Sunday, February 24, 2013

Officially Spoiled!

I am back home after one of the most wonderful weekends I have ever had. I got to spend this past weekend at Ariel's Bed and Breakfast in Mayville, NY, making new friends and teaching my special paper piecing techniques. There were 5 of us staying at the B & B and our wonderful hostess is a quilter, too, so the weekend was even more special than I thought it would be. Margo Stuart is an amazing cook, baker, and quilter, among other things, and has lived such an interesting life I really looked forward to the times she was able to take a break from taking care of us and just sit and talk.

This is the first time I have had any reason to go up to the Chautauqua Lake area in the winter time and I loved it! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I am waiting for one of my friends to send me some pictures to share here. I had to check on my own little cottage that is on Lake Erie while I was in the area and got to see the lake partially frozen. What a surrealistic view we had from the cliff overlooking the lake. It was so quiet and the landscape was completely motionless so that it felt like I was looking at a photo. It was eerily beautiful and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to see it.

If you are ever looking for a comfortable and cozy place to stay in the Chautauqua Lake area I highly recommend Ariel's Bed and Breakfast!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Spring Angel Finished

My Spring Angel quilt is finished! I added a Swarovski crystal halo and heart-shaped yoyos to embellish her. The pattern is available directly from me for $10 and can be emailed or sent via regular mail.

I originally used this design to raise funds for my friend who was recovering from an accident with a drunk driver that took the life of her 7 year old daughter. With lots of help from Mary Beth Hartnett and her amazing staff at Quilters Corner, we were able to raise a substantial amount of money for my friend's family.

Thursday, February 07, 2013

Looking for spools

 These are a few examples of the carvings my friend, Richard Kent, makes. The top photo is an ornament carved from a shed antler. (Shed antlers are ones found on the ground not from animals that have been hunted.) The bottom photo shows 2 examples of his carved thread spools.

Richard searches everywhere for spools but they're getting harder to find. He told me he would love to hear from anyone who might have some old wooden spools that are at least 1 3/4" high or larger.

If you send him 12 spools, he will carve one for you in exchange. If you want to purchase a spool ornament, they are $15 for one and $25 for 2. They make wonderful gifts for anyone who sews but also anyone who appreciates hand-made items!

I'm sorry I don't have a price for the antler ornaments but if you call Richard at 724-561-4410 he can give you any information you need.

Friday, February 01, 2013

Its good to be back!

Three weeks without a computer and I thought I would go mad! My old laptop started to misbehave so I took back to the store where it was purchased. They sent it away to see what was wrong with it. The estimate to fix it was almost as much as it cost new so I decided to take it to a local computer genius and see what he thought. He told me the service people where I took it never even bothered to open it up but when he did, he said my laptop overheated and all of the solder melted. He also said it was a common problem with that model laptop. So needless to say, I purchased a new computer and I have a new IT guy in my life. If you live in or around Pittsburgh, Ryan McAuley of The Computer Stop, is a lifesaver! You can reach him by calling 412-616-8134.

In the meantime, I had lots of extra time on my hands and got a good bit of quilting done. My Spring Angel quilt only needs the sleeve sewn down on the back, a label and the crystals ironed in place. I plan on entering my quilt in the Three Rivers Quilt Guild show that is coming up in March.

I've got some new things happening but I need to wait until schedules are finalized before I post about them, so check back soon!