A Trio of Delights!

I'm not sure what is going on with me--I seem to go longer and longer between blog posts.  I'll sincerely try to do better.

Today I want to share photos from three very talented needleworkers--Donna G. from California, Judy G. from Minnesota, and Patti D. from Colorado.  All of these ladies have completed class projects and were kind enough to send me photos of their work.

First is Donna's Friends in Stitches project.  She took this class with the Swan Sampler Guild.  Donna wrote, I really liked the variety of stitches in this. That always makes the stitching more interesting. The finishing directions were thorough as usual.

The next photo is Judy G.'s A Lady's Worke Box.  Judy took this class and Fruit of the Vine last October when I taught in Onalaska, Wisconsin.  Judy wrote, I truly enjoyed the class and stitching this project.  The finishing was done by an individual that does finishing for Crosse Stitchery & Main Street Framing.  I am over the top pleased with the final outcome.

And last, but not least, is Patti's A Sampler Needlebook.  She changed the birds on the front of the needlebook to the lark bunting, which is the state bird of Colorado. Patti took this class last month through The Sampler Guild of the Rockies in Denver.  I think Patti had the project stitched and assembled within a week or two of the class.  

Patti is now stitching My Favorite Things Stitching Basket.  Knowing the speed at which she stitches and finishes projects, I'm guessing I'll soon have some more photos to show you.

As you can tell, all three of these ladies are indeed very talented needleworkers.  Thank you, Donna, Judy, and Patti, for letting me showcase your work.

The three projects in today's post are class projects.  If you are interested in any of them, please check my teaching schedule either on the left sidebar of my blog or on the teaching page of my website.

Lots of Goodies to Show You

I decided today to clean out my email mail box, and in doing so I found some photos that I forgot to show you earlier.  I'm so sorry.  I found so many photos that I'm dividing them into two blog posts.  I'll begin with the retail products that you can get at your local needlework shop.  In the next blog post, I'll show some class project finishes.

The first photos were sent by Ann, who owns Knowledge and Needles in Brighton, Canada.  Ann's customer Catherine S. decided to stitch Adorn Thy Heart to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary this August.  Catherine replaced the verse on my model with her own personalization.  She even found a place to add the words "Golden Anniversary" using gold thread.  What a special touch!

Thanks, Ann, for sharing photos of Catherine and her special sampler.  Catherine, I hope you and your husband will have a very special 50th anniversary year and that you will send me some more photos once you have your sampler completed and framed.  Perhaps you could include a photo of both you and Peter with the sampler.  Hmm--maybe also an old wedding photo.

Next are photos of Dee L.'s completed Quaker Needlework Box. You may remember Dee's name from past blog posts.  She is a beautiful needleworker (and finisher) and is also very prolific.

Dee stitched her box and the accessories on 32-count Antique White linen using Eggplant overdyed thread from Weeks Dye Works.  Dee  wrote, ...very labor intensive - could not begin to say how many hours/days are involved in the stitching and then the assembly!! The lining is a dark purple silk that I purchased in Gastonia, North Carolina at Mary Jo's. (Wonderful fabric store!!)

Yes, as Dee said A Quaker Needlework Box does have lots of stitching--all over one linen thread, but aren't the results outstanding? Well worth the effort I think you'll agree!  I've recently heard from a stitcher who is using blue thread for her version, so perhaps soon I'll have another completed box to show you.

Next is Kay Lynn S.'s Family Record Sampler that she stitched for her daughter and son-in-law to celebrate the births of her two granddaughters.  I love the way Kay Lynn added the words Stitched By Mom to the bottom of her sampler.  And look at that exquisite frame!  Kay Lynn, what a family heirloom you have created!  It is no wonder that your daughter was thrilled to receive this gift!

And last, but certainly not least, is the needlebook/sewing case that Linda Z. won as a door prize a few months ago when Darlene Anderson spoke on Adam and Eve samplers for my sampler guild, The Queen City Sampler Guild.  Perhaps you may remember some of the photos I showed after the event.  Linda had to leave early, so I didn't get to take a photo of the sewing case she won.  Does the design look familiar?  It is one my charts from A Is For Apple.  I love the way the design looks on the blue linen.  And wasn't Darlene clever to turn the needlebook design into one for a sewing case?

Darlene even included a pair of scissors with each sewing case she gave away!

Such a group of talented needleworkers!  Stay tuned for more photos from other gifted stitchers!

Seeing Things Through The Eyes of a 2-1/2 Year Old

I certainly didn't mean to go so long between blog posts, but things have been very busy since I returned home from Colorado. In fact, I've been so busy that I've had very little stitching time (boo hoo)!

This weekend I'm teaching here in the Cincinnati area for the Queen City Sampler Guild.   A month later I'm teaching in San Francisco for the Bay Area Sampler Guild, so I'm now in the midst of preparing those kits to soon be shipped to California.  I have also updated the teaching page of my website with  a few new events, including 2014 events for both the Austin Stitchery Guild in Texas and the Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild in Michigan.

In addition to getting ready for upcoming classes, we had the great joy of having our son and his family here for a long weekend visit. We spent Friday at the Museum Center in the old Union Terminal.  This was originally built as a train station in the 1930's.  It now houses several museums.  Perhaps you may remember reading about this historic building and seeing photos of the wonderful interior in one of my earlier blog posts. We spent our time in the Natural History Museum.

Bright and early Saturday morning, we headed off to Kings Island, a large local entertainment park, where our daughter-in-law, Michelle, was participating in a race/walk for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (for breast cancer). Michelle, Stephen, and Garrett left our house at 6am!!!  Thankfully, Tom and I didn't have to leave that early...we were able to wait until 6:45am to leave home.

