New friends

Pictured from left to right: Kathi Slee, QLD Sales Educator, Melissa Wilkes, Sales Educator, and Peter Kross.

During our recent trip to Bribane and Surfer’s Paradise in Queensland, we had the wonderful experience to meet some terrific new friends! Kent and I were invited by Peter Kross, Janome QLD State Manager, to visit the Janome headquarters in Brisbane and we were incredibly honored! We spent a few hours with Peter and his amazing team, and they were gracious and so very generous with their time (and some amazing Janome swag, that I plan to gift forward to some Janome-America folks!)

Behind the scenes at Janome AU (Queensland)

Melissa Wilkes is such a talented lady!

This Janome superhero was designed, constructed, and is now being quilted by Melissa as a banner to hang in the Janome booth at the Australian version of “Comic-Con” in a few weeks. There’s no head on the body so people will be encouraged to step behind it for some fun and clever social media posts!

Melissa, myself, Kathi and Peter. Not pictured (but a part of the QLD Janome team): Cindy Houghton and Katrina Edwards.

Kent and I had such a great time meeting everyone and extending the hand of Janome friendship across international borders! Our accents may be different, but the love and passion for Janome sewing machines are the same around the globe!

While we’re traveling, we love to stop at Janome dealerships. We were able to visit two Janome shops while in Brisbane. The first shop was Howard Austin’s Janome in Everton Park. This shop was jam-packed with every Janome machine and accessory you could ever hope to find! They pride themselves on great prices, excellent service and it was fun getting to see this shop and meet two of the employees while we were there. They are open 7 days a week and have late evening hours, too.

Such a beautiful machine to commemorate Janome’s 100th anniversary last year!

Be still, my heart! So much Janome goodness in one place…

We also visited a lovely Janome dealer and quilt shop called PleasureSew! (If you’d like to check out this awesome shop, CLICK HERE.) We had the privilege to meet the owners, Jan and Greg Allen and their friend and employee, Dianne Johnson.

Jan and Greg Allen, left, and Dianne Johnson, right.

Pleasuresew is a homey, very-well stocked shop with ample space for quilters to gather to stitch, chat and create.

Greg made all the wood shelving and accent pieces in the shop.

The following day, we met the fabulous Kym Goldup and her husband, Steve, for an amazing, delicious dinner at their favorite local Italian restaurant. This was the first time we’ve met in person and the four of us hit it off famously like we’ve all been long-time friends for many years. It was such a fun evening! They were incredibly thoughtful to arrange a special dessert in honor of Kent’s birthday!

If you’re not familiar with Kym and her Sewing Revolution Ruler and technique, you need to be. Check out her website, but even better, watch for her to present a teaching event at a local Janome dealer near you in the US this fall. This past weekend, Kym won a prestigious award as the 2022 Beam Magazine Woman to Watch! Congratulations, Kym — we’re so proud of you and excited for you!