Meet my new friend!

Isn't the world of blogging amazing. By this post you will see just that. I have developed a blogging friendship with a wonderful person named Yvonne, from the Netherlands. We have alot in common. Here is our story.
While searching for quiltshops in the U.S. and the Utah area, the search brought up It's SEW Moab in Moab, Utah. Under that listing it brought up It's SEW Shannon. Stuart and I had just visited that quilt shop the week before and I had just blogged about it, hence the info under It's SEW Moab. Yvonne took a minute to click on my blog and she has been a faithful follower since then. My blog was the very first one she had seen, she didn't even know about this blogging thing. I've got her addicted now! She now has a blog of her own that I so enjoy reading.
Over much blogging and e-mailing the last year we have developed an awesome blogging friendship. Well after a year of communicating this way we will be meeting on Saturday, July 24th. I am so excited. Yvonne and her husband Alex are coming to the states again. They love the Utah area. I feel like Yvonne has been in my life for so much longer than a year. I know so much about her, but I'm sure there is more to get caught up on. I guess you could call her my blogging pen-pal. I didn't have a pen-pal when I was younger, did you? What a great way to get to know each other and their cultures, and did I mention she's a quilter! And a wonderful one at that.
Let me introduce you to Yvonne.
Yvonne and her husband Alex live in a 200 year old home on the cemetary. Isn't it quaint and cozy. They are the caretakers of the cemetary along with their regular jobs. This is something they have taken over from her parents. She grew up here. Yvonne works for the Police Department and Alex works at a door factory working the heavy equipment. This is a picture of the back of their house, the cemetary is in the background. Aren't those headstones amazing, they are so large.

This is a picture of Yvonne and Alex on one of their trips to the National Parks in Utah.

Everyone's telling us "HI" from the Netherlands. Meet Alex, Yvonne's dad, son in-law Cee's, Yvonne and her daughter Kelly.

Yvonne is fortunate enough to get together with her friends once a week for sewing and fun. They call their group the "BEE". They are always exchanging gifts, having lunch or dinner and they do lots of sewing. What a great way to spend a day doing what you love, friends and quilting. Isn't that the best!

This is a western quilt Yvonne has been working on and guess what? She peices everything by hand. Did you read that wrong, no, she honestly does all this by hand, no sewing machine. I find that simply amazing as are all of her quilts. Can you imagine all the time she has in one of her quilts.

Here is a sampling of some of her finished quilts. Look at the detail on all of them. I asked her to send me one of her quilts to enter in the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Quilt show. She sent the star cirlce one right there in the front of the picture. To see this in person you would never know it was all done by hand stitching. It's beautiful and I think the viewers will agree too.

Yvonne said she hasn't been quilting all that long. To me it looks like she's been doing it a lifetime. Her work is beautiful. I still can't imagine doing this by hand, did I say that before?

Yvonne is the coordinator for their "BEE" every week, so this sign is so fitting for her. This picture is in one of the quilt shops they visit in the Netherlands. Looks like my kind of place.

In his spare time, Alex makes and sells quilt stands there in their area. Here he is mastering his craft. What a nice thing to have to display all of Yvonne's quilts.

This is how the finished product turns out. I love it that it can hold two quilts at one time. What a great way to display those treasured quilts. This is another quilt Yvonne is working on. She likes to applique I can tell. They order alot of their fabric and kits from the states. She's a red, white and blue person through and through.

Back in February I sent Yvonne this bag from It's Sew Shannon. Yvonne and her "BEE" friends are planning a trip to the U.S. next summer. They will be visiting PA, and the Amish areas. What a wonderful opportunity for all of them. They will enjoy that area very much. I haven't been fortunate enought to visit there, but I hear it is a real fine trip. I thought this bag was fitting for just that occasion. She said she will wear it with pride while here in America. Wasn't that nice of her?
I hope you have gotten a little insight on my friend Yvonne. Isn't she something? I am looking forward to our meeting on Saturday. Stuart and I am hosting them to dinner and then we have invited them to a fun event that takes place every year in Spanish Fork. I don't want to say what it is because she wants to keep it a secret from her friends. She will blog about it when she gets back home. We also have some other things planned, but first on her wish list is to make a stop at the Corn Wagon. Yvonne and Alex will be sight seeing the parks again and will be making a stop in St. George, just in time for Yvonne to make my next bag class at Dave's Bernina. It should be a fun filled week getting to know each other even better.

If you want to visit Yvonne on her blog, you can find her here, she has so many more pictures of her work on there. Tell her Shannon sent you.