ANGEL IN BLOGLAND!

I know you have all had one of those moments..."the ahah moment" when you are totally blown away with the kindness of strangers! Well today was one of those days for me! I was looking at blogs last night and pulled up John'aLee's blog. Wow! Beautiful! Now I am green with envy because...she has a button! I want a button. I have been trying to figure out how to do a button with no luck for a week. Joh'aLee has a button! Too cool. So after reading her explanation of how she got this incredible blog I emailed Madam Samm. I know she thought I had lost all my "buttons" but guess what! She is an incredible lady who agreed to do a button for me. Well one thing led to another and another and now I have this totally awesome blog background and guess what..I HAVE MY OWN BUTTON!! (the button links you to the Panguitch Quilt Walk Festival). I even have business cards!! I am still in shock over the kindness of Madam Samm. I felt like I was floating on air all day! Thoreau said "to effect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." Madam Samm did that for me today!

Now Madam Samm is one busy lady. Two blogs going at once! Check out Sew I Quilt and Stash Manicure
Fun stuff. I am totally in love with both . Now I am going to make a mug rug tonight! I just don't want to miss out anymore! But honestly, Madam Samm you are my hero! THANK YOU!!

To all those who have never heard of the Panguitch Quilt Walk Festival here is a little history. Fourteen years ago I was on the Main Street board for our small town in Southern Utah. We were trying to come up with ideas to bring people to our town. Now we are only 22 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park so lots of people pass through, but we needed them to stop. Panguitch is a town full of old red brick homes steeped in history. It's history starts in 1864 when the town was first settled. The winter was brutal, food was scarce and the settlers were starving to death. A group of 7 men, with a wagon pulled by two oxen, set out to get food from Parowan, 40 miles away.




In their weakened state, the men struggled with every footstep, sinking up to their hips in the deep snow. Eventually they abandoned the wagon and oxen and continued on foot. As they held a prayer circle kneeling on a quilt, they discovered they did not sink into the snow. The men completed their journey by laying quilts over the deep snow and walking across them, retrieving their quilts and repeating the process over and over again. The story became known as the Quilt Walk and is treasured in the annals of Panguitch history.

But when I suggested a quilt festival to the city council they could not believe that women would come to our small town to take quilt classes, see a trunk show and a quilt show. And surely they wouldn't spend any money to do that!! What was I thinking???

A few weeks later a bus of tourists came to town and stopped at my quilt shop. It was closed and so when they went to the restaurant for lunch they ask if there was anyway it could be opened for them. The restaurant called me and I went down and they bought a ton of stuff. Luck would have it, when they went back to the restaurant to pick up the rest of the group, they were really excited about the quilt shop. So at the next city council meeting they thought it was a great idea to start a Quilt Walk Festival.





This is our 14th year. We have 3 full days of classes, free trunk shows daily, a big quilt show, historic home tour, dinner theater, heritage fair and a Chocolate Fest! It has grown leaps and bounds and we love it. The town gets decorated with quilts everywhere. There is a fun spirit wherever you go! We are so lucky to have this. The past 14 years we have been saving all the money from the festival to buy a statue for our Quilt Walk Park. In September we dedicated the statue and the park. Dreams do come true!!

So long story short I have a "BUTTON" so my dream came true also! Click on it and see where it takes you! I hope it brings you here!

Walking on air!

Claudia