New Embroidery Projects

I recently purchased (online download) Charlotte Lyon's cute little stitch book ... can't wait to make this! And I am getting ready to buy Rebecca's latest stitch sampler - chain stitches! I really like that she's having them screenprinted on different colors of fabric. Really awesome! (photos by Rebecca Ringquist and Charlotte Lyons)

Halloween is Almost Here!

I remember that 12 years ago, on October 31st, I got a little Halloween 'treat' - Child #4 - Olivia! I love this time of year!

Halloween Inchies

I belong to the Fiber Inchies Yahoo Group and we recently had a Halloween Inchie Swap. I just received mine today! I love them all! Gigi came up with a great idea to put them on a length of spider web ribbon! I couldn't get a great photo of them all but you get the idea!  A great way to showcase these little works of art! We're having a Christmas Inchie Swap as well.

Autumn Joy

I think we had snow about this time last year... but this year we are still hanging on to the last remnants of summer! Nice warm, weather and the leaves are taking their time to change color.... love it!

A Long Break

Who knew that going back to school would take up so much time?? I'm only taking one class to get re-certified to teach but I feel like I'm taking a whole load! It's been a beautiful and warm autumn here in SW Montana and I've been enjoying the outdoors as well! I had my kitty here for a visit for about ten days while my parents went on vacation - she lives at their house most of the time and loves it there!

I also attended a really fun workshop at Quilts on Broadway which taught us about Promise Stitching. It's quilt-making but all done by hand! I had a great time. Here are a few photos of examples we were shown ~

Do you love miniatures? I do. I found this adorable little bed at the antique store. I'm going to make a little quilt for it. Right now I just have a few little things stacked by it!

I promise to post again soon!

Did I Mention My Love of Books?

And now I get to add another to my collection! For awhile I have been thinking about purchasing this book, Journal Spilling by Diana Trout. I have been spending more time on stitching and fabric art, and less time on journaling but I think this book will inspire me to journal again! Thanks to Lyric Kinard, and her fantastic giveaway, I will be able to! I am the lucky recipient! Looking forward to it, Lyric! And by the way, check out Lyric's website and her books! I have been a fan for years!

I Love Books

It was a wonderful 70 degree day here in Bozeman, so I decided to walk downtown for awhile! I had stepped into the local independent bookseller - The Country Bookshelf - and found two wonderful books that I thought I really needed, but, being temporarily unemployed, decided against it! I then went down the street to the library, and believe it or not, there was one of the books I had been looking at - right there in the 'new book' section! Great way to start the day! The first book is Patchwork for Beginners by Sue Prichard. The second book is Pocketful of Posies by Salley Mavor, a fantastic fiber artist, who just happens to tell lovely stories with her beautiful artwork!

Vintage Lace Curtain

I have just begun to design/decorate my new studio/art room. I found the most gorgeous vintage lace curtain. It's a bit long for the window but I think I'll keep it there anyway. Don't you love the detail? More studio pictures to follow as soon as I get everything in its place!

Stitching

Here are my latest pattern acquisitions! I am hooked on good ol' fashioned embroidery! This first one is a sampler from Rebecca Ringquist. Love it! Can't wait to practice all my stitches! Order your own here .
(Photo courtesy of Rebecca Ringquist) 

I've always been a fan of The Prairie Schooler cross-stitch designs. This is going to be a Christmas gift!
(photo courtesy of The Prairie Schooler)

This pillow design is from Kathy Schmitz. I love anything with a rabbit! (Photo courtesy of Kathy Schmitz)

A Different Design

I want to update my blog a bit - so I'm checking out a few options. You may see a few changes here and there. Photos seem kind of crooked...hmm... trying to change my banner, etc. We'll see how it goes! Here are a few photos of our recent Quilts on the Lawn outdoor quilt show.

Trip to Yellowstone Park

What can I say about Yellowstone Park? It was a beautiful day - and a quick trip for us - we only live 90 miles north of the park!

Back to School

My youngest daughter has started 6th grade this year (the other 3 are out of college) - and believe it or not, I am back in school again! When I took a position at the University I let my K-8 teaching certification lapse (I've taught grades 5-8). That was 15 years ago ~  I'm still unemployed as of June 30 so I decided to take one class at MSU to regain my certification. I'm really excited to be a student again. I'm taking an upper level class - History of the West (US)... technology has certainly advanced at the university level since I graduated. Looking forward to expanding my knowledge!

Vintage Fabric

I am obsessed with vintage fabrics/linens. I try to control myself but it's nearly impossible. I limit myself to fairly small and inexpensive pieces. At some point I may even make something out of them, but for now I'm content to place them on a shelf or on my worktable to just touch and to look at! Here is a stack of recent purchases. I wish I could have found a bit more of that beautiful salmon-colored velveteen!Soon I will share a little project I'm working on - I might use a bit of these fabrics!

KC Willis

I have also mentioned one of my favorite fabric artists, KC Willis, a time or two. I just recently purchased one of her "KC In A Box" DVD sets, which also includes a collection of goodies and a beautiful little fabric collage on the box! A great deal, really! She will only have them available until August 25th, so please visit her blog for more info and a chance at a fantastic giveaway!

You may also want to visit her here - http://studioretreats.ning.com/ to see what tempting workshops she has to offer, both in her awesome studio (in Colorado) and at various locations around the country! Check it out.
I'd love a chance to dig through all her fabric stashes!

Also - you may take an online workshop with KC - Collage Camp - which looks great. Learn more about it here - http://www.collagecamp.ning.com/

Lovely Artist

I have mentioned Cori Dantini in a previous post. I really love her artwork and just purchased this wonderful piece. I'm sure I will add to my collection soon!

Busy Summer!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Not quite sure myself... We just recently moved to a new house so that's taken up most of my time! But it's been great going through a lot of stuff, tossing things I no longer need. Making space for more....! I will share photos of the new place soon, but until then I am busy working on a presentation for our local summer quilt fest - Quilts on the Lawn . Our Museum of the Rockies lets us present some of their antique quilts (from their collections that very rarely get seen by the public). It's a wonderful opportunity to learn about local history and see some fantastic quilts! Then there is the wonderful outdoor quilt show - with new and old quilts! Quite a wonderful display. I'm so excited. Here are some photos of last year's Quilts on the Lawn - it's held at an old elementary school that has been turned into an art center! I promise I'll have more to share soon!

Fire Near the Cabin

As we traveled to the lake this past weekend, we were surprised to find huge plumes of smoke coming from the direction of our cabin! We sort of nervously chuckled at first - it can't be near us - but in fact it was within a mile or so! Many folks were evacuated but they got it under control by the following day. Very smoky, very scary! We still managed to get on the boat for a ride!