Arriving In Ocean City...

The Lankford Hotel - Salty Yarns

I returned home late last night from my first trip to Ocean City, MD...I was teaching for Salty Yarns at their Ocean City Stitcher's Jamboree. I arrived in Maryland last Thursday night for my stay at the Lankford Hotel on the Ocean City Boardwalk (and home to Salty Yarns). Friday morning I woke up early and was ready to do a little exploring - after stepping out on the balcony outside my room for a few photographs, I headed down to walk the boardwalk to see the area....I walked to one end of the boardwalk and back (about three miles)...and took a little walk on the beach (where I was greeted by an adorable seagull). After a leisurely walk and a cup of hot tea, I met some of my needlework friends in the hotel lobby to go out to breakfast and take in an exhibit at the Julia A. Purnell Museum in Snow Hill, MD.

The view from the balcony outside my hotel room...

My first walk on the Ocean City Boardwalk...

A seagull that came up to greet me on the beach...

Angela, Joy, and Ramona (retreat attendees/stitching friends) were kind enough to invite me along to see some of the area. We ate breakfast at a place called Peppers Tavern...and it was delicious - I had a BLT breakfast sandwich (basically a BLT on an English muffin) and it was fabulous. We then headed to the museum in Snow Hill, MD. 

Here is a little information about the Julia A. Purnell Museum....

Julia was born in Snow Hill, Maryland in 1843. She married William H. Purnell, a storekeeper, in 1869 and had two sons. She created many types of needle art throughout her life, including quilts, cross-stitch and embroidery - then at the age of 85, she began embroidering scenes of homes, churches, and gardens in Snow Hill. Her works won the New York and Philadelphia Hobby Shows, and took the Grand Prize at the Wicomico Farm and Home Show - she became well known and in 1941 she was inducted into the National Hobby Hall of Fame.  Julia's son (William) was proud of her work and in 1942 he joined his mother in founding the Julia A. Purnell Museum. The museum housed many of Julia's works, her tools, and memorabilia from her long life. Julia Purnell died 2 months after her 100th birthday, in December 1943. The museum continued to grow as William added artifacts to the collection. He sought donations from the townspeople who gladly gave their old tools, toys, machines, cooking utensils, clothing, books, and curios - along with the stories behind them. William continued to accept donations until 1957 when he gifted the museum to the Town of Snow Hill. The museum is now no longer a tribute to one woman's art, but had a repository for the memories of the entire town. Today, the museum collection has over 10,000 artifacts, with about 20% on display at any given time - temporary exhibits are displayed each season in order to tell the abundance of heritage stories...

A photo of Julia and a display of her work...

A couple pieces of Julia's embroidery.

Crewel Embroidery by Julia A. Purnell

I loved this bicycle on display...
"Penny Farthing" Bicycle Circa 1880

Interesting "superfine sewing needles" that were 3"- 4" in length. (1914)

Mary Davis Sampler - dated with her birth of  March 22, 1803

Interesting display of early medicines, doctor and dentist tools, and signs
with healing instructions - a favorite:
Bleeding of the nose: Steep a linen rag in vinegar, burn it, and blow smoke
up the nose with a quill. (Click on photo to enlarge and read more)....

After touring the museum we continued on our journey...when seeing a sign for the town of Girdletree, we knew we had to visit...little did we know there wasn't much to see in Girdletree - we did stop at their post office (it was closed) and checked-in on Facebook at the Girdletree Volunteer Fire Department (the only place to check-in)...and then were on our way again. Next stop - historic downtown Berlin, MD (where the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere movie "Runaway Bride" was filmed)....a quaint area with antiques and shopping...and a tea room. We stopped in an adorable shop called TaDa (it was wonderful!)...checked out a few antique shops...and made our way to the Main Street Enchanted Tea Room for a late lunch. I loved this cozy little tea room....and as soon as I looked in the window I knew I had to step inside. We decided to stay for tea and lunch...lunch was a fabulous apple squash soup, chicken salad and/or ham sandwiches, choice of scone and tea. I had a cranberry orange scone (scrumptious) with Autumn Cranberry tea - it was yummy - and I loved my teacup with a little cottage scene. Sherry Gamble, the owner, was quite accommodating - she let me take an abundance of photos and shared lots of stories with us....it was an enjoyable visit.

It was then back to the Lankford Hotel for the event dinner, reception, and stitching...more on the event and the area tomorrow - for now I must get some sleep, as I leave for New Hampshire on Thursday...I have to get refueled for the next retreat...