There must have been several thousand participants because Michelle said they "released" them in groups of about 500. Michelle participated in the event with her good friend Christa.  This was one of the Color Me Pink events.  This means that during the race/walk the participants are periodically doused with colored powder, mostly pink! 

Here are Stephen and Garrett waiting to see Michelle cross the finish line.

Boy was Garrett glad to see his mother, although he wasn't sure about how she looked covered with all that colored powder!

Later, we were all able to enjoy the day at Kings Island.  It was Garrett's first trip there, and it was lots of fun for the rest of us to experience the park through the eyes of a 2-1/2 year old.

There were multiple rides on the skyplane...first with Michelle and her friend Christa.

and lots of rides on the carousel...

 Back on the skyplane--this time with Tom.

...and more rides on the carousel...

Yes, it was very much a family event!  As one who suffers from both motion sickness and a fear of heights, the carousel and the little train were the limits of my rides.

Then there were a couple of rides on a small roller coaster.  The first time Garrett rode with Stephen.  He liked the ride so much, that he got Michelle to go with him on a second ride.

I love this family photo taken when Michelle and Stephen convinced Garrett to take a short break from the rides.

Snack time with Snoopy!

There were several helicopter rides....

Garrett particularly enjoyed being the pilot on this little plane.  We weren't sure how he would take to the idea of being without a family member on this ride, but her certainly loved it. 

And then, all too soon, it was time to go home and dream about a return visit. 

And last, but not least, here I am with Stephen.  I keep forgetting how much taller he is than I am.  I wonder if Garrett will be even taller than Stephen.  At 2-1/2, he is already 40 inches tall.  Most folks think he is at least 4 based on his height.

Lingering Memories from Colorado

Seeing old friends...

It was so nice to see Candy, who is one of the designers from The Workbasket. I first met Candy and her business partner, Mary, years ago at a needlework tradeshow. For 14 years Candy lived overseas when her husband was working at The Hague.  Luckily for me, we got to visit her overseas when Tom had business in Belgium.  A mutual friend took us up to Gouda (in the Netherlands) to meet Candy at a sampler exhibit.

Seeing sweet Betsy (my cousin once removed) and meeting her fiance BJ...

Betsy and BJ are getting married next month in Colorado Springs.  I sure wish I could make it back there for the festivities.

Exquisite scenery...

The red rocks at Garden of the Gods and the views of Pike's Peak were breathtaking.

Antiquing....

I'm tickled pink with my special finds.  I've been trying to learn more about the Black Forest carved bird pincushion and thimble holder.  If you know anything, let me know.  The acorn thimble holder is also exquisite.

Now it is time to get settled at home and get ready for my upcoming classes in Cincinnati and San Francisco.

Lots of Eye Candy from Members of SGR

Here are photos of some of the wonderful projects stitched by members of the Sampler Guild of the Rockies.

First is Jen showing off her Friends in Stitches Sewing Case.  Jen took this class a few years ago with the Lake Michigan Sampler Guild when she lived in Chicago.

Next is Joanna with her completed A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif.  Joanna took this class several years ago while living in Michigan.

Next is Patti with her Paradise Lost.  Last week Patti posted a photo of her project on Facebook and got lots of inquiries from stitchers looking for the design, which is one of my early ones.  Yes, it is still available.  Just ask your LNS to contact me to get a copy.

And here is Patti with Eliza's Pinpillow.  This is a complimentary design that can be found on my website.

And here is Joanna again, this time with her Agnes Scott, a Scottish reproduction sampler.  Joanna added her own name left of the house.

And here she is with her Ackworth Friendship Book.

This is the carrying bag Joanna made for her book.  The  package this product has charts and directions for assemblying the book and also atemplate and assembly directions for the bag.

Valerie also brought her Ackworth Friendship Book for me to see.

And here is Leigh with her Ackworth Friendship Book.  I stitched my model using only one thread color, but Leigh used several different thread and linen colors for her beautiful book.



Here is Loni with Quaker Sampling I.  I first met Loni years ago at one of the needlework tradeshows.  She has since closed her shop.

Here is Theresa with her A Most Noble Pursuit.  This was a collaboration sampler between ten designers.  Theresa chose to stitch eight of the ten blocks for her version.  Candy Scott, who is one of the two designers for The Workbasket, was at the Sunday meeting, so I asked her if she would be in the photo also.  The Workbasket's design is in the upper left corner, and mine is in the upper right.

Jean, Nancy, and Janice surprised their friend Sandy by stitching A Petite Sampling Etui for her.  This was a collaboration project I did with three other designers.  What a thrill it must have been for Sandy to receive such a wonderful gift from her friends.

Here are photos of a pincushion Joyce made using some of my Quaker designs.  Look at the cute beaded edge she added.

Two of the ladies who were in the Long May She Wave class on Thursday bought their pieces Sunday so we could see the wonderful progress they've made.  Both were nearly finished with the stitching.  I bet we'll soon be seeing photos of their completed sewing cases.

Here is Mary.

And here is Janet.  Her friends say she gets so much stitching done because she always seems to have a needle in her hand.

Thank you to all who brought such wonderful projects for Show and Tell.  I think there will soon be more photos posted at the Sampler Guild of the Rockies website, so check it out.

And then, all too soon, the retreat was over.  Before parting ways, we took one final photo.  Here I am with Judy, the guild president, and Kathy, the guild's program chairperson.

Thanks, everyone, for making my Sampler Guild of the Rockies visit such a memorable one!