Wool Crazy

A note of thanks

2012-02-02T07:36:00.001-08:00

I wanted to thank all of you for all your kind thoughts and words that you have sent me the last few weeks. Throughout Megan's illness I have felt so supported by all of you....and I so appreciate it.

We had a beautiful mass for Megs on January 16th....The Mullaly, Peabody and Gianotti families are all large and it was wonderful to be surrounded by them. Megan's friends flew in from all over the country to say their goodbyes. She had touched so many people in her short life and it was great to hear their stories and share their memories.

I returned from Portland last Friday night. I had stayed on with John and the kids for awhile. He has always been a "hands-on" Dad and he and Megan shared all parenting responsibilities, so he is doing fine with all the kid tasks. The kids talk all the time about Mom being an angel... The photo above is of them on Megan's bench. She wanted to have a bench that Sophie and Nick could come and sit and visit her .....and we found this one with a view of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens.

I wish that I could write notes of each of you. Know that I have read all of your messages and have been touched.....Hugs to you....Jo Ann

To let you know

2012-01-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Just a short post to let you know that my beautiful daughter, Megan lost her battle with cancer on Sunday. She was a wonderful human being and the best daughter anyone could ever wish for. Thank you for all your prayers and support over the last years as she has been fighting this horrible disease.
Hug all your family for me today....Love, Jo Ann

Alphabet Tags and Scattered Hearts

2012-01-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished Alphabet Tags....Here it is on my garage floor....(notice it has bits of every paint we have ever used in our house:) I even have the first 2 patterns done. I have been burning the midnight oil trying to finish, because I am off to Megan's on Saturday and the Loft Open House is on the 14th....I get back late on the 13th.

Gene and I were just in Portland for the weekend....but Megan has her second treatment of this new regimen on Friday and I am going up to hang out with her and help out. It has been a difficult last few weeks. She is not feeling great and she has a lot of water retention so she is very uncomfortable....Hopefully the next go around won't be as bad.

I got an email from Primitive Quilts today with a preview of my project in their next issue. It is called "Scattered Hearts" and I tell you why in the article that goes along with it..... I am excited that my friend, Cheri Payne has her quilt on the cover too...(see my sidebar). If you sign up for a subscription they are giving away freebies...You will want to check it out (and tell them I sent you...:)))

I hope that all of you have had a good start to your year! Take care and I will try to write again soon.....My best to you all................Jo Ann

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday!

All my best to all of you......Jo Ann

Alphabet Tags

2011-11-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

I have been busy this last week putting together my new block of the month...Alphabet Tags....I thought you might like a peek....It is a stitchery with a little color...

There are of course 26 blocks .....and lots of piecing...plaids and prints....

.....I almost have the top together ...and I am going to hand utility quilt it.

It will be one of the Loft's blocks of the month starting in January.

Today is party day for my Wool Crazy classes...so I am off to the Loft....Bye for now...Jo Ann

Giving Thanks

2011-11-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone....Hope you have plans to gather together with all of your families this Thansgiving Day. Gene and I are lucky enough to have our sons and their families with us. I tried to convince my oldest, Andy that he would love to cook, but he said he would do Christmas Eve if I would do Thanksgiving...and the deal was struck!

The stitchery above is one I designed for a class a few years ago....It's a quick little project combining things I love...stitching, wool and homespun....

As of last Tuesday, I still hadn't taken out the pilgrims and turkeys....the shelves were full of witches and cats....but since I am now on for Thanksgiving, I thought I best pull down the boxes. I am so glad I was forced to do it, because I love these pieces....

This Pilgrim looks like she has found all sorts of bounty for her feast...I have pumpkins and fall leaves everywhere...(we don't have as many outside as many of you....so we have to put them inside!

I have had this turkey for years....he is right in my entry this season...ready to greet our guests
He has lots of friends scattered throughout our rooms, but he is still my favorite!

......and this final shot is taken from our front door looking into our living room...I took it about 7 am and the light isn't too good....but I hope you get the picture. I will hate taking fall decorations down ....but the boxes of Christmas folk art are calling....

This has been a hard year for our family with Megan's illness. I want to send a special thanks to all of you for all of your encouragement, prayers and kind notes throughout. It has meant so much to all of us. THANK YOU.

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and this year brings you many things to be thankful for. All my best ....Jo Ann

It's Christmas at the Loft

2011-11-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

I know that it is a long time since I blogged, but I have almost been living at The Country Loft. For two weeks we all were working on new kits galore and also found time to decorate the store. Sharon already showed lots of great things on the store's blog (just check my side-bar) and Paulette of Sweet-P (also on the bar) has spent days showing her shopping time there (thanks Paulette!) ....so I am just adding my two cents worth.....

Kathy spent all last week moving everything in the shop....My Crazy at Home things became part of this great display in the living room....Don't you love this Santa??? The cone shaped boxes were home to some snowman spoolie kits....just one of our 20 new Christmas kits)

Kathy Cardiff of the Cottage at Cardiff Farms designed this pin cushion for us....a little wool branch and berries...

....and I designed this little sewing kit....a bag to take your snowman cushion, scissors and thread in....the cushion is in a little pie tin....

....and here is part of the main table....Kathy used my "Angels Surround Us" as the cloth on this display....the kit on this table is a snowman gift card holder....that can be an ornament too....

.....and here is the little tree in the kitchen....those are my crazy Christmas stockings....I designed them before I did Wool Crazy....so they are actually in cottons and homespuns (yes I do own other fabric!!!!)

It was a great day and we all had such a good time....I was the cashier and I want to thank all of those very patient people who waited....and waited and laughed and made new friends ...and probably waited some more! It was such fun to see so many familiar faces and meet lots of new people too!

Today I am finally spending a day at home....Gene will be glad to see that he can't write his name on the furniture and that the hardwood floors have been swept! I hope that you are having a wonderful Tuesday......Jo Ann

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T07:19:00.001-07:00

Last Friday morning Megan, Sophie and I went out for a quick bite at a favorite place of theirs in Northwest Portland....Elephants...

We always enjoy their pastries and coffee (or in Sophie's case hot chocolate)....but all of the wonderful displays keep your eyes busy as well...

Who could resist these tick or treat bags? .....and I loved this display of pumpkins.....

It really got you in the spirit of the day.....I hope that your day is filled with lots of treats and very few tricks. If you are in La Mesa stop by the Loft and trick or treat Sharon and I.

Happy Halloween....Jo Ann

Back to Portland

2011-10-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I fly up to Portland for a visit. I had blocked out these days to go to Houston for Quilt Market....but I wasn't quite together for that! So, I figured I would go up and see Megan, John and the kids.

This photo was taken last year right after I moved up there to help out. I am looking forward to seeing the fall leaves. Houses in Portland are all decked out for Halloween and it is such fun to go down the streets and check them out.

Megan will be having the 4th infusion of Ippy while I am there. We won't find out the results until late November or even early December. Thanks again so much for all of your words of encouragement....they mean so much....

I have been out of my studio since mid-August when we got a long term house guest. It was so exciting to move back in a few weeks ago....Now I can make those late night and early morning visits.....We got a new bed for our guest....and it is very tempting ....:)))) The pillows on it were gifts that I gave to The Country Loft fall birthday girls..

Have a great week, Jo Ann

The mystery is solved......

2011-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished my mystery quilt! It is now hanging in the Loft all done...and the pattern is back from the printer and mom is folding it. It is a mystery no longer, but has come together as Folk Branches. I am about ready to start the borders on a wool version and hope to put them together (with some small projects) in a book by Spring....It is the Country Loft's stitchery block of the month for this year.....

For the first time in almost a year I taught doll classes on Friday and Saturday at The Loft....whenever I teach you can make the doll I offer or one of my old ones that you might have missed....Clara decided to do "Little Ones"....here is the girl all dressed for Halloween. Clara is doing hers in Christmas colors....(the dolls did not eat the goodies on the table....I think that the sewers took care of them)

Susan is busy putting on hair for her Stardust Annie.....

....and here is Kay's finished doll. She is covered in stardust with a little help from old fashioned mica.

Tammy is almost done with hers....She gave her a great wool skirt. We all had a great time being back together. The dolls take on such different personalities as their makers work on them....it is so fun to watch!

Hope you are enjoying fall weather today.....we have high 90's...it is way too hot for October!!!!

Happy Sewing...Jo Ann

In the Woods

2011-10-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine www.primitivequiltsandprojects.com/ with a sneak peek at my project that will be in the winter issue.....

You know I love easy and quick and this table mat is both. It will be a good one to use for gifts. You'll be able to make LOTS of them!

You can find the magazine soon at your favorite quilt shop (of course The Country Loft carries it)...or if you subscribe for a year (and mention you heard about it on my blog) you can get a free pattern.

I have been working on blocks of the month this week. I put the binding on and worked on the finishing pattern for Folk Branches (my mystery quilt). Then I drew lots of the stitcheries for Alphabet Tags....Hopefully I will be able to stitch some soon and give you a look... It will be the stitchery block at the Loft next year.

We've had rain in San Diego the last few days and it just makes me want to scoot down in my favorite chair and sew. So far not too much of that has been happening.

Hope your Thursday has been a good one.....Jo Ann

Still Wool Crazy

2011-09-30T07:48:00.001-07:00

I must be the world's worst about taking photos. I have four ongoing wool crazy groups at the Loft and every time they meet I swear that I will take some photos....and I always forget! Well, finally at my last group of the month I remembered!

I love seeing them in progress....and how each person adds their own touch....The one above is Joan's.....she is trying out some stitching on her joins.....

....and this one is Arlene's.....don't you love the candy corn?...and the spider web?

.....and although it is not a crazy I thought you might like to see the start of my mystery quilt....Folk Branches being put together. I am hand quilting it (huge utility stitches in pearl cotton).....I never quite know how a quilt will be finished until it is done.....and I do have to make a finish it up pattern before December.

I am spending the day with my Mom today. It is always fun to have some time to chat and hear her great stories from her childhood in Nebraska. Tomorrow is her 93rd birthday.

Have a great Friday....Jo Ann

Pirates in Portland

2011-09-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Gene and I took an early flight to Portland. We hadn't seen Megan in a couple of months and her family for almost three. We had a great time going to Nick's football practice, Sophie's ballet class and then Nick's soccer game..... Finally Saturday afternoon we helped Sophie celebrate her fourth birthday.....

Megan draped the den with crepe paper and hung some balloons....It was a pirate party. All the kids got pirate bandanas and eye patches and plastic swords. They had a great time eating pirate cupcakes and pirate booty.....

.....and going on a treasure hunt ....Gene and I hid the clues that Megan had made at the school ...on a bridge....and in the park (all within 2 blocks) and the "pirates" swarmed after them...

This is Sophie coming off the bridge....The final clue took them back to the house to find their treasure (the party goodie bags) in a chest.....

I don't know about the kids, but the grandparents were tired out ! What fun to be there and to get to be part of the celebration.

Next time you are in Portland watch out for pirates!

THANKS NANCY

2011-09-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Nancy of http://nancynoblogblogs.typepad.com who just ran a give away for my daughter Megan's Fund......and also a special thanks to her friends, Sharon and LaVon who donated such wonderful prizes. You guys are the BEST!

Go on over to her blog and find out who the winners are. Thanks so much to all of you who donated. Megan is just overwhelmed by all your love and generosity.

