Needleart Exhibit at Montpelier

It was such a beautiful day yesterday!  A day meant for enjoying the sunshine and exploring, not for shopping in a crowded mall or sitting indoors, hunched nose-to-the-needle!

I visited Montpelier mansion in Laurel, Maryland, where my guild showed several pieces in their annual  Beyond Needleart exhibit.

Here is a brief history of the mansion:

Located south of Laurel, Maryland, Montpelier Mansion is a five-part, Georgian style plantation house most likely constructed between 1781 and 1785.  It has also been known as the Snowden-Long House or simply Montpelier. Built by Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne, the house is now a National Historic Landmark operated as a house museum.  The home and 70 acres remain of what was once a slave plantation of about 9,000 acres.  It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970, primarily for its architecture.

I found this door knob and lock very interesting...  It's probably original to the house.

One of the bedrooms...

Can you see the double wedding ring quilt in the baby's cradle?  And look at the little step stool necessary to climb into this huge bed!

Dining room...

There was another room with small tables set for food; it had musical instruments, so maybe it was the music room?

This must have been the childrens' nursery...

I'm guessing at the things I saw because we had not set up a guided tour.

And ... the needleart exhibit.  My guild had 15 pieces on display; here are a few, along with other contributors.

The black and white piece on the right is mine!  Part of my guild's 36x36 challenge.

Sew forth and sew on

White House tour

I toured the White House yesterday with a group from the senior center.  Last time I went was over 30 years ago, wow!

This very interesting portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama wasn't in the White House; actually it was in the lounge at the Hotel Washington close by.

The tour only allows visitors on the State (or first) floor.

This beautiful concert grand piano is in the East Room, which is used for receptions, ceremonies, press conferences, etc.   You can't see it, but the legs are carved into eagles.

Tennessee marble floor in the entrance and cross halls, showing the construction and renovation dates of the White House.

The Red Room is used for small receptions; it's decorated as an American Empire parlor of 1810-1830.

Beautiful carpet, and look at the carving on the fireplace!

Another beautiful carpet, this one in the Green Room.  This room is also used for receptions.

The furniture was red, go figure!

The State Dining Room can seat 130 guests at dinners and luncheons.

There is a quotation from John Adams carved in the fireplace mantel but I couldn't get close enough to actually see it!

Beautiful ceiling in the State Dining Room!

The wall paneling is made of English oak, from the 1902 renovation.

This table is also in the State Dining Room, I don't know the date it was built.

There were other rooms you could see on the tour but because of the position of the ropes (sometimes just outside the door) it was difficult to actually see anything.

Seen but not shown here:  the Library (fuzzy picture); the Vermeil room has an extensive collection of vermeil (gilded silver); the China room displays pieces of china and glass used by the Presidents; the Blue room, often used by the President to receive guests.  The White House Christmas tree is usually placed in this room.

I had been looking forward to seeing the Christmas decorations!  Alas, they were removed Wednesday, just three days after Christmas.

When I think back to my earlier visit (30 years ago), somehow it seems we were able to see much more than you can see now.

Here's a tip:  if you're planning a White House visit - especially with a group - plan early!  Because of background checks it could  take weeks, even months to get a tour date.

Well that was my day, enjoy yours!  Sew forth and sew on.

A little t-this, a little t-that..

Three things to be happy about:
(1) this
(2) that
(3) the other

Day started out as one of those not-so-happy days - plumbing problems!  My usual plumber wanted to schedule me for between 8-10 - TOMORROW!  No can do!  Second one wanted to put me on their emergency list for "sometime today, and it may slide to tomorrow."  No way.

I guess three's the charm because the third company sent someone within 45 minutes - problem solved.  See, there's always something to be happy about!

I've heard of double yoke eggs, but this is the first time I've actually seen a double onion!

Can this be another happy thing??

Two for the price of ... two!

And where was this double onion going, so early in the morning??

Hash browns!

Didn't have my usual bell pepper though - oh well, they taste just as good!

