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| Brenda S (L) and Valerie L (R) 2018 |
Of all the good things that have come from
the publication of BUILD A BARN,
the friendships that grew up amongst
the charter members of the
Secret Society of Barn Builders
is the one that warms my heart the most.
We are an international group
with quilt makers in Germany,
Canada, and all across the US.
None of us live anywhere near each other
which makes what I'm about to share
even more special and amazing.
* * *
This past month, Brenda Suderman
and her husband traveled/camped
nearly half-way across Canada
to visit Valerie in Nova Scotia.
I absolutely love the photo above showing Brenda and Valerie
together with two of their SSOBB Gallery Quilts.
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| Valerie (L) and Glen P. (R) 2017 |
Last year Glen traveled from Louisiana
to visit Valerie in Nova Scotia.
(They live roughly 1,800 miles away from each other)
 |
| Lynne's Liberated Bird Class in St. Louis 2013 Julie S. and Cherie M. back row / Lynne front row right with Millie |
Lynne Tyler has met up with several of us
including yours truly, Cherie Moore, and Chris Ballard.
 |
| Debbie (R) with her mom (L) during Lynne's class at Quilted Threads |
Lynne has also met Debbie Voigt,
who drove from NC to NH
to take a liberated birds class with Lynne.
 |
| Lynne with Kathy French - November 2016 |
Lynne traveled about 200 miles each way
to spend a weekend with Kathy French
not long before Kathy learned she had lung cancer.
 |
| Salem Stitcher (L) with Nancy (R) and Debbie (front) - Asheville, 2011 |
Debbie Voigt and Nancy Stevens
have met up with each other
even though they live several states apart.
 |
| Julie Post with The Seasonal Sampler at AQS Des Moines |
And Julie Post (Iowa) and Brenda Suderman (Canada)
had planned to meet at AQS Des Moines
to see the Special Exhibit of SSOBB Gallery Quilts,
but ended up missing each other by a day.
 |
| L to R: Lynn Harris, Heidi B, Cherie M, Julie S. Chattanooga 2016 |
Cherie Moore (Illinois), Heidi from Germany
and I met up with each other
during a liberated quilt making class
during AQS Chattanooga 2016
where our instructor was Lynn Harris
who took some of the photos used in the book.
 |
| Julie S (L) and Brenda S (R) |
I met up with Brenda S.
during AQS Grand Rapids 2013.
 |
| Julie (L) and Debbie (R) - 2017 |
I met up with Debbie V.
at the Folk School last year
after being online friends for many years.
 |
| Julie and Chris shown here with Lynne's newly-quilted Letters From Home that was published in Word Play Quilts. |
I've spent hours and hours with Chris B.
since she quilted almost all of my quilts
for the first many years of my quilty-life.
And there are plans afoot for me to meet up with
Nancy Stevens in Nashville next year
during Quilt Con 2019.
 |
| Collaborative quilt made by the SSOBB for Glen 2016 |
Best of all, the correspondence that flew amongst us
during the creation of BUILD A BARN continues
as we have supported each other through
the death of Hilda's husband,
the flooding of Glen's house,
Hilda's breast cancer and Kathy's terminal lung cancer,
serious illness of various family members,
retirements, the deaths of parents,
the births of several grandchildren,
and for so many other reasons.
I don't know about the gallery quilt makers
who have been part of other books,
but I am thrilled to be a part of THIS group!