Hugs to you all....you are all wonderful.....Jo Ann

CAT'S JACK

2011-09-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

There is something about cats and jack-o-lanterns that I just love. When I teach a class at the Loft I usually give a free pattern to those who come to class....and this is the one I gave out to my Wool Jacks classes. I finished him off with some of the new Primitive Gatherings needle and wool cottons that I couldn't resist at the shop. (I bet some of you thought the borders were wool :))))

I had lots of fun making this....it is definitely quick and easy. Kathy is going to kit some of them up for those of you who missed out at class time.

Have you decorated for FALL yet?

Pumpkins just seem to brighten the day....Jo Ann

LUCKY #10

2011-09-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year all over the country! Soccer season has started. Our Saturdays will now be spent watching our grandkids play....but look at how considerate my three oldest grandkids are. They all picked #10 as their number! They wanted to make it easier for the old grandparents to remember who to cheer for.

...and the first day was beautiful. It was in the low 70's with a breeze....my kind of weather!

Hope your week is a "10" and someone cheers for you too.....Jo Ann

Halloween Stitchery

2011-09-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

I love Fall and I love designing fall projects! In my last post I showed you my new classes..I am so sorry that the patterns for these are not for sale yet......but then I remembered that I do have a new stitchery at the Loft that is! You can buy this as a kit by calling The Country Loft (619 466-5411). Just ask them for "Halloween Cat". The kit includes the pattern and the fabric you need to make it with (including batting and backing) for $12.95....

As you can see by the stitcheries I have been doing this past few months that I am really into adding x's inside almost all my designs. Of course you can do the stitchery without them, but they almost look nude to me now....:))))

I changed the decorations in my house to Fall on Saturday. My grandson Timothy is always thrilled when a new season goes up in the house....and my husband is too because it means that the house gets clean...:))) (I ask you, isn't sewing more important?)

Hope your week has gotten off to a great start.....Jo Ann

FALL classes

2011-09-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the fall class schedule came out at the Loft. I have been busy the last several weeks making up my samples and patterns for my new classes. I haven't taught during the last two schedules since I have been in Portland with Megan....so I felt a little bit rusty in designing, but here are the new ones.....

This doll is called Stardust Annie....she has a pocket full of stars and stardust....

.....and this is Wool Snow....a little bit of crazy piecing on the side.

......and here is "We're not Scary" ....I had fun combining the wool, stitchery and throwing in a few buttons......fall stitcheries are always such fun!

.....and finally Wool Jacks......

I wish you were all close by so that you could join us for class! Jo Ann

The Country Loft Outdoor Quilt Show

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every summer The Country Loft has an outdoor quilt show to show off all the wonderful work of our customers. I snapped a few quick photos but if you would like to see the whole show you can go to http://www.cloft.com . Joe will be posting them in the next few days if he hasn't already. (You can see past quilt shows too)

The small quilt hanging on the stair rail is a beautiful crazy quilt....sorry I didn't get a close-up!

Every part of the yard is draped with quilts of all sizes...with some rugs, dolls, etc. thrown in...

The show is always near the end of August. Maybe some of you can come next year!

Before I close, I wanted to thank Nancy of http://nancynoblogblogs.typepad.com for the wonderful giveaway she is running on her blog for Megan's Fund. Thanks also to Sharon and Lavon who have donated such great things. You guys are the best.

My best to you all......Jo Ann

THANK YOU!

2011-08-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday The Country Loft had their annual Outdoor Quilt Show and Sew for the Cure Quilt Sale. Here are some of the women waiting in line to be the first to see the quilts as we hang them. A wonderful group of women called the Sit and Stitchers meet several Wednesdays a month a sew all year round. Then many quilters in the community donate their creations to the cause. Over the years, the money has been donated to many different organizations who do work related to cancer. This year they decided to set up a fund for my daughter Megan to help cover some of the out of pocket expenses of her treatment. (Unfortunately we found out in August that her tumors have begun to grow again. ) Needless to say my family was blown away by them thinking to do this!

Here are some of the quilts that were for sale at the event. The response was overwhelming. I just could not believe how many people came up to me to say how happy they were that the money was going to someone they know. I want to thank each and every one of you for your generosity. (for more photos of the sale and the day go to thecountryloft.blogspot.com )

It was an unbelievable day and when I called Megan and John to tell them about it they were just stunned. I cannot say Thank You enough. John asked me to give all of you big hugs. If I missed you on Saturday, consider yourself hugged now! My best to you all, Jo Ann

Not one, but two winners!

2011-08-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have had so much fun reading all your comments this week! Thanks so much for all the nice things you had to say. I was so excited how many people joined in all the fun....and I apologize for those of you who couldn't leave direct comments, but had to email me. Everyone was included in the drawing...those who commented on the facebook link; the emails and the comments that made it onto the blog.

My grandson, Timothy is over at our house today and I roped him into picking the winning name....He picked out one and then we decided that there were so many slips still left in the box that he would just have to pick another....so there are two lucky winners.

......and they are......

Congratulations! I hope you have fun making your Brown Bag....and I will be mailing them as soon as I get your addresses. Just email them to me at jampatterns@cox.net.

....and here is what you will be making....a "Jack Bag" to hang on a doorknob or fill with Halloween treats!

Now that I know how fun a give-away drawing is I will try to do more! Thanks again to all of you who joined in.... Happy Saturday, Jo Ann

Would you like a Brown Bag?

2011-08-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

Once a month at The Country Loft I teach 3 sessions of a class we call "Brown Bag". Here is how it works. You pack up a small sewing kit....some scissors, a needle and some pins and come to the shop. You have no idea what you will be making. Everything you need is in the bag that is handed out to you. It could be anything....a needle case....a pincushion...a small stitchery....a ???? You just have to trust me that it may be something you LOVE (some you love more than others).

This month I thought that I would see if one of you would like to be part of the fun. I will give you a hint .....it is something for FALL....I NEVER give hints to the people in the shop...:))) If you would like to have this kit sent to you, just comment on this blog by Friday and I will put your name in the drawing.

I hope you WIN! I will reveal the secret project when I announce the winner....

GOOD LUCK......Jo Ann

The Unexpected

2011-08-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

Gene and I are back from our camping trip and I wanted to share the most amazing thing that happened when we were in Monterey, California. We were driving around the back streets of the town. Gene always loves to see what is going on in the neighborhoods. We were in the middle of an area with cute older homes when we turned a corner and spied the local grammar school. Just as we started to move onto the street this deer ran across the road in front of us. He had come right up a street. Of course I didn't have my camera handy (do we ever). We looked at him with mouths hanging open and he just looked right back. Eventually we turned onto the street he had come up. We drove about 2 blocks and I made Gene go around the block to see if we could spot him again. Sure enough he was still there gazing down the street. Right as I started to open my door to find the camera a doe and 2 fawns came up the same street and jumped onto the lawn with him.....Of course still no camera...but then I remembered my phone. His family started off across the school lawn, but he stopped and looked at me like he was thinking, "will you take the shot already!" and finally I did and here he is. After he ran off we drove around trying to find a green area where they could live. Several blocks away there was a military base with a stand of trees that bordered it. It was so amazing to see them in this setting. Of course we never spotted one deer while we were camping!

I hope some amazing things have happened in your life this week......Jo Ann

Going on a road trip

2011-08-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Gene and I are getting ready for a trip.....and of course all of you know what I am getting ready first! My stitching of course. Many of you may not know that I don't drive.....so I have lots of time to sew while Gene is slaving away behind the wheel.....and I have lots of work to do getting ready for the new class schedule at The Country Loft.

We are headed up to join our son Andy and his family on their annual camping trip in central California. The kids love the lake and water sports and I love to watch them. We will end the trip in Santa Barbara. We lived there for 11 years and both enjoy visiting our old haunts.

I wanted to write all of you before we left to ask you to keep all your prayers and good thoughts coming Megan's way. She went to the oncologist this morning and they have found some growth again in some of the tumors. The good news is that there are no new ones. They are hoping to start treatment again with "Ippy" (now Yarvoy since it as been approved by the FDA). I so wish that I was there to give her hugs. Well, you know!

A virtual hug () to all of you and thanks again for all of your good wishes.....Love, Jo Ann

A wooly "folk branches"

2011-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Does this quilt look familiar? With a few changes I have used my folk branches stitchery patterns and made them into wool. It has been a lot of fun! There is still a lot of handwork to do ....stitches to add and borders to make, but I thought I would give you a sneak peek!

We had a very special visitor at The Country Loft this morning. Jenifer Gaston one of the editors of our new favorite magazine Primitive Quilts and Projects came by with her husband Glen. We were so excited to see her. Sharon took photos, but being the great blogger that I am, I didn't get any. She will soon be posting them on The Country Loft blog....be sure to check it out!

I planned on sewing all day today and suddenly it is after two and I still have not sat down to the machine....Hope your projects have seen more progress than mine, Jo Ann

We've always thought she was famous!

2011-07-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

The new Primitive Quilts and Projects is out and we are all excited. The Happy Birthday section has a photo of my mom and a small article about her too! We've always known how great she is and now you can too! She is shown above with my twin brother, Jim. Last night I was telling my on-going Wool Crazy class about it and they thought I should have mentioned how she still bakes for The Country Loft's special events. She is definitely a woman of many talents.

Jim and Mom are already raising a glass so let's all join them to toast Gert Peabody!

(Thanks for all the comments about the new look for the blog. We are looking into adding something else to the header, but so far that is all the set-up will allow....Andy is trying to figure a way around it.)

Timothy (my 6 year old grandson) is spending the day today and I think I hear him getting up, so I best close. Have fun today.......Jo Ann

Facebook

2011-07-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

All my grandkids are hoping that we finally figured out how to link with Facebook.

Andy to the rescue

2011-07-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

This morning my son Andy came over to help his technologically challenged mom update her blog......How do you like our changes?

San Diego visitors

2011-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Megan is here in San Diego this week working at the downtown Old Spaghetti Factory. She is in their interior design department and they are working their magic on a change just in time for Comic Con. This photo with Sophie was taken right before I left Portland. Gene and I are really looking forward to spending a few days with Megs after her work is done!

Ever since I moved back from Portland there have been loads of "Peabody" visitors to San Diego. (My maiden name is Peabody) My mom's home has had full capacity since late June. We were all very excited to meet the newest member of the family....Zadie. My niece Teal and her husband Wai Lee adopted her from China just a few months ago. What a sweetie she is.

We all loved getting to spend some time with her and her brother Wes Lee....Here he is with his cousin Tiernan. Wes Lee came from Colorado and Tiernan and his family from the Phillipines for the family gathering.

Our newly remodeled house has already been the scene for two family parties in two weeks. I think things will settle down soon though and my sewing room will see a lot more action.

I spent the day at the Loft yesterday. Camp Loft started. Everyone was in great spirits and having loads of fun. If you have a free day this week and live in the area, I hope you have a chance to join in.

I am off to pack some orders and then SEW! Hope you find time to sew today too!

Material Girl

2011-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back working at The Country Loft in 9 months. It was such fun to see so many of my friends come in. At a store like the Loft people do not stay customers long.... they are soon your friends. I will be working Mondays, so if you are in the area stop by and say "HI".

