A friend from across "the big pond"

Cathi, Cher and I had a great time today. I was afraid our weather might prevent us from getting together, but mother nature cooperated. While the northwest was starting to clean up from Thursday nights storm we got rain, hail sunshine and snow on Friday. It was one of those "just wait 5 minutes" kind of days. This morning we had heavy frost on top of the snow remnants making for very slippery roads in our area. I left at least 20 minutes earlier than necessary just in case, then made it over to Beaverton, Oregon almost 25 minutes before meeting time.

Cher and Cathi knocked on my CRV window about 8:55. Cathi looked remarkably awake and alert for someone who'd had just over 2 hours sleep after a 21 hour trip from Ireland with her husband and two preschool daughters. We walked down the mall to Starbucks where we had coffee, cocoa and pastries - the perfect way to start a quilty day! Cher brought a couple quilts to show, including one for her precious granddaughter Alice plus her wonky African Village with lettering ala Tonya. Cathi brought us each a cute Christmas tree ornament - one of the ones she posted recently on her blog. We took pictures of each other, then imposed on one of the patrolmen you can see in the background of the first picture to take one of all three of us.

After coffee Cher took us to a neat quilt shop in Beaverton that I'd never been to before. We all found things to spend money on - of course! I thought I was pretty good - I didn't buy any fabric. I bought three stencils, a couple patterns and a set of stitchery patterns for "snowmen of the month". They had lots and lots of nice fabric - including "my kind", which is so different from what Cher likes - but I was good and stayed away from it.

From there Cher and I decided to take Cathi to The Pine Needle in Lake Oswego. Lake Oswego is one of the "ritziest" parts of the greater Portland metropolitan area. Definitely a place "where the other half lives". The shop is marvelous and incredibly decorated, with marvelous samples all over. They were featured in one of the Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler magazines a year or two ago. I taught a few quilt classes there in the very early 90's, and haven't been there for years. It's not a place one should go if one is on a "fabric diet". I steeled myself to be good before we walked in the door, knowing it would be tough. Well, I caved within the first 5 minutes - and it was just because Cher kept saying "you really need this Patti". In a display near the front door was a marvelous group of flannels with teddy bear prints and coordinates - perfect for Christmas cuddle quilts for a new grandson and granddaughter. How could I resist? I've got next to nothing in my stash suitable for babies. Between now and next Christmas I should be able to put together a couple simple quilts, don't you think? One of them features framed scenes with teddy bears building snowmen, sledding , etc. I immediately saw scrappy variable stars with a different teddy bear scene in the center of each one. So I walked out of there a short time later with two bags of flannels for grandbabies. There was no way this grandmother-to-be could resist!

We had a marvelous lunch in a restaurant overlooking Lake Oswego that Cher recommended. It was in the middle of a bunch of wonderful looking shops which we bravely walked past - except for one yarn shop where Cathi got yarn for socks. We parted just before 3:00 after a wonderful day together. Internet quilty friends are marvelous - and especially wonderful when you get to meet them in person!