Mammogram Slam!

HAVE YOU HAD YOURS????????

Needle Felted Sock Monkey

Well here he is....SOCK MONKEY!!!!!!!!
When I visited Bettina Makel's blog (she does fabulous needle felting) I was so inspired with her tribute to the movie "Harvey" and her version of the Rabbit and sock monkey, I told her I just had to try it..
I took my rovings and needles to my quilt retreat and made this one. Everyone just Loved him and they kept snitching him throughout the week-end and had him sitting amongst their things!! VBG

Maggie's Snowman Quilt

I LOVE to hand quilt. It does take a lot of time but when you are doing something you love to do then it is time well spent. The best part is while you are enjoying yourself with the needle, thoughts of the next project are running through your head!!

I'm Home

Goodmorning everyone.....
Well I was away at a retreat for the week-end.
I belong to http://www.oxfordquiltersguild.com/
We have 2 retreats a year where up to 45 quilters get to-gether and have a great time. I took some time out to take some pictures. Would have taken more but my battery died in the camera..... Poor planning on my part! I will remember to take extra batteries next time.
I took my "Snowman" quilt to work on. It is queen size hand appliqued and now I am hand quilting it. I have it about 40% done at this point. I always wanted a Xmas/winter quilt and here it is.
Anyway Had a fabulous 3 days with my friends and now to catch up at home!!

Needle Felted Teddy

I took workshop on needle felting and this is what I came up with.
The bears didn't feel a thing while I was stabbing away , but I am here to tell you my fingers did. Had a few good hits on myself until I learned the knack!!!
I had a good time doing it and then I dressed the one in my FAVE!! Leopard print. sparkly beads and gold!!! Remember I call my place "Magpie's " fot the love of shiny objects!!!! VBG

Sleeping Beauty

Here is the latest Goddess Doll I beaded. Finished her last night. Her name is Sleeping Beauty and is 3" tall.I just love teenie things, but I think the smaller it is the harder it is. OMG I even had to break out the curved needle which I hate using, but a necessary evil at times.

Post Card Trade

Here is the wonderful post card I received from Monica Magness.
Isn't it a blast!!!! Thanks so much Monica for trading.

Thread Painting

I fell in love with a photograph that Tammy Lang had on her blog. Tammy has some lovely pictures there so be sure and take a peek.
Anyway I went ahead and did a thread painting of the one i really liked. I did a sketch and roughly painted it with fabric paint. The next step was to put it in a hoop with a stabilizer backing..... and then just go nuts with the thread....
I haven't done this for awhile so I felt a bit rusty, but I like the results.
When I got it finished I made it into a fabric post card....

Crazy Patch Workshop

I have wanted to learn crazy patch quilting for such a long time, and the opportunity finally arrived. I took a picture of our teacher, Carol McLean explaining some of the history of the craft.Carol has taught all over the world including Australia and Hawaii, so it is an honor to be in one of her classes.

Carol is of Mennonite descent, and has wonderful stories and quilts to share. She is one of my "Mellow Yellow" quilting group as well. We make quilts for auction, supporting breast cancer research. But that's another story I will share at a later date..
Meanwhile back at the ranch!!!


The class project was a round cushion, and I have posted a picture of my beginning, along with the sampler of stitches we worked on in the workshop.
I have been saving all kinds of silks and velvets for the project, Oh what fun! and of course when all is said and done I will embellish with BEADS!!!
Stay tuned....

Russian Doll Necklace

This is the russian doll necklace . It is only abouty 1 1/2" tall. So tiny and sweet. Wearing this will surely remind me of the lovely time I had that day, learning all about these Russian traditional dollies.

Russian Dolls

The large dolls are the ones I bought. Aren't they unique! The history of the dolls is so interesting, The earliest ones had no features since the belief was evil could enter through the eyes, Later on some did have embroidered features but the eyes were always done in the shape of cross, to repel evil.
The small family(Mama,papa, and baby) and the angel were the ones I did in the workshop. The fabric is folded and held in place by thread , no sewing is done. Of course this was my first effort so it looks messy, The "boobs" have a meaning too ....larger is wealth and small is poor, and 2 different sizes mean lots of children! I guess my woman is wealthy!!VBG.
The tiny one is a necklace. The teacher was wearing a necklace with several dolls attatched.

How I spent my Birthday

I spent the day with a russian dollmaker, learning to make the traditional Russian dolls. When the workshop was over I presented the teacher with one of my "Budddies" doll pins. She was so surprised.. Since I don't speak Russian, I didn't know exactly what she said but her smile and a hug said it all. It is a terrible picture of me!!!!... The end of the day and the hair was a mess, but Leanne is wearing the pin... and that was the purpose of the picture. Made me happy.
One of our local quilt shops invited the russian quilters/dollmakers (about 20 I think)for a week long event. Their quilts and dolls were on display and there were workshops going on all week, The teachers didn't speak english so interpreters were provided. No cameras were allowed in the main displays, .
I wish you could have seen the quilts. They were magnificent. This event drew busloads from as far away as California.The little town of Ailsa Craig hosted the event (population 900) It was a lark.
Anyway when I got home my DH had my wine glass chilled and I looked forward to putting my feet up!
I treated myself to a pair of Russian Dolls, and I also bought a sterling silver thimble and Thimble holder..(Pictures will follow to-morrow)So that was my present to me!! DH and I were at a gallery opening last Sunday and I fell in love with a small beaded doll mounted in a frame. That was his gift to me.
I must remember to get a picture of that too.
So there.... A perfectly wonderful day.