Happy Halloween

It's really fun to go to the doctor when the entire office is dressed up for Halloween. The nurses were Nurse Ratchet and Nurse Hatchet....My doctor - Dr. Cumbie was a colonial soldier...

It made for such a fun day and put us all in such a happy and festive mood....
Have a spooky and fun filled Halloween seeing all the little cutie pies in their costumes. My granddaughter is beyond excited and I can't wait to get pictures...

Fiber Junkies Oct - Ice Dyeing

  Fiber Junkies met at Kate's home for a day of ice dyeing using the microwave - very different from regular ice dyeing where the fabric is allowed to batch. Denny was able to join us; she showed us her experiments using the microwave at different amounts of time since she had a low wattage oven. None of us could see a difference including Denny but the samples were beautiful and we knew we were in for a fun day.

 All the colors were so vibrant - amazing since the fabric was left in for 4 - 5 minutes.

 We had different stations - Kate and Denny were so organized. The dye table (upper left) held the MX dyes we all brought to share and where we added dye to the fabric. The upper right is the table where we had the ice crusher. Ice was added to the top of the soda ash treated fabric which is scrunched in a bowl. The pics should be reversed since we did the ice first and then sprinkled powdered dye on top.

 Mary is sprinkling dye on her fabric, will then put in microwave and nuke it for 5 mins.

Denny who organized the workshop, is so knowledgeable and provided us with so many samples and good ideas plus all the equipment....Because of health reasons, Denny has not been able to come to Asheville where we usually meet, .....so we were all so thrilled to have her for the day, and as always appreciated all she gives to us in so many ways.

 Susan (left) and Gen (right) donning their masks before working with the dyes. Above is the first scarf I made - IN 5 MINS....can hardly believe it.

 And more examples of beautiful fabric....

 Gen who is working more with paper (and doesn't need any more fabric), decided to do some pillowcases and t-shirts which now look fabulous.

I immediately washed and ironed mine when I got home...was very happy with the results (below) and have been dyeing scarves all weekend for my booth at Woolworth in downtown Asheville.
A great day and big thanks to Kate and Denny for putting it together.

A Magic Moment for Nana

My granddaughter and daughter recently came for a visit. My granddaughter - Audrey, who just turned 7 attended Heritage Day sponsored by the Southern
Highland Craft Guild. One of the events was a quilting demo and frame where children of all ages were invited to take some stitches...Audrey really liked it and later on asked me to teach her to sew...Well, those were precious words to me and as I went to get a needle and some thread, she said...Oh no Nana, I want to sew on your machine.

Well gulp...! I quickly moved the speed control to slow, got her some fabric to practice on and she was off and running. 

She has never been near a sewing machine but quickly learned the balance wheel, the power foot and presser foot...like a little duck to water. 

I stood behind her every second to make sure little fingers didn't get near the needle.

 She practiced a little and was soon ready to make something. She chose her fabric and made a pillow and a pocketbook

What a cool little kid....she was so proud of herself and I couldn't be prouder.....As a child I loved to sew and was thrilled every time my mother would pull out fabric from her scrap box and hand them to me. It has given me many hours of happiness and I'm hoping the same for Audrey.

After our sewing session, we went to see the horses and

laid on our neighbors hammock, looked at the treetops and made up silly stories...A most magical day. These moments are the best part of life.
My blog has been silent for a while as I've been away on a river cruise, something my hubby and I always wanted to do.  I have some great pics to share which I plan to use as inspiration for a series I'm thinking about....Til next time.

Woolworth in the Fall

 "Leaf Peepin" season is starting although it's been too warm for any color change...our peak here used to be @ the third weekend in Oct...now it's in Nov. Mary and I are gearing up and doing some "fall" cleaning on our booth. We've added some fall items which adds a lot of color and gets you in the spirit. I sell lots of cards which are fun to make and people always seem to need cards.
Time for some new ones...In looking through my stash, I came across a large pieced background I had decided not to use....I cut them a little bigger than needed and added some machine buttonhold stitching along some of the edges. I love doing the buttonhole stitch with rayon or decorative thread.

I than found leaves I had transferred through a method I developed years ago using real leaves and image transfer paper.They are identical to the real thing except they don't die.

