More from my trip to the USA

 I haven't yet unpacked the fabrics that I bought in the USA, so nothing to show there yet.  

But I did purchase a few textile pieces while on our Panama Canal cruise.

Mola is the name of the technique and the finished pieces that are made by the Guna people of northern Panama.  It is a multi-layered reverse applique, often embroidered as well.  The women wear two panels as part of their blouses.  The mola pieces are good quality ones.  One I purchased in Panama City at a stall on the street.  The other piece I purchased on an island in the San Blas Islands, where the Guna people live and work.  

I fell in love with the harpy eagle while on holiday in the Peruvian Amazon region.  There was a harpy eagle nest near our lodge on the Tambopata river, near Puerto Maldonado.  We could see the nest from the bird hide near the lodge, and also on the harpy cam live feed.  So I was very happy to get a harpy eagle mola textile, as well as a harpy eagle woven platter.  

This detail is from my Panama piece.  I think it shows how fine the work is.  

I was excited to find a harpy eagle mola, although I couldn't find out why he/she is holding a broom?

I may use the small applique pieces in a baby quilt.  Not sure yet.  They weren't expensive but are fairly well done.  

I bought this woven harpy eagle platter from a woman, Ermintrilda, at an Embera village in southern Panama, while on our Panama cruise.  

Back in the sewing room - yay!

Travel is wonderful, but it is so nice to be home. 

I was so lucky to go to the USA in April/May, to visit our son in Georgia, but also to go on a cruise through the Panama Canal.  I picked up a few textile bits and pieces on that cruise.  I also visited Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, Missouri, and went to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.  

Hamilton, Missouri, was wonderful.  Thirteen quilt shops, all highlighting different fabrics, it was so much fun to wander around.  

One shop had multiple vintage sewing machines on display, including in the window.  

Quilts everywhere!  Even painted on the walls of buildings in the town.  

I didn't know that Hamilton had the Missouri Quilt Museum, which was a fantastic collection in an old school building.  I wandered there for ages and would have stayed longer, except I had to get back to the airport for my flight back to Atlanta.  

I didn't take as many photos of quilts (and their labels) as I expected, but this one was pretty fabulous.  Each square is about 1"finished.  Huge quilt and so good - both from a distance and close up.  

They had a big collection of miniature quilts.  I loved them all.  The displays were well done.  

One of the school building corridors, with quilts and sewing machines.  The museum had 1,200 toy sewing machines, 200 antique machines, 1,100 quilts in the collection, plus 7,000 thimbles.  It was overwhelming, and just amazing.  

Some of the toy sewing machines.  

I haven't yet unpacked the box of goodies I bought in Hamilton.  I'll show that in one of my next blog posts.