Traveling, Teaching, and Time Away

"A Sampling In The Square"
Class Project Needlework Smalls:
Pinkeep, Scissor Fob, Needlebook

Tomorrow morning (Friday) I leave for another one of my teaching trips...this time I am headed to visit with the Buffalo Chapter EGA in Lockport, NY....those of you who have taken one of my classes know teaching needlework projects is one of my favorite things! I am super excited for trip, with the exception of my extremely early flight time...but the good news is, since my flight is scheduled for departure before the sun comes up, I will arrive in New York with a little time to see the area before my class starts on Saturday morning.

The project I am teaching is "A Sampling In The Square"...and I have had multiple questions about this piece. Event coordinators have the choice of having me design a special project for their event...OR have me teach a design that is currently in my catalog...many times this depends on time restraints. This design happens to already be in my catalog and you can find it at (or order it from) your favorite needlework shop. Of course, class participants are privy to special class binders with detailed colored photos and charts, very detailed finishing tutorials, additional stitches, complete kits, and usually I change up one or more of the pieces to be exclusive to the event - this time I changed the needlebook from the original chartpack. I am thrilled to be teaching this particular design and I am definitely looking forward to meeting the members of the Buffalo Chapter EGA....it should be a fabulous weekend!

"A Sampling In The Square" Sampler (BRD-086)

While I am out of my office/studio, I will have limited access to correspondence, so please be patient if you send me a message that requires a response....and my Etsy shop will be on vacation until my return. I will be back in my studio on Tuesday, September 18 and business will resume at that time. Thank you for your patience.

I will be back to blog next week, when (I'm sure) I will have TONS of fun things to share with you! Have a wonderful weekend....

Friendship and Fabric

Yesterday, I had the most lovely visit with my dear friend Kimber....it was a much welcome break to my hectic schedule. I made the trip out to Adel (my childhood stomping ground) to spend some time with her at Ashton House (her 1885 Iowa farmhouse). We had a lovely morning chatting and catching up...and celebrating her recent birthday. We then ventured out to have lunch at a local restaurant...and of course we had to stop at Adel Quilting & Dry Goods Co. - a marvelous quilt shop located just off the town square. This quaint and cozy quilt shop NEVER disappoints...there is always something fresh and new....and of course I didn't have any difficulty finding a plethora of fun items to take home. This time there were several new fabulous fabric collections from Riley Blake Designs (Good Life Cottons and Polka Dot Stitches)....one had just arrived earlier that day! I was also able to find some wool felts I needed, a fun potholder kit, and several fat quarters. Jacque (who owns the shop) was so friendly and accommodating....and made sure to show us all the new items and shop models - she made us feel right at home....and she was kind enough to let me take a few photos for you (of course I had left my camera at home - I know, I usually never leave home without it - so these were taken with my smart phone). If you would like some fun reading, be sure to stop by Jacque's shop blog - she updates it often and it is always interesting!

Now, truth be told, I had no business going into a quilt shop...we all know I have a decent stash...and on Monday a box from heaven arrived on my doorstep from someone VERY special...this box had yards and yards and YARDS of fabric in it - I was awestruck...beautiful fabrics (from a beautiful friend) and I have ideas galore on how to put it to good use...now I just have to make the time. Plus, if that wasn't enough, Kimber gifted me a bag full of vintage bias tape that she had no use for....various colors and widths...yes, an entire bag FULL...along with a yard of adorable fabric. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world - I am so blessed to have friends that support and encourage my creativity!

Not to be left out, Simba decided he wanted to make a blog appearance...so as I was taking photos of my new stash, he did everything in his power to be in each shot....yes, Simba photo bombed me! Here he is letting me know he deserves more attention than my new fabrics....

                           

I leave Friday morning for New York...I will be spending a few days with members of the Buffalo Chapter EGA. I am very excited for this trip...and Stephanie (the hard working event coordinator) has made some wonderful plans to show me some of the area (how totally AWESOME is that?!), including my first trip to Niagara Falls...so you know I will have a bunch to share with you next week. I am also hoping to take in a local EGA exhibit which should be quite spectacular. I will do my best to take lots of photos....

An Anniversary Celebration

Over the weekend, Travis (my husband) and I had the pleasure of helping his parents celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary. They were married in Las Vegas at the Silver Wedding Bell Chapel in 1972....I wish I had a photo from their wedding day to share with you - they have a fabulous wedding photo. To the right is a photo of the happy couple taken at our wedding in 2000.

