.

To see people running down the aisle

to get to our booth first

so they could have 

first pick of the Meet Me In Paris Kits...

set the whole scene for me.

We took tons of sign ups for the new

Mystery BOM...

which is always humbling for me....

to think people trust my design capabilities...

still amazes me.

I asked a few ladies how they could

sign up not even knowing what the final quilt

was going to be....

Their answer...."Look at your booth...

and the quilts you've already created."

More humbling moments....

because I know any gifts 

I've been blessed with

are truly from God above...

and really don't have anything to do with me at all!

Then Joanna of Fig Tree stopped by...

and loved the new Block of the Month.

She even sent me an email!

See...I get awestruck by these celebs too!

Check out her blog:

Fig Tree Quilts

I am tickled pink with Verna from The Vintage Spool's

new Fabric Line called Heavenly Peace!

And it's all on the way!!

6 boxes filled with these yummy fabrics.

I will get them on the website just as soon as I can.

We will be making Meet Me In Paris kits

out of this line for the Houston show...

so if any of you want one...

call me before they are all gone.

I'm seriously thinking about offering

her new pattern with these fabrics Noel 

as a Block of the Month 

for next year!

What do you all think?

We could start in January....

and have a new Christmas Quilt

by Christmas!

Any takers?

And my oh my if you haven't met or seen

Bird Brain Designs....

Click Here! 

you must check them out.

They stopped by our booth the last day...

and what a hoot they are!

They are 65 and 70 years old...

drive a motor home around the country...

peddling their wares...

all by themselves...

without a man!

I didn't realize they even knew who I was...

but when they said, 
"Oh John'aLeeeveryone loves you! 
Everybody knows who you are!" 

I was surprised yet once again.

I think they are going to be my new heros...

They turned me on to Transfer Eze.

I'm going to try it out today.

It's a way to put your embroidery designs

into the computer with this paper

and it comes out with the drawings.

You peel off the back

and put it on to your piece.

WaLa....then stitch away.

No more drawing it on!!

Now to tell you about my girlfriends...

I was thrilled to meet up with three of them...

I stopped in and had dinner with my prayer warrior friend Nancy in Las Vegas. This is her Whimsy Lane Quilt from my pattern!

Where would I be without you girl???
 

A girlfriend I haven't seen in probably 30 years....

drove across town to have dinner with me...

we sat and talked til late in the night.

Another girlfriend came on Saturday night
to have dinner with me.

Now I have to tell you about her.

Chelsie was one of the first people who ever became

one of my design clients.

The year was 1992...

my husband had just walked out with his secretary....

leaving me with a pile of bills....

I was an at home mom and wife...

with no college education.

I knew there was no way I could go and get a 9-5 job...

with 4 little ones and all...

I think they were about 3,4, 7 and 8.
I moved us out of the big house we were renting...
and into a dumpy little apartment...
went and signed up for welfare...
yes...welfare girls.
(I was on it for 6 months while I struggled to
get my business off the ground.)
No loans from anyone....
just good ole hard work.

 I printed up these flyers....

and started walking the elite neighborhoods of the bay area....

knocking on doors....

trying to convince people they needed

my design services.
Several doors were slammed
but one brave lady...

My first client told me she wanted shutters.

I said, "Sure I can do shutters"...

I didn't know anything about shutters....

"I will have my installer out tomorrow to take measurements."
I no more had an installer ...

than I had a husband to support me!

But I stayed up the better part of the night 

figuring it all out..

and had an installer out the next day.

I made $ 1200 for a day's work

and told myself...

Okay...I can raise and support these kids on my own.

To say my self esteem was on the floor

at this time would be an understatement.

I had been married to this man for 12 years....

who had gone out with hundreds of women...

literally!

Cocaine, alcohol in the high society....

he was a corporate pilot...

ahh the drama.

So back to Chelsie.

The night I went to her house....

I was standing there measuring her windows

when she said to me....

"John'aLee...

you flaunt in here like you don't have a care 

in the world."

I stopped...

turned around....

and said,

"Chelsie...I have 4 little kids...

and my husband just walked out!"

Her response....

"Girlfriend...sit down!

We have to talk!"

I was there til midnight

telling her my story.

She believed in me...

even when I didn't believe in me.

 She's loved my girls like her own...

and had to hear all about Tory's 

stint in jail.

