Oh! I Forgot!!

Yes! This was the retreat stitchery project!  I was going to finish it as a pillow, but decided that I had too many ideas to put WITH it!  So.... now it's going to be part of a quilt that will be released next spring.  I'm going to start drawing right now, TODAY!!

xo Meg

Kids....Don't try this at home!!!

Too much stitching will cause eye damage!

(Thanks Kathy for sending the pic of Marianne!)

Stitchery Sojourn Retreat 2010!!

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WOW!!!  There's so much to show & tell.....but I think we'll start at the "end"!  LOL!!!!!  This is Gerry, Marianne, Susan, Judy, Kristi, Ruth, Judy, Sandy, Dianna, Diane, Kathleen, Jill, Brenda, and Wendy (Diane and Lisa are in the "witch's witness protection program" it seems, and wouldn't get into the picture!) 
First, I have to tell you that there was a big, nasty weather system moving in on the weekend, and the weather reports all said that it was going to be dark and rainy the whole time....luckily nature smiled on us and it was only gray and raining when we wanted to be inside.  Whenever we wanted to go out....it cleared up and was warm and GORGEOUS!!!  We were truly charmed!

Friday at lunch time. Gerry and Kristi are checking out the bread....

Work, work, work!

Ruth tries to decide which sweet treat to try... While Honeybunny stands guard at the candy bar.

On Saturday afternoon we all walked over to the house to work (WORK????....NO!) Play on some small projects. Jan was upstairs helping everybody make beaded pins.  Cindy was in the dining room helping everyone get their scissor fobs made and Sheila had everybody else making little sewing cases in the living room. I was outside by this time helping Phil strip. (more about that later!) 

 Susan, Gerry and Wendy are the last to leave?

No... Ruth is there too!............It looks like Judy, Diane, Judy and Jill all went out to sit in the sun on the back porch to finish their cases.  It was SO, SOOOoooooo pretty outside!

We got just about everybody in on the stripping......(OOOoooooh, you have a dirty mind!  We're stripping the leaves off of willow branches to make the witch's brooms!!!) 

 Sheila and Kristi are working away in the sunshine.

It's kind of like a witch parking lot huh?

More stripping!  Looks like Judy's choosing the perfect broom handle.

Ruth's broom is finished!  Look at all the cool, twisty handles they chose!!!

Back to the studio for dinner and our Saturday night "Stitch-in".  We laughed SO hard and had so much fun!  Wish I'd gotten a pic of Marianne with the Halloween candy eyeballs inside her glasses!!!  Or was that on Friday???

Gerry and Marianne (check out Marianne's earrings...they glow in the dark!  REALLY!!!  We tested it!  Turned out all the lights and made her dance around in the middle of the room...

well, the dancing may have been HER idea!!???

What's everybody looking at?  Oh yeah...a new design!

Wendy's tying her nametag on the tree!  We're going to have to try to find all of them and see what they say!  All good, I hope!  I think everybody had a good time, Cindy, Sheila, Jan and I sure did!  By the way... this retreat just plain wouldn't have happened if not for all the hard work that they all did!  How many times DID you all walk from the house to the studio and back??? How many dishes did you wash???  You all know the in's and out's of my kitchen and pantry better than I do now!!! 

I'm SO thankful for this group of "girls", you've no idea!!!!

Now................................for the troublemakers of the group!...................................

Diane by the pumpkins, what a pretty picture!

Susan: "Wendy, Gerry....do you think these would make good earrings????"

Wendy: "................AAaaaaaahhhhhh......................................no."

Brenda and Dianna pretty in red!

Judy and Sandy getting ready to fly home to Idaho!!! LOLOL!!!

Ruth looks too sweet to carry a broom.

Goodbye everybody!!!  We loved, loved, LOVED having you come to our first retreat!!!!  You were such a lovely group and we can't wait to have an Alumni get-together!!!

