Meet me in Maine.....

In the chaos of trying to get my life in order post honeymoon (I know, queue the tiny violins), I have been remiss in telling you about a very exciting prospect for next summer.   I am very happy to announce that I'll be getting in a car (a rarity for this city girl) and driving north to one of my favorite places- Maine- to teach at a new retreat.  I hope you'll join me.  Slow Stitching, hosted by Portland's A Gathering of Stitches,  makes its debut next summer in Washington Maine.  Come spend a long weekend with Carolyn Friedlander, Chawne Kimber, and me.  Each day you'll spend time with one instructor, and by the end you will have taken all of our workshops.   Bonfires, stitching, and star gazing in the evenings.  Lobster rolls on the way there and on the way back (or maybe that's just me).  All the information (including how to register) is here.  

Arrowmont Workshop Recap

I got back from teaching at Arrowmont a little over a week ago now.  It was my second time teaching there, and I had so much fun.  A few students that took my class at Penland last fall came back for more.  It's always fun to have familiar faces in the room- and to get to know everyone even more.  We had a great group- everyone (even people who had not embroidered before) dove right in with a spirit of experimentation.     

Thanks to everyone who came!  I'm so happy to have met you all, and to have gotten to see my old friends Vicki and Annabel again.   AND- I wanted to especially thank my students (and esp. Annabel for organizing it) for secretively making me a veil (shown below on the Gatlinburg strip) for my moonshine bachelorette night.  It made my day.  Ya'll are the sweetest.    

PS- I'm getting married! Soon!  On October 25th.  The store will close (for the first time ever!) on Monday, October 20th and will reopen on November 5th.  

Gift List and a giveaway.....

One of the many aspirations I had for this month was to write a comprehensive gift guide for the embroiderer on your list, full of things like golden bird scissors and special french embroidery floss.  You can probably imagine it.  I am sure that Purl Soho has done this list.  Creativebug put out a cool one on their blog too.  I have been busy, and by that I mean that every second of my day has been spent working on the book for next week's photo shoot, so, maybe next year I'll make that guide.  But! I have been thinking about gift giving while I work, and I have a few simple ideas.

1)  If you've taken one of my workshops you've probably already heard me suggest this first one. Do you know someone who sews or embroiders?  A great gift for this person is a pin cushion full of threaded needles.  I say this because I know that a pin cushion full of threaded needles would put a smile on my face.  I dream of the day when the needle threading fairies visit my studio each night, but until then, I thread those suckers myself.  So, for the sewist (sewer, embroiderer, mender, grandma) on your list- get threading!  Use whatever needles and threads you have on hand.  Or, go nuts and use some beautiful french floss. Put it over the top by sticking all the needles in one of Cal's pin cushions.   This is a great gift because it is thoughtful, inexpensive, and requires you to sit and watch a Christmas movie while you make it.  I recommend the original Home Alone.

2)  If you are a Creativebug subscriber, make this Needle Holder to go with all those threaded needles!  This class just got released today.  It is a fast and easy project.  It requires felt, fabric, and a bit of ribbon.   This one's only available to subscribers, so......

3)  A Subscription to Creativebug makes a great gift.  If you know someone who likes to make things, I highly recommend an unlimited subscription.  There are all sorts of amazing workshops, and new ones get added every single week.  Last week Kelly's Holiday Preserves workshop went live.  I'm out of time to make her Bitters for everyone on my list this year, but I'm thinking no one will complain if I hand them out this spring.  Fig and orange bitters in bourbon cocktails?  Yes please.

**********************************GIVEAWAY**************************************



I am happy to announce that I have TWO Creativebug subscriptions to give away to you, dear reader.  Simply leave a  comment telling me which class(es) you'd like to take, and I'll send you one three month subscription for you, and one for your best friend (or sister, or dad, whoever...)*

So tell me, what would you take?  Good luck!   Contest ends Sunday night, December 15th......

Winner!  Jen Barlev- I just e-mail you the good news and sent your  e-mail on to Creativebug.  Congrats!


