GUILD DEMOS - A FRUITFUL AFFAIR

Gone so much I miss most of our local guild meetings but my friend Sue and I were very happy we were able to attend this one.   An evening of demos.  The quilter-wanna-be, that's me, learned a very useful block that I will incorporate into the baby quilts for the expected twin grandchildren.  First ones!  Yippee.  Youngest son the first to have children...you don't get to choose the order you just make the quilt(s).  Here is the informative evening in pics.  Click for big.

Robin does her magic
with four 5" squares

So much prettier than my photo

1.  Begin with four 5" squares seamed together.  Cut 1 1/4" away from center seam as shown.      Best to place on small mat for rotating ease.  Rotate your mat in quarter turns making the same cut each time.
2. Now, leaving center and outer corners where they are, rotate all four inner rectangles l80 degrees.
3. Next sew it all back together and there you have it...a Simply wonderful block.

 Connie showed us how to use the Guild's AccuQuilt to cut many different shapes.  We were so surprised to see that it even cut notches for matching up pieces.   

Kim - Queen of Thangles

LOVED Thangles - great hopes now
for all sizes of the half square triangle.

Gotta get some Thangles - all sizes!

Nancy did beautiful hand painted cards and painted fabric as well . . assisted with her can of shaving cream.  Yes, shaving cream.   Amazing.  My close-ups too blurry..sorry.  Loved that she emphasized the ease with which children become artists using these methods.  Fun too!

Susan was very artful as she demoed some quick gift bows out of various ribbons and laces.  Just in time!

Thank you so much gals!

PICK YOUR PATTERN PLEASE

Me..Woolbert again.  I have to tell ya. . . it iS nearly ThanksGIVING afterall so when Reets handed me just one number out of her big winner's bowl I had to just shake my head.

REALLY?  ONE winner Reets?   So thank me later I drew out two more numbers.  (They don't call me warm and wonderful for nothing ya know).   And furthermore, 

NEXT WEEK'S DRAWING

will be a wool kit and I will draw the winner from the Followers of my....er...I guess that's Reets' . . and my Blog.  The followers are over there to the right if you want to jump in.

Okay Woolbert...May I please say a few things before I announce the winners.  He is just a huge bit bossy . . but oh so sweet.  Just a couple of things first.

We found some small and large glass charms that delighted us.  On our website we have opened

The Running Goose Marketplace.

You will find the charms available there.  Soon we will be adding some handmade items and other goodies.  So keep your eye on our website, Reets Rags To Stitches.

I am sincere when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments.  I would read one and say, "oh YES...that is my favorite thing about the holidays too!!"  I said it again for the next, the next and you understand I'm sure..do read them.   Thank you all for sharing and joining in the fun.

I will try to have a Give-Away every week until mid December.  Won't always have time to send out a notice to our email list so just keep in touch here for the announcements.

OKAY...Do not have the email address for the 3 winners so you will have to Contact Me and give me your full names and addresses.   Be sure to go to our Christmas Pattern Page  and pick out your free Christmas Pattern.

Woolbert and I drew these three numbers.  I will also add some words from your comment so we all match up and get the right winners. Thanks to All and Congratulations to:

1. COMMENT #9 - Cathy said.."My favorite thing about the holidays is time spent with family."
2. COMMENT #17 - Cathy Lynn said.."I love sitting in the company of the lighted Christmas tree..."
3. COMMENT #31 -Anonymous signed Pat - "I get a thrill from making something new for the house or the tree.."

These coming weeks of Holiday season. . . 

Keep it breezy and easy and Joyful and Peaceful .

JUST ONE WORD. . .

Well ok maybe a few more words about the One Word.

Nah....

just One Word.

SANTY HAS A PATTERN FOR YOU!

Get the hot chocolate brewing and be ready to stitch up a stocking or two, a Santy, or whatever you choose.  If you are the winner in our drawing you can take the Polar Express on over to our website and pick out a free Holiday pattern.  

If you leave a comment here - has to be on this post - before
Midnight - November 16
I will pop your name into me Santy cap for the drawing.
The comment should mention your favorite thing about the Holiday Season.

Wish you all good luck!

Winner will be announced November 17. 

DONE DITTY DONE!!

Saying goodbye to 2011 shows.  All Done.  Couldn't have done it without all of you that were able to visit our booths and I sincerely thank you.  Now..can someone please hand me my sewing machine.  I do love to do shows and I do love to get home.  Thought some of you that are unable to make it to the west coast might like a little booth tour.  As you might guess each takes many hours to set up but you can take the tour in a jiffy!

Fun Charms

Luscious Little Hand Dyeds

See all of you show goers in 2012!

RED HEADS

I don't know..just put some red petunias in a big white pot.  It well satisfies the floral appetite.  And that's from spring to fall.  Why did I bother planting anything else?  Do I show my appreciation by dead heading them?  No I do not.  Do I feed them?  Nope.  If

unperturbable

was a word, then I would call them that.  The thermometer is wringing us out at 104 degrees these past days and still…they bloom on.   We ate out on the patio this evening.  i glanced over at their perky little forms.  Feeling slightly irritable from the heat and waiting too long to nourish myself, a grimace escaped me and I mumbled..

