Sunday, August 15, 2010

Doing what I love!!!

I love wool!! I dont like to wear wool.....but I LOVE to dye it and stitch with it!!! There is nothing like getting to do what you love!! I am blessed to spend most of my days doing just exactly that....working with wool and spending time with my granddaughters!!!

This last week we had our second Wool Crazy Class at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe!! The gals are so much fun and share my love for wool!!!

Shannon
Cheryl
Jackie
Penny
Peggy

Sue

Here is my fall version of my wool crazy block:
Here is my winter version of my wool crazy block:
Lots of stitching to do but oh so much fun!!!

This week is Wooly Wednesday at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe!! The third Wednesday of every month I teach a morning and an evening class with so many wonderful fellow wool lovers!!! They all come anticipating our project which is kept a secret until they arrive.....they never know what they are going to make....and I have to admit a couple of time neither do I until 2:00 am the morning before!!! I am a late night person.....a NIGHT OWL i guess you could call me!!!

Speaking of night owls...here are two of my patterns with owls!!!


Now not to leave out the other thing I love to do.....spend time with my granddaughters!!!

Hailey, Emma, Addison, Olivia

The triplets are all crawling now and two of them have a tooth or two. They are just so fun to watch....crawling around and over each other....stealing each others toys.....pulling themselves up to a stand!! My daughter has had to lower all of thier crib mattresses and purchase gates!!! I have taught Olivia to say gobble gobble gobble!! Spending time with them is endless fun and lots of laughs!!!

Addison is will be turning 4 in December and is so grown up!! She LOVES to talk!!! I must say it is hard to get a word in with her!!! She has a great imagination and tells great made up stories!!! She is looking forward to her new brother arriving in the next month or so......and I know will be a huge help around the house!!!


So this week I hope you get to spend some time doing what you love....I know I am....dying wool, stitching with wool, and playing with my granddaughters!!!  :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Catching up......

It's been awhile.....I figured I could not sit and write when I had so much to do!! I am a bit caught up now so I am going to catch you up on what I have been up to!!

May 2010:

International Quilt Market in Minneapolis Minnesota. We spent a few days driving across several states to arrive in Minneapolis ready to set up for Quilt Market. Quilt Market is a wholesale trade show for the quilting industry which shop owners from all over the world attend to spend several days in classes....meeting....and walking aisles and aisles of vendor booths checking out what is new!! Vendors have 2 days to set up their booths and 5 hours to tear down!! It is lots of work.....but always a joy to see old friends/customers.....and make new ones too!!!


I had special extra help this year from my good friends at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe!!! Thanks guys!!!
Melissa, Steve, Jan, Brian
Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe












My favorite part of attending quilt market is the fun I have seeing all the friends that I have made over the years and the joy in making new ones!! We had great neighbors and made new friends with Anni and Peter of Hatched and Patched from Austrailia......They were so helpful and such a joy to visit with!!
Our both neighbors:
Peter & Anni
Hatched and Patched
Patty Vatter
Epicurean Crafts

Stacy West
After two full days of setting up our booth, three very busy days working our booth, and 5 extremely hot and muggy afternoon tearing down and packing up our booth we headed west for home. Minnesota and North Dakota brought extreme heat, along with heavy down pours causing everyone on the roads to pull off.....along with tornado warnings and sighting......

The view through our windshield at one point....ZERO!!!



We were all too happy to get to Montana to see the sunshine as we had a blowout on the trailer tire .......much easier to change tires in the sunshine than the pouring rain!!!


WIPE OUT!!
More friends that we had the pleasure of getting to spend time with both going and coming home in Montana. Donna and Shirley of Country Lore Designs

These two sisters are amazing and have such a wonderful collection of antique sewing notions and beautiful thread cabinets.

June 2010:
As we pulled into our driveway to unload my sister was in need of a place to live temporarily so we began moving my studio, office, and shipping center up two flights of stairs even before we unpacked the trailer. Did not know i had so much stuff.....but a good way to get reorganized!!! We had record rain here in June.....a good time to be inside working on getting organized!! 
Moving things around, filling orders, dying wool, and catching up on hugs and kisses from the grandkids filled my days while anticipating the arrival of summer company.

July 2010:
Trying to avoid mosquitos as a result of all the rain we had this spring and early summer!!
My friend Joy (my maid of honor 34 years ago) came from California for several days and we got to exchange lots of grandma stories and catch up with each other.
After she left Mark and Sharon Stewart came from North Carolina for 10 days of fun, food, laughter, teaching, shopping, site seeing, and much more.

Pittock Mansion  Portland, OR

Mt Hood
Gingerbread and Holly Wool Workshop
Sharon (Liberty Rose) and I spent two days teaching a wool workshop at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe called Gingerbread and Holly. What a great way to spend a hot summer day in a nice airconditioned classroom all decorated for Christmas and working with wonderful wool!!! Thanks to Jan and Brian for the festive spirit and great food!!