Creative Time.....

Not sure about you, but we don't get nearly enough time to "play".  This past week we took time, made time; however you would like to say it and it felt wonderful.  Even took time to be child like and climbed into the kiddie pool when the kiddies'  were done for the day....I know we are a bit old for that but when your hot, your hot!  To add to these precious summer days I even read a book....this makes the week sound like we really goofed off, but we dyed over 120 pieces of burlap....lost count of the yards of osnaburg and kona we also dyed.  This was really a productive week.

For those of you who do not get our newsletter, these little beauties are headed up to Checker Distributors for their open house event the end of August.  The young ones made them to be given to shop owners who attend.  They have a pin back on them so that they can be worn.....some of you may have seen them in Chicago at the International Quilt Festival.

One of the things I still cannot get used to is designing and planning way in advance.....like fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving, Christmas or even Valentines Day.  If someone has a tip for me, please share it....tried holiday music but with 90 degree heat and humidity it just didn't create the mood.  Given that, after the flowers were made it hit me that they would look great on a little heart pillow to be given as a gift to someone special or just as a holiday decoration.

 I may not have been able to get into the holiday mood but daughter dear certainly did, this table runner is made using 2 of our burlap bundles, little hand-dyed wool for applique and our hand-dyed perle cotton.  She even found some holiday decorations to stage some pretty photos with...

 The pattern and/or kit should be available soon at least I think that's what I heard.

 This new quilt was created using our hand-dyed Osnaburg....I love this fabric.  We talked about doing something out of osnaburg to send up for the open house and this is what came of that brief conversation...I did think the young one was crazy to suggest I make a quilt before Monday, but it went together between Saturday and Monday so quickly...don't you just love when that happens. 

Don't think we will get much "play" time this week.  Next week may be another matter!

Tons of New Items! Sale of the Week: Burlap

We hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend....we know we did!!  We fit in some soccer, a baseball game, and family time! 

My goal around all of that was to get all the new items up online.  We introduced a few things at Spring Market and things had been so crazy they didn't get out but now they are up there.  We now have a Linen line which is 60% Linen/ 40% Cotton.  It is yet another great texture!  Also we have some new Kona fat quarter packs, discharged fabrics, rubber stamps, and more.  Check out our website to see all the new things!

Sale of the Week: 20% off Burlap & Sparkle Burlap Fat Quarters & Smalls

Don't forget to check out all of our supporting patterns for burlap.  What is better then Christmas in July?  Make a Burlap Stocking!!!





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Relaxing, Sorting, Surprises......

How can unpacking, sorting out studios; basically cleaning be so relaxing....not sure but this past week has been so wonderfully relaxing that a thought about how on earth will we get back to work did pass through my mind.  Problem was when someone did have the audacity to say it out loud.  Then guess what came in Friday...oh, for those who regularly read this you probably can guess on your first try.....yup..a distributor order.  Guess we know what that means.....in the mean time here is a peak at life this past week.

Kristin made some flowers from our hand-dyed osnaburg, cotton organdy and cheesecloth; a vintage button adds just the right touch. She also unpacked show boxes, finished knitting a shawl, did book/computer work and of course watched the World Cup....our puppies did not appreciate her yelling at the TV.

During my days of sorting out the cutting table in my studio I found a few "works in progress" that I do believe I will be able to finish up this week.  Some of our collaborative stacked landscapes that we have been creating can get the finishing touches very easily.  The first will get borders and quilted.  I think our Butternut Squash Kona cotton will be the perfect touch for this southwestern feeling piece.

Then a few more stitches on these seascapes and they will be ready to frame. The bottom piece seems to be calling for some sea grass and beads.

The clouds are created using cotton floss and the sorbello stitch, my go to stitch for texture and dimension.


Saturday  I spent the day watching the World Cup, weeding the front gardens. They look really wonderful due to all our rain, but not everything was something that "should" be there.  A few weeks ago I took a day to plant the large planters so as to add some punch to the gardens...also to give myself something pretty to look at while working.  Sunday they got new mulch spread so as to weather the rest of the hot season... they look like dynamite and I am be ready to get back to work.
Well, maybe "slowly....very slowly".

Somehow playing in the dirt really does make me feel relaxed.