Bird On A Bobbin

A sewing bird pincushion - a 2011 Christmas
 gift from my friend Kimber...

Wednesday, after taking in the AQS Quilt Show & Contest, I visited a local antique mall with my dear friend Kimber and her husband Tom. Each year during the AQS Show, local vendors at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall display quilting and sewing items in prominent places in their booths...hoping to "cash in" while thousands of quilters are in the area. Throughout the building, we found assorted antique quilts, textiles, and quilt blocks...along with vintage sewing notions, laces, and trims. Kimber was looking for some particular items...I was looking for some large wooden bobbins...and we both managed to find a few items to take home. Turns out, both Kimber and Tom have a knack for finding hidden treasures and they assisted me in finding quite a few antique wooden bobbins - I  was able to narrow down my choices to four favorites (all very reasonably priced at a few dollars or less)! It seems antique bobbins are making a comeback...and many needleworkers are seeking them out to use with Cross Stitch and Embroidery patterns. Earlier this year my friend Lorrie gifted me a beautiful large wooden bobbin that stands about 6.5" tall and at the time I had plans to use it with a needlework design...but as they often do, my plans changed, when I realized the sewing bird my friend Kimber gifted me last Christmas looked adorable perched on this large spool (shown below). Every time I enter my sewing studio, it is the first thing I see and it brings me joy! So, the hunt was on for more vintage wooden bobbins...and the antique mall did not disappoint...now the challenge will be to find creative uses for each one...

The antique wooden bobbin my friend Lorrie gifted me
with my sewing bird pincushion perched on top...

Spectacular Shopping

JJ Stitches vendor booth - a personal favorite!

Did you enjoy my post yesterday with photos from the AQS Quilt Show - including the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild 29th Annual Quilt Show and the AQS Quilt Show Contest?...well, if that wasn't enough - the show included a merchandise mall with around 130 vendors! Yes, there was shopping GALORE - aisles upon aisles of ways to spend your hard-earned money...in fact, the shopping mall was so large, it took us the entire morning to walk down each of the aisles. I must admit, I did very well at controlling my "urge" to spend and kept my purchases to a minimum...in fact, I only purchased a couple items (although I was tempted by MANY). I thought I would share a few of my favorite booths with you..and yes, these photos were all taken with permission....

Kimber and I had a few merchants on our "must visit" list...and right at the very top was Dawn Heese at Linen Closet Designs. Dawn and I have been online friends on Twitter for years and I had always wanted to meet her in person...she has a fabulous assortment of quilting books and patterns...AND she designs fabric! Her lovely booth did not disappoint - it was filled with vintage charm and models of all her latest designs (I'm not going to lie - I'm sure I drooled a little!). Dawn was delightful and was kind enough to let me snap a few photos of her display...
Oh...and I should mention...one of my limited purchases was a stack of eighteen fat quarters from her new fabric line "Best Wishes" for Henry Glass & Co. I just adore how Dawn worked her love of vintage postcards into the collection - these fabrics are GORGEOUS in person. To see more Linen Closet Designs, visit your favorite quilt shop or
http://www.linenclosetdesigns.bigcartel.com/...

Dawn surround by her LOVELY quilts...

Our next stop was Yellow Creek Quilt Designs. Yellow Creek Quilt Designs is a quilt shop in Pearl City, Illinois....and not only do they offer quilting materials and supplies - but they have their own original quilt patterns and designs! This was a large (and busy) booth filled with a traditional, yet homespun appeal...and all sorts of treasures... My favorite Yellow Creek Quilt Designs model on display was Grant's March (shown in the top left of the first photo)...

The next photo comes to you from The Cottage Rose - A Quilt Shop. This quaint booth had adorable lights hanging above the displays and all sorts of fun items! The Cottage Rose is a full service quilt shop in Marion, Iowa  that offers original patterns and designs.....they had a friendly booth with some wonderful autumn items!

A favorite stop for both Kimber and myself was the Mountain Lodge Antiques booth. Cindy Adams, the owner, was extremely interesting to speak with and quite knowledgeable. She talked with us at length - giving us history on a number of items in her extensive booth and sharing her vast knowledge. She was quite personable...and it was a treat to hear her talk about some of the special vintage quilts and fabric panels in her booth. For me, it was also quite wonderful to see yards of vintage trims, laces, and silk ribbon for sale...
Cindy does not have a website (yet), but you can reach her by e-mail at: gandcadams@comcast.net.

