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How Moda Designers Spent Their Summer—Part 2

How Moda Designers Spent Their Summer—Part 2

Written by: 
Linzee McCray

Joanna Figueroa's vacation started in Poland

Yesterday we shared the summer adventures of some of Moda's designers—their exciting and laid back summer experiences continue today. Read on! 

Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts: This summer brought a lot of travel and fun activities to the Figueroa clan! We adventured back to Poland this summer to attend a family wedding on the Eastern border of Poland [we could have thrown rocks at Belarus]. It was held in a little Polish village, in a traditional lodge with Polish handicrafts and was a great chance for our kids to reacquaint themselves with all of their cousins!

On our way home, we splurged on some time in Amsterdam which was amazing! The canals and the colorful houses, the history and the art... and all of that walking and biking. It was a beautiful city and all 5 of us enjoyed every day we had there. We even ventured out on the train to a few little towns so we could get up close and personal with the windmills!

Later in the summer we went to our all time favorite vacation spot at the Russian River near our home and basically layed around and did absolutely nothing other than kayaking!

And just a few weeks ago, I joined my best friend on an impromptu trip to Sedona! I am not much of a desert gal but I was definitely awestruck! So basically we covered a Polish village as well as the most beautiful city in Poland, knocked Amsterdam off our bucket list [although I really want to go back again soon], had some nostalgic time at our favorite river spot and experienced the magnificent Arizona desert for the first time. I'd say that's pretty much my summer in a fabulous little nutshell.

Other than that, we spent time with the kids and friends, hanging out with our crazy chickens and of course trying to organize ourselves a little around the house and studio... that is always seems to be an uphill battle!

Jo Morton: I’m in the minority . . .  no summer vacation.Russ farmed, then worked construction, so we’ve never had a summer vacation schedule. Gee, this sounds kind of like Bah Humbug from Scrooge! There is the small garden with fresh tomatoes, peppers, beets, green beans and whatever Russ wants to plant. Spring and Fall are our favorite seasons for a little get-away. And I actually love winter and enjoy watching snow fall, it’s a kind of magic for me.

Crystal Manning: Jeff and I vacationed a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with his family and then cooled things off in July by taking an Alaskan cruise with my parents.

Betsy Chutchian: No vacation for me, in the true sense of the word. A couple of retreats served as my getaway, but bags were packed with sewing projects.

A summer storm played havoc with a big tree in my front yard. That was my Welcome Home a couple of weeks ago.

We were lucky damage wasn’t worse.

Jen Kingwell: As it’s been winter here “Down Under” I’ve been hibernating a little. Tilly and I have been stitching in front of the fire. She loves her bed made from Gardenvale fabrics

And when we venture out we have to rug up. Here she is in her new shirt.

The sunsets have been great

And I did get to cruise the Baltic region which was a nice distraction.


My favourite building was in St Petersburg...The Church of the Spilled Blood. Truly amazing! So I guess I get to do this all again in my summer break

Beth Snyder of 1Canoe2: I had a magical summer with my family. My daughter is 7 and it's such a sweet spot for riding bikes, swimming and running lemonade stands with her friends. I did a lot of traveling which makes my heart happy! First a big trip to Idaho and the Tetons. Our go-to for vacation is always the mountains.

And I just got back from a sourcing trip to India where I visited weaving, sewing, and screen-printing workshops. It was amazing!

April Rosenthal: We had an exciting summer! We spent lots of time at soccer tournaments, moving in to our new home, and finally a family trip to Hawaii!

Its been so fun, but I can't wait to get back to my sewing room--it always gets neglected during the out-of-school months!

Finally, me, Linzee McCray: I love staying home in the summer and enjoying the garden, the local music and arts events, and all the fresh produce from the Farmer’s Market. But we did venture to our family cabin in Minnesota, where we picked lots of blueberries and enjoyed beautiful clouds and sunsets.

And I managed to see my granddaughter Freya three times, even though we live 1,000 miles apart. She's grown and changed so much since she was born in March, and so I took every chance I got to spend time with her.

We'd love to hear about you did this past summer—do tell!

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