We decided to have a nice afternoon lunch at our house and my husband would fire up the grill. He barbecued the meats and I made all the fixings....and because my father-in-law is a "chocoholic", we stopped by the local bakery for a beautiful German chocolate cake. With red ruby as the classic gift material for the 40th anniversary, I found some incredible hand blown ruby red wine glasses for a gift (silly me, I didn't take a photo) - we also picked up a bottle of chocolate wine for the man who can never have enough chocolate. It truly was a lovely afternoon as we reminisced about the last forty years while enjoying (for the most part) a home cooked meal.

Wishing my mother-in-law and father-in-law many more years of happiness...may your marriage continue to be blessed with love, joy, and memorable occasions!

Six Bats and a Black Cat

Isn't it interesting how Halloween has become such a celebrated holiday? I have vivid memories from my childhood of dressing up in homemade costumes and going door to door for treats (note to self: I should post some childhood photos on Halloween day)...we lived in a small town and each year we tried to stop at every house that participated in "trick-or-treat" night - I remember we would collect HUGE bags of treats! Back in the day, there were always a few houses with spooky decorations and scary sounds/music to set the mood - but now, it seems Halloween decorating has become almost as popular as Christmas decorating. I know there are still some needleworkers out there that "don't do" Halloween...and years ago, I didn't either - but I have found over time, I really enjoy working on Halloween designs....in fact, they are some of my best sellers! I have designed quite a collection over the years...I even have enough Halloween ornaments to display a small all-stitched ornament tree....and of course I have "Behind the Gate" (BRD-072) my Halloween advent calendar. It is definitely time for me to put away the summery designs and put up my Halloween pieces, something I enjoy doing each September.

This year I was asked by Just CrossStitch magazine to design a framed Halloween piece for their special 2012 Halloween Collector's Issue. I have designed several Halloween ornaments for their publications over the years, but this time I was asked to work on a larger piece. It is titled "Six Bats and a Black Cat"...and it is featured on the cover! I received my model back from the magazine this week, along with a copy of the magazine - and I have to say I am quite impressed with the variety and creativity of the designs in this special publication....if you have "been on the fence" whether or not to add it to your collection, think no more, it is definitely worth the price. Where else can you get 48 designs for $9.99....at an average of $0.21 per design, it is a STEAL! If you enjoy the Halloween holiday, this issue will keep you inspired with all sorts of spooky stitching and finishing...and plenty of projects to keep you busy for years to come. The 2012 JCS Halloween Collector's issue is on sale now (find it at your favorite needlework shop or newsstand) and my design (show below) can be found starting on page 53...

Blue Ribbon Designs: "Six Bats and a Black Cat"
Photo Credit to Just CrossStitch Magazine (Hoffman Media)

Fabric Paradise

Today I enjoyed a short road trip with my dear friend Lorrie to Creston, Iowa - our destination was Quilts & Other Notions...one of my favorite Iowa quilt shops. This wonderful shop (about an hour from Des Moines) is a quilter's dream - filled floor to ceiling with bolts and bolts and bolts of fabric...there is an amazing selection of notions (of course), trims and laces by the yard, and all sorts of threads and fibers...along with books, patterns, machine embroidery designs, and even some great gifts! This is my go-to shop when I am searching for that special fabric or if I need a little inspiration....the entire staff is extremely friendly and helpful...and I must mention they have the best sewing machine tech around (I wouldn't trust my fancy machines with anyone else). Today, I actually had a list....looking for some lining fabric for one of my upcoming classes...and particular fabrics for my Etsy shop items....and after you see the photos of this shop, you will see why I had no problem finding everything I needed/wanted (and then some!). As Lorrie learned today, the first visit to this shop can be a bit overwhelming...and it can do some major damage to your bank account, as it is extremely easy to fill a shopping cart...you can easily walk the entire shop several times and not see everything...

My main reason for the trip today was to pick-up more fabric from the line The Sew It Book Collection by The Vintage Workshop, Amy Barrickman for RedRooster fabrics...I have been making project bags from the border fabric in this line for my Etsy shop and haven't been able to keep them in stock (this fabric is long retired)...the last time I visited, I knew they had some left in stock - and sure enough I found exactly what I wanted today....and of course, I purchased all they had left! I also picked up a bolt of fabric to use for class kits....and a bolt for lining some project bags...plus a bag of five 1-yard coordinating cuts, some Blackbird Designs hand-dyed rick rack, a couple charm packs, some DMC floss...and a great "ruler" fabric that I thought would be perfect to use for some upcoming projects. Mission accomplished!

