Ohio, Part 2

Another calendar page about to turn and I still have more to tell about Ohio.   It is true what they say, whoever they are, that time flies.    First up, let’s talk Cincinnati and some Cincinnati Chili!   Yum.    Not my first taste of it.   Stayed at Stasi B.’s house overnight and she had it for dinner for us.   I have made it myself also.   I just couldn’t be in Cincinnati without going to Skyline and having some!  Well, guess what, we never made it to Skyline for my chili.   

This get together with my table mates from the Quilters Station Retreat turned into a great weekend.    On Friday we walked about the neighborhood, called The Rhine.  It is an area of revitalization.   We visited Finlay’s Market, much like Reading Terminal Market in Philly.   We ate lunch at a lovely French Cafe, complete with Bloody Mary’s.  

So much beautiful architecture and fabulous murals on the buildings in the area.

Jackson Brewery

Next to Jackson Brewery.   We noticed the ‘barrel’ like arches over the windows and wondered if it was intentional or our creative minds.

This would be so much better if not for the electric wires!

A beer garden!

The group decided to do a Round Robin which we all started when together.   It is    from Hello from Liz Mathew’s.    We all chose our own fabric and floss and got started.   Starting July 1st, we are going to mail  our pieces to the next person on the list.  We plan to meet up again in late February and hopefully we will all have our own piece back to us and well on the way to completion.

Mine is on the left.   I choose multiple colors.   Becky, turbo stitcher, was ready for the hand off before we left Cincinnati, choose Raspberry Parfait on Oaken fabric.   

Both Friday and Saturday after having big lunches out, we settled into our AB&B for stitching, adult beverages and chatting over charcuterie boards made up of cheeses, fruits, nuts and such.   We mainly just enjoyed each other’s company.  Laughed a lot.  Shared a lot.  And thoroughly had a great time.   I, for one, didn’t get much stitching done but I wouldn’t change a thing about how we spent our time.  

Stay tuned for Part 3 of Ohio complete with a tour of an haunted hotel, The Harmon Museum in Lebanon, OH and some consignment store shopping on the way home.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching!

Traveling to Ohio, Part 1

The first of the month I was in the car and headed west.   And as you know, I go kind of picture heavy with my escapades and travels so you get a two-parter this month.  Destination Cincinnati, but not to Stitch Con.   My table mates and I from the Quilter’s Station Retreat in Kansas City last September planned a long weekend together with Cincinnati being about halfway for all of us.  

Before my trip, I decided to make a little gift to exchange.  These were super easy.  I ordered the ‘pendants’ from Etsy, got out my  Ultimate Sampler Motif Book, picked an alphabet and stitched everyone’s initial.   Stitched up in no time and put together in no time.   It was fun to do and I would do it again.   They can be used as a scissors fob or to attach to a zip pull on a project bag.   

The trip started with lots of fun and shopping as Vicki and I took two days to get to Cindy.     Our first stop was Canton, Ohio and no, we went no where near the Football Hall of Fame.     When I travel, whether with Stacy or Vicki, it all about the stops.   Stacy’s are more educational and Vicki’s are more shopping.  But both work for me.  

While we were driving across Pennsylvania, Vicki referred to herself as being built like a ‘fireplug’, mainly based on her being height challenged.    So I sat there in the passenger seat and thought, how would I describe myself……almost instantly I came up with I was shaped like the Momma Nesting Doll.   We laughed and that was that.    Arriving in Canton, Ohio, we came upon this sign…

Of course we had to go in.  Oh my goodness!   Somehow, with no planning, we found the nesting doll capital of the world or maybe at least,  their  secret headquarters.   IDK.   But I never saw so many nesting dolls in one place.   Thousands, truly.

Trust me, this is only a fraction of what they had.   This place had many rooms and every time we turned a corner we busted out laughing at MORE nesting dolls.  And no duplicates.    I wish I had snapped a photo of one of the current presidential candidates set of dolls.  

Irish

Snowmen

Halloween

Some for pet lovers

Land of my people!

And books about nesting dolls as well.

No worries, none came home with me!  Actually we did very little purchasing at any of the consignment stores we visited…..on the way out that is.

We visited Little Creek Needlework in Canton, Ohio and what an adorable store with a lovely owner, Pat.   Anyone in the area has a great LNS in Little Creek.  Poor Pat had laryngitis when we visited but that did not diminish her customer service or smile.    We happened to be there on their Thursday stitching day.  As  I shopped and I heard the ladies talking about email they received and I have just received the same one.    I interrupted them and found out we were all members of Western Reserve Sampler Guild of Parma, Ohio.  I am not that quick to think and should have taken a selfie with these lovely ladies. 

I bought this 40 count linen at Little Creek.   I am going to ‘attempt’ 40 count.  Stitchy friends tell me I can do it; we shall see.  One of them will be used for Heaven and Nature Sing by Kathy Barrick.   I have started and stopped that piece at least twice, not liking the fabric I was working on either time.   It is on my radar now.  

Here’s the house.  Let me tell you, we got our exercise with all those steps.  

It was worth the climb up four flights to my room.    Look at that view.

We did visit Keepsakes while we were there!   

  By luck, I found my friend Stasi’s car in the parking long.  She and Lisa were attending Stitch Cons

The Stitchy Bus was there when we were.  

And here we all are on the front porch at Keepsakes.  

Ok, there is much more to share but if I keep waiting until I get it all added and edited it may never get posted.   So there you have, Part 1.    

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.