*for this contest (and only this contest), your e-mail will be shared with Creativebug.

Penland School of Crafts....

I taught a week long class at Penland last week; Maximalist Embroidery.  It was such a treat to be there.......

Postcards from Snowfarm....and applesauce!

I'm back in Brooklyn.  I had a great time teaching at Snowfarm last week in western Mass.  It felt so good to be away from the city for a little while, and what a great group of women came to embroider.  I'm so glad to have met you all!  If you were in my workshop (hello!) please feel free to post pictures of what you made in my workshop Flickr group.  I love to see how things develop post workshop.

Snowfarm is located on the site of an old orchard, so I came home with two bushels of heirloom apples, which are currently being turned into three different kinds of applesauce, including the one I've listed here.  I've got so many apples still, and my freezer is getting quite full.  What would you do with an overabundance of apples?  If you've got a recipe, please share a link!

Vanilla Prune Applesauce

To your crockpot, add:

8-10 cups of apples, quartered and cored but not peeled

A vanilla bean, split

A handful of dark brown sugar

A cup of pitted prunes

Cook on low for 8 hours until apples are soft.

Remove the vanilla bean and press through a food mill.  

Freeze in small cups to enjoy all winter.  

See you in Colorado?!

I am so excited to be able to share with you that I am teaching at the Makerie in Colorado next Spring.  With my friend Cal!  I can't wait to get cozy in the Mountains and to hang out and embroider.  It seems worth mentioning that this event, which takes place at the Colorado Chautauqua, features rooms with handmade quilts on every bed.  I will be there with bells on.

 What a line up!  I am excited to hang with Cal and to make some new friends.....What workshops would you take if you were coming?

Get all the details and register here.

California Summer!

Bring on the fresh breezes and vegan donuts....I'm coming back to the Bay Area in August!  Why?  Workshops.  Here are the details....

I'm teaching two workshops at a Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland.  I copied and pasted the details here, but click on their site to sign up.   Please note that there is a discount if you decide to take both.

I'm also very excited to TAKE a workshop for a change, and I just signed up for my friend Courtney Cerruti's image transfer workshop at the San Francisco Center for the Book.  I took this one on Creativebug, and loved it so much.   I can't wait to hang out and make stuff together.

Creativebug Love.....

I'm back from a week in California.  Feeling good and refreshed.  What is it about that place?  The Eucalyptus in the air, the cool breeze, the plants growing everywhere.  I sure do love it there.  One big reason is that I'm usually there to see my friends at Creativebug.  I shot three new classes last week, and I can't wait to share more about them here soon.  In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes photos.  What a crew!  I had so much fun....I really can't say enough great things about these peeps.   Every stinking one of them is a joy to work with.   Here are some more pictures from last week.

In other Creativebug news, all the a la carte classes are only $9.99 this week.  

Once you purchase them, they are yours to watch forever.  That's a really great deal!  Here are the links to my current classes.  

• Embroidery Sampler
• Layered Floral Embroidery
• Embroidered Heirloom Napkins
• Embroidered Photo Ornament
• Embroidery Transfer Techniques

There are lots of other great workshops too- check out my friends Cal, Jill, Courtney, Liesl and Jody.  I'm hooked on Jody's Iris Fold Card class- I stayed up late one night making a zillion of them.  It's a really fun technique.   I was excited to get to go out to dinner with Jody and Courtney last week in the Haight.  What a treat to meet an online friend in person.  Three cheers to Creativebug for introducing me to some of my favorite people.   

Crafternoon at the NYPL: Tomorrow!

I can't wait to co-host the Crafternoon event tomorrow afternoon at the New York Public Library with my friend (who I've yet to meet in person) Liesl Gibson of Oliver and S.  We're embroidering hankies and adding decorative tassels.....it's going to be a great afternoon!  This is a Creativebug sponsored afternoon, so there are sure to be no shortages of inspiration, friends, and maybe even a raffle or two.  See you there!

Spring Catch Up....