Using an invisible thread, I stitched down the middle of each leaf, leaving the sides free for more dimension. I machine stitched the fabric/leaf to a card blank and voila! I hope they do well as they are definitely seasonal.

Years ago I made ties for the Southern Highland Craft Guild Fair. You can buy the silk blanks through Dharma. I had a number of ties already dyed but not embellished. Sooooooo I was happy to move them out of my studio after finishing them with a leaf (image transfer process) and a tiny bit of gold stitching you can barely see at the top of the leaf. The stitching only goes around 1/3 of the way down...but adds a little more visual texture.

The booth looks nice and updated .....

I added more new scarves created on our recent retreat.

If you're in the Asheville, NC area, come and visit us at Woolworth on Haywood Street which is right in the heart of town. We are downstairs in booth # 235...Hope to see you there.

All You Can Eat Buffet

They're Baaaccckkk.....yes our lovely deer who come and visit us at night have become more brazen and show up during the day....

in our garden....

to stop and stare at us....

and go back to eating our endless supply of pretty flowers....sigh....They are pretty though (the deer and the flowers).

Asheville Quilt Guild Show 2019 Pt. 2

To continue the coverage of the wonderful Asheville Quilt Guild show held this past weekend, this is only a brief sampling of so many beautiful quilts.

Come Alive by Sandy Wold was a beautifully pieced quilt in soft colors.

My Cold Plate by Penny Streeter was a masterpiece in workmanship. Ladies standing next to me were saying it reminded them of Frozen - the very popular Disney movie. My little granddaughter who had everything Frozen in her room, would agree I think and that was my immediate reaction also.

Kissing Stars by Andrea Walker (top left) and Pasta Pizzaz by Alice Russell were beautiful examples of piecing and machine quilting - both were wonderful. Feathered Star by Jackie Hurwitz - is there nothing prettier than a beautifully made feathered star. I've always been a fan of this pattern but have never tried it...so many points and this one was perfect.

Zoomville by Greenville Modern Quilt Guild was simplistic and very lovely. I'm not much of a minimalist but am liking it more and more for its calming qualities.

Above left, Connie Brown made Taffy with a detail on the right. I love the big hand stitching and am doing that more and more on my quilts...looks great. Directly above in center is Thousand year Journey Ocean Circulation by Sylvia Schaefer. It was an interesting pattern to see interpreted into fabric.

Jeremy's Dream Aquarium by Nancy Oldham was very large and dramatic...lots of detail to see up close and personal.

Folk Art Fun in Baltimore  by Tami Graeber was one of my favorites...very well done and great use of border fabric...also loved the rick rack - I'm a lover of rick rack from childhood days. The fascinating thing about this quilt is that none of this is appliqued...it is all painted. I first noticed it when I saw the black outline around each motif and thought...wow, this is not thread....and then to realize that the rest was also painted....really well done.

Haunted Christmas by Cyndi Herrmann - just adorable and I'm betting a really fun quilt to make.

Ladies of the Sea by Mary Ellen Simmons was a magnificent piece of workmanship and design..

One of the highlights of the show was our own Georgia Bonesteel who gave several lectures and demos at the show. Her new book Scrap Happy Quilts has recently been published and is a beauty. Not only does it contain many beautiful pictures and directions for some of her quilts but stories from her "growing-up" years...simple stories that just grabbed my heart...maybe because they were so typical of childhood and our own humble beginnings...She told the stories behind her first 3 spankings...back in the day when a simple and mild pat on the bottom taught a lesson. It made me want to go home and start writing down so many of my own stories. I can't remember what I had for breakfast but I can remember so much from the past. Anyway, it was a wonderful lecture and thank you Georgia for continuing to inspire us in all the best ways.
I have some very talented girlfriends who not only make quilts but beautiful clothes.  Marene Parsons (below) has made this beautiful wrap using a Folkwear pattern and than used such an interesting pin as a closure. I have the same pattern and now can't wait to use it.
Mary Stori on bottom, made the beautiful vest she is wearing...on closer inspection I noticed the wonderful beading along the edge...so subtle and adding so much...AND she also made the necklace which goes so well with the vest...
It was a great day and show...