EMBROIDERY RETREAT 2010

This was not our first, but the first in a long time.  I have to admit that I have not spent time embroidering with my 10001 Janome Embroidery Machine for over a year, maybe longer.  The place?--
-A NIMBLE THIMBLE-- Tyler, Texas.  This is a wonderful quilt shop.  If you are ever in the area, it is a "MUST STOP AND SHOP" place.  Let me start with a few pics of the shop (now that I have your attention in that area).  You will see that Katie (shop owner) has created a place where you can learn and purchase supplies for just about all crafts.  I have recently developed a love for wool (see "Tree Time" free BOM on my right side bar).  Nimble Thimble has the most wonderful collection of wool that I have seen.

EYE CANDY FOR WOOL LOVERS

FABRICS, FABRICS, AND MORE FABRICS

ALL BEAUTIFULLY DISPLAYED

THREADS???   ALL KINDS OF HAND AND MACHINE

MY FAVORITE--THE WESTERN FABRICS!

MORE MORE MORE

MORE MORE

REPRODUCTION FABS

MORE MORE MORE

MORE MORE!

CUTE CUTE CUTE SAMPLES!

KITS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE!

BACK TO THE TRIP!  ALL FIVE OF US PACK OUR CRAP AND RODE IN ONE CAR.  KATHLEEN IS OUR PACKER.  JUST TELL HER WHAT YOU WANT HER TO DO AND LEAVE HER ALONE!!! 

We got there and unpacked.  Don't the Wackies look serious?  NOT!

Lots of makes and models of machines

Not long until lunch--  DELICIOUS drinks at CHILI'S!

No pic, but Rhonda and I shared an Avacado Hamburger and it was great!

ANNIE SPORTED HER NEW GLASSES AS SHE DRANK HER PINA COLADA!

Back at the Retreat, Kathy decided on brown and blue for her hearts.

Rhonda worked on these praying hands--Gorgeous!

Kathleens Christmas Redwork!  Love that background fabric!

Annie was praticing transferring to the Gigihoop and stitched out this great birdhouse complete with birds and flowers.

Show and Tell!  Great embroidered horses.

Piece from the teach--, Brenda Jeschke.  Great designs.

Mercado's for dinner--our favorite Tex-Mex food place.  Of course they also have great---------------------------------------------------------------------MARGARITA'S!!

The reason Kathleen's eyes are shining have nothing to do with the Margaritas--she is wearing her new lighted glasses!  hahahahaha

I ordered a salad.  Most of the time salad's are a light meal--NOT AT MERCADO'S!

A night of laughing and talking, a breakfast at I-HOP and then back home.  Just a peak from the rear of the vehicle as we arrived home.  The driver of this vehicle did not have a clue of the view from the rear, did she?

Now--if you visit A Nimble Thimble Quilt Shop, be sure to mention to Katie that "THE WACKYS sent you.  We are hoping for a few extra points for it.  Katie is a delightfully friendly person.  I took a pic of her visiting in the shop but she made me promise not to post the pic as she did not feel she looked her best.  But you will know her smile when you walk in the door. 
For more info on our trip and more pics visit The Humble Quilts and Ravelly.

Antiqiue Quilts from the Tyler Texas Quilt Show--2010

Special programs ever 30 minutes were a real treat for the visitors at the Tyler, Texas Quilt Show.  Put on by the East Texas Quilt Guild, this show is always one of the best shows in our area.  The Wacky Pack quilters traveled together to this show.  It was the first trip since the loss of our dear member, Jerri, lost her life to cancer.  We thought we would  be down and out, but the trip proved to be one of the most upbeat in a while.  Seems every conversation brought back memories of precious fun times with Jerri.  We spoke of her jokes, and of her habit to tease us about spending too much money saying "It is Only money".  We laughed and laughed until we--well--you know! hehehehehehehe-----
We traveled seperately for awhile and I sat down to watch a "bed turning".  If you don't know what this is, it is a showing of quilts from a bed, each laid on top of another.  Each quilt is turned down or held up and shown one at a time.  The quilts are privately owned by members of the quilt guild and each was quite amazingly unique and beautiful.  Women of generations past -- making quilts for their family and friends--for what purpose?  For use, of course, but also to demonstrate love--just as we do today.  Love shown when a couple marry, when a child is born, when a friend is sick, a son or husband going off to war, or possibly a family member moving far far away probably never to be see again.  I am very sentimental when it comes to thinking of the way of life of these ancestors.  I wish I could go back in time to at least "visit".  I feel a special kinship to them--perhaps I am reincanated from an early time period-----.  Anyway--for whatever reason, I feel a special love for antique quilts and I hope you enjoy the pictures you are about to see.  I do not remember all the details told of each quilt.  I will relay what I do remember, but I cannot promise all accuracy.