"yah go ahead and just blossom your little heads off…like you don't even KNOW you should be flat out wilted….like me!  Just sit there in all your bloomin' glory!"

Sheepishly, i turned back to my platter of food which for some reason now looked rather unappetizing.   I went for a short walk down the road after finishing.  When I returned, they all seemed to be staring at me as i attempted to sneak on by.  But alas, I did.  I apologized.  To each and every one of the glorious little Reds.

It's the heat you know…turns me into a monster sometimes.

But they will forgive me I know they will and tomorrow morning when I walk outside to splash my face in the morning sun as it sprinkles through the redwoods, they will shout it out once again.

"LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ..WHEN YOU ARE RED."

and they are so right...

FLEECE LAUNDRY DAY

Hi Friends...it's Woolbert.  I have some exciting news.
Reets isn't much of a shepherdess so she always buys her tiny curl fleece from someone else.  Last time it came unwashed...that was many many months ago.  Today was a miracle.  Finally...she overcame her fear and washed the thing.  Big Wooly Bully Deal I say!  Oh well...just so she never heads my way with any shearing scissors.   Freaky!


Well...Woolbert just does not understand that in the first place tiny curl is almost impossible to find. And then when you wash it, you can barely touch it.  Scaredy as I am, I was forced to do it myself as my friend Carin is just never home long enough to lend her expertise. But when in doubt, look online!  Losing Our Shirts, Keeping The Farm...Love the name!  And loved their blog with a wonderful fleece washing tutorial.  Go see if need be.  Made it sooo simple. 

kinda dirty...

Cleano!

I took the "clean" pic after my first batch.  For the following batches i placed the fleece on some flexible mesh in the water so that i didn't have to handle it as much.  I think it preserved the curl a bit better.  This process is way easier than I thought..thanks to Keeping The Farm!

WEDDING GLANCE

Just a couple of pics from our daughter's recent wedding.  More to come.  Busy getting ready for Tacoma show now.  The wedding was more wonderful, more joyous, and more fun, than any of us could have ever imagined.

Lucky In Love - Zoom Photography gals were incredible...
and very zoomy!

Lilanya the Bride

They celebrated their vows in a dreamy Mendocino vineyard.  Beautiful gardens everywhere.

And a superb

Dance Floor!  Yes... 

A

Very

Memorable

Day. 

DAUGHTER'S BIG CATCH!

Look at my youngest daughter's Big Catch!

No...Not the fish.   That GUY to her right!

That was last year in Mexico...the fish is real by the way.  And the WEDDING...
is la little over one week away.   
(Mother's note:  She had better scarifice catching the biggest fish or a divorce might follow.)
My daughter is so organized that the day after her engagement party last summer, she had us gather to make hundreds of jars of strawberry jam to give as wedding favors.
I'm sure she is too busy to be reading this now so I can tell you how excited I am that I just took their quilt that I FINISHED IN TIME...to be quilted.   Doing their three initials on blocks arranged helter skelter style. 
 Why can't their initials   L  A  M   not also stand for Love And Marriage.  They Can.  They Do.
 Have never made a larger size quilt.  Will show you later.  

She chose that fan fabric last year
while helping me at a quilt show.
Never had a clue it was for a wedding quilt.
I picked out the others shown with it.

Letter L..too big for the scanner so the right side
is missing.   This was a reject.  Sewed the Ls backwards.
Oops.   Had a number of rejects...almost enough for
another quilt.  The letters were easy to put into block form.   

DON'T LOOK SOPHIE!

No don't look Sophie!   Don't Look Behind You!!  Reets has  abandoned
ANOTHER one of us.  AGHHH!...it has a POINTED HEAD!!
Remember those two empty noggins...yes way back last December it was.
Well there they still sit unfinished.  And now this freaky thing.
We are nothing but Reets' UFO Cemetery.   Plug your ears...I'm going to SCREAM!   

Oh those girls..

Remember Sophie and Frances?   Last December they posted such uncharitable things about me here.  Go back and check out Older Posts, if you missed their petty little rant.   They just have no faith in me.   Little do they know, that pointed head now has a hat.  And a face.   And everything she needs to be my little Scream Punk Witch.  My version of Steam Punk.  And she be very FINISHED.   So There Frances...at least you got the "Scream" thing right.  

Scream Punk Abby - Quite Complete!

WINNERS!

Since Reets was away so long, and hasn't
kept up with her give-aways, I talked her into
drawing two names!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS

KAREN KENNEDY

AND 

ALLENZ

Thanks to all who joined in the fun.   And I sincerely thank you for all of the wonderful comments.   They all went to my head and I was really bossy this morning to my husband.

I've snapped out of it now though and am back to the sewing room scrambling for Market. 

Thanks again and Happy Stitching...Reets 

Hello Again

It is amazing to me that with a family of this size, we have had very few family emergencies.   I am finally returning from just that.   Things have mellowed and it seems our middle child is going to be ok.

Thankful thankful.   I'll leave it at that.   

And now I scramble to try and still make it to Market in SLC.