This stand is in the middle fabric room....and the sign "Material Girl" says it all about us fabric junkies. Every time I cut fabric for someone I thought...."Oh I need some of that". Needless to say I have quite a "STASH".

I start teaching again this Friday with a Brown Bag. I made up 50 kits last week and it looks like we have a full house. My sister Kathy has been wearing several hats while I was gone and has been hosting the classes. She did a great job!

Today I am finishing a project for the new "Primitive Quilts and Projects" magazine for their Winter issue. If you haven't seen this magazine you will want to. It is wonderful! I only have to put a back on my project and tweak the directions and it will be ready to send off.

Happy Tuesday to all of you......Jo Ann

Back in San Diego

2011-07-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back in San Diego and finally feel moved in. While I have been up in Portland Gene has been living through a remodel of our bedroom and bathroom....as well as new flooring and lighting in 2 rooms and new lighting in the entry and hall....plus 3 new decks. Our sunporch had become a storage unit and was inches deep in dust....so I had my work cut out for me!

I thought you might like to see the outside of the house....When I bought the paint about 15 years ago the guys at the paint store said that they never mixed these colors for San Diego, but that they were very popular in the Midwest and East coast...but they were just what I wanted. I am not a fan of palm trees, so you don't see those near my home either....:))))

....and here is the entry....I had the workmen (our son, Tim and his buddy) deck the entry. I have always wanted to have it covered in wood...and since they were making 2 other decks I thought the timing was perfect.

.....this is the the remodeled bedroom....still nothing on the wall over the bed. My friend Raffael made this quilt for me....it is out of one of the "Thread" books by Renee Nanneman....don't you love it! We had them take out windows in this room and put in french doors that go out on a deck....

....and here is the new bathroom....we had them take out a wall between the shower and the main part of the bathroom...and take out a lowered ceiling too....it is so nice to have room...and not have to share a sink with Gene! They also added a wall and door to separate the bed and bath.....LOTS of hard work....but sooooo nice!

We've had company staying in my studio the last week and they will be heading off tomorrow, so I finally plan on getting some JAM work done. If only the house would stay clean without my help....:)))

Hope you all had a good 4th of July and are not sweltering too much. It is HOT here! I am waiting for the air conditioning technician to come by so that I can crank up the air and start stitching......Hope you find some time to stitch too! Jo Ann

A little of this and a little of that.....

2011-06-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

When Gene was here a few weeks ago, we visited a spot in Portland that we had never seen before. It is the Bishop's Close.... A park that was designed by the man who designed Central Park in New York City. It was privately owned until the late 50's and was donated to the Episcopal Church.....Above is a photo of the house and a bit of the grounds. It is well worth seeing if you are ever in the Portland area. It is so GREEN here right now. Everything has that new spring green.....much more vibrant than San Diego at this time of year.

I am busy packing up my apartment. I will be on a plane back home in a week. This was the first time in my life that I have ever lived alone.....I got used to my own time schedule and it will be a bit of an adjustment to revert back.....:))))) Do you think that Gene will mind that I am reading until 1:30 am???? ...or making a dinner of popcorn and apples?????? ...and it will be back to cleaning 3 bathrooms instead of 1. That will be a shock to the old system...:) My little apartment doesn't have nearly as much space to mess up.

The Folk Branches Mystery Stitchery is still going on at The Country Loft....Here is a peek at June and July blocks. For the past several weeks I have been working on wool versions of all of the blocks. I love doing designs in both mediums. It is my goal to finish them all before I move. ....and then put them into a quilt of their own!

Thanks everyone for all of your comments on my last post. It has been so great to know that people are praying all over the world for Megan.

Love to you all....Jo Ann

Great News!

2011-06-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have spent all morning trying to download photos onto my blog....but for some reason it just isn't working! .......But I wanted to let you all know that last Friday Megan got some great news! The "Ippy" is doing it's job and there has been some shrinkage of the tumors in her liver....as well as no growth in any of her tumors and no new lesions. We are so excited with these results. In 8 weeks they will scan again. So we are in a "wait and see" mode.

As soon as school is out for Nick, I will be heading back to San Diego. I am busy packing up my apartment and making arrangements to return all the furniture, etc. that I have been borrowing. Megan and John and the kids are busy making plans for the family and summer.

I want to thank all of you again for all your prayers and kind words.....Please keep those prayers coming for continued success ...... we hope that this is just the start.

Hugs to you all......Jo Ann

Quilt Market

2011-05-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am back from 4 great days in Salt Lake City. As always Market was a lot of fun with very little sleep thrown in. I actually took LOTS of photos, but I thought that I would send you to a NEW BLOG to look at them! Sharon, the owner of The Country Loft just sent out a blog post on the Loft's very own blog.....go check out thecountryloft.blogspot.com and see what a great time we all had. I should have known we'd have almost all the same shots, since we were all together....:)))
....but I did get this shot of Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool in front of her new quilt....
.....and one of Jeni Gaston (owner of The Woolen Willow and one of the creators of Primitive Quilts and Projects) with Renee Plains. This is Renee after a horrible day before with food poisoning! I was manning her booth all of Saturday and of course I didn't fool anyone into thinking I was her!!!!

I didn't have a booth, but it was such fun to see so many old friends and make some new ones. The quilting community is such a warm and friendly group that hugs were in abundance.

........and I am sending one to all of you out there too! My best to you all.....Jo Ann

Off to Quilt Market

2011-05-11T09:09:00.001-07:00

I am packing today to go to Quilt Market in Salt Lake City.....as a buyer this time. Living up here in Portland I couldn't get my act together for a booth....but I love to go and see what is happening in the quilting world. I am meeting my friends from The Country Loft at the airport tomorrow. It will be great to hang out with them!

Hope to see some of you there......Jo Ann

A peek at some projects

2011-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

The last several weeks I have been working on some runners and table mats. I have been jumping all around the year....just designing as the mood strikes me. I am not sure yet how I will use them....They may be classes, or patterns.....or become part of a book.....maybe even a few presents! I thought you might like to see a few of them.

The one above took my friend Deby by surprise when she was up visiting a few weeks ago....She isn't used to me stitching on such light colors.....but it was fun for a change of pace.

(OK....Now you can see how technologically challenged I am....I was forgot to turn this photo before I downloaded it and for the life of me, cannot figure out how to do it now!!!!) Anyhow...these colors are much more me.....A little bit of winter and some of my favorite fall. I am loving using the crazy quilting in different borders and blocks!

As you can tell all of these are just tops..... I am waiting until I get home so I can shop at The Country Loft for my backs. Plus finishing is my least favorite part. I like the creation a lot more! I don't start with a completed idea...but just change things as I go. Sometimes the finished product looks nothing like the beginning!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday! Happy Sewing....Jo Ann

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T14:01:00.001-07:00

Last week Sophie's class celebrated Mother's Day by having a Mom and Me lunch. Megan couldn't come and so Sophie asked me to be her guest. Since I am usually not in Portland for these kinds of events, I was thrilled to go.....Here is Sophie in her story time group and then enjoying the sunshine (something that definitely comes and goes at this time of year.)

She loved sitting on the play structure having lunch.....

.....and one of the moms took this of the two of us together right before I left. It was a very special day.

Being a mom and grandma is great! I am so lucky to still have my mom. She is 92 and she is still going strong . I cannot remember the last time that I got to spend the day with Megan on Mother's Day. It will be a special one, no matter what we do.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day and get to spend it in your favorite way!

Happy Mother's Day......Jo Ann

This and That

2011-05-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it is May already? I almost forgot to show you this month's "folk branches".....You are not seeing things...those are pumpkins. The quilt is all full of different shapes we love to see in folk art....no matter what month it is.

This is my granddaughter Alana. She turned 8 last week. She is the one that I made the butterfly pillows for. I took this when she and her family were up here visiting. When I am home in San Diego I get to see her every week, so I am really missing our visits.

I just had a visit from Deby who works at the Loft with me. Her daughter lives up here and so she stayed at my apartment during her visit. We spent a fun time at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in West Linn while her daughter was at work.

Next week I am off to Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. I am not going to have a booth, but I am meeting Sharon, Kathy (my sister), Colleen and Mindy from The Country Loft there and doing a little shopping for the store. (Kathy Cardiff from Cottage At Cardiff Farms, one of our teachers, will also be there showing off her new patterns in her booth) It will be fun to see some faces from home.

We had some good news a few weeks ago. "Ippy" has kept the tumors from growing and no new ones have shown up!!!!! Megan goes in about 4-5 weeks for another scan and thanks for keeping your prayers coming that it is still working then.

I have been designing several wool projects in the evenings. I sew while I watch movies on my laptop. :))) Hope you are finding some time to stitch too. My best......Jo Ann

A visit to the vineyard

2011-04-21T09:48:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, Andy's family (including Charger, their almost 2 year old golden), Nick and Megan (Sophie was sick so John and she stayed home) and I all hopped into cars and headed east on the freeway and then over the bridge from Hood River into Washington. My sister Marlene and her husband Thomas own a vineyard up in the hills outside of the small town of Husum, Washington. Here is a view of part of the vineyard from the house....It is a beautiful setting. I almost always feel like I am Heidi looking over the hills....:)

The minute the car doors opened the kids and Charger took off running....It is the perfect place for that and it was a beautiful day. Below are Glenda and Alana walking through the vines...

......and with such a great hill who could resist rolling down it.....All of Andy's kids joined in....

.......as did Nick. He was in heaven following Pierce and Collin around....there is nothing like older cousins to take you under their wings....

.......and of course there had to be a battle! Charger was right in the middle of it........

......It was one of those perfect days. Thomas took all the kids into his workshop before we left and let them build with his scrap lumber...great reminders of a day in the country.

Andy, Glenda, Pierce, Collin, Alana and Charger left on Tuesday....they were headed for a few nights camping in the Redwoods and then on home. Their visit was wonderful....but way too short.

Megan had a pet scan yesterday and meets with her doctor tomorrow....For the last 6 weeks she has felt good and looks great. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers....Let's hope that "Ippy" is still doing it's job!!!!!!!

I wish you all a Happy Easter with family and friends.....Jo Ann

Butterfly Pillows for Alana

2011-04-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter, Alana is turning eight this month. When I was home last I asked what she wanted for her birthday and she told me she would like some butterfly pillows. I usually work in dark fabrics, so I went on over to The Country Loft and bought some pinks and blues to use....and some wonderful wools. Above is a close up of one of the butterflies. It was such fun to stitch the detail on them...

Below are the two finished pillows.....Lots of butterflies floating around. She has butterflies all over her room....even hanging from the ceiling. She is coming with her family for a visit this weekend and I can't wait to give them to her. It will be their first visit to Portland in eight years. We have lots of fun things planned for their stay!

I hope that the sun is shining in your neighborhood...It is in Portland today!

Bye for now....Jo Ann

How to make a carrot

2011-04-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

In my last post I showed you a bunch of carrots and promised I would be back to tell you how to make them. I have never tried to do a project online like this before, so I hope that it works...:) I am definitely not a computer whiz and just downloading the photos so they come up in the right order almost did me in!

Below you will see all the ingredients you need to make them.....I got my handmade paper at the Paper Zone and the Paper Source. You should buy 20"x30" sheets (or larger) of both orange and green. I bought 3 types of orange and 3 of green ...each sheet of orange will give you enough for 8 carrots and you will be able to get about 12 tops out of the green sheets. You will also need newspaper, rubber bands, Stiffy and I used a make-up sponge to apply the Stiffy.

