That's ME! ~ In the Land of Wonder, the Land Down Under

What a way to warm up a frosty day in the

American Midwest.  A copy of Australian

Patchwork and Quilting arrived from all the

way on the other side of the world.  AND, it

has an article about me and my book.  Oh,

thank you so much Australia ~ I can't wait 

to finally get to see you next summer.

I apologize if the photos are a bit blurry

but I admit I was a bit teary when I was

taking the pictures.  It was a mix of happy

and sad tears.  You see, the article talks

about how my Mum encouraged my 

interest in embroidery and our trips to the 

Five and Ten store where I would always 

want to buy embroidery floss while other

little girls were buying paper dolls and candy.

So, I sat down and had a big boo hoo.  We miss

our sweet girl so very much... But I know she 

would have loved this article, after all, it's why

she encouraged my interest in crafts all those

years ago.

Thank you so much Ally!  I love it!

Me Time ~ June 5, 2012

It's June already!  But that means more

people are back at Me Time for the summer.

I have been stitching until my fingers are numb.

I have framed my feltwork designs and I love them.

The patterns are available at:

www.americanhomesteaddesign.com

Someone is putting the binding on this

beautiful quilt that just came back

from the longarm quilter.

Someone is making baby blocks

as a gift for a new baby.

Someone is working on a stack of

civil war blocks.

Someone is trying out some of the notions

including the fabric flowers makers and the

fabric covered button maker.

And I had a little retail therapy, gathering

30's fabrics for a new project.

Currently Dreaming Of...

New feltwork designs.

This year's garden plans.

Our next adventure.

We have finally figured out all the financials

from the Last Hurrah Tour.  Honestly, I had

no idea what it would cost to go around the

world and I was a bit apprehensive about what

the final number would be.  Would we ever be

able to afford to travel again?  Five people,

nine countries, four continents, eating, drinking,

transport, entertainment, all those currencies,

all those exchange rates.  Thankfully our sister

is an accountant who made it so easy.  And in the

end, it was MUCH lower than I had anticipated.

Amazingly so.

So, we are now planning the next journey... 

Stay tuned.

Tree Cozies?

I'm not sure about this...

I have been listening to and watching the

wind whip the trees around in a frenzy.

And that made me think of these things I

saw in Iceland last June.  Reykjavik is a very

stylish, boutique-lovin', fashion conscious city

so perhaps it is natural that they should adorn

their trees...

...and poles.

Perhaps this could tell us something

but I don't have the app for that.

Reykjavik was windy and very cold in

June, (well, it is Iceland).   I wonder

what it's like at this time of year when

there is only 4 hours of sunlight.

Bbbbrrrrrrr.

Me Time: January 10, 2012

Trying to fit a little Me Time into my day.

Someone's Sue Spargo is coming

along nicely.

The beads add so much.

I learned a new stitch today,

the beaded blanket stitch.

Little things like this can

rock my world!

I'm at the pencils, templates and graph

 paper stage of some new projects.

I love the look of

this old candy box.

I love what is inside even

more ~ better than chocolate!

Neat to Eat: Medovnicky

To Eat or Not To Eat?

At all the Christmas markets

along the Danube I kept seeing

these beautifully decorated cookies.

They are honey cakes

called Medovnicky and

people use them for decoration

but also to eat.  They are given

as favors at weddings as well.

I couldn't eat them because

I would feel like I was

eating a work of art ~ I

wouldn't want to destroy it.

When I was at the International

Quilt Festival in Houston I met

this lovely person from Australia.

I thought her embroidery looked

so much like medovnicky.

And back in my hotel

room I was working on

this.  I thought it was so

funny that a girl in Australia

and a girl in the USA could

both be working on something

so similar and they both looked

like something from Eastern Europe.

Small World...



On Pins & Needles

Stumbling Upon Old Cross Stitch

Many years ago, I used

to do a lot of cross stitch.

Now, I only do it when

I travel, mainly because it

is so small, it is easy to pop

into your suitcase.

So I got it into my

head that I would find

these old projects and

finally get them framed

and display them on a

wall in my bedroom.

Of course, that was easier

said than done.  I had no

idea where these things

had gone to.  But as I'm

looking through boxes or

piles of fabric or digging

through the tons of old

linens tucked here and

there I have come across

quite a few pieces

from my past.

Many are ones I made

but others like this one

somehow came into my

life and became part

of the family.

I bought this one

recently just because

I liked the saying.

Some need a bit

more work.

I hope to finally finish this

one on the big trip that

is coming up.

Me Time ~ March 29

Pincushion Collection

Today at Me Time we

are working on some

top secret projects so

photos aren't available, yet.

Instead I'll show you some

of the pincushions that

are around the shop.

I made that one!

As I was moving the

pincushions around to

photograph them I got

yelled at for not paying

attention to the sign!

Oops.

If you'd like to see the

many collections, including

button, machines &

notions, stop by Dawn's

shop.  The Quilt Shoppe

in Anderson, Indiana.

Pillow Talk

My Moda Pillow

Last October I was in Houston for

International Quilt Market.  This is

a trade show for the quilt industry.

Sadly, I only have a few photos

because less than a half hour into

the show, I met the button guy and

he had me so enthralled with the

story of how he got the antiques shown

above that I dropped my camera ~ on

the concrete floor and destroyed it.

Does anyone know what they are?

The day before Quilt Market opens

is a day where you go to various lectures

lasting either 15 or 30 minutes and find

out about new fabric, patterns, tools, etc.

The Moda fabric lecture was called Pillow

Talk and each of their designers had to

make a pillow that told something about

themselves.  After the lecture we were

given the fabric hankie above and at Market

the next day we visited with all the designers

and they stamped our fabric with a design.

When I got home I didn't know

what to do with the hankie.  So since

the Moda theme was Pillow Talk, I

decided to make a pillow with it.  Now it

is on the day bed in my studio and

when I have worked too long,

I use it to take a cat nap...