Lexi's Horse Curtains

Here's a picture of my sister Deborah, with her daughter-in-law, Stacy, and her granddaughter, Lexi...(Stacy has a new purse dilemma)...

Here's a better picture of Lexi -- who loves horses...

So, of course -- Deb embroidered some appropriate valances for Lexi's room...


Deb is telling me how she did it (THAT GIRL WILL EMBROIDER ANYTHING SHE CAN GET IN A HOOP!!)



GREAT JOB, DEB!! YOUR ROCK...I love that she found fabric that looked like wood!!


In the spare bedroom, Stacy hung a quilt to create this very artistic headboard. Isn't this a great idea??


Several years ago, Mitchell & Stacy moved a big old two-story farm house down the road (it was even on television). They've been working on it every day since then -- and I took lots of pictures of various rooms for my future blogs. Stacy is a very creative decorator.

GREAT JOB and -- BEAUTIFUL house, Stacy!!

The Simple Pleasures

My sewing-industry-driven-life keeps me busy. John will tell you that I'm on this computer by 7:00 AM every day -- and many nights, I'm still here at midnight. I keep a lot of different balls in the air...AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE...

But, if that's all I had in my life -- it wouldn't be very rewarding. Because a happy life is ALL ABOUT BALANCE.

One of my favorite OTHER jobs is being Aunt Rita. My nieces and nephews have brought huge joy to my life. But they're all busy adults now...

Luckily, I have THEIR children for my Aunt Rita moments. If they're going to remember coming to Aunt Rita's house...I have to make the time...NOW...

Because I understand HOW QUICKLY THEY GROW UP...

On a recent beautiful fall day -- 2-year old Memphis came for a rare visit. She is a quiet, observant toddler...For the first two hours, she kept assuring me that her Daddy was coming to pick her up....

For lunch, we were joined by Cash -- who wanted Memphis to understand that he owns this house...I believe she was impressed with his ability to break eggs into a bowl...but she was a little unclear about his special rules for the Domino game...

Memphis's brother, Landon, got off the bus here. I planned a cookie baking activity -- he figured out a way they could do it together. Landon was delighted to be making something he could take home to his Mom & Dad...Memphis was focused and determined...while Landon was non-stop talking...wow, that boy can speed talk....

Oh, yeah -- kids are a lot of work. A day with THREE of them damn near killed me. I lapsed into a coma the moment they walked out the door. But when they grow up, I hope they'll fondly remember their rare days spent at Aunt Rita's house...

As the years go by -- I understand that the time I spend with these little people is more important than anything I could possibly do in my work life.

And I take great joy in these simple moments.

Seven Days A Week

One of my passions is collecting vintage linens. Last year, on a Saturday treasure hunt -- I found this set of "Seven Days A Week" dishtowels. The hand-embroidery is the best I've ever seen. The little skirts are delicate applique -- and each towel depicts a girl with tube curls -- beautifully embroidered.

Although it was clear to me these towels had NEVER ONCE BEEN USED...but, rather, stored in a hope chest or maybe a linen closet for the last 50 years...waiting for some 'special occasion"...

The storage had not been kind. The towels had yellowed -- there were a lot of splotchy brown stains...and the fold stains looked permanent... I LOVE A LAUNDRY CHALLENGE...in this picture, I'm trying to show Before (in the middle) and After (the white towels on top)...


I started off with an overnight soak in warm water. The next day, I soaked them overnight in Oxy-Clean. Then, I washed them in a regular cycle and HUNG THEM OUTSIDE ON A SUNNY DAY. That makes all the difference.

I don't think the DIFFERENCE is so apparent in this picture -- but it was HUGE.

These towels make me smile. They have been moved to a place of honor -- IN MY TOWEL DRAWER..in my kitchen...to be used and admired any time I need a towel.

But, then again -- I could MAKE A QUILT with them. Look for a future post about a quilt we saw at the local Quilt show...using THIS EXACT PATTERN.

What are the chances??

Artistic Car

Bert & I always start our Saturday by meeting for breakfast -- often at the local Village Inn. On this day -- we parked next to THIS GREAT CAR...

Luckily, I had my camera in the Hey Rita tote...

I LOVE THIS CAR...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

Doesn't everybody??

See -- Art is everywhere...

You just have to be on constant alert, people...

And I have one more thing to say about this car. I admire your talent, but mostly I wish I had your nerve...

Local Quilt show

In a constant effort to enjoy every single moment of our lives as much as possible -- my Tuesday morning breakfast clubbers decided on a Friday DAY TRIP...

