Traveling to visit and speak to quilt guilds is so fun! I have a couple of hours to talk to DH while we drive. He is so helpful with set up and handouts, and it is nice to have him with me. Last week, we drove over to Sevierville, Tennessee to give my Decisions Decisions program to the Piecemakers Quilt Guild. Driving in the mountains is a wonderful thing, even if it is on the freeway. You know I cannot stop taking pictures of mountains.
We started out in the morning, just after rush hour so it was clear sailing over the high mountains of northern Haywood county on I-40 on the way to Tennessee. Morning sun and some scattered clouds gave the mountain greenery a beautiful glow.
Crossing over the pass, and down into Tennessee, I loved the pastoral scenes on our route. Clouds were rolling in, and hung low over the mountaintops.
Arriving at the senior center, the wonderful ladies of the guild had invited us to lunch, and insisted we go through the line first to get a lovely chicken salad sandwich with grapes and apples on a croissant, along with chips and a drink. After lunch, I came back to arrange the trunk show.
We set up the room with handouts on the chairs, then invited everyone in. Aurifil, Hobbs Batting and Quilter’s Dream gave me fantastic handouts for the group.
I started in with the lecture portion of the program.
Then moved to the trunk show which pulls all the concepts together. My lovely quilt angel on the left here is fellow blogger Susan, who blogs at Desert Sky Quilting. We have ‘talked’ on each others blogs and on email for some time now. She drove an hour to come to this meeting as a guest so we could finally meet in person.
The young man on the right is quilter Richard Gilbert. We had a nice chat after the program, and I love that the next generation is interested in quilting. We are looking at my Chocolate Cherries quilt. That pattern is available on My Patterns page.
Here I was talking about my Sakura Tsuki Art Quilt, and the quilting design.
This is Scrap Dance Tango, pattern also available on My Patterns page.
This is the Christmas quilt, where I talk about what not to do.
Susan of Desert Sky Quilting, Kathie Weatherford and Louise Kemp were so nice to let me get a picture of them with the Hobbs handout. I know those were really appreciated, thank you Hobbs!!
Traveling home, the clouds were rolling in over the mountains. We knew we would get rain that day and were lucky that it didn’t hit before the drive home.
More mountains, the scale and height is easier to appreciate with the little cars on the road.
Along about here I was noticing that the other side of the freeway didn’t have any cars on it.
A bit later we found out why. A rock slide on I-40 again, completely closed the freeway westbound. The backup went six miles then there was empty freeway to the next exit where state troopers had blocked the road to prevent even more backup. We found out later those poor people were stuck for five hours until one lane was cleared. I was very grateful that it happened while we were already in Tennessee instead of on the way to it.
So we made it back to our part of the woods. It was a long day, but so much fun.
I am willing to come a reasonable driving distance to your guild. I am retired and I don’t want this to turn into a job, so I am only wanting to drive about 3 hours, maybe four with an overnight stay tops. My speaker rate is lower than most, and if you’d like to talk about me coming to your group, please see my Speaker Programs page and the comments on it. The program Decisions Decisions has been well received everywhere I have done it.
What are you working on today?
From My Carolina Home 
Thanks for taking us along with you. I loved the ride! and the quilts. I am so glad you didn’t get involved in that rock slide. I hope no one was injured. That’s kinda scary.
Lovely photos and good to see you and your audience enjoying your trunk show and talk 🙂 Today I’m testing my runner pattern by making a second version – this time using blue fabrics from my stash.
Enjoyed your program immensely and learned a great deal when you discussed threads. Thank you!
That’s such a enthusiastic quilt guild…..it’s great they had the opportunity to see your beautiful quilts and learn from you. I agree….we too never tire of the stunning area scenery. But, dang if that I 40 gorge isn’t troublesome with its numerous rock slides….so disruptive!!
What a beautiful drive. We were just talking yesterday that the Carolinas and surrounding area is one place we’d like to visit as part of a road trip, so I see that in our future at some point. Not sure I would enjoy a 5-hour delay on a freeway for a mudslide, however. Sure hope no one was hurt.
