The Fat Lady Sang ~

 

The show is but a memory ~ a very fond memory!!!  I still am doing a happy dance.  I cannot believe how well I did and how much I sold.  It exceeded my wildest expectations.  Of course I brought lots home with me, but much less than I took.  I even sold a few hooked pieces!!!

My booth ended up being about five feet wider than I was told, so the morning of the show I added a table.  MUCH better.

Thankfully my sil came to the show and stayed to help me pack up.  I just threw items in boxes and now need to sort thru it and semi organize.  She also had to take a few boxes home that would not fit in my little SUV so that will need to be dealt with, too.

There were a few things I considered buying, but "she who hesitates is lost" and were gone when I went back to look for them.

I did get this wonderful hand carved Santa (for only $12!!!).  I couldn't believe the dealer wasn't asking more.  He is beautifully carved.

My other big purchase ($20) 😁 was this youth chair.  There seems to be little demand for these pieces and I occasionally see them very reasonably priced in antique shops.  I am sure this one is not a true antique but definitely vintage.

I absolutely love the wear on the footrest.

Now I need to figure out what to do with the chair that was sitting in this space, but isn't this just perfect?

I purchased the redwork sampler years ago because it has my initials on it.  Melinda of Merry Wind Farm has reproduced it.  You can find it in her Etsy shop for only $1.00.  She was going to list it at no charge but Etsy would not allow her to do that.

So I rarely go to Marketplace and have only ever purchased a few items.  For whatever reason (karma?) a crock popped up today that was being sold in my hometown for what I considered a good deal.  Upon contacting the seller found out it was still for sale and he would deal.  To top it off he lived less than a mile from me.  I am now the proud owner of another Donaghho crock.  (My gift to me for all the hard work and stress getting ready for the show!!!)

Time to sort through another box of show stuff.  

Thanks for all your good wishes that I would have a great show.  I really love you guys.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

A Little More on the Fall Gathering ~

 

I love that Thanksgiving is so early this year.  I value the extra days between then and Christmas.  Argh!  I said the "C" word 😁

As usual, I only took a few pictures of the projects being worked on.  My travel partner Val was hooking this fun pumpkin guy.

Tablemate Deb finished her Santa.

Another attendee was working on the HUGE Michelle Palmert punch needle piece.  Isn't it wonderful?

My ambitious goal was to hook two roosters, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.  One is better than none!

Jo Wick (of Jo's Folk Art Fibers) hooked this fun rug she designed.  You can order the paper pattern from her for punch needle or to enlarge for hooking.  Great colors!

Jenny Smallridge (of the Wooly Horse) hooks enormous rugs.  I think her motto is go big or go home.  I believe I have shared this rug before.  I am guessing it is 4' x 4'.

Her current project is this wonderful log cabin rug being hooked with handtorn strips.  It measures 57" x 47".  I love her border.

Former blogger Melinda Cole of Merry Wind Farm is a long time friend who lives in Tipp.  It was great to see her once again.  It had been too many years.  She now has an etsy shop where she sells cross stitch patterns that she has charted from antique samplers.  (She has even reproduced several of my antique samplers 😉 )  She is so giving and gifted me a piece of antique paisley and this beautiful project bag.  Perfectly stitched and sewn and her fabric choices complement the piece so well.  I feel blessed to own such a treasure.  Now I must get a small cross stitch or punch needle project together so I can use it.  Thank you, Melinda.  I will treasure it always.

I must share with you the cutest trick-or-treater ever.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Calling All Cross Stitchers ~

Are you familiar with Melinda of Merry Wind Farm?  She reproduces the most wonderful antique samplers that she sells in her etsy shop.  She has charted three of my antique samplers.

Cornelia A. Moore

Eliza Griffith

Hannah Thompson

She has graciously given me a copy of each chart to give away on my blog.  You have three chances to win.  The first person chosen will have first pick, etc.  Leave a comment on this post only or send me an email with give away in the subject line.  I will choose the first winner Sunday evening and the winners will each have three days to contact me.  Feel free to share on social media and please stop by her etsy shop to see all her wonderful offerings.

