Here at home in Minnesota, the ground is white and the sky is gray, so once again it's great to have Orlando and my trip to Florida to think about. I did get a break from winter when I traveled to the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup WA last weekend.

Rita and I were both there and we did some talking about our upcoming Midwest YaYa Sisters appearance with all of you who are attending Community Circle. The attendees and vendors in Puyallup were excited about sewing and embroidery so it was terrific to be there in that inspiring atmosphere. We plan to bring that to Florida with us.

I made a red dress for the "Go Red" style show in Puyallup. It benefited the American Heart Association and I was one of about 40 participants. There were many elegant dresses worn by tall thin models. Then there was me, and my dress wasn't in the elegant category. I think "different" would be a good description. I'm not going to give you all the details, because I'll wear the dress in Orlando, but the large collar is an unusual, striking feature, along with the unique hemming feature of the skirt hem. Believe it or not, my dress will fit into the category of one of my seminars.

As you might remember, I've become a big apron fan and I enjoy adding machine embroidery accents to apron fronts and pockets. Of course, my aprons are all reversible so there's double the opportunity to embellish them with embroidery. Most of my embroidery is applique so you'll see several examples of that. Oh, and I'll have two brand new apron patterns too. The Apple Cobbler and Chatterbox aprons had their debut in Puyallup and were well received.

I can't wait to leave the snowbanks behind and join you for this celebration of sewing and laughing and meeting new sewing enthusiasts. I know we'll have a terrific time!

Mary Mulari