So fun to see your pictures – both at the meeting and on the road. And the mountain vistas seemed so familiar. We used to travel from the DC area to Red House Maryland to visit my grandmother often. You left out the hairpin turns, but that was probably because you were leaning too much! Ha! Just finished a fun little mug rug for a gift. I love writing words with FMQ. Have a lovely week!
I imagine the ladies enjoyed your show, I loved your photos. You live in such a beautiful area.
Gorgeous country you live in, and it was great fun to see Susan!
Looks like sew much fun, Carole! Thanks for letting us join the program virtually! Great photos.
Thank you so much for those pictures of the mountains. I was born in East Tennessee almost 79 years ago and still miss those mountains and the wonderful accents, I married a special young man from Western Washington and moved to Washington almost 59 years ago. Happily, I found my surroundings here very similar, plus beautiful Mt. Rainier (and a lot more rain.) I began qulting about 11 years ago and I LOVE it.
Such a beautiful part of the country! Have been there many times. Mudslides are a common occurrence there, that’s a tricky stretch of the I-40. Just glad you made it through safely and hopefully no one was injured. Was in your neck of the woods in late April and May. I have loads of fabric from Holloways Country quilts even though I am not really a quilter. They have such an outstanding selection of fabric, I just can’t resist! My suitcases are always stuffed full. So nice to see so many quilters!
How fun! I want to attend one of your lectures some day!
I am sure your attendance and lecture were appreciated and enjoyed by all participants and that you had a good time too.
I was surprised at how few cars there were on your side of the freeway. In NZ your side of the freeway would have had just as bad a holdup with everyone ‘gawking’ at the cars held up on the opposite side. Why? Who knows.
What beautiful country you were able to drive through. So many greens that Mother Nature is so adept at putting together.
Wonderful to see where you drive and the countryside on your way to the lecture. How great to meet a fellow blogger, Susan is a lovely lady. Great also to see some of your quilts.
I am sure those ladies are still talking about your presentation. Thanks for the “ride” too….those slides are my nightmares, and the reason I have not even attempted that drive in the section just below the TN line!
Did you see Dolly? Hahaha. I used to live in Cleveland TN. Isn’t TN a beautiful state?
I always love your photos! Thanks for sharing them.
Your mountain photos are so beautiful! So nice and green, too. Thank you for all the wonderful photos of mountains and quilts. Couldn’t get any better. 🙂
Thanks so much for the pretty mountain photos! My husband and I go to Gatlinburg (near Sevierville) every fall for a week’s vacation (from our home here in eastern Maryland). I love driving those mountain roads through the Great Smokey park!
🙂 Linda
Another great blog with wonderful photos. I’m pretty partial to TN as I was born there 83 years ago. Haven’t lived there since the 3rd grade though but my sister still lives there so I still visit.
We are traveling and had not heard about the rock slide. I’m glad it didn’t impact y’all.
I would love to attend one of your lectures/trunk shows but Naples, NY is more than 3 hours away. Thanks for the pics.
Beautiful mountains and scenery! Yikes on the traffic backup. Your quilts are pretty and I am sure the ladies loved the trunk show! Have a great week.
Mountain views are truly refreshing! (Except when you are staring at one of them for 5 hours in a traffic tieup!- that was unfortunate and would have been a real problem for you on your way to guild) Looks like a great program and well -received.
I saw this in my mailbox and have finally worked my way back to it! It was a great lecture, filled with wonderful information for any quilter. I had a great time, and was so pleased to meet you and the DH, too. A bonus. =) The Smokies are beautiful mountains, and I always enjoy them when they are smoking. The pass with the rock slide still remains one where I’ve seen some of the most beautiful views in this country. I still miss the western Rockies, but that section relieves that missing some. =)
late reading this post, but was on vacation in GA,SC,NC in June. As I was headed northward to return to Ohio planning to return per I-40, my sister called to tell me of the rock slide blocking the highway. After seeing your pictures, I’m glad I didn’t get caught in the multi-hour backup! Although the next day’s road construction still caused quite a backup due to lane closure. Your pictures are beautiful – nothing more lovely than the Blue Ridge Mountains…