Hello friends.  It's been awhile since I've touched down here, and I've got a lot to tell you.  For today, a picture of my almost complete (and then broken!) Pysanka.   My friend Rachel and I took a Ukrainian egg decorating class last weekend at the Ukrainian Museum here in New York.

It was a lot of fun until the final step when we both broke our eggs.  We bought the kits, and we'll try to redeem ourselves this weekend.   I'll show you the (hopefully improved!) results next week.   In the meantime, a list of what's going on around here......

• Next weekend I'm hosting a Crafternoon event at the New York Public Library with my friends from Creativebug!  Liesl Gibson will also be there, and I can't wait to meet her in real life!  I hope you can come by and embroider with us!  This is a free event, but reservations are recommended due to limited space.  Click here to sign up.

• I'm teaching at Purl Soho this spring!  Click here for the details......

• Looking ahead, I'll be teaching at Snowfarm in Western Mass. this fall.  Here's a link.

• The Dropcloth Sampler Flickr Group is looking amazing!  Thanks to everyone who has been adding works in progress and finished samplers.  I love seeing what you're up to.  Stay tuned here next week for a thread giveaway- and up your odds this weekend by uploading your own images!  

• Finally, speaking of eggs....if you're looking for a little Easter inspiration, check out my friend Jessica's embroidered egg tutorial here.

Upcoming Events......and more about mail!

Join me and a few other Creativebug instructors this weekend at the New York Public Library for Crafternoon!  We'll be hand embroidering handkerchiefs and swapping love stories.  I hope you can come to this free event!   Reservations are recommended, and you can RSVP here.

I've also got an embroidery workshop coming up at my favorite Upper East Side sewing shop, Pins and Needles.  If you've never been to this beautiful store, you're in for a treat.  Please join me on the 21st to learn six new stitches.  I've got a more advanced workshop coming up the 28th if you've conquered the basics and want to learn more about image transfers.   Sign up and learn more here.

I've been spending a lot of late nights the last few days making cards and sorting through vintage postcards and stationary, picking out just the right ones for my long list of Month of Mail pen pals.  It's so much fun!  I don't think it would be too late to join, even if you only send a few notes out this month.  It feels so good to send a little love by post.   My friend Bonnie is hosting a related giveaway on her blog.  Enter here to win a sweet care package.  

One more thing.....if you are not so big on sending mail, but LOVE getting mail.....you have until February 10th to sign up fo the Sampler of the Month Club.  This month's orders have got Valentine's Day written all over them.  Click here to get mail from me once a month for the rest of the year......

New Creativebug Video....Ornaments!

This workshop, which released today, is near and dear to my heart because it's a project based on one of my favorite places, my Grandma's house.  This is a house that in my mind is full of the happiest memories.....Thanksgiving, Christmas, Dress-Up, Chocolate Cakes, Sticky Buns, Chex Mix, Halloween Costumes pulled out of creaky old suitcases unearthed from creaky old closets.  I have dreams about this old house, and in them I am walking through it slowly, absorbing every detail, trying my hardest even while dreaming to remember everything about it.  It was full of closets and cupboards and treasures.  Stitching it felt really good.

This ornament is now hanging at my Grandma's new place.  I can't wait to see her for Christmas.....

I wonder, do you have a house?  A place that's full of special memories?  Where is it?  What would you embroider to commemorate it?  Who would you give it to?

PS- A few of you have been writing to me asking where to purchase Flower Thread.  I get it here:

http://www.flowerthread.com/  

Pins and Needles NYC....

I had so much fun teaching at Pins and Needles last night.  Thanks to everyone who came out to learn six new stitches and hang out.   I love this shop so much.....thanks Rachel for inviting me back.  I'll be back at P and N in the new year, please come and join me if you're in NYC!

Jet Setting.....