Cut your sheet of newsprint in half. Fold in two opposite edges so that the tips are together. Then fold in the third as shown.....Now start rolling into a cone shape....Tape the edge closed....Now take a second sheet of newsprint and folding it the same add it to the outside of the first. Make them different lengths and widths so that you can get a variety of sizes of carrots.

Now place your carrot onto a piece of your orange paper. (I folded the large sheet into eighths and then cut on the lines to get the working size).... With the sponge rub the stiffy onto the orange paper....Now fold up the bottom and then start rolling it aroung the newspaper cone.

Here I tried to show you step by step how to roll the paper....Continue adding stiffy as you roll and then when you are finished be sure to rub it all around the carrot so that you have no edges of paper sticking up.

Cut a strip of green. Mine was about 3"-4" in height and about 10" long....Cut a fringe leaving about 1" across the bottom....Put stiffy all along the bottom edge and lay your carrot as shown...start rolling and squeeze in the top of the carrot as you do. Add stiffy as necessary. Double a thin rubber band and put on the base of the greens. Take a small strip of the green and with stiffy on it wrap around the rubber band....and there you have your carrot.

Hope you have fun making them and as you can see it will be easy to make tons of them...:) See I promised you wouldn't need a green thumb, but I must warn you that your hands will be covered with glue and bits of paper before you are done!

Happy Gardening.....Jo Ann

Gardening....My Way

2011-04-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

The carrots you see above are the one of the only kind I can make....I can also make different kinds from fabric....but I have a totally black thumb and can't grow them. These are easy ones and I thought you might like to make some too. They can add a little springtime to your home. I love carrots to decorate with at this time a year and at home in San Diego I have as many types of carrots as I do bunnies tucked around in my boxes and carriers. In my apartment I put some in an old crock....

.....and then filled an old tin box with some......
Here you can see them laid out on the table...just to show you the different colors I made them from....because of course you wouldn't want them all in one color! In the next few days I am going to show you how to make some carrots of your own. No green thumbs required!

Spring in Portland

2011-04-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Spring is trying to peek it's head out in Portland. Everywhere you look daffodils are popping up. I especially love them, because we really don't see them in San Diego. It just doesn't get cold enough for the bulbs. I was telling Nick (my 6 year old grandson) this last week and he couldn't believe it.
......and the trees are blooming! There is a street near my apartment that is just lined with these beautiful pink blossoms.

Megan and John are on a weekend away. Megan if feeling really well right now and John's family gave them a few nights at the Oregon coast for Christmas, so they took off on Friday evening. What a beautiful time of year to be traveling.

Happy Spring everyone! It's time to take that stitching outdoors and astound your friends!

Star branch

2011-03-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday to you all! I thought I would share the next block in the mystery quilt at The Country Loft. It is Star Branch ...Part 4 of Folk Branches. I am working this morning on getting the next several months in pattern so that the shop can kit them. If you have joined in the block of the month, I hope that you are enjoying it and are stitching away the hours......Jo Ann

Susy's Wool Crazy

2011-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got this photo from Susy Boyer of her almost finished Wool Crazy. (She only has the outer borders to add) I just had to share it with all of you. Isn't it wonderful? I have put some of her blocks on my blog before, but to see it all together is absolutely stunning.

I hope you all enjoy checking it out inch by inch. There is a lot of inspiration there!

Happy Stitching......Jo Ann

Renee Plains comes to visit The Loft

2011-03-19T08:24:00.001-07:00

I was excited to be able to see Renee Plains of Liberty Star for a few minutes yesterday. She makes the trip over from Arizona a few times a year to teach at the Loft. Here she is with my sister Kathy in the check out area of the shop.

.......and here she is standing in front of some of the blocks to my mystery quilt, Folk Branches...

.....I almost got all of her class in....They were having a great time! Renee is a wonderful teacher. If she is ever in your area, be sure to take one of her classes. The classroom in the Loft is a little "cozy", but we always have a lot of fun.

.....and here is part of the wool room in the shop.....through the door you can see the kitchen/notion room....The old wool rabbit by the lamp is one of mine.

....and this cupboard holds a lot of the projects from "Crazy at Home"....Almost all of my samples are at the Loft. People are always asking if my house is full of my creations, but they very rarely make it out of the shop.

Gene and I have a full day planned today. We are off to little league games for our two oldest grandsons....and the zoo later today with another....and lots of last minute errands before I head back to Portland on an early flight tomorrow.....So I best sign off...

A visit to The Country Loft

2011-03-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

My first stop last Friday was at The Country Loft. The store was in the middle of a shop hop (San Diego Cruisin' Quilters) and so there was a lot of excitement. As you walk in the front door the first thing you see is the display over the mantle. Didn't Sharon do a great job of bringing Spring into the store? (The doll and two stitcheries are my designs...:)

This is the table in the middle of the living room....The quilt is by Liberty Star...and the Peter Rabbit is mine.....I think that he is trying to take a rest!

This cupboard is tucked into one corner of the living room....and as you can see chock full of samples....

.....and this little table is right next to the door. Lots of great things and we haven't even gotten out of the living room!

Next time I post I will show you a little more of the wonderful things at the Loft. It was such fun to be back in the store and see my friends there.

I hope that you are seeing signs of Spring in your neighborhoods. San Diego has been beautiful this week. Megan tells me that Portland has been rainy, so I best soak up the sunshine. Bye for now.....Jo Ann

Home in San Diego

2011-03-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings from San Diego! I flew home late last Thursday night and I have been having a great time hanging out with Gene and seeing the rest of my family.....It has been warm and sunny since I got here and I am trying to figure out how to dress so that I am not dripping....:)))) I know that it is hard to feel sympathy for this kind of a problem!!!

I headed off to the Loft on Friday and I realized that I haven't posted the March block for Folk Branches....So here it is "House Branch".......I am going back in the next few days with my camera and I will take some photos of how cute the shop looks. I'll be back soon to share them with you.

Happy Stitching.................Jo Ann

Antique Finds

2011-03-02T08:13:00.001-08:00

When I spent the day with Debbie, she took me to her favorite antique store. If you are ever in Portland you might like to visit it. It is in southeast Portland and is called Monticello. We had a great time going around the booths not once, but twice (you never know what you will miss the first time around). I immediately displayed some of my finds on my table (the wool runner is one my sister Kathy made when she was teaching my class for me for "A Little Bit Crazy".....it is from Crazy at Home) I loved the old tin cash box and the architectural piece and the old spool (the watering can is always on the table :)

I also found this great bread pan....perfect for storing all sorts of stuff, but especially my wool. The wool in the paper wrappers is part of Debbie's collection that she hand dyes. I have really enjoyed using it.....

.....and finally I found this great old box. I am not sure exactly what I will use it for...but I love it and I know it will find a home. Gene always tells me that our house is full of things like that! I am not sure that he sees them as the treasures that I do.

My mom is coming for a visit to Portland tomorrow. Mom's trip almost got postponed because my sister Kathy had emergency surgery last Wednesday. She is out of the hospital and on the mend and my mom will still be on her way. She will stay a week and then I am flying back with her to San Diego. It's time for a Gene hug!!!

Megan had her last "Ippy" treatment on the 22nd. She had a pretty painful reaction to it....This week she is feeling better, but still not 100%....She has a scan on Friday and we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that she is responding to the drug.

I tried to post this on my blog twice yesterday.....A technological wizard is not lurking in my body......:))) ....so here it is now...somehow writing it for the 3rd time is not as fun! Bye for now....Jo Ann

Debbie's Wool Crazy and Nick's Quilt

2011-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Last week when I wrote, I told you that I would share Debbie's Wool Crazy blocks. She made these as sample's for classes she taught. As you can see she used some of my designs (more in her fall block) and then branched out to her own. I love how people take the initial concept and add their own designs or incorporate designs from other patterns they have made. It makes it so much fun to see them...

I am not sure if she plans on making four, but they would be great just made into small quilts! Keeping with a holiday theme she can incorporate them in with her fall and Christmas decorating..

On Monday I spent the day with my grandson Nick. He had the day off from school and since there was work being done at his house he came over to my apartment. He has told me during the last few weeks that he wanted to make a quilt for his animals....and so when he first got there I had him draw some pictures of them....He picked one with his orangutan as his favorite. So I transferred it to tea dyed muslin with my lite box and then I cut out 14 more squares of plaids. Nick laid them out how he wanted them and then he helped me sew them together. As I guided the needle, he worked the foot pedal.....we hit some land speed records on some of the seams, but he had LOTS of fun! While he sat and played with his Leapster, I stitched his drawing....Then he helped me spray bond the backing, batting and top.....I utility quilted it and today added the binding.....As you can see, Nick is VERY HAPPY with the results!!

Of course all of you know that the attention span of a five year old does not allow for non-stop sewing....so after our "speed sewing" Nick had another first. He had never been on a public bus. Since I don't drive adventures with Grandma require a lot of walking and riding on MAX....but so far we hadn't tried the bus. It was a big success. Since it was a holiday and mid morning, Nick and I had the bus to ourselves. We had a great driver and he chatted with Nick the whole way. We took in a matinee and lunch and then we were on our way back......We topped the day off with a trip to the playground at Nick's school. I don't know if he was tired, but Grandma was ready to put her feet up!

Megan had her last treatment of "IPPY" today.....at least for this session....They will do tests in the next few weeks to see if it is working.....Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for its success!

My best to all of you and I hope you are finding time to play with your wool and stitch your day away.......My best.....Jo Ann

An adventure in Portland

2011-02-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

Last week I got a message from Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs. We have met many times at Quilt Markets and always had a great time in our brief visits....but for all of you who have gone to market you know that if you are in a booth, visits unfortunately can't be too long! Anyway, she knew I was in Portland and asked if maybe we could get together one day. So....on Tuesday I took the MAX (Portland's wonderful light rail) to it's last stop going east and Debbie picked me up and took me on an adventure. We drove through beautiful countryside and ended up at her home. It was such fun to see her treasures and to visit her studio. Here she is standing in front of one of the old wooden stands in her work area. The whole room was full of wonder.....

....and here Debbie is again in the middle of the room....every where you looked there was a bit of inspiration. Debbie is just like her smile...warm and welcoming. It was such fun to see her new projects that she is developing for Spring Quilt Market....They are still a secret...but I know you will all love them!

Don't you love how she used the stack of suitcases for a lamp stand. I forgot to ask if she uses them for storage too....but I know mine at home are all full of samples,etc. She later took me to her favorite antique store and sure enough she found a smaller case to add to her collection.

The antique paper stands add a wonderful look in her shipping area. I saw one similar to this later that day when we were shopping, but it was a little too big to carry back on MAX....so it had to stay at the shop. I love it, don't you?

All in all it was a great day. I of course found some treasures of my own and plan on sharing them with you. I also took some photos of Debbie's version of Wool Crazy. She has taught it at a local quilt store, Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in West Linn and her samples are very fun.

We had snow in Portland yesterday morning. It only stayed for an hour, but it was so beautiful to see. My grandkids were very excited!

