Spring Projects

I have not been great at posting very often.  I have been tweaking my book and preparing for two really special trips! The book went back to the printer on Tuesday so I am hopeful it will be finished before I leave so I can get some copies to some very patient stitchers!

If you bought a copy at our Spring Open House, 
please contact us so we can get you a 
fresh new copy with ALL the patterns in it ;)

This past week I got to teach at Peace By Piece Quilt Guild's retreat.  They are the happiest group of ladies in the valley!  Such a treat to hang with them.  The retreat theme was scrappy so we worked

on projects with our wool scraps.  I brought this little Wool Crazy Sewing Kit for the girls to create.  Everyone had their own inspiration and I can't wait to see what they do!!

The front cover is the one with the beehive and the back cover is the one with the owl.  The photos don't do this little piece much justice.  It really turned out cute!  I love the buttons above the pocket.  You can keep your assorted threads organized by wrapping them around the buttons!  So handy when you are stitching in the car!  Wool crazies are a blast to do and  such a fun way to use up all your bitty scraps that seem to multiply by the day!!  Try one!  I have seen pincushions and other little projects all over Pinterest.  There is a great tutorial on The Painted Quilt blog. Her blog is really fun to visit!

I also found this adorable pillow pattern in this publication:

It was so much fun to work on and possibilities are endless.  

It looks absolutely adorable on the couch or tucked in a chair! 

Picasa has not been opening for my on my computer.  I like doing collages and so I went searching for something new. I found Ribbet!  You can also download the app to your tablet or phone.  It is so fun and easy to use!!  Try it out and see for yourself :)

We will soon be leaving to visit far away lands.  My cute hubby and I are  taking my mom to her Motherland, Poland and then we are going to visit his sister and brother-in-law in Vienna with side trips to Prague and Budapest.  We are giddy with excitement!  It will be so incredible to visit the towns where my mom's grandparents come from.  We will be  home a week and then it will be off to the the East Coast to spend time celebrating the birth of our new grand baby!  They have on e of each so baby #3's gender is a surprise and we can hardly stand the suspense!  I will be around May 9-15 between these two trips...and then home to stay after Memorial Day.  You can contact me via email.  We will have our girls here keeping the home fires burning, if you have a wool emergency while I am away.

I wanted to take some little woolie gifts in case we meet a distant relative or meet a new friend along our journey.  I decided to make some little pocket size journal covers.  They are delightful to stitch up and won't take up precious cargo space.  They are all constructed by hand so I can take some to stitch on the plane.  (Sorry the photos are a little dark.)

I made the beehive first and then remembered I had pinned some adorable needle cases.  I'm taking inspiration from those to make some cheerful covers.  I cut my background 11 1/2 x 4 1/2 to cover the small composition books.  (Purchased at Staples) Everything is blanket stitched with Valdani thread after I applique the front motif on.  The journal is just as snug as a bug in it's woolie cover.  I may or may not add a button closure.

Inspiration Photo:

If you haven't visited mmmcrafts, you really need to!  

She is overflowing with creativity! 

Enjoy your Spring, whatever you are doing! 

We expect to come home to luscious 

green and flowers in bloom!!

Our Dreams

One of my very most favorite things to do is visiting

antique stores and cool thrift shops. We have a few in our

valley that supply me with great finds every now and again.

A few weeks ago I found this beautiful Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

wooden spools, old buttons, a large pinecone, beautiful old scissors and tweezers

that were part of an old medical kit and....

A sewing machine identical to the one that I received as

a little girl, eight years old! The $15 price tag thrilled me.

The photo below is the year I got my little Singer, as well as the

Flying Nun Doll and new box of fresh crayons!

Oh, was I a happy girl! 

 I cannot tell you of all of the happy hours I spent sewing tiny little doll clothes and dreaming of the day I would be able to sew real clothes on my mom's big machine.  It was the beginning of my love of fabric and creating.

I feel so fortunate to get to work in such a creative atmosphere and associate with the most amazing people that come in and out of my studio.  It is a blessing.  I had a cute wool gatherer stop by this morning who is sending her talented brother little snips and scraps of wool.  He lives in CA and is creating beautiful works of art in the way of hooked rugs.  I hope to be able to share his story one day with you.  It is very sweet, like she is.  We talked about our lives and how we spend our time...or better yet, how we wonder how we should spend our time.  I have been thinking about the amount of "good" years I have left on this earth.  Will I get 10 more?   How should I be spending my days?  She said something that really made me think.  I understand exactly what you mean, I think of this everyday.  What should I do with my time?  I know there are only so many days left...but I have dreams of 50 years!  Wow!  We do have dreams and it only makes sense to make these dreams realities...because we never know when our time will be up. Thank you E.R. for your sweet visit this morning....and I wish you and your brother all the best!


Here is to making our dreams...real!