HAPPY AFTERMATH

The last few days of our "dream trip" to San Francisco were hectic to say the least: EVERY woman creating and completing a quilt (with mini-lessons for each step-by-step), finishing the many simple projects that were started throughout the week, last minute shopping, and lots of packing. Bev and I were constantly dropping not-so-subtle hints that everything needed to fit in the suitcase and weigh NOT more than 22 kilos. I kept looking at Vilma's "Barbie Glam Vacation House" that she brought for her daughter Sarah and wondered where it was going to fit.
The amount of learning that took place during these ten days was phenomenal: I saw incredible growth in sewing skills, in quality control, in design, in color use, etc., etc.. Most of these women had not been exposed to modern kitchens, and after a week with a variety of appliances and conveniences at their fingertips, they were navigating with confidence. They were attentive, receptive and full of gratitude with each lesson and experience. Their senses of humor rose to the top; they were delightful to live with.
At the beginning of this trip, I imagined that we'd have a few homesick souls, but that never happened. As time went on, I realized they probably have never had a time like this with trusted girlfriends, a sewing room and fabric at their fingertips, with the ability to sew into the wee hours of the night, laughing and sharing stories. And all of this was happening without family members interrupting their focus with requests for meals and the like.Don't we all love retreats from life!
On one of our final days, Linda allowed them to collect their packing materials - fabric cuts of their choice to fold and pack around their new sewing machines, filling up every nook and cranny with goodies to sew and create with for a very long time to come. Linda's generosity was GI-NORMOUS and she and this amazing opportunity will not be easily forgotten.
Many thanks Linda and all her many volunteers for all you provided for us. Many thanks to my fantastic traveling partners, Bev and Toy...we are such a good team! And to our lovely "sewing ladies" from Mazatlan, thank you for being dedicated to your craft, working so hard at all you do, being my friends, and being the reason for all of the last two weeks to happen.
Now, for a bit of breathing...

WE'RE WIPED!

Now you may think this picture of our dear leader Toy looks as though we're having a fun and leisurely time...and half of that is true...the FUN part. We are down to our last 24 hours and Linda still has an encyclopedia of projects to teach us. She is busy on her longarm quilting machine with our eleven quilts. Meanwhile we are in the classroom learning more new things: a 10 minute apron, how do a proper binding,  a purse from an 18 inch square, and their first attempt at free motion quilting. THEN, to top it off at the end of the day, they began filling their boxes with cuts of fabric from an amazing selection from her fabric store. These ladies are going home with a year full of projects. And yes, we are tired tonight. One more day of fun! Thank you to our teachers today, Dorte and Janet...muchas gracias.

WHITE KNUCKLES

Today we were tourists in the beautiful city of San Francisco by the bay. In our morning session to organize ourselves, Linda informed me that I was needed as a driver. GULP! It wasn't just that I was unfamiliar with the city, but my car has STANDARD transmission. I requested NO HILLS, but it didn't quite work out that way. Now that I'm back home after a long day and everyone is still alive and breathing, AND my car is in one piece, I can proudly say "I survived driving in San Francisco!" But yes, my knuckles were VERY white.
We started out at the breathtaking scene at the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge, followed by a cable car ride. Then to downtown to Union Square for a bit more sightseeing before we began our scheduled events.
Linda and her nonprofit Quiltworks are involved in numerous programs and organizations throughout San Francisco and she wanted us to witness how quilters and sewers can give back to their communities. The first visit was to the sewing program at  HPP or the Homeless Prenatal Program, focusing on maternal health. Here Quiltworks has been instrumental in setting up a sewing program for pregnant women. The women there were involved in their individual projects and welcomed our group of Spanish speaking women. We all were so interested in how the program was organized as we possibly could get something like this going in Mazatlan.  And our new friend, Linda,  wants to help to make this happen. The photo here is of one of our women, Dora, as she pitched right in and helped another with some pant alterations that she needed for a job interview tomorrow.
Now for MORE DRIVING!!! The next stop was to the embarcadero area to check out the Delancey Street program. This is a large residential complex for ex - offenders and other folks with similar issues and also provides good vocational opportunities.  We visited the sewing and upholstery shops to see the great works they are creating there. We followed up with dinner at Delancey Street restaurant (also run by residents at the program) where we were hosted at a dinner by the Soroptomists of San Francisco.  They had goodie bags for all of our women AND little coin purses which they couldn't open until we all finished dinner. At the signal, they all opened theirs and discovered a ten dollar gift, but for one lucky woman, she discovered one hundred dollars. She was thrilled to say the least.
It was another day of amazing hospitality, huge hearts, experiences in a most beautiful city, and sharing with our wonderful group. Linda doesn't want us to say thank you anymore, so we'll just stick with a great big "MUCHAS GRACIAS" every chance we get.