Here in Brooklyn things are slowly winding their way through the mess that Hurricane Sandy left behind.  Here at the house / studio nothing was harmed.  We had heat and power and internet and water the whole time, with just a few flickering lights on Monday night.  To the north of us in Manhattan there is still no power, and I've yet to venture there.  The commuting horror stories are enough to keep me away for quite awhile.  The subways were all flooded and there are no street lights, so New Yorkers are "getting creative" and inventing new ways of getting to and fro.  I'm staying in and I'm feeling grateful that my work is only steps from my kitchen.   I had planned to tell you more about my travel strategies, gathered over a year of teaching gigs around the country earlier this week.  It seemed odd to write it all down in the midst of people still pumping out their living rooms and barbecuing on the streets in lower Manhattan, but I got the nicest e-mail from a reader (Cindy- thank you!) who urged me to write on, so here goes....to all of you who are under water or without power, I am thinking of you.  I'm off to donate blood today, and am looking for more ways to help out.  Please leave any suggestions in the comments.

I spent this whole year in a state of unpacking and packing.  My suitcase was rarely in storage, and mostly in a heap on my studio floor, in some state of explosion.   Last week, in San Francisco, as I wrapped up this year of getting on and off airplanes, I thought about what made it feel organized. Here goes...

• Make a list of what you will need.  Since my trips are usually based on teaching, I make a teaching list and a personal list.  I write down every single thing, and cross them off as they get added to the suitcase the day before I leave.  There is sanity to be gained in crossing things off.

• Keep a bag for each trip with a giant label noting the name of the trip.  At the end of May, I had bags partially packed for Squam, California, Michigan, and Chicago....with master lists for each trip and teaching engagement.  Having a place to dump the items that absolutely have to go on each trip is really helpful.

• Keep like items together in small containers.  I've got a collection of tiny little bags and boxes that keep the things I travel with frequently organized.  That little box up there is full of tapestry needles.   Another one holds threaded needles.  There's one for ear plugs, one for tea bags, etc.  I try to keep the bags the same from trip to trip to make it easy to find everything in a big suitcase.  

• Keep a designated toiletries bag, and don't ever unpack it.   Years ago, my grandma bought me one of LL Beans personal organizers.  I love it because when I get to a destination, I hang it up and it feels like my medicine cabinet is with me.  There's a place for everything, and it stays organized without feeling fussy. 

• Pack a few special toiletry items to look forward to.  Although hotels have free bottles of shampoo and lotion, it is usually not the kind I like.  I have small bottles with my normal stuff, as well as this scrub which stays in my travel bag.  I keep nice lotion and cuticle oil in my carry on bag for long flights, as it both passes the time and is a great opportunity for hydrating on the dry as can be airplane. You used to have to pack all that stuff in clear ziplocks, but in a year of travel, I have never had to unpack my toiletry kit. 

• Pack an alarm clock if travelling to a remote area.  Some regions that are close to a time zone divide (I'm looking at you Saugatuck Michigan) will not allow you to use your cell phone as an alarm clock.  You may end up waking up too early or too late.  I have an old model from LLBean that folds up tiny.  Earplugs.  Don't leave home without them.  They are great when you're nearby someone who is snoring, and even better on an airplane next to someone who insists on watching a movie on their ipad without headphones.  Finally, if you can swing it,  pack your favorite pillow.  It's a luxury item when space is at a premium, but it feels so good to lay your head down on something familiar at the end of a long day.

• Speaking of air travel- the best strategy I have for a long cross country flight is to pack lots of snacks.  Not junk that will dry you out even more, but small amounts of lots of different things. I like to pack hand cut carrot sticks, an apple, kale chips, red licorice, gum, cinnamon almonds, and chocolate.  

• Set your watch!  If your travel takes you to a different time zone, set your watch to that time on your taxi ride to the airport.  Getting into the mindset of that place before you get there can help with jet lag. 

• For an all night flight (a red eye) pack a sleeping pill and ear buds.  The white noise app I have on my iphone drowned out the snorer sitting next to me perfectly and while I can't say I slept, I can say that I at least kept my eyes closed and did something close to relaxing for six hours. There is not much comfort to be found in sleeping sitting up, so any comforts that you can afford parts of your body other that your back will be welcome. Bring lip balm and slippers and an eye mask.  I also found it comforting and nice to wear a hat and my hooded down vest which when I closed my eyes I could sort of imagine was a down comforter.  

