Another Month, Another Trip

Just two weeks after returning from Pennsylvania, I went away again, this time on a girls' getaway to Spring Green, Wisconsin.  You may have read about the Country Sampler on other blogs, because they have a wonderful 3-bedroom apartment above their store that they rent out to groups of 7 or less.  It's set up so that you can either stitch or quilt (or both), with a large U-shaped work table, cutting tables, irons and ironing boards.  It's been used by many happy stitchers and quilters.

Here is the store, and you can see

the windows of the apartment above.

And here's a peek inside the store...

Lots of fabulous stuff for both

stitchers and quilters,

with a definite prim flavor.

While we were in Spring Green we visited Taliesin East,

the home and studio of the late

Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect.

It is a sprawling compound that

includes not only his house and studio

but also a school, theater and farm

on over 600 acres of lush rolling hills.

Here are "a couple" of the 

many photos I took.

The house wraps around a hillside.

He used a lot of limestone, both inside and out.

This land is all part of the estate.

You can peek into the dining room

from the upper floor.

This curtain in the theater was designed by Wright,

depicting the hilly landscape of

this area of Wisconsin.

I love the way the stairs are tucked away...

Looking into a multi-functional room:

a sitting area and dining table on one side,

and a long work bench with built-in shelves on the other.

Only a partial wall separates them.

He was doing "open concept" in the early 1900's.

I took a lot of ceiling photos; I love geometrics.

We were lucky to be able to take photos

of the interior of the buildings.

Prior to this year, they were prohibited.

Of course, in addition to Taliesin

and exploring the shops of Spring Green,

our main activity was stitching,

with some knitting and sewing, too.

Karen J was working on this

stunning French boutis piece,

one of many samples she plans to have

for an EGA regional class that

she will be teaching this fall.

She is also the person who

finishes my smaller stitched pieces

to perfection.

Karen P was working on this

lovely holiday runner.

It's actually a stamped cross stitch

design, but you would never know it

because her stitches are so perfect

they look just like counted cross stitch.

Anne had a good bit done on the

Prairie Schooler R is for Rabbit.

This chart is on my to-do list!

I will probably get to it around 2020

after I finish letters A through Q.

(No, I haven't started yet.)

She alternated between the rabbit

and this delicate knitted piece.

Joyce was working on a couple of cross stitch pieces.

This one is a cute Halloween design from The Primitive Hare...

...and she finished it, too!  (happy dance!)

Sue was cutting fabric for a tote bag 

that she plans to make and use 

on a trip around the world

coming up in just a couple of weeks!

She was also working on this

beautiful canvaswork piece

featuring a free-form tree

made from silk ribbon.

I worked on Autumn Logs, and came close 

to a finish, but not quite.

You guys have seen it so often,

I won't show it here until it's completed.

I also started this hardanger bookmark on the trip...

...and finished it after coming home.

It's from the 2011 Nordic Needle

Bookmark-of-the-Month Club.

I only have (ahem) six more to go now.

I should tackle a few more,

because they really don't take much time.

On the way home, we stopped at Lynn's

in Madison, Wisconsin.

It's a large store whose merchandise

consists of half needlework and half art supplies.

Here is my stash enhancement:

From top left:  a Permin miniature kit "Two Horses"--

they are hard to see in this photo;

a gold frame that I have in mind for a

Lizzie-Kate piece that's almost finished

(they had a wonderful selection of frames there);

a Mill Hill kit by Laurel Burch: "Fur-ever Friends;"

another PS chart "Happy Christmas" (really?!);

and finally two coloring books

featuring designs from one of my

all-time favorites, Charley Harper!

(I had to buy both because 

I couldn't decide which one I liked best.)

I might try transferring one or two designs

onto canvas to see how they stitch up.

DH has already expressed an interest

in the toucan!

It was a fun trip with good company.

That's it from here for now.

Hope you've had a fabulous weekend.

Thanks for visiting!