Early Christmas

Streak of Lightning from the collection of Kaye England

Last week, Mom asked what I wanted for Christmas. I'd just heard from Kaye England, who was selling some antique quilts from her Quiltmania book.

Mom and I met Kaye last year in Nantes, France. We were all there for Pour l'Amour du Fil. As soon as we got to our hotel rooms, my phone rang. It was Kaye, and she seemed to know who I was, so I went with it. She wanted to get together for dinner, and that sounded good to me.

Casa di Gio, but our glasses were full!

We had dinner together every night, and gathered with a larger group on the final night. Our favorite spot was the most convenient, an Italian restaurant across from the hotel called Casa di Gio.

Dinner with Mom, Kaye England, Kimberly Rado, Dijanne Cevaal & friends

After a few days, the three of us were like a little family. Kaye had one of the special exhibits at the event, and I had a large exhibit with 50 quilts on display.

Kaye's special exhibit in Nantes

It seemed serendipitous for Mom's Christmas gift to come from Kaye's collection of antique quilts. The quilt is a Streak of Lightning. It is 66" x 70" and came with a circa date of 1870.

The circa date could also be a bit later, depending on what we can learn about the fabrics. It looks very modern for a quilt that is well over 100 years old. So, Merry Early Christmas to me! Thank you Mom, and thank you Kaye!