She has one of those rare gifts...

of drawing people out...

and getting them to tell their stories...

putting her own stories aside.

We love you Chels!

Okay....
Just a little teaser of the quilts to come...

We stopped in and saw Ken's mom in McFarland on the way home.

Here's him with his brother and sister!

 

Tory got to meet up with her BFF in Vegas

Then it was on to St George...

Me and my sweet girls!

Ashley's little family!

 

This is what a little grand boy looks like

after his grandma gets through with him...

curls in his hair!!

My darling son-in-law.

While we were there he hopped on to the computer

and worked on my patterns.

He's always so ready and willing to help!

My son and his sweet wife and little boy Ryan...
having breakfast with us at The Bear Paw

Gotta love this pic!

This picture really shows how this last run
wore out my poor hubby!
He was beat...
and not looking forward to going home...
to the monstrous pack-up and move job!

My oldest daughter Brooke Danielle

Brooke's husband Brian...my other sweet son-in-law!

And their son Cole...my first ever grandchild!

So now I must head into my sewing room.

I'm determined to get the most of this third block

in Buttercream Summer done today...

so I can mail it all out to you before I leave.

Sweet Stitchin'~~


     John'aLee

Getting ready for PIQF Show in Santa Clara

One of my favorite quilts at the Des Moine Show!

So we are home for about 12 hours...

Ken is unloading the car....

I'm loading pictures on to my laptop

for this blog post...

then its to the sewing room...

to finish the darling little pincushion 

I was working on by

Creativity Amongst Chaos.

Then the poor tired hubby is heading  out to make more kits
and cut down inventory.

We had a great show in Des Moine.

The highlight of the show was to meet

one of my fellow bloggers.

Amy ... a redeemed sheep...and me...a redeemed sheep!

It was the first time for me to meet

someone I have met through blogland.

I was thrilled!!

What a sweetie she is.

Check out her darling blog at:

A Quilting Sheep
It was her very first Quilting Show!

Oh my ladies....

the quilts were beyond words...

  Just look at the border on this one...

Loved this one...

I had to get a close up of it's border
to show you too....
Amazing...

The hours put into these works of art

is mind boggling...

I think this is the first quilt I've ever seen...

done with ships.

Look at the reverse applique on this one!

So stunning...

even though it was done in only

two colors.

This quilt surprised me.

Traditional patterns

done in modern bright colors.

Different but incredible.

I'm a sucker for flowers!!


And last but not least...

This isn't the best picture...

but I had to include it.

It was so striking.

Each morning I walked to the show..

over the river...

and back each evening.

The hotel in the background is where we stayed.

Oh I just would have loved to stay a few

more days...

to discover this town!

Ken was being sneaky...

snapping pictures of me

through the book shelf..

where I sat unawares at my demo table..

  
I so loved seeing all of you my
sweet customers once again.
Thanks for taking the time to look us up!
Our booth was in a different place than last year.
Several of you said, you were so afraid
we weren't there this year!
I'm going to talk to Kelly the vendor coordinator
to see if she will keep us in the same spot 
for next year!


I am so excited for tomorrow.
I pick up my little girl!
It's been a long 5 months...
since I've been able to give her a hug.
The whole gang is going out to breakfast 
at the Smokehouse in the morning
to celebrate her getting out.
Then ... time to load up...
and head out again.


Keep a'stitchin!!


Quilting Hugs....
John'aLee

Back from our San Diego Quilt Show

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I can't begin to express the feeling

I get 

when I see one of my designs 

hanging at a quilt show.

At this show there was a "Meet Me in Paris" 

out of batiks.

We sold this lady a kit

last year and she got it all done.

I thought it turned out beautiful.

I usually design the kits with floral fabrics

and when asked by a customer for 

a custom design out of batiks

I had my concerns on how it would

turn out.

My concerns are put to rest.

These gals are part of the San Diego Olde Town

Quilt Group

that promotes the arts of

yesterday.

Rug Hooking, Quilting etc.

This is a quilt that is known

as the oldest quilt in California.

They were all dressed in period clothing.

And here are some of the quilts that were in the show.

I am now in St George...

working on my new pattern.

Kenny Roy went on home...

to take care of business...

while I love on these grand babies

of mine for awhile.

'til later....

Hugs,

John'aLee

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