meanwhile...

While we are all patiently waiting to hear if my quilt was selected for the Under Cover show, you can see a nice press release about the show here.

And stay tuned for two new miniature quilts to be posted to my etsy shop in the next few days. Here's a sneak peak.



And here's my latest knitting project: Mittens for my sister's birthday.
Pattern: The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd, Interweave press
Yarn: Noro Kureyon color 209 with microfleece liners

randomness...

Open the book you’re currently reading, turn to page 161, and copy the fifth sentence on the page:

She looked at Mr. Penhallow's weather-beaten face; he looked much too old to have a son young enough for a swimming race.

(Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper)

okay okay

No more suspense...

My mini quilt has been selected as a finalist in a show called "Under Cover", which will be shown at a gallery called Greenjeans in Brooklyn NY. I sent them photos of the quilt, they juried the first round in by photo and then I packed it up and mailed it off to them. They are making final decisions on Friday.

In other news, Happy Birthday to my sister Beth!
And the windchill here is supposed to be something like 40 below today! Stay warm everybody.

I am a Finalist!

This mini quilt is called "Sewing Room". It is 8x10 inches. Made from new and vintage cotton fabrics. Yes, there are pieces in that tiny sewing machine that are 1/4" square. It has been accepted as a finalist in.... stay tuned for more!

beads

One of the classes I am teaching this spring is embroidery with beads. Two local beads shops were having big sales this weekend and so I decided to go and get my class supplies. I like working with semiprecious stones so a sale is a great deal. As I started to gather up everything I realized pretty quickly that getting every color to supply every kind of favorite color was really not practical. So I decided my class gets a color scheme - earthtones. I got everything in the amber-green-blue sorts of colors. I think almost anyone can find something to like in this group and it made it so much easier for me to get nice combinations of sizes and textures.

Pictured above: carnelian, amber, tourmaline, labradorite, turquoise, peridot, bunches of freshwater pearls and crystals.

Now Showing...

"Mango"
hand embroidered with cotton on hand-dyed silk.
This is my piece in the Textile Center's members show, A Common Thread. My inspiration for this piece was this story about a small South American hummingbird that found itself at the center of much attention at a feeder in Wisconsin.
Click the images to see a larger version.

Teaching!

I have filled up my spring with teaching gigs! Come and see me in Idaho at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts teaching wet & dry felting, beginning shibori and hand embroidery plus a teens shibori class and a kids weaving class. Or you can come to my "Starting a Blog" or "Opening an etsy shop" at the Textile Center in March and April.

swaps

I got these two batts from loop.etsy.com - combinations of merino wool, alpaca, silk, tencel, bamboo, sparkle... I don't spin, so I traded my friend Jen her spinning talents for a couple of puppets that went to some little friends for Christmas. Just last night she presented me with my yarn!



Now I just have to decide what to knit!

that's some stinky cheese, man

Jon Scieszka, the author of witty and subversive children’s favorites like “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” and “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” is to be named the country’s first national ambassador for young people’s literature on Thursday, a kind of children’s book version of the Library of Congress’s poet laureate program.

You can read more about it here...

I just have to say "WOOHOO!" Love John Scieszka. Have very fond memories of Andy reading the voice of the Stinky Cheese Man on one of our many "story tapes" for our nieces and nephews. (For those not in the know, we read about an hour's worth of books on to a cd for the kiddos every year or so for Christmas so Uncle A & Aunt B can read them bedtime stories.)

Gifts from etsy

I gave all of my family an etsy shopping list this year for Christmas. Here are some of the great gifts they chose from my list.


tshirt from wenifnotnow.

yarn from Phoenix Fiberworks.

bracelet from loopityloopglam.

necklace from HardflowerStudios.


earrings from LeftHandOriginals.

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical question 1: I promised news of some of our holiday vacation adventures. Among the highlights of the week was Andy's somewhat spectacular crash into a pile of slate at the bottom of the toboggan run. He and some friends went sledding and had a good first run. The second run down the slope took a detour and Andy ended up at the urgent care clinic with 6 stitches in his rump. The doctor chatted while stitching him up. "When was your last tetanus shot? And how old are you now?" As Andy started to answer that second question, the Doc says "No, that was a rhetorical question."

Rhetorical question 2: What does this say about my social life? Last night we had dinner and then cozied up on the couch with blankets, while we knit and watched Mr Rogers Neighborhood. (The one with the Flying Karamotzov Brothers and how they make macaroni.) I think we're planning a similar evening tonight.

I have a new baby niece.

Gifts reveal!

Time to reveal a few gifts! Here are some things that went out in Christmas packages.






Embroidery kits for my nieces packed with sewing goodies.



"Baa Baa Black Sheep" for my honorary niece to go with a book. (I have to say this is one of my favorite things I made this year.



Super hero capes for the small ones among my nephews. They each got one with their initial on the back.


Miniature "Weasley" sweaters for my sisters and parents to go on the tree.


Rachel's bamboo lace hat. Although she wore this a lot when we were there, we only managed to capture one lousy picture. So you get the hat but not the "get out of my face with that camera" expression.

Happy New Year!

We have returned from a somewhat action packed week in South Dakota. More on the action later. Here are some of our animal encounters...

Nuthatch.
Backyard Turkeys.
Barn cats love anyone who will feed them.
Roxanne and a barn cat at Slate Creek.
Lucifer's soft white belly.
Captain Jack spent the visit pirating kleenex (I had a yucky cold.)
Captain Jack Sparrow learns to knit.