Visiting Debbie's studio made me come back and work on my mystery stitchery....I only have two more blocks left.....and I think I'll close and get to work....Bye for now, Jo Ann

Back in Portland

2011-02-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am back in Portland again. Actually I came back on the 31st of January, but I spent the first 3 days wallowing in a cold! I wasn't much use to anyone....although Nick came home sick from school that first day and he had to put up with me! I finally felt like a human being by Thursday...and just in time, because Megan had planned a girl's weekend at the Oregon Coast!

Before I tell you about that, I wanted to share block #2 of the Folk Branches bom at The Country Loft.....remember that it is a mystery and won't be put together until the end. I now have the first 7 done, but you will have to wait to see them! Of course this is Heart Branch...right in time for Valentine's Day.

....and now onto the coast. I love the Oregon Coast. It is so different than the beaches in Southern California! We were lucky to be staying in Megan's friend's family home just steps from the famous Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. My sister Marlene is walking down the stairs to it. We had overcast, but calm weather during our stay and were able to trek up the beach both days.

Megan planned this trip, because her friend, Val came to visit from Iowa....This is a photo of Megan (on the right), Val (middle) and my niece Margaret. They have all been friends for years.
... and here we are our first night in the beach house. Gene had sent us all a gift for the weekend (head scratchers) and Margaret is showing hers off....It was such fun to spend some time away and just visit, eat, drink and be merry.

Can you see that Megan's hair is starting to grow back. The clinical trial drug that she is on now does not kill hair cells, so she is sporting a fuzzy head. So far it is dark, but she said she is just glad to get some back ! Sophie might like her Mom having her hair color!

Going on this journey with Megan has taught us all to enjoy each and every moment (maybe not the ones suffering with a cold).....but all the special little things of life.

Thanks everyone for all your messages and prayers. We all so appreciate them....

Hope you are having a great day and I send you all a special wish for a special Valentine's Day with those you love......Jo Ann

Finally! Here I am again.....

2011-01-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!
It has been so long since I have written, I don't even know where to start. I haven't been sewing a whole lot, so I don't have much to share with you on that. The last time I wrote, I had just moved up to Portland for awhile and then flew off to Quilt Market.

Well, I am still living in Portland helping out in anyway I can with Megan and her family. Life up there is sooooo different weather wise than San Diego. Here is a photo of my street the first week I was there. The fall colors were beautiful.....

....and here is a photo of my sister Marlene and her husband Thomas' home in Washington with a Christmas snow.....Something we definitely do not have at home. I have gone out a few times to visit with them. Gene came up to spend 9 days at Christmas and we had a big family sleepover on the 26th...it was wall to wall beds!

.....and here is Megan and her husband, John. As most of you know she is fighting a second bought of cancer. I moved up to Portland when she started her chemo. Unfortunately the cancer wasn't impressed by this treatment at all! It was such a disappointment. She is now involved in a clinical trial for a drug nicknamed "Ippy"...She has had 2 doses of it and will have 2 more before they test her to see how it is working. So many of you have written that you are praying for her. Thanks so much for keeping her in your thoughts....and any prayers you can add for this new treatment would be great.

Last week we all flew down to San Diego, so that Megan could see all of the family. I am one of six kids and my sister Kathy had a big family dinner last Friday night. Here are my grandchildren who we forced into a picture. It was nice to have them all together. The next day Megan and John took their two to Disneyland and then they flew home yesterday.

I am staying home until next Monday.....I had a lot of paperwork to do for JAM...and we decided to finally remodel our bathroom while I am gone, so I am busy trying to order tile, fixtures, etc. It is a hassle getting it going, but this bathroom should have been condemned years ago....:))) ...and I finally can get rid of the awful bedroom carpet....YEAH!!!!

I am designing a new block of the month for The Country Loft...it is a mystery quilt. Each month they will unveil the next block until you have the whole quilt....it is called Folk Branches...This is the first block, Crow Branch. We thought it would be a fun way to present it and this gives me some extra time to get it together too....(true confessions)

I will try to be better about writing....and keeping you posted on things. Again, thanks for all your notes and good wishes. I hope that some of you have been trying the new projects in Crazy at Home....If you have, send me photos of what you have done....:)))

Bye for now.....Jo Ann

A little bit of Market

2010-11-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I found time to write all of you, so I thought I would give you a little update....

I am all settled into my apartment in Portland...I was able to take a flying visit to Quilt Market in Houston. Kathy, my sister, and Sharon and Joe (the owners of the Loft) went down and put up my booth for me...after they had done all the work, I came in for a little over a day and got to enjoy it....

These are not the best photos, but they did a great job on the booth....It looked wonderful. Mary and Porter Versfelt who live in Houston again lent us furniture...it sure helps to have something to put your stuff on...What we didn't borrow from them, Joe drove down in his truck....It sure is nice to have such great friends and family.

This is Kathy hard at work telling someone all about Crazy at Home....I can never thank them all enough! Market is fun...but a whole lot of work too.

I am all settled into my apartment in Portland. Megan had her first chemo treatment last week and is doing well. She had several really achy and tired days after it, but is feeling good this week. Thanks all of you for your prayers and good wishes....they mean so much.

Bye for now and if I don't post again before it, have a very wonderful Thanksgiving....Jo Ann

Crazy at home book signing

2010-10-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today at the Country Loft we had a book signing for Crazy at Home......I thought you would like to see how everything looked set up in the backyard of the shop....

It was threatening rain all morning and we weren't sure it would work outside....but we were under an awning and that kept the light rain off of us....

We had all 15 projects displayed. It was such fun, because no one had seen all of them....

Next week they are all off to Houston. My sister Kathy and our owner Sharon will be taking them and I may come in for a day .....I am off to Portland tomorrow to be with our daughter Megan...

This is my mom, Gert....she was my special guest all day and made cookies for all the people who came to the signing....I think maybe they come for the cookies....:))))

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and prayers....All my best, Jo Ann

CRAZY AT HOME

2010-10-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone for the nice notes I have been receiving. All your thoughts and prayers are most welcome. Megan hopes to find out what the procedures will be sometime in the next few days. It will be good to be starting the fight against this unwelcome guest in her body. She has a great attitude and a lot of people who are there for her, and that goes a long way!

Gene and I went up to Portland on October 8th and we found an apartment for me to rent. I will be up there as long as I am needed to help out with the kids and whatever. I am so glad that I will be near her....a thousand miles is too far away to hug her!

I've been busy getting all of my classes in order and kits made up for them....It is great to stay busy.....and I've also gotten everything ready for Quilt Market in Houston. My sister Kathy and my boss and friend, Sharon will be running my booth there. I pick up CRAZY AT HOME tomorrow and we will be having a book signing at The Loft on Saturday from 10 to 1....(you can preorder books online at www.cloft.com )

I am headed off to my studio to cut out some projects to take with me. I know there will be a lot of down time and of course I will need some stitching and wool to keep me occupied.

Take care everybody and if you have a chance check out the website my son just made for me....it is www.jampatterns.com You can't order from it, but you can dream and then contact The Country Loft if you want something.

All my best...Jo Ann

Some of the projects in Crazy at Home....:)))

A bit more fall

2010-10-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone....A few weeks ago I showed some of my fall decorations and I decided to show you some more.....This runner if from a pattern by Cheri Payne, made by my friend Donna....and the mat is one from a pattern by Cheryl Wall for her company, Country Quilts....

I love carved folk art....Here are some of the pieces I have collected over the years...

This jack-o-lantern bag is one we made in my monthly Brown Bag classes...(you come to class once a month and have no idea what you will make...all you know if that it will be in a brown bag)

......and a crate full of pumpkins....my sister Kathy made the mat...

....and she also made the bird from Renee Plains book .... This little display is on my kitchen counter.....I actually did leave enough room to still use it when forced to cook....:)

I hope you enjoyed the little Fall tour....in Southern California the fall colors in our homes are much more abundant than the ones outside....:)

This last few weeks have been hard ones for our family. Our daughter Megan found 5 years ago that she had eye cancer. After lots of treatment and losing her eye, it looked like she was out of the woods.....but now the cancer has returned. They are doing tests and she will be starting to fight it soon (we are not sure what that will entail) . She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter.....I will be going up there to help out and staying as long as they need me....So, you may not be hearing from me very often......I ask that all of you keep her in your prayers. Take care.....Jo Ann

Jonnie's Paper Dolls

2010-09-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Jonnie shared her rendition of the Cozy Quarter's "Paper Dolls" at our annual outdoor quilt show. I was so excited when she brought it in, because she included me as one of her "dolls"! That is me on the bottom right. I think that the Wool Bag should be a little bit bigger though! Isn't it great!!! Phyllis Paul designed the original and we were lucky enough to have her trunk show at the Loft. Jonnie loved hers and decided to try her hand at it.

I always tell my classes that building a Wool Crazy is like playing with paper dolls....remember how long it took to cut out all their clothes??? Yep, just like the appliques...:)))

Well I am off to my studio to do a little work....the last draft of "Crazy at Home" is waiting for me.....Hope your week got off to a great start....Jo Ann

A little bit of Fall and a visit from Renee

2010-09-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Many of you will recognize Renee Plains of Liberty Star. She taught at the Country Loft last weekend and we were lucky enough to have her stay in our home....Here she is standing in the entry.....

There is a great boon to having someone come stay at your home, besides the good company and the fun conversation....and that is a clean house. Just ask my husband Gene. He told Renee on Friday night that he wanted to thank her for coming, because I finally stopped working on the book and you could actually sit on the couch before brushing it off....:))) I had been living off the excuse of construction dust for weeks (why bother cleaning when it would just get covered in dust the next day) I knew that I would have to eventually haul out the dust rags and the vacuum and company always gets it done...

I decided since everything was clean that I should decorate for fall....plus I had pulled apart all my decorations anyway to take photos for the book. I love Fall. I have a birthday in October, so I am lucky enough to get lots of fall decorations for gifts. I have taken just a few photos...I will try to take more later.....This box stands in the entry to our home....

......and this great scarecrow is sitting on a trunk across from it....Notice his great crazy quilt jacket and pants....

I filled a shelf from an old trunk with pumpkins and leaves and this is in front of my fire place. Can you tell that I love crows....They are tucked all around....There is lots more, but this is all I took when I was waiting for Renee Saturday morning....We were off to a little breakfast before she taught at the Loft....

...and now I am off to teach at the Loft....I have 5 on-going Wool Crazy groups and one of them meets this morning..... I hope you all have a great day and find some time for stitching....

My best to you all...Jo Ann

Oh by the way....the bathroom is finally done....and I will take pictures soon so you can see it!

A peek at my new book....

2010-09-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe when I checked my blog today that it had been 5 weeks since I posted!!!! It seems like they have flown by. I was working a lot at the shop getting ready for the outdoor quilt show. Then I was sewing in all the hours I wasn't at the Loft. Finally, I was done with sewing but now I have been busy writing directions for all of my projects.....15 of them for my new book, Crazy at Home.....

I am not quite done with it yet....but it is finally taking shape. On Tuesday, my friend Terri came over and took photos of everything. The first one you see is a close-up of one of the "framed crazies"....

......and this little bird is hanging out in one of the "bag crazies".....

Here are 3 pillows that you will find in the book and in the back is part of a quilt that is in it too......so, I have been busy! Hopefully that is a good enough excuse for not stopping by and saying "Hi". I hope you have enjoyed your "peek"...