Of course, we started off with breakfast.

Then -- on to a very interesting estate sale.

Third stop -- the Quilt Show at the Fairgrounds. The Mississippi Valley Quilt Guild.



In the second building, my cousin Linda (on the left), said, "everything seems so dark to me." I replied, "the lighting isn't very good in this building." Then she said, "I could take off my sunglasses.."

DUH...!!

Hey -- a quilt show is ALWAYS a good reason to practice my slide show skills...

Mary & Doug Wedding Reception

As promised -- here are actual pictures of Mary Mulari and her new husband, Doug. Their reception was waaaay up north in Minnesota...on September 11th, 2010. It was a lovely "brunch" from 10-2 at the Chalet at Giant's Ridge.

Right before the festivities got started -- I got this great pic of the happy couple -- standing with Mary's unique sidewalk "greeter"...



It's early...the room looks beautiful....

About 30 minutes into the event -- the room is already FULL. OH OH...

Taking a break -- Mary's friend, Nancy Harp, me and Mary's sister Sarah...SUCH WONDERFUL, THOUGHTFUL, CREATIVE, KIND, FUNNY, CONSIDERATE WOMEN...well, you get it -- we quite enjoyed our time together..

I'm going to end this post with this picture. Mary and Doug were introduced by this couple -- I know it's Maureen in the fab zebra jacket -- and I think her husband is Rich. Right? Anyway -- they live next door to Doug...and apparently -- this is their first attempt at match-making. So far -- it's going pretty good...

I told Maureen I thought she should give match.com a run for their money??

GOOD JOB, PEOPLE!!

and CONGRATULATIONS Mary and Doug. It was a real pleasure to be able to celebrate your marriage with so many of your friends and family. It was a kick-ass party!!

Jackman Fabrics

In St. Louis for Baby Lock TECH -- Rhonda Pierce (Schmetz needles) and I spent our last morning doing a little road trippin'...We just HAD TO VISIT JACKMAN FABRICS...

It's a good sign when the parking lot is jamming at 10:00 AM, eh?

The minute we walked in the door -- we were overwhelmed with the beautiful displays.

Every where you looked, there was something FABULOUS...they must have a small ARMY sewing their store samples 24-hours-a-day...


Located in a quiet suburb, here's Rhonda standing in front of the store...

Jackman's also offers a full schedule of classes -- if you can sew it, Jackman's sells it...


But the really amazing thing about Jackman's is that it is a 100-year old, 4-generation, family owned business. In this picture, Amy Jackman with her father, who was busy working at his computer when we got our "backstage" tour...


Oh, yes, when I walked in -- there was ZEBRA MINKY -- in lime green, hot pink -- of course, I had to buy 5 yards of it -- just in case...

In the warehouse, the Hey Rita tote was resting in a box of buttons -- when I noticed the props standing guard...(is that a real tiger?)...

You NEVER know who's going to turn up in a large warehouse like Jackman's...here's the real Amy with the fake Nancy Zieman...their outfits are very color-coordinated...

THANKS for the fabulous tour, Amy. Your fabric store is truly a gem...owned and operated by the same family for 107 years. AMAZING. If you are within 100 miles of St. Louis -- STOP IN THE STORE -- AND TELL THEM RITA SENT YOU...Here's the address to put in your GPS...(my Garmin got us there)...

Jackman's Fabrics
1234 North Lindbergh
Saint Louis, Missouri 63132-1723
Phone: 314-994-1060
Fax: 314-994-1180
Toll Free: 1-800-758-3742

Thanks, again, Rhonda -- Schmetz is the best -- and I LOVE ROAD TRIPS!!

Schmetz Booth at Baby Lock Tech

I live in Iowa -- Rhonda Pierce lives in Chicago. We left our respective homes at 6:00 AM and drove to Lincoln, Illinois. We arrived at the same spot on the map within 5 minutes of each other...

Then, with her loaded SUV, Rhonda drove the rest of the way to St. Louis. She is a PACKER EXTRAORDINAIRE...here's what the back of her vehicle looked like...thank goodness I had only one small suitcase.



Rhonda doesn't even know how organized she is. Imagine my surprise when I reached into her glove compartment to find a pen...there it was, with a pad (from Mary Mulari) -- all neatly stored in a ziplock bag...I swear -- I NEVER would've thought of that...and I've spent hours rummaging through my car, house or purse for a lost pen...


After we set up the booth, a fellow vendor comes by to say hello -- our very own Linda McGehee...one of the hardest working women in the sewing industry...

