October 2012

Indian Summer Blooms

Mid-October, 2012

Dear Friends,

Here in Utah, we have been blessed with a perfectly glorious Autumn.  After an eternally long, hot summer with no rain for months, everyone said that this would be the fall with no color.  However, I think the mountains have been the most splendidly beautiful and the leaves have lasted for weeks and weeks.  Even the late summer flowers have had this beautiful re-birth and given us that final little gift from heaven.  But tonight it is raining and Bob says that tomorrow he is whacking out my cosmos.  Ohhh......not ready for the change--never ready for the change.

After the Retreat, I promised that we would show you some of the wonderful new things that we have had going on in the shop.  As you can see, we have a lot to look at so put you feet up and get ready for a fun adventure.  There is just nothing like a great Halloween project.

   

Slurp, Cackle, Lurch--Kit $14.00

by Shepherd's Bush

This new 10 count kit will make you smile.  Stitched on a dusty purple hand dyed tula, the Halloween trio will be fun to stitch.  It is stitched with overdyed floss and a crazy orange thread for the witch's hair.  

Scary Night Kit--$20.00

by Shepherd's Bush (exclusive)

A new exclusive kit is the perfect Halloween stitching project.  Not too big, it comes complete with hand-dyed 32 count linen, cotton floss, a button, and the mat is of course hand painted by our friend Jill.  Sometimes we even have the darling frame.  Well, at least when Jill isn't overloaded. 

2012 Ornament kit--$15.00

Ornament Magazine $9.99

by Shepherd's Bush

We were on the ball this year and made kits for our ornament in the magazine.  Kits come with the fabric, threads, holly button, ribbon, beads and I think wool backing- I can not remember, since it is late and I made them a while ago.  Note: you will need a copy of the Ornament Magazine, as the pattern is not in the kit.  

Home for the Holidays--leaflet $6.00

by Shepherd's Bush

This sweet pillow is stitched on 20 count putty linen, with a variety of overdyed threads, including a great sheep's silk from the Threadgatherer- Dickens Christmas.  There is a fun set of buttons by JABCO.  We even have the fabulous holly and polka dots backing fabrics so your pillow will look just  like ours.  

A Large Table filled with Halloween Surprises 

                                      

The Halloween displays are brimming with fabulous projects.  We have so many Halloween projects, that we may have to add on a room.  Here are a few of the new ones for this year. (I tried to load this picture in a larger size, but it crashed the blog program---ugh!  So see if you can just upsize it on your computer.) 

Garden of Erie--leaflet $12.00

by Plumstreet Samplers

This is a fun take on Adam and Eve.  Teri says she relates to her hair.  This one just makes me laugh--  even the snake is a bit spooky.  Worked on great, crazy fabric in wonderful colors.  

Buttons Black leaflet--$9.00

by Plumstreet Samplers

Here is another great piece by Paulette Stewart.  It was so fun to get to know her at the retreat.  

We stitched Buttons Black on a special overdyed linen by Lakeside linens and added buttons.  

Enchanted Crow--leaflet $9.00

by Threadwork Primitives

Here is an easy but neat Halloween project by a fairly new company.  I especially love the large label on this piece.  Did Teri not notice when she was photographing.  Oh well, it is probably for me, as I never know what anything is.  (Large label is complimentary with any order.)

A Very Black Cabinet filled with Silly Pin Cushions

Teri had a great time this summer making all the wool pincushions.  They are kits from our friends at the button company.  How do you choose which is your favorite... Baskin Kitty, Pumpkin, Barney Bat, Gus Ghost, Mumford Mummy, and Wanda Witch.  The  stitched pincushions are by Homespun Elegance, EEK, and Owl's Night Out.  We have small pieces of fabric ready to stitch them on.  

The Center for Other Halloween Sundries

See what I mean, we really are bursting with wonderful Halloween pieces.  

Who's There--card $4.00

by The Prairie Schooler

This is kind of a companion to Knock Knock ( shown in an earlier post) but we have worked it on 7 count hand-dyed Klostern and have stitched it with overdyed #3 perl cotton.  We added buttons and the finishing fabric is just perfect.  Isn't it so great!

Head's Up--leaflet $10.00

by Prairie Schooler

These are a spooky set of three Halloween faces.  Stitched on 10 count tula, and finished into darling pillows, they will work up quickly and be great on a hall bench to welcome trick or treaters.  I think these might be my favorites for this year.  I stop and look at them every time I walk past.  I totally love the changes Teri made in the colors and I think there is a button on each one.  

All Hallow's Eve--Leaflet $10.00

By Prairie Schooler

Here is another fabulous Halloween chart from Prairie Schooler--my favorite for this year. We stitched it on a purple 30 count and tweeked the colors just a bit and we think it is pretty stellar.  It is actually more faded and weathered than in this rather vibrant photo, but Teri can't stand to send it off to Jill for framing--maybe after Halloween.  Just think what she will do with the framing...  as  a side note,  check out the Puffin Witch's hat needle nanny and scissor pal. 

My Pretties leaflet $ 9.00

by Plumstreet Samplers

Can you tell we just love Paulette's designs??  Here is one more very fun fall piece.

Another Halloween Display under the Spooky Tree 

Look at the bottom right corner, this is another favorite new Halloween piece-- Who's There, but Cricket's Once upon a Midnight Dreary, is pretty amazing too.   

Halloween Quaker Pincushions--leaflet $14.00

by Jeannette Douglas

Christmas Quaker Pincushions--leaflet $14.00

by Jeannette Douglas

We have had so much fun with Jeannette's pincushions, we were delighted to see she has done holiday ones.  It is genius the way she finishes them--so easy.  Teri and Lynnette have been busy assembling small kits for each color, so you can just sit down and stitch.  The kits come with everything except the stuffing.  OK, just name your color.  

