City of Lights

When you think of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Champs Elysees are probably among the first things that come to mind. But it is the people, rather than the monuments, that make traveling to a foreign country the most memorable.

The Best of Quilting shop

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to visit Paris and in turn to visit with some of the ladies from our sister shop, Best of Quilting, just outside of Paris. There are no words to describe the warmth and sisterly love that greeted us. Well, maybe there are words in French, but all I know how to say is "Where are the bathrooms?" (Ou sont les toilettes?)

Old castle ruins of Marcoussis

Best of Quilting is located in a small village not far from Paris called Marcoussis. It is about the same distance from Paris as Woodinville is to Seattle. They even have their own castle ruins.

Valerie, the owner of Best of Quilting

Valerie and many of the block swap sisters greeted us with cake and champagne! The cakes were lovingly made by many of the ladies from the shop, generously shared and graciously eaten. We toasted to all of our sisters in the quilt block swap and to our continued health and happiness.

Gary's hand-knit socks

When they found out that I had knit Gary's socks, they wanted to examine them closely. Sharing ideas and experiences over coffee and cake is the important part of quilting. Without that, quilting would just be fabric and thread and batting. It's what makes a quilt become an heirloom to be passed on from generation to generation.

Genevieve and me

And I would like to introduce to you, Genevieve, my block swap sister. She so generously invited us to her and her husband's home, fed us an amazing traditional French meal and made us feel like family.

Valerie, and her husband Philippe, also made us feel like family. Over dinner, we laughed at our inability to speak much French and their attempt at an American accent. They have two beautiful daughters and a dog who desperately wanted to meet us. Their younger daughter is learning to play the harp and gave us a small recital. This is what we will remember from our trip to Paris in years to come. Thank you for making our visit so memorable.