Meant to get a blog post out before Thanksgiving and had taken this picture of our Halloween pumpkin which my DH had kindly moved to the wooded part of our back yard (I think he was trying to see just what our little Aussie pup would think of it!) It was rather entertaining to see the face slowly collapsing, resulting in some interesting expressions! It seems no matter how hard I try to prepare and think ahead, the days before a holiday are always a bit crazy and exhausting as I try to ‘get things ready’!

I envy those of you who have figured out just how to ‘let it all go.’ The fact remains, however, that for 25 years we have celebrated Thanksgiving with my DH’s family in a wonderful secluded ‘cabin’ up north – it is a large, active, and quite often boisterous crew (20-30 people as well as assorted dogs) that gathers there… and I wouldn’t miss it for all the world. (My family was very small and Thanksgiving was almost always just the 5 of us!) More…

It’s done! It’s done! The slide show is done! Yes, with the help of my very patient web savvy son, I can finally share my trip to the International Quilt Market in Houston 2 weeks ago. As a first timer, I not only had a great time networking, etc. but also taking photos. There were ‘aisles and miles’ of inspirational colors and textures. So, for those of you who have never attended such a large show or market, I hope you can get a sense of the Market from behind your screen! Enjoy ‘the trip!’ As a designer, I found that ideas just kind of generated themselves as I walked up and down the walkways and taking in all the displays. Now I just have to decide just which ideas I should pursue in the coming months. The hardest thing for me is that I have not had time to quilt at all in the last 9-10 months, while I have been designing, drafting, photographing, and writing patterns as well as making the samples!! I miss the quiet meditation that I have when I sit and stitch. I’m beginning to think I will need to designate myself a ‘vacation’ – a time frame in which I will just focus on my own personal projects. Mind you, I am not complaining – after having chronic lymes for who knows how many years, I finally connected with ‘lymes literate doctor’ a year ago; with one year of treatment behind me, I am cautiously esctatic – feeling much better with more energy and improved stamina and less fatigue. I still have a way to go, but am hoping the trend continues. Who knows what I could get done if I had more energy!?!?!? More…

It’s taken a few days for me just to ‘get my bearings’ as I thoroughly enjoyed the International Quilt Market in Houston. As a first timer, I really didn’t know what to expect…and as a designer, it is a bit different to attend, since most vendors are geared toward shops. I had two main goals in attending: to be able to take in just what is ‘out there’- materials, tools and notions, patterns, techniques, etc. so that my patterns will be current, unique, and inspirational………and to be able to network with others regarding any of the aspects of pattern design, production, sales, etc. I believe I accomplished both of those goals. So many vendors were generous with their advice and encouragement – I wish I could thank them all! I do know that I have been overwhelmed with ideas as my mind is racing with potential projects and patterns. (I think I need to clone me!!) I do think that visual and sensory overload is common to creative people as we tend to look at materials and can think of umpteen new ways to use them!! More…

Since my last post, I have been a flurry of activity! Creating more pins, doing an “unexpected” trunk show, getting new business cards made, and getting everything in order so my visit to Houston will go smoothly. All good things. It certainly makes the days fly by! Plus, I have a showing of my “other art” (jewelry/beadwork/stained glass pendants) the day I get back from Houston, so I have been getting everything inventoried, priced and ready to go. Top everything off with fact that we are now the proud “parents” to a four-month-old Australian Shepherd puppy named Reka. There is no doubt puppies need attention!

So, today I am amazed. I actually think I am pretty much ready to go. I’m leaving as much room in my bags as possible for the goodies I may find at the market. Having never been there, I understand it can be quite overwhelming for a first-timer! More…

Recent cool temperatures (we camped north of Duluth this past week and overnight temps were down to 32 degrees!), trees bursting with gorgeous yellow, orange, red, and rust leaves, and bright sunshine are all confirming that the fall season is is full swing. I even received my tulip bulbs for planting and the cucumbers, tomatoes and beans are finally winding down their production. Some days it is hard to stay inside and work. Last week I finished 4 trunk show sessions at Quilters Haven in Rosemount, Minnesota. The owner, Jean Graham, was very supportive and helpful when I first sought opinions about my wool pieces. She has a wonderful selection of wool yardage ready to be felted – many rich colors that are not always easy to find. So often felted wool is sold in small pieces, which can provide great variety, but you really need some yardage in order to make a larger project. I was so pleased to be able to present my work and samples – her customers were very receptive and expressed interest in my teaching some classes. I had brought a few pins along just to show what I did with some of my ‘leftovers’ and they seemed to be a big hit. So I have tentatively agreed to teach a class for the pins as well as one for the toppers. But first, I have to get the patterns written and produced for the pins! And here I am, still just having fun with all the possibilities!!! More…

It’s been a very busy four weeks. The late summer days seemed to quickly disappear as the cooler (finally!) autumn weather begins to arrive. I love this time of year – cooler days, even cooler evenings, sunshine, colorful trees, the harvest from the garden(or farmer’s market), visiting the apple orchard, and falling leaves. This year, I think it was even more welcome than usual since the summer was so hot, it was hard to enjoy any time outdoors. Often, ‘autumn’ is used as a synonym for a stage of life: we hear the expression that someone is in the autumn of their life. Four weeks ago, I learned that a dear friend of mine, is not only in the ‘autumn of her life,’ but was preparing herself for her final journey as she asked me for my assistance in certain preparations. In return, I have decided that her final gift to me is the realization that every day is to be treasured. Perhaps this will explain why I temporarily ‘put aside’ my blog to spend time with her. Despite the fact that I was not able to find time to create a single pin in the last two weeks, I still have pins and felted toppers galore bouncing around in my head. The ones featured here were made earlier in the month… More…

It’s been a busy 2 weeks since I finished the Fall Leaves ‘tutorial’ series. I needed to take a break from ‘talking about felt’ on the computer and wanted to actually play with some ideas that have been rolling around in my head! We also managed to take a few days and headed north to Duluth to visit  my daughter, son in law, and our two little ‘grandgirls.’  We had a great time, even though the normally cool breezes off of Lake Superior really did not provide any respite from the hot weather. Braving the hot temps, we took the girls to the zoo: observing their enthusiasm (while I was trying my best not to wilt!) reminded me that children seldom let excessive heat interfere with plans for the day!  We grown ups should be so enthusiastic!!  Duluth also has great little bead store – Superior Beads – and (despite my previous vow not to buy any more beads!) I did shop for a some new Japanese seed beads in colors to use with wool felt.  I intend to write a post in the near future with more about seed beads, etc. (You will be amazed at how much there is to learn about beads!)  On the drive home, we stopped to visit the historical Northwest Fur Trading Post in Pine City. What a surprise to find a very informative display on the felting process used to make beaver felt hats! Felting is certainly not new!! More…

Woke up this morning to much more pleasing temps and – even better – reduced humidity! The sun was shining and it felt so good to walk outside and enjoy the fresh air. We took an early morning bike ride around the neighboring regional park; by the numbers of people out walking, roller blading, running, etc. it was evident that everyone seem to be taking advantage of the great weather. Of course, it shouldn’t go without saying – the predictions are for returning higher temps and uncomfortable humidity levels. 🙁 For the moment though, it feels wonderful just to know I can walk out my door and not wilt!! Not surprisingly, I felt more energized and was encouraged to get this final post done for the Fall Leaves series. With the background beading done, the project really is in its ‘home run stretch.’ I find I usually get pretty excited once the background beading is done; all the hours of applique and embroidery are done and the beaded background just adds something special. With only the backing left to do – it’s kind of like putting ice cream on the cake: the final finishing just makes it even better! More…