I think I can I know I can I think I can...and so it goes.   One week remains.

I did make a promise to you though and will take the time to at least make that good.  Woolbert is so excited that, after many years, his little wool block has been put into a quilt.  He is here to give away a free copy of his new Wool Sampler Quilt pattern.   He'll tell you how below.  

You have until MONDAY MORNING, 5.2.11 to leave a comment and be eligible.

Hi Friends! If you would like to win the new
Wool Sampler Quilt.  All that you have to do
is leave a comment to this post.  Tell
me how gorgeous I am or something.  Reets
and Company will draw a lucky winner.
Love and good luck...Woolbert.

Look!  That's me up in the
top corner!  Gotta love
this one.  Hope you win!

MORE FOLSOM TIDBITS

During the show I was hosted by my wonderful friends Marylou and Richard.  One evening, my carelessly leading everyone over a hillside to the lower level of the restaurant's parking lot, ended Marylou up in an unseen ominous hole in the pavement.  Down went my dear friend, high heels and all.  She insisted on continuing on with our dinner plans so we popped a bag of ice on her ankle and ate away.   Oblivion was not permitted the next morning however, and a trip to the doctor reveals a cracked fibula.  Big Groan.  Shame on me and my habitual shortcuts.

Soooo sorry Marylou.   But that's a lovely cane!  Really!  Isn't it lovely folks!
See how it matches her outfit?   It absolutely does!!  

Marylou is an accoomplished artist in the Scaramento area.   Multi medium artist in fact.   Her sculptures are as delightful as her paintings.  You can meet her and view more of her incredible art work here:

Marie Dixon fan page link

Dancing Flowers

View of the American River

And then the gifts from my booth neighbors who are always so enjoyable and generous.

Vintage pincushion from Auntie Em.
Olde Wool and vintage button.

Beaded bookmark
from Barbara

Barbara's bookmarks - hand made
beads from Kenya.  Charms also.

 Barbara used to teach art to young children in Los Angeles through the Getty Art Museum so is well skilled in now creating her own art.   Her works are located on etsy -  cabochon atelier.


I love fences.   They stop me in my tracks.   So on the way home from the Folsom show I snapped these two moss-covered beauties.  The stone fence ran a good ways around the lovely lake. Click on them for better view.

AUNTIE EM'S - BOOTH TO LIVE FOR

The Folsom show, one of my favorites, has come and gone.  But the memories have not.  Can you imagine the challenge trying to set up your booth when right next door Auntie Em is unveiling treasure after treasure and the passers by are exclaiming one after another..."oh MY!"  "Oh I have NEVER seen..."   And once again you have to pop yourself up to the next rung on your ladder, balance with the other foot on the table...for better leverage...and peer over the curtain top.  Quietly.  Gracefully.   Disinterestedly.   Well CAN you imagine?   The vintage buttons the antique quilts the linens. Take a look.

See what i mean....Booth To Live For.

Auntie Em herself.

Even has a rug on the floor...classy vintage.

Auntie Em has a wealth of knowledge to share about all of her quilts.   I have learned a lot seeing as how I not only snoop but eavesdrop as well.   She and Barbara are fun booth neighbors...we have to remind ourselves at times to attend to our customers and tone down the frivolity.   
That's the Folsom report.
Woolbert says hello and wants you to know that soon he will have a free pattern drawing...as the new 12 block little wool quilt done at last.   I'll try to get it up on the website as soon as we return from the airport in a few days....picking up the Pittsburgh son and the granddaughter.  A three and a half year old in the house again...We are so ready for that! 

"Whose woods these are I think I know"

"Whose woods these are I think I know.."

So often lovely dark and deep..

but today,

Lovely and Luminous and bathed in snow.

Viewing the

Redwoods

from the deck.

Oh my oh my.

Who could resist an offer to walk in the snow.  The trip to the top of the hill was nothing short of mesmerizing.  On the way back down we found our tracks to be completely covered.   And the snowflakes....nearly palm size.   Truly.

Our reward...A View From Near The Top.
And I heard them saying so softly... "We are here we are here...beneath this snowy veil.
Come see. Gently, lift a bough.  See the truth of green beneath our ghosty gown. We are here."
 and then..."Leave us now to our silence to our peace.  The spring comes so soon and we need our rest."
"Thank you for coming . . . and thank you for this place on Earth.  We are here." 

And the snow was wet.  Snowballs were thrown.  I was not the better shot.

Nor was I a good loser.

So there will be no pictures of this event.

til next time....stay warm, stay cozy.

And bless all that are trees.

Stitching Guides, Tutorials, Videos

Folsom Show ever so close.  Don't come visit right now...there's nary a path!   I have just a moment though to share a website that is a wonderful source for all of your embroidery stitches.   I used to reference a site in all of my patterns but have learned it is no longer found.   So if you are stitch searching go to Mary Corbett's website and find yourself in stitchery heaven.   She walks and talks you through a zillion different stitches no matter how simple or how complex.   Super site!

NeedlenThread.com

Loved one of her recent posts as she was working with wool threads.  

All for today...back to ripping wool.  See you in Folsom if I'm lucky!