More Than Colleagues

When I wrote "Why Go to a [SAQA] Conference?" and the series of posts on the Fiberlandia event in Portland last year, one of the reasons I mentioned was the opportunity to meet up with and make new friends.

It is a special blessing when at such a gathering of like-minded spirits, one meets a particular person with whom one just "clicks".  On the first full day, at the Reps' Meeting, I met Maggi Birchenough.  We sat next to each other much of day, and spent a great deal of time together over the course of the Conference.  Then we kept in touch...right through the devastating news of her cancer, to as recently as a few days ago, when I got confirmation she'd received my Easter card.

Not only a Co-Rep, Maggi was a key person posting to the Europe/Middle East SAQA Region's blog , and was working on having a SAQA Trunk Show for the Region -- asking about my experience with it here in Western Canada.



A talented artist, Maggi had her own blog, and also was a Resident Artist on the popular blog, "And Then We Set it on Fire", where she posted a series of surface design tutorials in July 2015.  

We'd hoped that I would be able to squeeze in a visit to her on the way up to Scotland on my trip planned for 2017...

So...why go to a Conference?

Margaret and Maggi
Portland, OR,
April 2015

Oh Maggi, I hardly knew ye...but I will miss you.

Rest peacefully, my friend.