I left you last on Monday's happenings...

Well, that pesky virus has taken hold, and I have a full blown drippy nose, cough and all the rest!  Oh, bother, as Eeyore would say!

At any rate, Monday night we had an opportunity to meet with Dava and Ida... but Ida's son was having a birthday celebration, so she left soon after we met.  You can tell it is November here... during the evenings a cold wind picks up, and blows through you if you stand still.  The tempterature feels good when you are briskly "locomoting," but as we stood there waiting for everyone to join us, the wind chilled us all.  We were waiting for Dafina, a wonderful lady, as well as Dava's niece, people who had expressed an interest in participating.

So, we made our way to Dava's to discuss jewelry-making (Dava's niece had made jewelry in Greece) and to see other hand-made items (Dava showed me her beautiful crocheted pieces).  She is quite talented and anyone interested in buying a crochet piece from her please let me know SOON, and I will bring it back for you.  Oh, bother, I probably should take a few pictures of what she has to offer... after all, you can't see what she has done unless I do!  I'll try to do that today!  It would surely give her a hand up as well as needed encouragement.

At any rate, we worked on knitting jewelry, and got a really good start.  I "hoofed" it home (I do enjoy the walking... but remain especially alert here.  Anyone who knows me knows that I usually find the pothole in my path).  I am racking up "activity points" by the gazillion!

Dori's almost finished

Tuesday was another beautiful day - matched my mood of cautious optimism.  I met Dori at her house, and we made the hot pad project.  She caught right on, and will be introducing it to her church group (the new moms in her group were too busy to meet while I'm here - understandable).   She showed me her completed hot pad the next day when I saw her at the Instituti. 

Rudi's church

Then off to meet with Rudi, Meloye and Lenora along about a dozen women at Rudi's church plant close to the Stephen Center.  It was a really fun time!  We started the hot pad project and enjoyed each other as I tried to work on the machines I brought over.  Well, there's one thing I need to learn SOON... how to fix machines.  One just needed a new fuse in the converter, but I finally gave up on the other one.  I knew the outcome before I took it to the repairman, though...  he plugged it in and it worked perfectly!  C'est le vie! 

At any rate, you can see that everyone seemed engaged, and the sole iron made for lots of interaction.  Many had not handled a sewing machine, so Melodye and I tried to man those.  We will complete the project with Olta or Rudi and they will meet again to finish.  Let's hope there is a chance for the women to become familiar with the machines we brought before our next visit.

The church is located in a tall building of apartments with retail space on the first floor.  It had been occupied by a business, and is well finished.  What a fun time.

Well, I have received a tip that there is a fabric show in one of the hotels downtown, so I am going to see if I can find it... perhaps the walk will clear my head, and we can find vendors for fabric - an unending quest for any quilter.  So, will fill you in on Wednesday and following later, hopefully today (although I had planned to rest today and see if my physiology will banish the virus!).

Pafshim!