Oh and all the while I have been working on the book, my downstairs bathroom is being remodeled....so it is back and forth to the hardware store and decision making time all of the time.....Every day is started with a meeting with the guy who is doing it. He was hoping to be done by now, but has been slowed down by a faulty faucet. We are waiting on replacement of this pesky part! Soon as it is all done I will be posting pictures of it too....

My grandson, Timothy (5) spent the night last night and he has gotten very tired of not being able to use "his" bathroom.....right after he got up I heard the front door open and close....There he was in the front yard (which luckily is surrounded by hedges) peeing. We have 2 other bathrooms, but he decided this was his best bet.

I better get busy and go upstairs to work....and clean my studio. Renee Plains is coming to teach at The Loft tomorrow night and "her bedroom" is a bit of a mess..:))

Hope to be back really soon.....Jo Ann

My Studio

2010-08-04T08:15:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone....I have been meaning to take photos of my studio to show you where I work....but I was waiting until it was clean. I finally decided that we all might be too old to open our computers any more if I waited that long, so I shot some quick pictures this morning...:)))

This is the back wall of my room....I use the tall counter as my cutting counter and the antique cupboard to the left is all full of wool....Above it is one of my favorite things. When Sally and Alice of Kindred Spirits left their shop, they sold some of their originals. This is "Sweet Annie" and I LOVE it!!!!

Do you see the overflowing box of wool on the side of the counter?. I am busy cutting a new project and since I am sure I will need them again.....why put it all away...:) (Is that rationalization or what?!)

The old cupboard sitting on the counter has buttons and ribbon, etc in it for my dolls....and the old metal stand is from a hardware store and holds rusty tin stuff.

The projects thrown over the old wooden folding chairs are ones I am working on right now ...I am planning a new book (Crazy at Home)and busily sewing away.... I hope to have it out this fall. (I figure if I keep on telling people this, that it will happen)

Here is another look at the room...You can see my fat quarter cubby to the side of my sewing table. I do all my sewing on my Featherweight! The cupboard on the wall holds folded fabric...

....and here is more of that wall....The quilt is one of my retired blocks of the month...."The Sounds of Time"...underneath it is an old shoe rack with loads of bits and pieces I use on dolls...

...a closer shot of the fabric cupboard.....

....on the opposite wall from the fabric there used to be a closet...We took off the doors and I have filled it with antique shoe racks that hold all my patterns....The shopping basket and bucket have doll hair for past and future dolls....

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour.of my studio...Now I think I better go up there and get some work done!

Hope you have a good day of stitching today....Jo Ann

LET IT SNOW!!!

2010-07-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I took these shots of Diane Jones' work on her Wool Crazy....She is in one of my ongoing classes. With some of you sweltering in the summer heat and humidity, I thought that a little snow would be welcome....:))) Don't you love how she added the snow to the roofs and all of her snowflakes? Even her finishing on the joins gives that feeling of ice.

...and here it is in conjunction with some of her other appliques. As you can see she has made this a Christmas/winter block....

I hope you have been following along on the Wool Crazy Sew Along. So many people have been posting lately and sharing their starts and progress. It is such fun to see them all. I was going to post Julie Heinen's wonderful round crazy, but Brenda added before I got a chance....Be sure to check it out!

CRAZY WOOL ROUND ROBIN PINCUSHION

2010-07-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished my wool crazy pincushion! I had decided to use it as a top to a paper mache box....and stuff it so it would be a cushion too. When we started I didn't have the box in my hot little hands yet, so I faked the size of the top by looking at the dimensions on the order sheet....(not always a good idea)..... After much agonizing and discreet trimming..:))) here it is!

This shot is taken from the top....and the next a little closer up....Whoops my wool sign is sticking straight up in the air....(Roseann added these as a surprise for all of us)

Here it is sitting on it's side with the wool sign down now....:)))) I just distressed the bottom....I had planned on putting wool on the bottom, but the lid wouldn't go on....slight problem....This is what happens when you fly by the seat of your pants! Oh well...luckily I like primitive things!

...and here is a look at it from the side....still with some wet spray...:) I just couldn't wait to show you how it looks!

I want to thank Roseann (who came up with the idea); Pat (who organized us) and Brenda (who had so much enthusiam) for all of their work on my wool crazy. I love it and know that it will be come a favorite in my studio. Thank you....Thank you....Thank you.....

I love the box so much that I am going to design a few more....(maybe you'll see them soon in a new book I am planning:))) (My theory is if I tell enough people that I am working on a new book it will force me to do it!)

Happy Wednesday....I hope it is a good stitching day for you.....

A very special Wool Crazy

2010-07-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Last week at one of my on-going Wool Crazy classes Jan Gartland handed me this little package.....Some of you may recognize the paper...It is a scan of one of the color photo pages in my book!!!
Here I took a photo of it opened up.....I would have never thought to make paper like this..
.....and if this isn't clever enough, just look at what was inside....

It is a mini wool crazy!!!! It measures 4"x41/2". It is truly amazing. I LOVE it!!!! She used teeny tiny stitches and added some needlefelting too. It is a work of art. I am so excited to have it....and I wanted you all to see it too.

How are your Wool Crazies coming along???? It is such fun to see everyone's. Post yours on the Sew Along blog...or e-mail them to me, and I will post them on my blog.

Happy Friday....Hope you all are having a wonderful day....Jo Ann

HAPPY 4th of July

2010-07-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would say Happy Fourth with two of my designs that I taught this year at the Loft....On Monday I taught 2 classes of this little stitchery quilt...."Signs of Summer". Kind of puts you in that "red, white and blue" mood...:)
........and in early June I taught this table runner...."Flag Crazy"....if you look really closely you can see the crazy patch background under the flag and stars...

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday and eat way too many hamburgers and hot dogs and laze around in the sun all day long!

Have fun celebrating!!!!!

Camp Loft

2010-06-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row, The Country Loft set aside a week for Summer Camp......Here is Kathy (my sister) hanging our Camp Loft banner.....We wanted to welcome all the campers from the moment they walked in.....

.....and here is a second banner on our back porch.....

Here is Kathy again welcoming all of the 15 campers that came to Camp Kit Day....and what a fun time they had. Kathy made them each a necklace (unfortunately none were photographed...but trust me they are CUTE small pockets on a cord to keep all of their prize tickets in throughout the week!)

...and here are some of the campers hard at work making covered boxes....Then they each got a great lunch after the class....and then onto the next fun project.....

.....Peggy is showing off her box and her tomatoes and she is all ready to make her spoolies.......Way too much fun in one day....At least one of the campers stayed on that night for a Wimpy All-Nighter that lasted until 11....Talk about stamina....:)))

....and next week has lots more fun to come....Wish all of you could join us.

Happy Summer to everyone!

Wool Crazy in FRANCE!

2010-06-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this with all of you! When I opened my e-mail this evening, I found a message from my friend, Marie. She has just finished teaching at a three day retreat in France.

As you can see one of her all day sessions was on Wool Crazy. I was so excited!!!!! I knew that she was going to teach it....but now it is a reality. If you'd like to see more, visit her blog http://lessecretsdemarie.blogspot.com/ You will be green with envy when you see where they stayed during this retreat!

Well, this has inspired me....I am off to stitch....Jo Ann

ROUND ROBIN on it's way home to Roseann

2010-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday after teaching all day at The Country Loft I came home to a package from Pat Sloan. It was the looooong awaited round robin pincushion. .....but as you can see it was worth the wait!!!! Pat warned me that she had sent me a challenge. She had completed not one, but two appliques...but her second one went from being a "sun" to a flower and she wasn't sure where it would take me......

The green line is part of my solution, but I am leaving you in suspense a little while longer...:))) Is it a worm??? ..a snake??? The little patch off to the side seemed a little lonely, so I added a flower garden...I built my garden with a blanket stitch and then added some bullions and french knots for flowers....it still needed something, so I couched a few longer lines and added some more knots....A stitchery can never have too many!

As you can see the green line was not a wriggling critter, but only a stem with some leaves. It still looked a little bare, so I added some backstitched lines and you guessed it ...some more french knots...... And what would a garden be without a butterfly.

The raw edge under the flower was still in need of a stitch so I added a simple fern stitch...no fancy stitches were used, because I figured there was enough going on....:))))

Now it is off home to Roseann. I think that she will have a great time making it into a pincushion......We will all get ours back in the next week or so, so check in to see what becomes of them.....

I saw today that Brenda is all ready starting another one!!!! How about you? Will you be the next one to have a Round Robin going? I hope so! I can't wait to see them.

Happy Sunday (and Father's Day) to everyone....Jo Ann

A wonderful "crazy" at Quilt Market

2010-06-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

One of the really fun things about Quilt Market is getting to chat with all of the shop owners and getting to meet in person people that you have only spoken to on the phone....I'd like to say that I can remember each and everyone, but some things become a blur after awhile...:))

I think it was on the last day of Market the girls from Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee, Minnesota came to visit for the second time and had part of a Wool Crazy in hand. Their shop has a group working on their own, and Lori, one of the owners, brought her mom, Ann's work to share......

I know that you are going to love it....Here is her Annie ringing a bell...because she is in a bell ringing group.....and look at her thread spool....isn't it great?

......and her wonderful basket of flowers!!!! I love them!

....and this dragonfly is to die for....check out all the wonderful stitches!

.......and this polar bear patch was her husband's I think and she will be adding it in....

....Here is the whole piece so far.....It is so wonderful! ....and I am so glad that I got to see it!!!

Happy Stitching today.....I am off to teach a class at the Loft......JoAnn

My friend Kathy's first market

2010-06-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my friend, Kathy Cardiff starting to set up her booth at her first quilt market as a vendor. Her company is The Cottage at Cardiff Farms and as you can see, she was very excited to be there!

...and here is her first booth... This is her block of the month...Yesteryear..

.....and this quilt is Golden Rule....and the cute bags are called Cottage Totes...

.......the heart quilt is Summer Romance. It was the first quilt she taught at The Country Loft and it is always a popular one!! She does great wool mats too!

Her daughter, Taylor just designed a website for her, so stop by and see all of her great designs......just put in her company name....:)))

Kathy was right next to me which was very fun. (and she too had my sister there to do last minute tweaks to the booth....everyone is always trying to get Kathy to come decorate their homes.....as I said she has the EYE!!!!!)

Off to make dinner now....I just wish I knew what I am making....:))) Jo Ann

A whole lot of shipping and a little round robin sewing......

2010-05-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...I hope you have been having a great loooooong weekend....I spent the weekend in my studio cutting, gluing and folding patterns....and then filling quilt market orders....This morning I charged them out and then Gene and I took all 24 packages and envelopes and made great use of the mail-in-the -box machine at the local post office and got all of them sent off. Now tomorrow I just have to send off the out-of-country ones and I am DONE!!!! Here are some of the packages waiting by the front door to be loaded in the car.....

Next I cut out a pumpkin and a black cat to add to Brenda's pincushion because it is time to add to our round robins. I had been wanting to get to it, but I was on a mission to finish all the mailing first.... and I just couldn't let myself play!!!!!
We were headed off to our son Andy's house for dinner and I knew that Alana, my 7 year old granddaughter would love to help me figure out how to stitch it. She LOVES to sew!!! So, I packed it in my sewing bag to work on while we all visited!