Cindy in her "history-filled" booth...

I think the best display was done by JJ Stitches. This charming booth was warm and cozy...and featured vintage furniture, displays, and beds...it was extremely inviting! Beautiful patterns and beautiful quilts - I wanted to spend my afternoon relaxing in this space...

These were just a few highlights from our visit...there were many other wonderful displays filled with shopping delights. Of course I had to visit my "new best friend" Phyllis Paul from Cozy Quarters...you may remember, I fell (head over heels) in love with Phyllis's designs at the Omaha Quilters' Guild Quilt Show back in June (you can read that post and see photos of her booth by visiting this link). I couldn't wait to see what new designs Phyllis had available...her pieces make me immediately happy! Here is the other item I purchased...the Cozy Catch All pattern and kit...isn't it WONDERFUL?! Again - I simply adore her detailed/embellished packaging! Visit: http://designsbycozyquarters.com/store/ to see more of Phyllis's AMAZING designs and kits....

So there you have it -  a look at my shopping experience at the Des Moines AQS Quilt Show and Contest....I hope you enjoyed this little photographic journey! Tomorrow I will share what I purchased at the antique mall we visited after the event...

A Road Trip With Friends

Hello friends! I can't sleep, so while I have a quiet house (before construction resumes in the morning), I thought I would take a moment a share a bit about my trip to the Amana Colonies on Tuesday. My dear friends (Kimber and Merry) both share a birthday at the end of August, so we had planned a little celebratory road trip. Kimber chose the destination and I was the chauffeur...we headed out at 8 AM...we definitely wanted to get an early start, as it was approximately 2 hours to our destination - and even the drive was fun, as we had a chance to catch-up on life and do our usual laughing!

Our first stop was at The Woolen Needle in Williamsburg, Iowa - we all just love this shop - beautiful hand-dyed wool fabrics, gorgeous quilting cottons and kits, yarns, lots of models - a heavenly shop! I picked up some unique plaid wools (I just love the color combination of pink and black, so that was a "must buy"...I also picked up a jar of vintage buttons (upper right photo) and a hand embroidery pattern.

We then traveled into the Amana Colonies...and needing a little boost, we stopped at the Java Junction Coffee shop for beverages - then enjoyed the sunshine as we sipped our drinks outside. We then made our way to Heritage Designs Quilting and Needlework...this is a lovely shop - and although over the years, the selection of cross stitch/needlework has become less and less substantial, they still carry many specialty threads, fabric, charts, and books. I found a nice little selection of quilting fabrics - including the some from the line "My Favorite Things" (seen right in the photo below) by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched for Henry Glass & Co. (I am a big fan of Anni's, so this was a fun find!)...

Our next stop - Grapevine Antiques - it was the first time any of us has visited this antique shop and we all agreed it was well worth the visit! We all three found a selection of purchases...in fact, we worked up an appetite with all the shopping, so we made our way to the Ox Yoke Inn (my favorite) for lunch - yummy! We enjoyed delicious sandwiches and sweet potato fries (refueled for the afternoon)...and then Merry and Kimber opened their birthday gifts (Kimber even brought me a little goodie bag for driving!)...and then we were off to our next destination: Smokehouse Square Antiques. This large antique shop seemed endless as we perused each room for special buys...and we all three found a few things...Kimber even found a gorgeous antique quilt! I saw a couple antique needlework samplers, but they were definitely out of my price range (I tried to get a couple good photos, but the glare from the glass cases and framing made them unusable). Between the two antique shops I managed to find some great vintage cards of buttons, two perfect condition vintage feedsacks, three vintage handkerchiefs, and a unique vintage trim - not bad - and I didn't spend very much money!

We made one last stop before heading back to Des Moines - a quick visit to Fern Hill Gifts and Quilts. We arrived just before closing, so didn't stay too long...but I did pick up a couple great fabrics (seen in the top photo above - left side). When shopping for fabrics, as a true quilter I always have several themes I am collecting - I just adore fabric with trees, owls, birds, or fruits - so I was ecstatic to find a unique autumn tree fabric and a nice cheerful yellow fabric featuring various fruits.

All in all, it was a fabulous day - I am very blessed to have such wonderful, creative, and patient friends - getting together with them is truly a blessing and lifts my spirits beyond measure!