Lancaster County--how I do love thee!

Had a wonderful excuse to trek out to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania in the form of visiting a beloved cousin who is on tour across the U.S. with a quilting group from Australia. Arrived Friday night and left Saturday afternoon and had such a fantastic time! The weather was gorgeous and he colours just lovely. And it's always peaceful--even on a hectic Saturday! The quilting group was so lovely in letting me tag along--Saturday we spent the morning in taxis + my Mustang, just driving around the Lancaster County countryside, visiting Amish quilting businesses (most of which are run out of private homes). I've been to Lancaster County before (it is a mild obsession of mine!) but it was so interesting to go with a group of serious quilters and learn about some of the lingo and practices entailed in being a serious quilter (I can now tell you the difference between a jellyroll and a fat quarter; between piecing and quilting; between a blocked quilt and a whole cloth quilt, for example!). We saw so many beautiful hand-stitched (yes! HAND STITCHED quilts today!). Such incredible work--something to really marvel at.

Fantastic sewing corner!

This one was really quite extraordinary

A lively Amish grandmother was sewing this when we visited

Ruthanne and her gorgeous Cathedral Window quilt

Pineapple Pattern

This is all gross-stitched and quilted. This photo doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Cathedral window quilt. Beyond gorgeous.

The Needle and Thread tour group

And me taking their photo...