Today I need to finish the binding on my Scrap Crystals quilt, but before all that I gotta make just one more trip to Maryland Live! casino.

Happy, happy, happy!

Have your own happy everyone, sew forth and sew on...

Road trip!

Three things to be happy about:
(1) the color red
(2) cosmetic samples
(3) comfortable sneakers

Why are they called sneakers??

Oh well.

Yesterday I took a little road trip, with my friend Renea riding shotgun!

Oh, the things we saw!

What exactly is this thing???

I couldn't resist putting my toe on the little lever thingy!

I didn't press down on it, though  ;o)

Oh, the stuff we ate!!

fresh made mini donuts - just looking!

Here's a little hint:

Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Meanwhile, before we hit the trail, I managed to get a few more of the Passa 9 patches finished:

I got back home just at 7 pm; was too pooped to do any sewing!  Oh well, it only gets better, right?  Sew forth and sew on til later!

Road trip - SewExpo!

Three things to be happy about:
(1) iPods
(2) tea in your favorite mug
(3) background music

While I was MIA from posting on my blog, one thing I did was visit the SewExpo in Fredericksburg, VA with Felicia (the Slow Quilter).  Because SewExpo isn't strictly a "quilt show" as such, you won't see as many quilts on display, but I wanted to share a few of the ones I saw.

I'm not a cat person, but the painted thread work in this piece was so beautiful I wanted to share it!

Totally realistic and well done!

I was impressed and touched by the Breast Pockets display, made as part of a Quilting Arts Magazine challenge honoring our sisters with breast cancer.



Below are two pieces from a "text message" challenge; the early tablet was quite creative.

And now I'll let the others speak for themselves:

That's it for now, I wanted to show a variety of what I saw on display.  Have a great Tuesday, sew forth and sew on til later!

Lancaster trip!

Hello everybody!  I would go through the "it's been a long time, yadda yadda yadda," but you know that already!  Here we are, at this point   ;o)

Yesterday was our annual fabric buying trip to Sauder's, and to Zook's in the Kitchen Kettle area.

What a great, gorgeous, sunny day it was! In October you can't guarantee the weather, but yesterday was all thumbs up!

But first, look at the two photos below... I have a new camera (more about that in a later post) and the first photo was taken with auto flash at around 7:20 am - this is what the morning light looked like to my eye:

But look at this second one, taken a few seconds later without flash:

what a difference, eh?

Our first stop was at Sauder Fabrics... it was sort of a bittersweet occasion for me because their store, that sweet little underground shop, is closing in December!

I understand from someone who heard it from someone else that the farm that owns the property is buying the house, and they have to vacate it.

Who would guess that down those steps, through that anonymous door, you'd find bolts and bolts of name brand fabrics - Timeless Treasures, Moda, Henry Glass, Windham to name a few - at prices well below what you'd see in our area!?

The flat fold table is always loaded with interesting pieces that average about 6 yards, great for backings and projects that need matchy-matchy units.

Meanwhile, they're having a 20% storewide sale, then all their remaining fabric will be transferred to Zook's (their sister store).  Sauder's was my favorite stop on that trip.

Next to Shady Maple Smorgasbord, that is!

Look at these beautiful plants they had at $7 each or 3 for $20, aren't they great?

And the bins with pumpkins and gourds always attract my attention.

Shirley likes them too!

 Shady Maple's decor is always fun to look at too - look at the sweet expression on this little old lady's face!

After a groaning meal - you know the type where you want some of EVERYTHING but you have to pick and choose in order to go the distance - some of us made a quick trip down the hill to Goode's drygoods store and the Shady Maple farm store.

Then on to Lancaster/Intercourse and the Kettle area for more fabric shopping, preserve tasting (you ever tasted sweet potato butter??  Well, don't!) and browsing.

As usual it was a great trip, and I'm looking forward to next year... the word is they'll choose Burkholder's fabrics to replace Sauder's.


Bye bye Sauder's, I've enjoyed buying and petting your fabrics, and I'll miss you dearly!

Sew forth and sew on...