2012 Santa--card $4.00

by The Prairie Schooler

Everyone waits for the new santa to arrive.  Teri then picks the threads and the buttons and sends it out to be stitched.  Our neice, Erin, stitched this one for us.  Thanks, Erin.  The backing fabric is so cheery.  If you have not tried one of the PS Santas on the 7 count fabric, this is the year to give it a try.

Merry Christmas--leaflet $9.00--kit $39.00

by Blackbird Designs

We were so excited when Barb and Alma sent us their beautiful sampler to show at the Retreat.  Everyone loved it.  The colours are sweet, and like Barb says in the leaflet, you could leave it up all year.  We have kitted it with the exact fabric and threads called for in the leaflet.  It is tied up with a Christmas paper blackbird.  So cute!

The Great Green Wall of Autumn Samplers

Try to make this picture bigger and just enjoy the darling pictures perfect for Fall and Thanksgiving.

Give Thanks--leaflet $8.00

By Blackbird Designs

Teri has always loved this piece so this year she had it stitched.  It is very fallish and fun.  

Thankful Quaker leaflet $11.00

by Bent Creek

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I love this gentle piece. 

 Well it is very, very late and the only thing that has kept me going was the assortment of Dove chocolates that Mindi gave me at the retreat.   And Teri has already misplaced this blog once tonight, so we had so start all over.  Oh, yay!    I am not sure where it went, somewhere on her computer..... a wrong key stroke and away it went.  We are weeping!!!

If you would like to order any of the supplies for these or any of our pieces, do not hesitate to give us a call.  We would love to send them to you.  Be safe and stitchy.  Until next week, fondly Tina

 Dear Friends,
As most of you know it was our 8th Shepherd's Retreat this past week, and we had such a super time.  Our beautiful fall weather was perfect and hopefully a great time was had by all.  If you were not able to attend--or even if you were--come along with me and take a look at the highlights of our week.  We started off by celebrating our shop's  28th birthday.  Some of the teachers and participants for the retreat flew in early and came to eat home-made ice cream and birthday cake and celebrate with us.

I was just opening the doors when I snapped this shot outside the shop.

Rabbit and Diane are checking out the new stocking- Charland's Stocking.

 Tina and Jeannette Douglas (one of our darling teachers from Calgary Canada) are chatting with each customer as they check out.  

Left to right- Our Sister Sheree,  Mindi Bruner, Sue Bauter, and Nancy Critchlow sport our new t-shirts.   How fun it was to have new shirts printed for the shop.  They run $15.00 each, come in various sizes and colors such as: Cayenne, Mango, Celery, Grape.

                                       
Wednesday was our Retreat open house at the shop.  Because it was a Christmas theme, we served sugar cookies, the yummiest mini cupcakes in Ogden from Villa Bella, brownies, apples from Lynnette's tree and sweet grapes.  We also served our favorite punch.  The day was filled with friends greeting friends as they all came together for the week.

Then off to Park City where the air is clear and cool, and the Canyons welcomes us all.  

The Retreat started with the welcome project.  These bags were stitched for us by Adam Originals.  They were a great way to start things out.  Each of the teachers designed a motif to be stitched on the linen band inset in the bag.  Everyone had the choice to do their bag just the way they wanted it.  Below you see my bag and Lynnette's--both fun and different.   

Next came the Project reveal, where all the teachers show their projects for the first time and talk a bit about them.  

 Pat Ryan and Ann Robbins of R & R reproductions show their Christmas sampler in a beautiful box.  

Also included in the kit was a matching hand painted thread pallette and fob.  

 Linda Lautenschlager of Chessie 'n Me shows her darling piece 

(I took these photos with my phone so some of them are a bit dicey)   

Here is Jeannette Douglas's beautiful Christmas Sampler.  It has so many fun stitches, it will be a blast to stitch.  

Charland and Sydney Garvin show their project--a marvelous needlework case.  There are so many sweet motifs filling this piece.

Paulette Stewart shows her Christmas sampler.  I just love the tree in the sleigh and the little elf.  Such a fun piece.  

Tina designed a beautiful sampler from an old English carol.  

Cece Stricklin shows the Friday evening project.  A wool embroidery needlework case that will hold needles, scissors, threaders and a santa waxer.  A number of people even finished them during the week end.  

Thursday evening we did the Great Cookie Swap, everyone got a cookie tin and then make 4 cookie projects to go inside. Jeannette and Linda are working on the Pinwheel cookie. I think Linda's is done.  

Small christmas gifts were given out at each class- We have had so much fun figuring out the different packaging for everything.  These were sewn and twisted, they have a needle threader inside.

Friday afternoon in the Park City Store, we were lucky to have 3 designers who were attending the Retreat, come and visit and talk about their designs.  

   

 Sharon Verbos of the Purple Thread, had beautiful scissor fobs, ornaments, and stitching smalls. 

Bonnie Woomer of the Nebby Needle had a marvelous array of pincushions.   

Wendy Peatross of From the Heart brought a wonderful collection of framed pieces and pincushions. 

The Final Banquet was so much fun.  The tables looked very festive.   We sewed Christmas stockings for all the participants and everyone had a Christmas Cracker.  Thanks to Carolyn Seldon (from England) who did an impromptu cracker training.  The stockings were filled with  holly scissors that we had specially made from Italy.  

Crowns on every head, jokes galore, and a Christmas trivia game to top the night.  It was a great night.

Dessert was so delish and looked so festive.  

Many thanks to the girls at our shop, both the ones that came up to Park City and the ones that stayed back at the shop in Ogden.  To the best group of teachers, and all the enthusiastic and darling participants- Thank you so much, it was the best Retreat ever. 

See you in 2 years...  

Most of the  the teachers at the Canyons- Park City.