DAY ONE: LOTS OF CLASSES

Linda's facility consists of four storefronts in South San Francisco - her four story home/quilting room, a fabric shop, a classroom, and a sewing boutique where our ladies have sold things in the past. Today was a classroom day, where Linda taught three different and ambitious projects: a basic quilt square, a fabric bowl (actually taught be a volunteer, Jeanne), and transforming a basic sweatshirt into a unique fabric jacket. All this was on top of learning how to use a different machine, AND absorbing a full day in both English and Spanish. Our ladies did great! We were super busy all day long, got so much accomplished, and now have an agenda and projects ahead of us (along with more lessons coming up). The women were exposed to so many new and different things. For one, they are learning to use rotary cutters and mats...something we "north of the border" sewers take for granted.Their eyes are wide open and they are taking it all in...with much happiness! The last three hours of the day were spent just straight sewing, being together, laughing and telling stories (me with my rusty Spanish), and helping each other with problems that arise. It was a bit like HEAVEN. In this photo,  Magui is showing us phase one of her sweatshirt transformation project. Muy bien Magui!

ARRIVED: SAN FRANCISCO!

My 6 hour drive from Oregon was uneventful (except for the wonderful visits with family and friends along the way), but my Mexican friends weren't sure whether they were in a dream or reality with two flights (the first for many of them), and then a limo ride from the airport in SF to the fantastic home of Linda Hannawalt, who is making this amazing experience possible. Even though everyone was exhausted,  we gathered for food and a welcome/information session with Linda, translated by Toy, our fearless leader. We rolled into our bunks around 1AM, still a bit wired, all heading for dreamland in either Spanish or English,  all with similar content of great adventures ahead. This photo was taken the following morning, all looking more rested, at Linda's home.

COMING SOON...DREAM TRIP 2014

 One more week before I embark on "Dream Trip 2014". I'm excited, but assuredly not as excited as my ten Mexican friends. Mazatlan's "Sewing Ladies", along with leaders Toy and Bev will be flying into San Francisco next Saturday night. I will be driving from Oregon to meet them, and we'll be spending 12 days there, all thanks to Linda Hannawalt of Quiltworks and her many friends and volunteers.

 Linda met them last spring on a trip to Mazatlan. She connected instantly and promised to send them supplies from her shop when she returned back to the US. That was just the beginning. A few months later, she wrote to say that her group participates in an international service project every year, and they had decided to work with our ladies this year. She offered this trip to them, full of educational and cultural opportunities, along with fun and friendship. Her generosity is mindblowing to say the least.

 Ten of the twelve women will be participating. One was unable to come, and another was denied a visa. I just about cried when I heard that. A trip to the U.S. is certainly beyond their wildest dreams, but I'm sure even traveling by airplane is a new experience for most if not all of them. Plus, this is a trip steeped in friendship. Bev and I have always dreamed of traveling with our Mexican friends, and now it's coming true.

What a smile on Dora's face! I think I'll be seeing a lot of smiles, just like hers, next week. Stay tuned!