• For any flight, pack....embroidery!  Even if I didn't embroider for a living, this would be my number one travel tip.  It really does pass the time, and it takes up almost no room in your carry on.  Scissors and needles are fine to take onboard as long as your scissor's blades are shorter than 4".  However, I packed my pinking shears last week for the workshop I was filming in California, and they are now owned by security at LaGuardia airport.  Apparently you are not allowed serrated scissors.  Strange and sad.  The security guard who took them told me that his mom had the same pair.  Hopefully she now has two pairs and mine aren't at bottom of a trash heap.

These are my top tips in no particular order.  I'll add more to this post if I think of anything I left out.  In the meantime, what do you suggest?  Do you have any favorite tips or products that you don't hit the road without?  Tell me in the comments....

Final Teaching Trip of the Year? Done......

This Year!  It's been a whirlwind of travel, and I am so excited to say that although I have had so many fun adventures and met so many amazing people, I am really looking forward to being at home for awhile.  My studio, while clean, has been suffering from neglect, and I've got a zillion and one projects waiting for me on my desk.  With workshops in (from January- October) Michigan, Rhinebeck, California, New Hampshire, California, Chicago, Tennessee, Maine, Maine, New York City, and California (did I forget any?), I'm interested in where the next year will take me.

As I sat at the Ferry Building on Friday before my red-eye, I spent some time thinking about the year over mussels and pinot noir.  I thought I'd share some highlights and offer some travel tips.  First, the highlights:

• Sitting by the fire-pit and watching a dark ritual unfold at Ox-Bow in January.
• Meeting a team of amazing people and getting to work with them at Creativebug all year.  You guys make me look good, and I'm so glad to have me you....
• Plunking down deep into the Atlantic in my all together with other artists at Haystack.
• Watching the sun come up as the lobster boats headed out a month later at Open Door.
• Watching new to drawing artists dive in and make beautiful work at Arrowmont.
• Getting my packing routine down to a science after a year of doing it over and over (more on that tomorrow!)
• Taking part in my third Squam- and digging in deep around the fire with Jill and Cal.....
• Sitting in a hot tub with my best friends high above the Pacific Ocean at Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  (Seriously, if you're going to California, book this hostel, you won't regret it!)
• Mussels and Pinot Noir at Hog Island Oyster Bar in the Ferry Building, San Francisco.  Not to mention bbq oysters at your Bodega Bay location earlier this year....

To everyone who took my workshops and classes this year- Thank You!  I am so glad to have met every single one of you.  To the schools and shops that hosted me- Thank You!  I'm not sure if this year will go down in history as most trips made, but it sure has been the most to date.  I've had a great time, and I'm so grateful to all of you for making it happen.  

San Francisco Treats.....

Haystack Postcard

Waking up each morning to this view of the lobster boats heading out to sea from my cabin window sure started out my days on the right feet last weekend.  It was cold, that's for sure, but not as cold as I thought it would be.  Being surrounded by Mainers helped me put my own feelings about temperature in perspective.  Or, maybe it forced me to loose some of my street-cred.  I'm always the one in the room who is hot. Throwing off blankets in the night, and sleeping with the windows open all winter long. 

Armed with the weather forecast that predicted rain and nights with temperatures in the low 40's, I packed wool and hats and my down vest.  I brought hot hand warmers and long underwear and thick legwarmers, and I showed up that first morning with extra hot hand warmers for my students, happy to be bundled up.  I had, the hour before seen my own breath when I woke up.  Sliding open the classroom door, I expected to see everyone dressed similarly, as there is no heat or insulation at Haystack, but what did I see?  A group of Maine residents, sitting quietly embroidering in their shirts and jeans, laughing at me.  "Where are you going, skiing?"  

We had so much fun!  Thanks to everyone who came, and who gave in, to drawing and embroidering as fast as possible, all weekend long.  I'm so glad I got to meet you.

PS- This weekend is the LAST CHANCE to enter Creativebug's Pinterest Giveaway.  Please enter here.  Good Luck!  Also- check out my ever-growing embroidery Pinterest board here.