Star branch

Happy Monday to you all! I thought I would share the next block in the mystery quilt at The Country Loft. It is Star Branch ...Part 4 of Folk Branches. I am working this morning on getting the next several months in pattern so that the shop can kit them. If you have joined in the block of the month, I hope that you are enjoying it and are stitching away the hours......Jo Ann

Susy's Wool Crazy

Yesterday I got this photo from Susy Boyer of her almost finished Wool Crazy. (She only has the outer borders to add) I just had to share it with all of you. Isn't it wonderful? I have put some of her blocks on my blog before, but to see it all together is absolutely stunning.

I hope you all enjoy checking it out inch by inch. There is a lot of inspiration there!

Happy Stitching......Jo Ann

Renee Plains comes to visit The Loft

I was excited to be able to see Renee Plains of Liberty Star for a few minutes yesterday. She makes the trip over from Arizona a few times a year to teach at the Loft. Here she is with my sister Kathy in the check out area of the shop.

.......and here she is standing in front of some of the blocks to my mystery quilt, Folk Branches...

.....I almost got all of her class in....They were having a great time! Renee is a wonderful teacher. If she is ever in your area, be sure to take one of her classes. The classroom in the Loft is a little "cozy", but we always have a lot of fun.

.....and here is part of the wool room in the shop.....through the door you can see the kitchen/notion room....The old wool rabbit by the lamp is one of mine.

....and this cupboard holds a lot of the projects from "Crazy at Home"....Almost all of my samples are at the Loft. People are always asking if my house is full of my creations, but they very rarely make it out of the shop.

Gene and I have a full day planned today. We are off to little league games for our two oldest grandsons....and the zoo later today with another....and lots of last minute errands before I head back to Portland on an early flight tomorrow.....So I best sign off...

A visit to The Country Loft

My first stop last Friday was at The Country Loft. The store was in the middle of a shop hop (San Diego Cruisin' Quilters) and so there was a lot of excitement. As you walk in the front door the first thing you see is the display over the mantle. Didn't Sharon do a great job of bringing Spring into the store? (The doll and two stitcheries are my designs...:)

This is the table in the middle of the living room....The quilt is by Liberty Star...and the Peter Rabbit is mine.....I think that he is trying to take a rest!

This cupboard is tucked into one corner of the living room....and as you can see chock full of samples....

.....and this little table is right next to the door. Lots of great things and we haven't even gotten out of the living room!

Next time I post I will show you a little more of the wonderful things at the Loft. It was such fun to be back in the store and see my friends there.

I hope that you are seeing signs of Spring in your neighborhoods. San Diego has been beautiful this week. Megan tells me that Portland has been rainy, so I best soak up the sunshine. Bye for now.....Jo Ann

Home in San Diego

Greetings from San Diego! I flew home late last Thursday night and I have been having a great time hanging out with Gene and seeing the rest of my family.....It has been warm and sunny since I got here and I am trying to figure out how to dress so that I am not dripping....:)))) I know that it is hard to feel sympathy for this kind of a problem!!!

I headed off to the Loft on Friday and I realized that I haven't posted the March block for Folk Branches....So here it is "House Branch".......I am going back in the next few days with my camera and I will take some photos of how cute the shop looks. I'll be back soon to share them with you.




Happy Stitching.................Jo Ann

Antique Finds

When I spent the day with Debbie, she took me to her favorite antique store. If you are ever in Portland you might like to visit it. It is in southeast Portland and is called Monticello. We had a great time going around the booths not once, but twice (you never know what you will miss the first time around). I immediately displayed some of my finds on my table (the wool runner is one my sister Kathy made when she was teaching my class for me for "A Little Bit Crazy".....it is from Crazy at Home) I loved the old tin cash box and the architectural piece and the old spool (the watering can is always on the table :)

I also found this great bread pan....perfect for storing all sorts of stuff, but especially my wool. The wool in the paper wrappers is part of Debbie's collection that she hand dyes. I have really enjoyed using it.....

.....and finally I found this great old box. I am not sure exactly what I will use it for...but I love it and I know it will find a home. Gene always tells me that our house is full of things like that! I am not sure that he sees them as the treasures that I do.

My mom is coming for a visit to Portland tomorrow. Mom's trip almost got postponed because my sister Kathy had emergency surgery last Wednesday. She is out of the hospital and on the mend and my mom will still be on her way. She will stay a week and then I am flying back with her to San Diego. It's time for a Gene hug!!!

Megan had her last "Ippy" treatment on the 22nd. She had a pretty painful reaction to it....This week she is feeling better, but still not 100%....She has a scan on Friday and we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that she is responding to the drug.

I tried to post this on my blog twice yesterday.....A technological wizard is not lurking in my body......:))) ....so here it is now...somehow writing it for the 3rd time is not as fun! Bye for now....Jo Ann