FIBRE EXTRAVAGANZA…

Takes place in Kemptville Ontario this coming Saturday. This is year two for this lovely fibre show. Hope some of you can come and enjoy the vendors and events. For more details check out the website at https://www.fibreextravaganza.com. 

And a few finished pieces to share:

Karen finished her lovely punch needle (a Wendy Tremblay pattern I carry)… The other Karen finished the piece she started in our Portraits class last week with Wendie Scott Davis – can you tell she was EXCITED about her granddaughters portrait – it turned out beautifully… and Michelle finished her Hudsons Bay Canada Goose (one of the Lisa Ferguson hooking and punching patterns I carry)…

and if gardens were not calling I might actually finish something too!!!

AMAZING CLASS…

I just finished taking a 3 day class with Wendie Scott Davis on hooking portraits. What an amazing class – I am exhausted (as are we all) but so love my piece (although it is not yet quite finished. We started by sending Wendie a photograph we wanted to work on – Wendie then used various computer programmes to send us images that showed where the various values should be placed and then the actual picture of the colours and values of those colours. We then either picked through our stashes or dyed wool or bought wool and drew out our patterns from a line drawing. And then Wendie spent time working with us on eyes, teeth, mouths, ears etc. As you can see from the pictures of what we were working on she is an exceptional teacher and we all came out with amazing pieces.  When they are all done I will post final pictures with the original photograph… (oh and hmmmm, I worked in cuts I have not even seen in any of my rugs in 20+ years – 4 and 5!!! – thread!!! 🙂 )…

Louise’s Grandson… My crazy Dad… Karen’s granddaughter… Andrea’s daughter… Wendy’s granddaughter…
Edith’s mom… piles and piles of wool everywhere…

CUTTER FOR SALE…

Michelle has a Fraser 500 cutter for sale – no blades.  The cutter is 125.00 and blades can be purchased from Maureen Robertson at dreamsandcreations@rogers.com (Maureen is our local Fraser dealer and service person). If you are interested please contact Michelle (in Kingston Ontario) at Magarofalo16@gmail.com.

FIBREFEST…

Well the organizers of the show and workshops REALLY outdid themselves this year – Fibrefest was absolutely fabulous. A great range of classes from Thursday on and such a super variety of vendors with high quality, beautiful supplies and finished works for sale. OF COURSE I bought lots of lovely things – amazing Wensleydale curly locks from Elizabeth at Serendipity Farm.  I plan to hook these into various colourful sheep and just let the locks dangle as they are too beautiful to cut; a gorgeous mug (have I mentioned I am a collector of mugs – well Gord and I both love to pick up mugs in our travels) with a sheep from Ravensart Muskoka studio and some beautiful Sari silks for hmmm, whatever!!!

Iphone is still wobbling on the picture taking so I schlepped around the Ipad which hmmm, probably needs its lens cleaned as the pictures came out rather badly so here are a few of the best ones.  If you get a chance try to get to Fibrefest next year – you will not regret it:

Sandi picked up this lovely rug at an auction recently – love the graphicness of this piece…Tracy turned my Primitive Posies into a lovely bench pad…

ALMONTE(ONTARIO)FIBREFEST…

This weekend is one of my favourite shows – Almonte Fibrefest.  I have been vending at this show since, hmmmm, can I remember back that far? Back in the days when we were in the agricultural centre and there were about 10 vendors and the occasional leaky roof. This show has come A LONG WAY! Now we have so many vendors that the arena is full, a great variety of workshops before and during, events at the Textile museum – just a fabulous show. In a beautiful artsy town that is full of great restaurants and shops and yeahhhh, antique stores. Such a great way to spend a full weekend – take a class (or two), fill your bags with amazing fibre related items at Fibrefest, take in the textile museum and have a lovely meal at one of the local restaurants and STAY AWAY FROM MY JUNK STORES! Actually, enjoy the antique stores – they are fabulous and I have enough to open my own store 🙂 .

