I’ve recently joined an embroidery group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.   We meet at Sew Many Quilts (where I used to work) and we are headed up by Linda, one of the employees who is an embroidery “guru”.  

 

She showed us a new technique (new to us, anyway) of doing the satin stitch. 

This is the front of the design…typical satin stitch.

 

Here’s the back.

 

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I’ve done the stitch, the back looks like the front.   She starts her design by outlining with what she calls a “split backstitch”.  She then kind of weaves the satin stitch part thru the backstitch, but only on the front of the fabric.   I know that sounds very confusing, but maybe you could google the stitch and get an explanation.   Her stitches are always perfection and can answer any question anyone might have.

 

She just finished up this Crabapple Hill Designs pattern “Susan’s Dresden Plate”

 

I love how it combines embroidery, applique and piecing.   It’s a stunner!

 

Margaret was working on this  preprinted  panel called “Covered Bridges of Oregon”

 

and she had just finished up this “Redwork Sampler” by Betty Alderman Designs.

 

 

Here’s another goodie being worked on.  It’s called “Bluebird” by Crabapple Hill.

 

 

There was lots more going on, but I must have been flapping my mouth too much to remember to take pictures.  I’ll do better next time!  

Hugs, Anne

I got a new chair for my nest and wanted Mr. CnW to whip me up a new end table.  I didn’t want it taking up too much space, so gave him the dimensions and let him work his magic.
 
The chair that I had there was just too big.  It was a chair and a half and a twin sofa sleeper.   We moved it to Mr. CnW’s den and it looks so much better there.   This one is a much better size for the nest.
  
Here’s the chair with a little bench I was using for an end table in the meantime.   (He also made that a few years ago).



And here’s the new table.




I’ve got more room for storage with the shelf on the bottom.
  
I decided not to get a matching ottoman because we had the trunk in our storage room and it seemed like such a waste to not use it.    I can always order one later if I decide to, but for now I’m liking the trunk.  (more storage space.  LOL)

Here’s a little pillow I made for my friend Patty whose birthday is Saturday.



Kinda like the way it looks there.  Hmmm.

The pattern is a freebie from Jan Patek.  It was offered on her blog last fall, I think.

Well, it's looking like the things on my "honey do" list are almost all completed.  I know Mr. CnW is looking forward to more golf and fewer "jobs" as the warmer weather gets here.  It just gives me more time to start his list for next winter...

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hugs, Anne

Mommy had texted me a picture of Emma trying on an apron in Dr. Seuss fabric. So, off I went on a search of that fabric and found some for each of the kids.



Mason is probably wondering what we’d done to him.



I think Emma loved hers tho!

Daddy is a chef and they both love helping him cook.   Now they are outfitted!

Hugs, Anne

We went to Seattle a couple of weeks ago and I took a couple of fun things up for Emma and Mason.
  
This is my version of an I Spy quilt.   No way was I going to make the traditional version with all those angles.  LOL



If you enlarge the photo, you can see their names within the letters. I also had the quilter put their names in the border.





They loved searching for all the fun things on it.





It was really fun gathering all the fabrics to make it.   Got some great ones from swaps with friends. 
 
Hugs, Anne

A few weeks ago, I left a message on Kim’s blog offering her a book that she was looking for.   When I didn’t hear back from her, I went back to her blog and gave her my e-mail address.    Not long after that, I received a reply from her asking if I’d gotten the email she’d sent to my “gmail” account.    gmail?   Hmmmm, hadn’t I had closed that account years ago? 

So, after searching high and low for my password, I finally found it, logged on and…  guess how many e-mails were there! 
100?  No 
500?  Not even close
1000?  Nope. 
There were 2,037 e-mails sitting there which had never been read.  Yep, TWO. THOUSAND. AND. THIRTY. SEVEN. e-mails.   There were e-mails all the way back to 2009.
  
Now, you would probably say to yourself, “self, just delete them and forget you even discovered them”, right?   Well, a lot of them were asking specific questions about patterns, quilts, fabric, techniques etc.  The writers had probably long forgotten about their questions.  

Then, I found quite a few that had been sent around the time my Mom was ill, wondering where I was.  I feel terrible that I never acknowledged those.  But, I feel worse about all the personal notes that were sent to me when my Mom passed away.    I’m sure they would have been as much comfort to me then as they are now.    To all of you who sent me condolences, thank you so much and I’m so sorry I never got back to you.
 
Candace at Squash House Quilts had mentioned this issue to me a few years ago, but I wasn’t sure where I put the password, and thought it was just her e-mails that were going there. She knew my “regular” e-mail, so we carried on our conversations there and I thought that was the end of it.

One of the other things I figured out was that any time I commented on a blog and the blogger answered my comment, it went into the gmail account. In other words, the conversation stopped there and probably appeared to the blogger as though I had ended it. To all those of you, I also apologize.
I have tried to figure out how to delete the gmail account tied into my blog, but can’t seem to even find where it lists that account. I’m now just checking it regularly. It just adds one more thing to my Blogger issues!

(Issue now resolved with the help of Dya who told me to check my Profile settings....  Thanks Dya!   You're THE BEST)

I’m actually reading all of them and answering all the questions that I can.  
If I don’t get back to you in the near future, please feel free to email me again to get whatever information you were wanting.  (If you even remember) Hehe

Here are my email accounts if you want to send me a note.
cottonsnwool@gmail.com or
abryson@bendbroadband.com.  

Well, since I can’t do a post without a picture or two, here is what I finally put in the frame that was supposed to have the little sheep.



It’s wool on a cotton background.   I got it from a Whimsicals book called “Pastimes”.    I like the simplicity of it. 

And here’s the March blanket  from Buttermilk Basin for my little hanging sheep.


Oops, gotta get back to reading emails…

Hugs, Anne

My “honey do” list is quite long and I can always count on Mr. CnW to cross things off of it during the winter months when he can’t get out on the golf course.   

Have you found Pinterest yet?   The virtual bulletin board of all things wonderful?    Well, I was surfing the inspiring pictures one day when I came across this picture of a very creative way to display quilts.

It was posted by The Pattern Basket blog and I knew it was the perfect fit for the entryway to my nest. 

Showed it to the Mr. and off he went to the big box store to get the supplies.  They are just simple curtain rods.

I decided I wanted 3 rods on my wall. 2 of them would be for displaying finished quilts and the bottom one would be for quilts that were on their way to the quilter.

I love the way it turned out.   Thanks Mr. CnW.   Now on to the next “honey do”.  

Looks like he’ll have some time before golf season starts up again.  This morning we woke up to this.

Hard to believe it was in the 60’s last week.   Sure is pretty tho.  

Hugs, Anne