Yesterday was spent mainly in the Antigona sewing room in Skenderaj. The group is named Antigona for a woman who fought against the Serbs and died for her country not so very long ago.

The grace, dignity and strength of this group of women is unparalleled. Occasionally I need to remind myself that each of them has lost a husband to war and some of them, children and other family members as well.

We worked on the new computerized Babylock machine that I had carried with me on this trip. It was so much fun to feel the excitement in the room as we explored the capabilities of this machine. These women are skilled already and this machine will add to the creative capability of the group. As we all sat around the machine, working through different features, they draped their arms around me and asked me to stay here with them.

I feel so lucky to be here.