After a long weekend with great company (despite a nasty reaction to a shingles vaccine) I have been busy preparing and packing for 2 classes and vending. In the meantime, some little critter in my back yard has ALSO been busy -stripping my oak tree of branches and dropping them all over the ground. What is the expression – if the squirrel can not get to the acorn, the acorn must come to the squirrel? Yup, some critter with a bushy tail and big teeth has decided it is much easier to drop the branches and harvest and crack open the acorns on the ground than it is up in a tree. So every day I HARVEST oak branches and schlepp them into the woods – with nary an acorn left (just caps).

So, it seems everyone has been busy. Including Lisa Ferguson who just sent me a new pattern which will soon be available as a punch needle (miniature) and rughooking pattern. Years ago I would cross country ski on trails near our home. There was a particular “stop” on the route where, if you stood quite still with your hand outstretched and full of sunflower seeds, the chickadees would swoop down out of the trees and land on your hand and take seeds. This beautiful little chickadee pattern is definitely on my “to do” list…

Have a great weekend and hopefully some of you can make it to Fibrefest!

TWIST AND MORE…

Another great year at TWIST.  A few thousand people came to enjoy the numerous classes, activities like Wool-lympics and sheep sheering and herding and to leave with bags full of wonderful yarns, rovings, fibres and hmmm, a few rughooking and punching items! The show is spread over 3 days which made manoeuvring and shopping and viewing easy for everyone.

Because of our hotel fiasco, we were located 20 minutes away and since breakfast only started at 8!!! and the show started at 9!!! (and I am not one to miss a free meal 🙂 ) I had very little time to take pictures. And I have to admit – they are not the greatest because I had to use the iPad – iPhone decided last week that it had had enough and the camera has gone wobbly. No fix seems to be available and since ours is 4 (yes FOUR!) YEARS OLD and beyond the life expectancy of current technology, I guess a new Iphone is in our future!!!… But I did manage to get a few pictures of my students hard at work… 

and some of the wonderful fibres at the show…

And now, a few finished pieces by friends:

Jill finished her fun Karla Gerard – In the Garden – I wish you could see the fabulous buttons (chickens and flowers) that she added in the gardens:

Diane finished both her mittens:

Daniele punched these amazing pieces based on the artwork of her kids:

And Sheila’s rug for her very lucky grandbaby with all his favourite things:

FINISHED PIECES TO SHARE…

Finalllllly, cooler weather! and rain to feed my garden! It’s amazing how much more enthused I feel about doing things when the weather is clear, cool and less humid. Even worked in the garden the last few days and discovered hmmmm, an invader! A few weeks ago I found a strange tall plant in amongst some monarda and coneflowers my sister had given me. Wellllll, it grew and grew and we finally recognized it – CORN! Yup, I have a cornstalk in my garden! and a few days ago I discovered ears on the stalk! How exciting! In a week or so maybe we will be able to harvest the cobs and eat them – or at least feed them to the chipmunks! If I had tried to GROW corn it would have died! but this little kernel must have migrated in from the deer corn (well probably with the help of a chipmunk!) and it is now 5 feet high. Anyway, it makes me smile and adds some visual interest to my garden!

And now, a few finished pieces that should get those creative juices flowing:

finished mittens by…

Brenda…
and Diane…

Michelle finished her textured pine tree… and a Deanne Fitzpatrick Wash line…
and her Karla Gerard Blooming Birches… and yup, even I finished a piece – my new Fraktur pattern…

I recently received an email from Barbara in Texas asking if anyone has some long 58 inch arms for a cheticamp frame which they would be willing to sell. Barbara already has the Cheticamp Frame but with the shorter arms and would like to get longer arms. So if you do or if you know of someone who does please contact Barbara at barrett46@aol.com

And now off to the dock with my coffee, neighbours dog and my hooking! Have a great day…