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Globe-trotting quilters and a knit pattern of the month
April and May were busy months for quilters, with a tour of Ireland and trip to the International Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. Knitters can keep busy, too, with a free pattern of the month on Debbie Macomber's Web site.

Quilters tour Ireland, attend Market back in the U.S.A.
Cheryl Johnson, our director for quilt, knit, and crochet publications, has been busily globe-trotting on your behalf. In mid-April, she and staff writer Jean Lewis traveled to Ireland with Pat Sloan and a group of quilters, working on Pat's book that is due out this fall. The book will present a collection of quilt designs inspired by Ireland. Cheryl and Jean took along some of the quilts to photograph them in the scenic countryside; Pat shared her expert advice on appliqué and other quilting techniques with the travelers; and the whole group got to mingle with members of local quilting guilds in the towns where they stayed.

Besides all her talents in editing and management, Cheryl also is an enthusiastic blogger and a blossoming photographer. Don't miss her blog reports and photos from the Ireland trip at http://livinginamaterialworld.blogspot.com. (To get to the Ireland reports, click on Cheryl's April and May archive lists.) You'll be rewarded with gorgeous views of seacoasts, castles, sheep-herding dogs, handweaving mills, and other sights. Cheryl picked out the photos shown here just for this e-newsletter. That's Blarney Castle on the e-newsletter home page and above. Others here show Pat (standing to right of quilt) and fellow quilters outside Blarney Castle with the Irish Chain quilt from the upcoming book, plus more of the dramatic scenery from the coast and of Ross Castle and the lakes of Killarney.

Then on May 4-6, Cheryl attended the International Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, Utah. This time her traveling companion was Debra Nettles, our director of designer relations. Debra had her camera, too, and both captured photos of some of the wonderful quilters we work with, such as Mary Jacobson (left) and Barbara Groves, designers of Me & My Sister's Fun Quilts (#4481) and Crazy for Baby (#4161). Debra's report and photos can be seen on her blog, www.suzyqssweettea.blogspot.com. (Click on her May 7 and 10 entries.)

Cheryl's Quilt Market report and photos can be found in her blog entries for May 7 (Quilt Market Update) and May 8 (And some Salt Lake City shots).

Watch for another report next month from Debra on the Society of Decorative Painters' "Wild About Painting" conference and expo; she'll be speaking May 31 at a reception in Anaheim, California, honoring painters who qualify for designation as Certified Decorative Artists and Master Decorative Artists.

Knit pattern of the month at DebbieMacomber.com
Anyone who reads Debbie Macomber novels knows she loves to knit and always includes a character who knits in her stories. So it's only natural that Debbie would do something special for knitters by offering a free pattern of the month on her Web site. Because of Leisure Arts' relationship as publisher of the Knit Along With Debbie Macomber series, we'll be providing these free patterns to Debbie. She'll post them each for 30 days but won't be archiving them, so be sure and get each month's new selection while it's available. Simply go to DebbieMacomber.com and click on Free Pattern of the Month.

As part of her 20-city tour promoting Back on Blossom Street, Debbie was scheduled to visit the Little Rock area May 22-23. The agenda included a casual dinner with Cheryl Gunnells, our executive director of publications. Watch our next e-newsletter for highlights of Debbie's visit.

This is your sharing space. This column is your opportunity to communicate with others who share your passion for creativity. We'd love to hear from you, whether you have photos to share, questions to ask, or comments to make. Just send an e-mail message to Susan Wiles, E-newsletter Editor by clicking on contact us.

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