I was so busy baking cookies to take for desert that I forgot to take a photo of the cut outs before I stitched them. Here is my cat and pumpkin and you can also see the join stitches that I added. A feather stitch and some french knots to one and a herringbone with straight lines on the cross pieces to the other (it is hidden somewhat by the cat)

....and this is what her pincushion top looks like now....with the boot and candy corn it is definitely becoming a halloween treat! Brenda will think about trick or treating when she uses it.....

I am off to pack it up now and it will be in the mail to Roseann in the morning.....Be sure to check out Pat's, Roseann's and Brenda's blogs in the next few days and see what they have been up to.....

Have you been working on one for yourself???? It is not too late to start....just grab a few friends and start stitching......

Happy Memorial Day.....Jo Ann

JAM's booth in Minneapolis

2010-05-29T18:15:00.001-07:00

Quilt Market in Minneapolis has come and gone and it is all a blur. I was telling someone there that it is like Christmas....you spend months getting ready and then it is over in a blink of an eye.

Here is my booth in it's starting phase. I always think that I will remember to take of picture of how it looks when we get there....plain white curtains and a blank six foot table and 2 chairs....but I am always in such a hurry to hang my curtains I forget! This shot is after our first few hours in the booth....we wanted to get the curtains hung at least that first night....

....and here are some of the props waiting to find a home....We brought these in huge duffle bags that weighed a TON! How they didn't break the scales I don't know. I expected to see a great big "TILT" sign....:)))

I got so involved in hanging stuff, I forgot to take very many pictures. I always semi-plan everything before I come...but we seem to like changing things around....Kathy (my sister) has a great eye and tweaks it just the right way.....

We had the whole booth organized by 11 am on Thursday (the show opened on Friday)...but it still needed a few more props....So Kathy and I hopped into a taxi and off we went to Hunt and Gather...an absolutely wonderful shop. ....We got the great red stand you see below and three more suitcases, some buckets and another chair. What a haul!

It was just what we needed to finish it off!!!! I was even able to bring most of it to San Diego.......The red stand has found a new home with Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool, but everything else is back in my studio!

Here is the booth waiting for the first customer. My good friend Lynn also went with us....It was her first Market. She LOVED it!!!!! ....but I don't think she ever imagined how big it would be..... it was HUGE!!!!!

I'll be back with more to share soon.....but maybe not until I get all my orders shipped!

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend....Jo Ann

All packed up and ready to go....

2010-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

The bags are packed....here is a peek in one of them with my product flyer and some of my props and patterns......

.....and that is just a small bit of what I am taking.. I feel like one of those Victorian women that travelled with trunks! Luckily my sister Kathy and my friend Lynn are packing lightly and are ready to check some in for me....:))) ....2 bags fly free for each of us...and I will still have to pay...

but of course I want the booth to look "cute" and all of these are things I NEED to do that.....:)))) I'll take lots of pictures and post them next week when we get back!

Until then ....Happy Stitching...Jo Ann

Pat Sloan's Crazy Pincushion

2010-05-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here it is....Round Robin...round two!!!

About a week and a half ago I got Pat's pincushion base in the mail. Of course I opened it immediately and had to touch and look at all the goodies in her bag! She included a note that said she was thinking flowers, birds, garden love.....Can't you just see flowers with these colors!

Of course, I did not jump in right away. After all, we had until the 15th to blog and since I was frantically trying to figure out my booth at Quilt Market, I decided that I could wait a few days....:)))

Tuesday evening, May 11th and I still hadn't touched the block....but I knew that I had one of my on-going Wool Crazy classes the next night and I might get a chance to stitch....and so I cut out this heart and flower....and looked through my pearl cotton to find some brighter colors to use for Pat....(since she is not one of us dark primitive folk....:)))

I am such a bad blogger that I forgot to take a photo of my design without stitching....Luckily, one of the women in my class used her trusty phone to take this and then she e-mailed it to me right on the spot (isn't technology amazing) and saved the day.....

and here it is ...all cut out and ready to go............

Before I show you how I sewed it down though I want to show how I had some fun on the joins....I found this great variegated Valdani pearl cotton that brought in lots of Pat's colors and I stitched a simple fern stitch and some lazy daisies....

I added a cretan stitch on another join and topped it off with some french knots ........and the little rectangle of wool with my intials is for Pat to use somewhere on the base of her pincushion....so she can think of us when she uses it :)))

.......and finally here is the finished heart/flower (garden love right?)....

.......and now it is off to Roseann...... It will be such fun to see what she adds!

Have you started your own pincushion? Grab a few friends and get going!

Be sure to check out how Pat, Roseann and Brenda are doing on their pincushions!

More crazies from The Country Loft

2010-05-11T08:07:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone....I have been going crazy trying to get things ready for my booth at Quilt Market in Minneapolis. I am not sure why my list is getting longer the more that I work...but it is! If you are planning on going come by and see me. My booth number is 3705 and right next door to me will be my good friend Kathy Cardiff doing her first market....The Cottage at Cardiff Farms...#3707. She is very excited and very scared, so come say Hi to her...:))))

Several week ago I shot photos of another crazy quilt in one of my on-going classes. This one is by Mary Lopez. She does beautiful work and I knew that you would like to see it. She is actually working on her 4th block, but I only have 2 of them to show...She has a great way of adding stitches to her appliques.. Don't you love them?

...and she loves to fill in almost every inch of it....

Here are some close ups of her stitching....

...I love the detail she added to her fence..

...and look at this great combination of stitches on her joins...

I know that Mary's work will give you lots of ideas to add to your own quilts.

Be sure to check in this weekend for our continuing Round Robin Crazy Pincushion....I know what I am putting on Pat's but it is still on that never ending to-do list!!!! Rest assured it will be ready for Saturday's post!!!!

Hope you can take some time to stitch today ......Jo Ann

WOOL CRAZY ROUND ROBIN

2010-04-30T15:38:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone....

It is Round Robin Saturday! Hope everyone is ready to do some blog hopping! There are four of us starting our WOOL CRAZY pincushions today! You'll want to see all of our starts...and hopefully down the road the finished products..:)) Here are all the blogs! Go by and chat awhile!

Roseann http://www.rosebudscottage.typepad.com/

Jo Ann http://woolcrazy-jam.blogspot.com/

Brenda http://pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com/

Pat http://patsloan.typepad.com

Some of us picked themes :) Mine is FALL and the plan is to put the finished piece on the top of a paper mache box that I will cover. I've ordered the box and it is on it's way...now I just have to figure out how to cover it! But, never fear, by the end of the r.r. I promise to find a way.

This photo shows you the layers of the pincushion. I start with a layer of warm and natural and then add a homespun (because it is easy to needle through) and then I start patching my wool. Use a lot of texture in your colors, but on something so small you have to be careful that one of the colors is not too over the top and takes over....I tried to use colors that would read FALL...

Next baste down your pieces so that you are not fighting pins and your layout stays where you want it. The basting on the outside shows the next person where to stop on the edges....I don't want to use any of their great stitching!

Next I added some stitching on one of the "joins" or seams. (Just to get it started) As you can see I am not a fanatic on perfection....Just enjoy the process and the overall finished product will look fine! I added a herringbone topped with a cretan and then put some french knots above them...
(I promise that this is the same piece...but somehow my great photo skills have changed the colors..:)

Then I cut out my wools and added an acorn and some leaves to get the FALL theme going...(I thought I'd tell you what they were in case you couldn't tell) You can use freezer paper patterns to iron on your wool before cutting...or do what I do and just wing it. I use teeny tiny applique pins to hold my pieces in place.

Finally, I whipped stitched my pieces in place and added some detail with my stitching. I used a backstitch for the veins of the leaves; the lines on the top of the acorn and the lines (branch??) holding it all together...french knot berries and x's to jazz up the acorn bottom a little. I love the stitching and sometimes I can get carried away...:)

So now it is ready to mail off to Roseann in Minnesota. Since I pretty much dream of FALL (although San Diego does get some fall leaves) she has more first hand experience so I know that she'll put on something great!

See how easy it is???? You'll want to start one of your own and get it going. If you need any designs just look in WOOL CRAZY (shameless plug) and you will find tons. Remember that any design can be shrunk down and used...:)) Send us photos of yours. We'd love to see them!

Hope you all "go crazy"! At least for Wool...and happy stitching!

RADIO SHOW TODAY

2010-04-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN TODAY!!!! Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio at 4pm Eastern time....1:00 for all of us Californians....Just go to http:/toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio .... (OK I just tried for ten minutes to make this link to Pat's show and I give up!!!!....You can now see why I like hand sewing! Machines and I do tend to fight! I had planned on photos today, but that isn't happening either..:()

I am excited and to be honest just a little scared. Pat is great and so easy to chat with...but it is LIVE and what if my little pea brain just goes blank....Like, DUH!!!!

WE will be announcing a fun new project, so don't miss out on hearing all about it. You can listen online later, if you miss the live show!

Thanks for dropping by...Jo Ann

Two posts in one day!

2010-04-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

On Friday night our oldest grandson, Pierce recieved his Arrow of Light...and became a Boy Scout!

It was a beautiful evening in San Diego after a week of rain and the ceremony was right on the bay. Six boys were being honored...but there were lots of friends and family there to cheer them on...

Here is Pierce with the Arrow of Light plaque his dad made for him!

...and Pierce and Aaron enjoying the moment...

..and all the boys lined up with their parents...That is our daughter-in-law Glenda (the one who can barely see over the boys..:) and son Andy (the tallest dad there) behind Pierce....

...and there was even an Indian chief who paddled in to conduct the ceremony!

It was a fun evening for everyone! Congratulations Pierce!!!!

Going crazy

2010-04-25T10:13:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone....Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. I looked at my last post this morning and couldn't Believe that it had been 2 weeks since I wrote...Life has been crazy!

I am so excited that tomorrow I will be on Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio show. I'll be chatting about Wool Crazy (I am sure you are all surprised)! You can follow along at http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio ... It starts at 4 pm EST...so for those of you in San Diego that is 1:00....If you miss it then, you can listen to it on the computer later.

After the show leave a post on Pat's blog www.patsloan.typepad.com and you might win a copy of Wool Crazy!

Thought you might like to see what I have been working on. It is a new design using the Wool Crazy techniques. The pattern, Crazy Wool Sewing Keep will be coming out at Quilt Market in Minneapolis.

This is a photo of the inside...the little fold over with the bird on it opens for needles...and there is a place for pins and scissors....then all those containers on the other side are for all those goodies we can't do without!

This is a closer look at the needle and pin holders....

and this is the back....lots of crazy stitching here...

....and the front....even more stitching

We've had a lot of fun with this at the Loft and I think you'll like it too!

Quilt Market is only a little over 3 weeks away! My studio is getting a lot of use these days...there are things stacked everywhere! Last week we had a break-in here (fortunately not much missing....and just a little damage)...but the policeman who came to check out the house was sure that my studio had been ransacked. :))) Gene had to confess that it had looked just like that in the morning! What can I say...designing is not a neat activity!

Hope you get a chance to join us tomorrow...for click on links go to my last post.... Andy does a much better job at linking!!! I am determined to figure it out...but maybe not today.

Bye for now....Jo Ann

RADIO SHOW NEWS

2010-04-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...I have big news. The other day I got an e-mail from Pat Sloan asking me to be a guest on her radio show! I took a big gulp and wrote back "Yes". My first thought was "what if I get totally tongue tied and can't think of anything to say". Although I love to talk I wasn't sure that I wouldn't freeze.

