We stayed overnight at my wife's parents place Tues night and got up early to head up to Rockford. I thought it only took 1.5 hours, but with traffic and road construction, it ended up being a 2.5 hour drive and we arrived at 11am. The Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, IL has changed since last time I was there. They added quite a lot of areas and fun stuff. We were greated by Debr Jenny, the IOLI bulletin editor, at the reception desk. And in the foyer were some lacemakers dressed in period clothing demonstrating bobbin lace, needlework and tatting. I found some other IOLI board members in the foyer to chat with while my wife headed on into the vendor room. Hmmmm.......not sure I should let her go alone. She is a shopper! I am sure there will be several names I forget and sorry if I met you and can't recall. Brain cells gone haywire ;) I visited with Janice Blair, Debra Jenny and few more board members, Lise Thompson and Robin who I know from Heartland Lace Guild that I am a member of, a few of my students from workshops I taught over the years, and finally got to meet JoAnn Eurell in person after all these years and emails on the board. She was going to introduce me to Shirley Stone, but that never happened since we had to leave later in the day.
After exhausting my visit in the foyer, I headed into the vendor room. Surprisingly organized and they strategically placed the booths so that you had to wind your way through each of them to enter or exit the room. Tricky they are! The room wasn't overly crowded. Most of the lacers were on day tours to Chicago or Galena. So it was enjoyable and we could shop at our leisure without bumping shoulders. Debbie Arnold's booth of DS9Designs was the first to greet those that came in. Sure enough, there was my wife already piling on a big bill getting charms. ;) While winding our way through the room we got to meet vendors we have been friends with for a while. Like Bill from the Lacemaker, Susan Wenzel of Lacy Susan, Kathy Kirschner, Holly Van Sciver and finally got to meet Kenn van Dieren. And I had a good chat with Steve Smith of Winslow Bobbins. And of course chatted with my buddy Georgia Seitz. Had to go 4.5 hours north to meet her when she only lives 1.5 hours east of me HAH! Georgia rallied and introduced me to a slew of tatters I knew but haven't met yet that came in for the day as well. We all exchange picture taking. We got halfway through the vendor room and we all started getting hungry. I usually don't pay attention to my stomach at time like this. Having too much fun! So 4 lacemaking friends and we went to the restaurant at the hotel and had a buffet lunch. After lunch we went into the display and competition room to view the goodies. OH such goodies! Couldn't take pics of the competition pieces. But did of the display pieces. After that we went back to the vendor room to do more shopping. I came to this convention with the intention of 3 things on my list to buy at the vendor booths: 80/2 linen thread for my Bruges Flower Lace, honiton bobbins to start a project on a Honiton pillow I will soon make, and more brass pins since I am running out because they are all stuck into other unfinished project. ;) And I was a good boy!!!! Of course I drooled over all the books and threads and bobbins, leaving it to the next lacer to wipe off to drool too. It was hard to leave this convention and the vendor room. We tried leaving several times but kept chatting and meeting others lacemakers we knew and some we met for the first time. Of course the goodbyes got worse since most of the lacers were out on tours for that day and the bus loads of them came into the convention area and the room started to fill up. Met loads of others lacers I knew like Dorcas Newkirk and her buddies from Evansville, IN. And I finally got to meet Bridget Cook. Such a delightful lady. Gonna have to take a class from her sometime in my life! We had planned on staying for Kate Henry's lace talk at 6:30pm but I had a long drive home and had to get back to work(which I am as I write this). I know there are a lot of people that I missed to visit and chat with and I am sorry. I tried to flit around like a social butterfly. But a butterfly only lives for so long and my day ended wonderfully and I got to meet wonderful lacers and had a grand time. I will have to post pics of our day when I get them developed. Thank you to the Land of Lincoln Lacers for putting on this event and close enough that I could have this opportunity! Mark, aka Tatman(still in the throws of my one day at the IOLI convention) website: Www.tat-man.net blog: www.tat-man.net/blog - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