We had a very busy night...Rhonda answered LOTS OF sewing machine needle questions...

AND we saw some amazing sewing machine embroidery...these pants are INCREDIBLE...go Baby Lock...!

Here I am, holding up the "Super Needle". I finished my Walgreen's shirt...my level of sewing doesn't QUITE compete with the beautiful embroidered garments displayed in the Schmetz booth...

I like to think of myself as the comic relief...

Mark Lipinski's new radio show...TODAY

One of our favorite quilters -- here's Mark Lipinski after his 2009 Quilter's Night Out...with our own Inspired2Sew girls -- Jan & Bonne...and a LOT OF OTHER FANS, TOO...

Here's what Mark wrote on Facebook:

WEDNESDAY (TODAY): My radio show premieres -- 3 -5 pm EASTERN TIME on www.toginet.com. Just click on the LISTEN button and call in to chat with me and my guests! Tula Pink, author Eric Maisel, How to kick someone out of your guild, psychic Silvia Rossi, and Penelope Taylor, Editor of Knit n Style magazine!

I've never listened to internet radio before -- so I clicked on the link to see if I could figure it out. Here's what they write about mark's new show:

CREATIVE MOJO WITH MARK LIPINSKI is a live, two-hour entertainment program broadcast on the Internet. It's fun, entertaining, informative, inspirational and illuminating.

Hosted by the amusingly candid Mark Lipinski, Creative Director for All American Crafts publishing and Executive Editor for Mark Lipinski's Christmas 365, Mark Lipinski's Fabric Trends, Mark Lipinski's Create and Mark Lipinski's Machine Quilting Annual magazines, CREATIVE MOJO is dedicated to the modern crafter and crafting lifestyle. Infused with Mark's off-the-cuff and no-holds-barred humor and love of the creative spirit, the show boldly encourages listeners to discover and harness their own creative spirit by living creatively everyday.

Here I am with Mark at the Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis...

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW ENDEAVOR, MARK. I'll be tuning in -- FOR SURE!!

Minnesota Road Trip with GAIL BROWN

Okay -- this is gonna be a QUICK TRIP. Here I am -- at my favorite little airport -- Moline...excited about going to Mary & Doug's wedding reception in Aurora, Minnesota..
I got a manicure for the occasion...yes, the big toe is pink and the other piggies are lime green...

I hooked up with Gail Brown in Minneapolis -- and we drove 5 hours to get to Aurora for the party.

Thank Goodness Gail is an advanced TECHIE...(she travels with her I-phone, AND her I-pad, and about six other things that require charging...). Anyway -- see that box on the video screen? Well, it was blocking the actual wedding VIDEO...and nobody seemed able to fix it. But Gail knew she could make the box go away... Great job, Gail...

In this picture, some of Mary's favorite people -- Nancy Zieman's mother, Barbara, Gail, Mary's sister Sarah, me, and Mary's friend Theresa (we call her "T")...

On our way back to the Minneapolis airport -- we went to Stillwater, Minnesota for dinner on Saturday night. WHAT A QUAINT LITTLE TOWN.. --

We ate on a large deck, overlooking the river, and the food was amazing. The Dock Cafe -- Stillwater, Minnesota. I highly recommend it.

Gail -- thanks for being my traveling buddy. It would have been a long trip on my own and it was a pleasure to get to know you!! What a great time we had! A lifetime memory, that's for sure...

(of course I know you want to see pictures of Mary & Doug!! Hey -- there is a new blog every day -- be patient..)

Best BBQ in St. Louis?

Here's my "travel tip". When you're in a strange town -- ask the LOCALS where you should eat. Tom Jeffery -- the handsome young man on the left -- said the "best BBQ in St. Louis" was actually in Eureka, Mo -- about 20 miles away. When Pam Masche (Baby Lock Director of Education) agreed with him -- I knew we had a plan...

Tom gave me the phone number for "Super Smokers". When I called the restaurant to get the exact address (so I could put in in my Garmin) -- I said, "We'll be there in about an hour -- do we need reservations?" There was a squeal of laughter at the other end of the phone...

When Rhonda and I arrived -- I realized how ridiculous my "reservations question" was. True -- we didn't need reservations...I'm pretty sure we didn't need shoes to eat in this joint...

The "menu" is written in marker on the wall...and the food is served on sturdy paper plates...

AND THOSE RIBS WERE DELICIOUS!!

THANKS, TOM, for the best food advice I've received all year!! Rhonda & I ate our respective half-rack of ribs -- then had to order ANOTHER ONE just to be absolutely sure they were as good as we thought they were...