The next couple days I will be 100% focused on preparing for my rapidly approaching teaching trip - a week from Friday, I will be headed to New York to spend a few days with the Buffalo Chapter EGA. I am finishing up a few tiny details and will be shipping all the class materials to the coordinator this week. I am also getting ready to start a new cross stitch model...it is going to be a BUSY month!

Busy Little Worker Bee

Hello blog friends! I have been a busy little worker bee lately...working on upcoming class/teaching preparations and kits...model stitching several magazine/book designs...designing/kitting some new cross stitch pieces...and sewing/quilting items for my Etsy shop. I have also been working on a release schedule for my new cross stitch designs - I have been holding off on releasing new charts while the economy has been a bit slow, but have a pile of pieces ready for printing production - right now my plans are to release a couple new designs in November and then a couple every other month or so, making my releases a bit more "scheduled"...look for more details in the next month or two. 

Today, I finally had a chance to list a pile of new items in  my Etsy shop...several more project bags, more stitch starter ruler sets, and FINALLY an assortment of needlebook scissor cases. These are all in the Sew It Book Collection by the Vintage Workshop, Amy Barrickman for RedRooster Fabrics....I made several project bags in this fabric line last week and they flew out of the shop. I received quite a few requests for more pieces in this fabric collection, so I did my best to comply....unfortunately, my understanding is that this collection is discontinued (I have had it in my stash for quite some time) - I still have some odds and ends and was able to secure a bit more...but pieces will be limited. 

I changed up my needlebook scissor case a pattern a bit by adding interfacing to the pockets and cover...and used fusible fleece for padding (instead of batting), which makes them more durable and quite sturdy - I am happy to get another one of my patterns perfected. I also enjoyed going through my vintage button stash to find coordinating buttons.

More sampler fabric project bags will be coming soon (thank you for the enthusiastic response!)...as well as more needlebook scissor cases (and yes, some will be in the Blueberry Crumb Cake fabric line by Blackbird designs)...I have a pile cut and ready to be constructed. Just be patient with me - I have quite a few deadline at the moment and I am dong my best to balance everything...

After finishing up a few details at my desk, I plan to get some fresh air and take Simba to the park...then I will be headed to my stitching nest to work on a cross stitch magazine model...I have lots of stitching to do...enjoy what is left of your Thursday!

The Iowa State Fair in Photos

The 2012 Iowa State Fair Butter Cow

It was a beautiful August day, as my husband and I headed to the Iowa State Fair for our yearly visit. The Iowa State Fair is the largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country - annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world. Of course, there are exhibits and attractions we *have to* see at the fair each year - the butter cow, the big bull, the big boar, the fabric and threads exhibition, the photography, the ugly cakes....and of course, we must have some fair food! There are so many AMAZING things to see each year...even the gardens on the fairgrounds are well maintained. I always enjoy seeing the barnyard animals and livestock (especially the rabbits!)....and the photography and dollhouses....along with the fruit, vegetable, and food ribbon winners. Here is a little photographic journey of our visit (heavy on needlework and quilting)....I'll let the photographs do the talking and add little captions when necessary....click on individual photos for a large look...
(Those of you who use Instagram can see some additional photos I took on my smartphone - username: BRDGIRL)

Blue Ribbon Needlework

Holiday Needlework

Best of Show Fabric and Threads

I love spicy food - the hotter, the better - therefore, I couldn't resist
 taking a photo of the hot pepper entries....

Check out the details on the Victorian house cake...
and the peacock cake was gorgeous!

Ribbon winning slices of cake...

The turtle cake was AMAZING in person....

Ribbon winning candies...

I feel in love with this Mini Lop rabbit - so ADORABLE!

 The  Animal Learning Center has agricultural education exhibits and
 features live births of various species including cows, sows, nanny goats and ewes.
I loved seeing all the newborn animals....

The horses are always wonderful to see - here is one having a bite
 to eat before a showing....

2012 Big Bull (World Super Bull) - 2,646 lbs.

2012 Big Boar - Reggie - 1,335 lbs.

New this year: the "World's Largest Chocolate Moose in Captivity" - weighing 320 pounds...
 standing more the 10 feet high and 118 inches in length. Hundreds of pounds of Dutch
chocolate were applied in layers and hand-carved by Chocolaterie Stam to create the moose...
...as you can see, I needed to be a bit taller to get the entire moose in one photo!

Photography Exhibit

Photography Exhibit

Best of Show  Photography Exhibit

Best of Show Doll House (with a green house!)

Best of Show Miniature Room

A blue ribbon winning log cabin doll house...

Garden on the fairgrounds...

Garden on the fairgrounds...

Garden on the fairgrounds...

Garden on the fairgrounds...