Princess Feather--1880--the quilting is breathtaking.  I believe it was something like 12 stitches to an inch.

If I remember right, this one is dated around 1900 and is made of wools and wovens.

Circa 1880 and is a Floral Wreath

1920 Double Wedding Ring

A woven coverlet - woven in two secions of about 36 inches and then put together circa 1860

Wow!  Amazing how much this squilt faded out.  Sad, isn't it--but very imaginable how beautiful it must have been originally.

Tulip Wreath--I can't remember the date

Gorgeous quilting on this beauty.  One block is faded out.  I believe this one was 1840.

Basket Block quilt.  The flowers are Brodery Perse which is flowers from a printed fabric are cut out and appliqued in.  Usually made by a "well to do" maker as much fabric would have to be wasted to make of quilt of this kind.  Perhaps the maker traded fabrics with her neighbors much like we have swaps today.

1930 Grandmother's Flower Garden--very unusual setting

I don't remember the date of this one, but the star blocks are 2 inches square.

Very unique scrap quilt.  I have never seen this pattern before, have you?  I don't remember the date for sure, but I would guess 1920-30s.

1920s--I don't remember the pattern.

Traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden--1930-40s.

This quilt is made from strips of feed sacks.  The elderly lady who owned this quilt's mother had made it.  She told that her mother made her dresses as a child from flour sacks and her panties from sugar sacks.  She said her mother cut them out and sewed them so the words from the sugar sack were placed just in the right spot across her little hiney ---and said PURE AND SWEET!   How precious is that. 

I hope you enjoyed this antique quilt show.  If you are in Texas next March, you might want to plan to visit Tyler during the annual East Texas Quilt Guild Quilt Show--I will have quilts that the quilters displayed for my next post.  Thanks for looking. 

PLAYING CATCH-UP

This week the Wacky Pack had WACKY WEDNESDAY at a local restaurant.

OK--here we all are (except me taking the picture and a couple more who couldn't come) on Wacky Wednesday. For those who don't know about Wacky Wednesday go here. If you want to be a Wacky Pac member, you can be the next best thing by becoming a WACKY WANNABEE. You can also find out about that at the same place.

Wacky Jerri brought a friend from Colorado, Marion. She was a doll. We enjoyed her so much and hope she will come back. I swear she is just as Wacky as the rest of us. Aren't they cuties? They are BFFs.

KathyL showed us her "String Thing Swap" quilt. Looks great, but KL doesn't. Sorry, I think I caught her just as she was about to spit (not really).

Below is a package that arrived in the mail this morning. It is from Gina in the UK. She left me a comment a few weeks ago about a recipe that she would love to try, but she didn't have any measuring cups and spoons that were not metric. I sent her some. This is her thank you to me. I think that I got the better end of this deal. Three beautiful magazines and a great piece of fabric. Gina---thank you so so much. It really was not necessary, but I will really enjoy this. Internet friends are the best!!

Debi, the inventor of WHIRL INTO WINTER GIVE AWAY (be sure to check out all the great blogs that participated) won my Give Away--my personal pattern and a fq pack of 30's repros.
I left Debi a comment telling her I needed her address as she had won my Whirl into Winter Giveaway. I would say she was slightly excited. This is her email to me~~~~

"WOW I never win anything....here I am...(address was here)"

Then I got another message from Debi:

"OMG I only entered about 4 of these give aways and the one I really wanted was Yours!!

Thank you sooooo much. I am so excited."

Then Another---

"Thank you soo much...I am so excited about winning the 30's fqs and the new pattern. Since you designed it, will you autograph it for me?"

So--of course I did!

I also am including some more 30's repro fabrics from my stash to make the quilt process a little more interesting. I don't know what kind of collection of 30's Debi has, but she NEEDS many to work with. It is just so much more interesting if you do. So here ya go. One is a piece of a real 30's feed sack. Can you tell which one it is? I don't think you can from the pic, but the real thing is a little looser weave. It is the 6th from the top. The white background with blue circle designs with red centers.

So Debi's complete package will be on it's way on Monday morning. Thanks Deb for all the fun!

A little family info--MY SON LOVES TO THROW DARTS! He attended a tournament last weekend and did really well. This week end he got invited to a Pro--Am tournament. He being the amateur--but not for long I don't think. The winner of the state tournament last weekend is the one who invited him to play with him in the Pro Am tournament this weekend. He practised all week after getting all pumped up about it last weekend. BUMP BUMP BUMP-------------------------------------------BUMP BUMP BUMP-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------BUMP BUMP BUMP--------------\

I finally had to have him move the board . It was opposite my bedroom wall and also shut the doors. I can finally sleep a little now and if I do go to sleep, maybe I can STAY asleep.

He is just precious!!!

Love to all you internet friends and have a great week-end.