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I love it all: embroidery, canvaswork, quilting, crochet. So much to do, so little time.





Sunday, May 22, 2016

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!

10 comments:

Melody said...

It looks like you had a productive get together! I've been to The Country Sampler a few times. It's a nice shop. It would be fun to stay there for a stitching weekend. I haven't been to the Madison shop. The Charley Harper coloring books should be fun. I will be looking forward to seeing your Autumn logs finish. It's such a beautiful piece!

Linda said...

Love all of the pictures. It looked like a fun trip. Everyone is working on such lovely projects.


Linda

Happy Baker said...

Looks like fun and it was fun - all of it!! The bookmark came out really nice.

Beth in IL said...

I will have to look into Spring Green as a retreat place. Love your new stash.

Tiffstitch said...

What a fun trip! And of course you had to get the PS chart because what if you can't find it next year? I picked that one up as well.

Julie said...

Looks like a wonderful time was had by you all. Such a happy smiley bunch of ladies you shared your time with.
It does look a lovely place.

Robin in Virginia said...

What a fabulous adventure and weekend you had! Lovely assortment you and your friends worked on!

Anonymous said...

GREAT POST! We did have a wonderful weekend. The Taliesin tour was super. Like the way the bookmark turned out. And love your new Charlie Harper coloring books! Fun time!

Carol said...

What a great set-up for a retreat!! And you seem to have the perfect group of friends for such a weekend! I really enjoyed seeing what everyone was working on and your new stash--enjoy!

Hope you have a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Sally said...

Now that is a perfect getaway! Looks like you all had a brilliant time!