Here is a link that you can just push...if I did it right..

If not, just click on this link and it should get you there.radio show .

So...I just realized that I haven't given you a time or a date. It will be on Monday, April 26 at 1:00 p.m. EST.... but if you can't listen then it will be available online for quite awhile after that...(I am thinking GREAT..if I blow it everyone can listen!)

Pat will be having a give away connected to her show...so just go to her blog at Pat's Blog and make a comment to win...

I think you can guess what she wants me to talk about...WOOL Crazy of course.

So please be thinking positive thoughts at that time and send them in my direction...I hope you can join us...Jo Ann

A break from crazy quilts

2010-04-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago Gene and I headed up to Portland, Oregon. It is definitely one of my favorite cities on the west coast...and not just because my daughter and her family live there...It is just so GREEN and there are trees and flowers everywhere.....

The waterfall you see in this first photo is in the Japanese Garden...It is part of Washington Park....a great beauty spot right in the city. We had seen the outside of the garden, but never took the time to go in. It is so worth it....very quiet and serene....Although Megan wasn't too sure that taking a 5 and 2 year old into it added to the serenity...:)

This is just one of the lanterns dotted all over the garden. The person who sold us the tickets gave us a scavenger hunt for Nick (our 5 year old grandson) to do, but Gene is the one who got into it. This was one of his "finds".

Here are Nick and Sophie resting on a bench they found...They loved all the bridges and stepping stones they found throughout the garden...

..and here is Sophie with her Mom. We all had a great time visiting this gorgeous Portland spot. Even the rock gardens are beautiful...(and I am not really into rocks!)

We didn't spend all our time there. We also made a trek up a road we had never travelled...North along the Columbia....Here we are in front of a 1904 building in a town where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers meet...(Please don't ask me the name...my mind is a total blank)... It was supposed to rain that afternoon, but we lucked out and had a great drive.

Thanks for travelling along with us for awhile....Jo Ann

Jan's winter and fall

2010-04-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I showed you some of Jan Gartland's work....I know from your notes and comments that you like it as much as I do....so here is some more of it...Her winter and fall block. Her Santa is great and don't you like the deer peeking around his side....

The row of pumpkins on my Wool Crazy is one of my favorite appliques! As you can probably tell from the colors I use, fall is my season (even though California does not have the spectacular falls of other parts of the country, it does have it's share of changing leaves.... Jan picked a great place for hers and wonderful oranges to make them...

She has added the date and her name on the block above...and the hand holding the flower is perfect there!

Isn't this crow the best? It just has so much personality..... and do you see her snowflakes on the next piece...She used a wool yarn and felted them and then added stitches over that. (Remember anything goes)

Jan also needle felted this angel's hair...and don't you love her snowman and the cardinal in her pine tree....

Here is the whole block..I remember her adding the turkey right before Thanksgiving...Her village is perfect with the houses resting on their hill and the fence protecting it all.

I hope you enjoyed seeing more of her work. I took some photos last week of some more of the work from the Loft...I'll be posting them as the weeks go by.

My grandson Timothy is here and ready to dye some Easter eggs...I think that we are trying his patience, so I best be off.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and that the bunny brings you lots of goodies for your baskets......

Signs of Spring

2010-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone....Doesn't this block just look like spring....A great bunny hopping through a garden! I took it last week at one of my classes...but I almost didn't get the chance. I asked Jan the month before to bring her blocks in for me to photograph but about 4:30 that afternoon I realized that my camera was at home. My long suffering husband dropped by the house on his way home from work and brought it to me. I didn't want you guys to miss out! Sorry it has taken me soooo long to download them and share them with you....

The artist here is Jan Gartland....and artist she is. I am always telling her that my quilt is a kindergartner's compared to hers.....Her stitching is phenomenal. Look carefully at her designs and you'll see what great use she makes of wool roving......

I really like how she added the birdhouses to the garden gate...and just look at those teeny tiny birds...You can just catch a bit of her butterfly garden here...

....and don't you love her nest with the needle felted eggs....she just kept adding and adding to it.

...and how about the detail on her seed packets....and her great bee skep! The next photo is of her entire block....She chose to do seasonal blocks....one spring/summer and another fall/winter. I'll share it in a few days. She is going to border them out and add some other appliques in the border that she couldn't fit on the block.

Isn't it all amazing! I love seeing how she took some ideas from the book and just went with them and kept on going!!!!

At the Country Loft the other day a customer came in to share the crazy quilt jacket she made...she used some of the designs from Wool Crazy but did them all in stitchery...I asked her to share her photos, so maybe someday she will....:)

Gene and I are off to see our grandkids in Portland, Oregon this weekend. It is Nick's birthday next week and so we will have an early celebration with him....He will be 5. His sister Sophie thinks she is too...but is almost 2 1/2! (Of course we'll see their parents too :)))

Bye for now...Jo Ann

ANOTHER CRAZY FROM THE COUNTRY LOFT

2010-03-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday. I turned on the computer to print some photos for a class...but somehow :) got pulled into everyone's blogs....and then I noticed that it had been a whole week...and more since I had added anything to mine....(blush)
I really meant to get back before now and post some more "Wool Crazies" All of the photos below are of blocks by Kay Fried.....She finished them all!!!!....and even put them all together in a quilt. I love how it turned out. She gave it to her husband for their anniversary...but when he started cuddling with it, she pretty much told him...."look, but don't touch!"

Kay used a lot of Christmas and Fall in this block....
and then moved on to more Spring in this one....I thought the gate she
added to her fence was spectacular!

Check out her fan in this one.....For some reason this block turned

out smaller than her others...so she added the saying on two sides...

She had me write it out one night for her in class....Another great

addition, don't you think???

This one is spring and summer again............

....and fall and Christmas....Don't you like her village on the fan!

I apologize that this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped....

but here is her whole quilt! She used a variety of grays to

sash it.....they all work together so well....

So here it is....Proof that it can be done...:))) I love seeing how Kay took my designs and made them her own....and how she added to it too. Hope you are all having fun working on your "crazies" and that Kay's work will inspire you ....

Well, it is back to working on my class....Hope you are all having a great day.....Jo Ann

Wool Crazy Across the Web

2010-02-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Its amazing to me how many places on the web are talking about Wool Crazy. Thought you might like to see some of them. Here we go:

Pumpkin Patch Primitives has really taken a liking to my book.

Everyone in Blogland is buzzing about JoAnn Mullaly book, 'Wool Crazy'...as they should!! The more I look at this book, the more I love it!! Even if you NEVER make the Crazy Quilt you WILL love it for the gorgeous applique patterns!

NewsoDrome picked up a blogspot from our friend Kaaren at The Painted Quilt

About a week ago when I was blog hopping, I happened to see a photo of this new book on the market…

and I fell in ♥!

A crazy quilt done entirely in wool! Be still my ♥!

The Wool Crazy Ladies Club

We have a fun new project for you based on the book, Wool Crazy by JoAnn Mullaly. We will be working on a small wool crazy quilt with lots of folksy wool appliqués and embroidery stitches. We are initially planning on running this club for 4 months.

Lea at Simple Pleasures actually stopped by my booksigning. It was great to meet her and I'm glad she's enjoying her book.

Penny Rugs and More, and Treadleworks by Tammy more of the Wool Crazy Sew Along gang.

The Happy Wren Sewing Blog had nice things to say:

There are times when I see someone’s work and truly believe that they are artists. Here’s a couple of examples and included are the links/information to find these resources should they interest you! As always, happy sewing!

Bits of Wool

The thing I like about this 'challenge' is that you don't have to attempt the whole quilt, you can just make small projects from the templates in any material that you want. Just my cup of tea. I always have a great start, then lose steam as I move along, so this should be great for me. Living in chilly, snowy Canada means that I have a ton of wool in my stash, and can pick and choose what colors I want. I am so pumped to have found this group of very friendly ladies, and look forward to the adventure with them. I have already picked up a few great tips from the comments section on the blog.

Even our Olympic Neighbors have gotten involved! Sweet P Quilting and Creations

(Posted by Jo Ann's son Andy. My Mom says she can't do this, but I still have high hopes.)

Hey it's Friday

2010-02-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone....Just a quick note, because I need to become domestic this morning... my good friend Renee is coming to teach at the Loft this weekend and is spending the night in my studio....It is actually fairly neat for a change, but the bathroom needs a little TLC!

Lori e-mailed me this morning that she couldn't comment on my message from yesterday. I am not sure why....but my son is coming to my rescue this afternoon to tweak things that I have already messed up....:)))) So hopefully, it will be A-ok after that....

The guy on the top of the page is Ted....I thought he should visit you while it is still February....it is hard to see, but one of his hearts is a crazy patch....he was a "Wimpy All-Nighter" I taught at the shop...(a wimpy is when you wimp out by 11 pm and can't make it all night)

Happy Friday! Jo Ann

"WOOL CRAZIES" AT THE COUNTRY LOFT

2010-02-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday. I have just spent a fun day with one of my five year old grandsons. I have played with playdough and lots and lots of cars.....read a few books and visited the playground at the school down the street....He is still raring to go...but his Grandma was starting to drag. How can they have so much energy!

Yesterday I met with 3 of my Wool Crazy classes....It is such fun to see their work and watch their progress....Some work on them constantly and others only when they are in class.....but we are all having fun!!!! The blocks I have here were all created by Susy Boyer. She has been "going crazy" for years now.:))) ....I love what she has done....and I knew that you would love to see it. She is working on her 4th block right now, so she will soon be ready to add her sashing......but she can't control that urge to just add one more stitch. I still look at mine and think...oh I wish I would have stitched just a bit more...:))))

Hope you are having fun stitching today....I'll post some more blocks soon....Jo Ann

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

We made it to Washington D.C. and here is the proof! (Although we saw great photos of people at Union Station that the White House was photo shopped into)....We had our photo snapped by a great young man from Germany and we took his too...
Thanks for all of you who have stopped by my blog. It has been so nice hearing from you. Lots of you were sent by Paulette and I want to thank her for all of her encouragement!
We had a wonderful time tromping through the snow. It was actually a treat for us, because snowy days in San Diego are few and far between.
I'll be back soon.....I've taught 2 ongoing Wool Crazy classes since we got back and it just dawned on me that I should have taken my camera to show you what everyone is up to. I teach 3 more next week, so I will take camera in hand and share some of the great work they are doing....
I best be off and figure out if there is anything in the house for dinner....Bye for now..Jo Ann

Snow Day

2010-02-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone...Today I have a "snow day"...no it hasn't suddendly started snowing in San Diego, but Gene and I were scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. this morning and they are certainly having more than their fair share of the white stuff. This will be our first visit to our capitol and we have great timing. Who would believe that they would have such a storm???? We have our long woolies packed and are ready to go....We have a new flight tomorrow....

...and so I have a "free" day! I have spent the last 2 weeks burning the midnight oil to get projects done, patterns made and orders shipped....Whew...and then although there is still more of that to do..I am on vacation!!!!

My friend, Renee has been after me to become a blogger...and I have drug my heels. Computers and I are not all that friendly. I love e-mail and printing photos...but beyond that I am a computer dud. So, bear with me as I try to figure all this out. So many of you have wonderful blogs and great photos on them!!!! I will have to start taking photos of everything.