On Facebook I stumbled upon this fundraiser for two brigades of the NSW Rural Fire Service in Australia.  All proceeds are being donated.  Jane Marshall 1857 is an Australian sampler with a stitch count of 94 wide x 144 high.  You can read more about it and purchase it here.  PayPal automatically converts British pounds to US dollars.  The sampler chart ended up costing $13.55.  I don't know if I will stitch it, but definitely a worthy cause.

I have been slowly working on a reproduction sampler, Marie Journet 1863, by Pineberry Lane.  I am loving all the red :)

I will leave you with this picture of Molly.  She is so photogenic :)  In the morning when I crank up the furnace, she loves to sit inches from the heat register.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Busy, busy ~

 

Thanks to all who gave me suggestions on how to clean my little hooked mat.  I don't know when I will get to it, but I definitely will not be soaking it in Woolite.

 

Also, when I was talking about the burlap that the yarn sewing mat was being worked on, I called it the wrong thing.  I found my note a few days after posting.  It was called fine weave burlap.  I still have not worked any on it, nor have I started a rug.  I need to get my mojo back ~ and soon.

 

Thursday afternoon I left work a couple hours early, picked up my grandson Jake, and headed an hour west to African Lion Safari in Port Clinton, OH.  It really is kind of cheesy ~ so happy I had purchased the tickets through Groupon.  Jake had a good time so that is the only thing that matters.  Here he is in front of the monkey cage . . .

 

. . . and on his first camel ride. 

Much of Saturday was spent antiquing in Seville, Ohio.  (No.  We did not stop to see the Barber . . . lol.)  They had an outdoor show in addition to the wonderful shops in town.  Not too many vendors and I'm wondering if it was because of the threat of rain.  I did purchase this really cool vintage hooked rug.  It's about 3 1/2' in diameter.  I'm not too sure where it will end up.  It is showing signs of wear, but not too badly. 

 

 You can see the colors are much more vibrant on the back side.

I also got this sweet little ironstone tea (?) pot to add to my small collection of white ironstone.  I don't think it's English, but I like it nonetheless.

 

My find of the day was this wonderful little sampler from Seville Antiques.  It is only 9" square, newly framed but nicely done.  As you can see, there is some damage, but for the price it was a steal.  When I was paying for it, the sales person said it had just come in to the shop and she wishes she had found it first.  That is my third visit in a row to the shop that I have purchased an antique sampler.

 

I am a real homebody and prefer to spend evenings at home, but last night DSO and I went to a dance (even though we both have two left feet).  I believe this is the third time we have had the pleasure of hearing the Swing City Big Band.  They are wonderful and I really do enjoy that era of music.

 

Joanne of Snippets and Scraps (who hasn't blogged in forever) sent me this pug doll years ago to sew.  I am so bad.  It sat in my closet and finally sweet Melinda of Merry Wind Farm sewed it for me.  Isn't he just wonderful???  She even added some rusty bells.  Thanks so much Melinda for being such a good friend.

 

Oh, these weekends pass much too quickly! 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

A Visit to Merry Wind Farm ~

Last Friday I took a vacation day to have an extra long weekend.  I wanted to head south and visit with Melinda of Merry Wind Farm.   The reason for my visit was Oliver.

You see, Oliver is one of Melinda's furbabies.  Last fall when I posted that I had purchased this picture, Melinda commented that it looked just like her Oliver, so how could the picture not go to her?  There is an uncanny resemblance :)

That was a great excuse for a visit.  It is a delight to spend time with her and to drool over her house and gardens.  She lives in a 200+ year old home filled with antiques and her handwork.  She is an excellent quilter, rug hooker and sampler maker.  She has dozens (and dozens and dozens) of HUGE reproduction samplers she has stitched over the years.  She puts me to shame :)  The rugs she hooks are big, too.  Isn't this one wonderful???  Here she is with Oliver and little Bella.

  

We did a little antiquing but of course ran out of time before we ran out of shops to visit :( Anything I really wanted to bring home was more than I was willing to pay, so I didn't buy much of anything.

But look what I came home with.  A reproduction Quaker sampler she stitched.  What a kind, generous soul.  How lucky I am to call her friend.

She also gave me this little stack of pillows made from old quilt squares.  Look in the bottom right corner of the middle one and see how the maker pieced that block to not waste any fabric.  Waste not ~ want not.

We have been having delightful weather here on Ohio's north coast.  I've been busy in the yard and hopefully will have some pictures to share soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren