Camp Loft

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!

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

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

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

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