BIG  XOXXXXX's!!!!     Meg, Sheila, Cindy and Jan

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's ready to go!  The new pattern and it's floss kit are up on the website and if you haven't received your email announcement about it....you must not be on the mailing list! YIKES!!  We can't have THAT!!! 

I just love this cheerful quilt........It's going to International Quilt Market with Nireko from Lecien, so if you're going to be there...pay it a visit in their booth and say "Hi!" from me!!

xo  Meg

It's almost time for the Autumn Retreat!!

 We've been working on all of the retreat surprises and spiffing up the studio & the house to get ready for everyone's arrival on the 22nd.  We're all SO EXCITED!!!  As you can see... we're also getting alot of help from Honeybunny.......every piece of wool we'll be using for this kit has been 100% quality control checked for napping comfort!!!  It has his stamp of approval (and a few hairs!)

A couple of nights ago (from L) Cindy, me, Jan and Sheila went to the "Girl's Night Out" Halloween  event held at Beaverbark Garden Center (OH....it's so much more than just that!).  There were about.......hmmmmmm....... a jillion??? people there!!  We had so much fun!  Before we left we got our picture taken in front of this old hearse with the tall, young vampire behind us. 

It was so funny because after the picture was taken and the "photographer" started to leave our vampire said in a very UN-vampirish voice to him.........."Thanks grampa!"..........SO cute!!!

Next, I just took some pictures in the house...just a little bit of Halloween deco!  Have you made Zelda's Fancy Hat?  I LOVE mine!

Yes... I'm MADLY in love with mercury glass!  It seems to be a new addiction..........like I NEEDED another one! LOL!!

 I just love this tiny little pumpkin pail!  There's something so cute about mini things....don't know why?!.....maybe that's why mini cupcakes are so darn appealing..........it's a conspiracy!!!

The next picture is just a "teaser"!!!  This is part of the stitchery we're going to be doing at the retreat.  I've decided that I'm going to draw up several more blocks on this theme and put them together in a quilt for release next spring.  I'll show you the rest of the stitchery after the Stitching Sojourn Retreat is over!!  I will say tho.... it's alot of FUN!!! (do you like the candy cornflowers???)

We're working feverishly to get the new pattern "How Does Your Garden Grow?" released.  In fact Sheila is working today (Saturday) at printing them up...yes, she's a VERY good girl! LOL!!!!  We'll be shipping to the distributors and then we'll send out info about the pattern to shops next week and get the pattern up on the website.  I'll send out a little message to let you know it's ready!
I hope you're having a GREAT start to Autumn!  Talk to you later!
xox  Meg

Beautiful La Conner Day!

Well, La Conner was gorgeous!  The weather was perfect and there were farm stands EVERYWHERE with pumpkins and the last of the harvest fruits and veggies.  The roads around were lined with sunflowers and black eyed susans and they all had signs that I'd want hanging in my LIVINGroom!!!  La Conner, itself, looks like a seaside old town on the coast of Maine or something!  Crab pots were stacked here and there and almost every building looked like it came straight from a movie set!

The class was so much fun!  Everybody was so nice...AS USUAL!!  We had a teaching assistant (Jane from Anchorage, AK) who was SO much help and made the day go off without a hitch!  I love that the photos all show the sun pouring in the windows onto everyone.

After the class, we went for a short drive to Anacortes on Fidalgo Island (Check out a map of Washington, we're right off the San Juan Islands) and I took a few pictures of the water...(I PROMISED I'd get water pics this time!!)  I got kind of turned around so I don't know if we're looking inland or toward the San Juans in these..........HEY!  I'd been in class all day and I was TIRED!!!  .........well, sun sets in the west...SO, we'll have to do some CSI type forensic photo work to figure that out! LOL!!!

I'm sorry, I'm sort of punchy from working on writing "How Does Your Garden Grow?" all day.  The diagrams are BRUTAL!!  Hope you enjoy this pattern!  It will release next week (if all goes as planned that is!)
Talk to you later!
xo  Meg