QUILTCO WAS WONDERFUL…

An amazing display of quilts to inspire even non quilters!!! The organizers certainly made sure that everyone would look at all the lovely quilts very closely by having a “search for the quilts” contest.  I made my way around the room 5 times and only found 2 of the quilts in the contest! But better eyes than mine found all four!  A few pix – I am sorry that they are not terribly clear. I blame that NOT on the photographer but on the iPad!!!!! and too much sunlight streaming in through the windows!!! 🙂

This Saturday, October 3, I will be one of I believe 24 !!! vendors at the CGNA (Cataraqui Guild of Needle Arts) Show at the Senior’s Centre in Kingston.

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2015 from 10am to 3pm
Location: Senior’s Centre, 56 Francis Street, Kingston, Ontario

Admission: $5 (lunch NOT included but available on location)

This year’s theme is Textiles Around the World including all manner of textiles – embroidery, rughooking, quilting, felting, knitting, spinning and weaving. The show has grown over the years into a lovely event. For more info and pix from last year’s show visit http://www.quiltskingston.org/cgna/indexFair.html

Patricia sent me a picture of her finished Antique Rabbit – she is definitely hooked and on to her second project (biggggg)…

MAGICAL MORNINGS ON THE DOCK…

The last few mornings have been coffee on the dock mornings – warm but not hot and glass smooth lake. However, the fish (or SOMETHING) have been jumping!  We keep catching glimpses of something popping just up and over the surface of the water.  Wellllllll so do alllll the other animals – the Kingfisher who swooped in to grab a little fishy; a bigger fish hmmm eating the little fish; the heron hiding under the end of the dock in the shallows to grab a passing meal; and then gurgle, chuckle splash and yes oh yes the otters!!!  A wonderful family of 4 swimming about 20 feet off the dock – diving and coming up with mouths full of little fishes. It has been amazing! Snapping turtle popped her head up, family of mergansers come back each morning! It is a great time of year to watch the animals from the dock. Maybe not such a great time to be a little fish though!!!

Had a fun class in Almonte last Friday – 8 ladies excited about becoming hookers! and all doing a great job by end of day. In fact, Pat is almost done her rabbit… Could it be she is hmmm, hooked???…

So my class in Perth is posted on my Events list now (November 22) and once I have another date for Almonte I will post it as well.

In the meantime, I have actually hooked in the last while. I discovered the work of a wonderful artist from Georgia, Cecel Allee.  Cecel does large paintings many of which are very simplified “minimalist” florals and I love her older softer colours. I asked for permission to hook one of her pieces as a rug. Cecel was very gracious and gave me permission and said that a friend of hers who was a rughooker had been inspired in the past by her paintings as well. I drew out one of the ones that really called to me, pulled the wool that I thought was close in colour to her painting and then married all the wool together in the pot and added a bit of dye to tone them down a bit. This is my version of one of Cecel’s paintings:

and the actual painting that inspired it:

Hmmmm, I see the more bluey greys in Cecel’s painting turned into more dirty greeny tones in mine!!!! Must be that blue thing! I am trying to decide if I am going to have Wendy’s husband frame this!!! or make it into a cushion as it is only about 15 x 15.  Had such fun hooking this piece.  You can see more of Cecel’s beautiful artwork on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CecelAlleeArtist

FIBREFEST IN ALMONTE WAS AMAZING…

What a great show – and every year it gets better! Despite soggy days the arena was crowded on Saturday and even Sunday was a busy busy day. It was wonderful seeing so many familiar faces – and even a face I have not seen in over 20 years!!! What fun showing people how traditional (and in my case primitive) hooking is done and getting interest up in trying this old art form. My only disappointment in the whole weekend is that I was soooo busy I did not have time to shop!!!! And I do love to shop!

My class in Almonte this Friday is full! but I will be holding another one later this fall so for those whom I met at Fibrefest who are interested and are reading this YES there will be another class (and one in Perth) so stay tuned!

Next weekend, September 26 and 27, is QUILTCO in the Glebe Community Center in Ottawa from 10 – 4 both days. This is another wonderful show (with lots of amazing quilts on display). I will be vending again at this show.

A few pictures of work done by friends:

Rebecca’s beautiful needle felting and her stunning punched rabbit. Rebecca does some of the most beautiful punched work (done with a variety of yarns and the Oxford punch needle) that I have ever seen…

and Pauline’s completed Martina Lesar rug (started in a class with teacher Wendie Scott-Davis)…and another lovely rug by Elaine (a Martina Lesar pattern)…

FIBREFEST HERE WE COME…

This weekend is Fibrefest in Almonte.  First of all, if you have never been to Almonte it is such a lovely town and has wonderful little shops and boutiques and antique stores and restaurants in a lovely downtown area. But to top that off FIBREFEST which has been growing in leaps and bounds runs Saturday 10 – 5 and Sunday 10 – 4 and is a mecca for those who love fibre of any sort.  Check out the vendors and activities at http://mvtm.ca/mvtm/?page_id=2675.

So it appears I have confused people!!! Well not a first for me haha… Many days I am totally confused myself! On my list of events I had listed the IPM as one of the venues where I would be vending. However, what I should have clarified was that it was the Pre IPM Quilt competition in August that I was vending at – not the actual IPM. So folks, if you were thinking of dropping by to visit and check out supplies I am so sorry but I will not be there :-)))…

Life is getting under control again – Mom has moved to Kingston and wow! the house that I thought would take years to sell sold in 2 days! So now it is back and forth 5 hours each way to empty the house before the closing date which is fast approaching but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel! A very faint light but…

And now for a picture of my old girl, Chiquita or Chickie or Quita or Kitty – or hmmm many other names which I cannot post! Depends on have far she sticks her claws into me while she is looking for more food.  Chickie is about 19 years old and scruffy as heck but very loving (especially if you have meat in your hand or on your plate!). Our challenge for Iawah retreat next spring is to hook (felt, quilt, carve etc) our pet – I was going to hook a black rat snake (very easy!!!) but then Helen took this rather indistinct photo of the old girl and hmmmmm I may have to go less primitive and hook my baby. At 19 there may not be many opportunities left!!!!

STITCH BY STITCH…

What a fun morning! A number of hookers showed up – was it to escape the heat (store has lovely AC!) or is everyone anxious to get back into their hooking again. We had lovely show and tell. Next date at SBS will be October 6…

Gwen mounted her Seagull on barn board and added some seaside decor – soooo creative!…

Louise’s fabulously bright cats paws… A budding hooker – Elizabeth – working on her first piece… Sue was working on this stunning landscape… Wendy was working on her purse flap and decided to change the background so that it was less stripey (see right and  new left) – what a difference!!!… and Linda (behind that BIGGG rug) was working with ultra wide cuts and recycled fabric. The taupe was actually 2 wide cut strips that she hooked together so that the wool would be thicker – somewhat tedious but it worked!!!!…

and Diane’s photo of her Maud Lewis piece hanging under a lovely chippy peely yellow shelf that I convinced her to buy (well actually I was a little late in grabbing it at Jillians) – the Fisherman is a carving by Doug Purdy and the sunflower and crow by good friend Donna… 

LAZY HOT DAYS…

with not much hooking!!! but having fun with company…

Tuesday, September 8 I will at Stitch by Stitch from 10 – 12.  Hope to see some of you there…

In the meantime, here are a few lovely hooked pieces by others…

Carol’s version of Fish Bones… (love those greens!)…

Sandi’s mat on my vintage picnic basket – oh hmmm mine no more!!!…

And Sandi’s Deanne Fitzpatrick rug finished in her primitive style…