Ups and Downs, Part 2

Now for the retreat, a definite Thumbs Up!  The retreat was the Primitive NeedleArts Primer put on by Hobby House and Lisa K. of Prims on Greenway.  I had met Lisa previously at retreats in Memphis and Asheville and I knew anything she was involved in would be great.   She did not disappoint.

This is our swag basket!   Two thumbs up!  A beautiful Amish made basket that anyone would be thrilled to have.   And it was filled with goodies.   Personalized name tag, two different Make-it/Take-it kits -(one a notebook and the other a needlebook), a complete kit from Stacy Nash, a pin pillow with scissors and more.   

Finished sample of the needlebook

Oh I do wish I had taken a picture of the table-scaping in the stitching room.   Lisa K. had made flowers out of prim fabrics and twigs.  Each table had, as a centerpiece, a mason jar filled with chocolates that surrounded the flower stems.    Each was decorated with a prim bow and a card with a needle.   They were set atop vintage embroidered dresser scarves that had vintage buttons laid across them.  She had taped a penny to the bottom of one of the chairs and the person seated there got the centerpiece at the end of the retreat.   It is that attention to the little things that makes Lisa K. so special.

I did manage this photo of the fountain out front.

I took these one morning when I needed a break from sitting all hunched over the table for so long.

Oh, and I promise I had nothing to do with this.  Alarms went off, we were all evacuated and fire trucks arrived and the fireman were in the building.   Not once, but twice.  I never did hear what the problem was.  

My first class was with Beth Seal of Summer House.  Always a treat.  We got this sweet fall sampler all kitted up and made the strawberries filled with emory during the class.  I am really finding a lot of small samplers I like.   Probably because they seem doable in my lifetime!

Don’t you just love when the designer adds a ‘legend’ tag with names and symbols for the chart to your floss ring?

Beth’s samples

My next class was not originally on my schedule but I am so very glad I checked for openings.   It was with Lianne van Leyen  of 1897 Schoolhouse Designs.   OMGosh!!!   This was the most enlightening, motivational, stitch worthy, positive class ever.   We did not stitch one stitch, rather Lianne, an awesome public speaker, took us down a trail of her stories, our stories, introspective ideas, and a knowledge about the samplers she brought to share.  Share?   Well I am still amazed at what she did.   She had a collection of at least a dozen, unframed, unmounted, just kind-of-there-samplers that she passed around for us to touch, turn over, look at under magnification.  Some were over 200 years old.  All the while she was speaking and telling us things to notice and look for when a particular samplers came our way.  Some had to be recirculated a time or two because as she spoke and we become more knowledgable at what we were looking for, needed a second look.     A really up close and personal interaction with samplers.

 And of course, Lianne was in her period costume which added to the experience. 

She provided us with this free chart as well.   No color key provided.  Up to the stitcher to decide the color ways.   Always interesting to see the different interpretations.

Original above; idea on how to change below.

This is one of the samplers she passed around for us to examine.

Front and back of Emma Kerridge sampler

Here are samples of the reverse glass painting.   It was supposed to be part of our class but there was an issue with using the paints (actually India Ink) in the conference rooms.   Besides, Lianne talked for over 3 hours.   There would have been no time for doing this!

Above is the kitted sampler from the class and below is a leaflet on reverse painting that Lianne discussed.

My third class was with Maggie Bonanomi.   We got a lovely fall piece and learned a trick or two along the way.   Once everything is cut out, I think this will be a quick piece to stitch up.

Can you believe this is all I bought?   I recently saw Sarah Fletcher 1841 finished and was taken by her colors and her size.    I got the Prim Pillows pattern from Under the Woolen Willow at the merchandise mall.   Lastly, the Asenath Ferre’s Sampler was a purchase from the Ontario County Historic Society.   You know how it is when you go into a store and feel like you have to buy something?   I was intrigued by the spacing and the style of the letters at the top not to mention the small size.

This is the first time I neglected to take actual retreat pictures of the merchandise tables, the retreat room itself and only a few of the venue.    It must have been being caught up seeing friends that you only see at these retreats.  Or quite possibly too much enjoying the chatting in the evenings. 

 Or hanging with friends on another night.

  Funny story here.  So you know the people you follow on Instagram all year.   I have followed someone on InstaGram and she has followed me back for several years.   Well you know that we often don’t have our names out there but rather a ‘handle’ to go back to CB radio days….oh I do digress with that one!    Anyway, it wasn’t until I saw this BoonsBoro person post something and I was like, hmm, girl at my table it stitching that, hmm, she has the same stitching mat, hmm…..OMGosh, BoonsBoro is my friend Lisa that I only see once, or twice if I am lucky, a year.   She knew who I was on IG but I didn’t know it was her.   OMGosh!  Things like this make me feel like I am one step closer to being locked up for my own protection.  

I took the Red Bird Sampler with me to work on and I think I put in 12 stitches.  This should have been done weeks ago.   I just haven’t been stitching much.   Lucky for me that my October WIPGO is to work on a WIP and worked on a class piece.    

So a big thumbs down and thumbs up at the same time.  Let me back up a little.  Before I drove to NY, I got my oil changed, tires rotated, etc.  The Service Desk Rep came out and said I am not sure why your car is not done, I’m going to track down your technician.  Out she comes and says the car is on the lift and he is working on the alignment.   Another 45 minutes pass and she says she is going to go ask again.   When I see her again she has a handful of paperwork so I think I am done.  When she starts with, we are getting a loaner car ready for you, I didn’t know what to expect.    Turns out something on my rear axle, not the axle itself, was broken and they wouldn’t even let me drive it home.   They said I probably hit a bad pothole and snapped the part.   Just ask Mr. W.,  he says I aim for pot holes.   Oh boy, something I didn’t expect.  What are you going to do?   We need our cars.  The occasional repair cost is better than a car payment.    Thank goodness the technician was diligent.   I am just glad I went to the dealership and not Jiffy Lube.   Nothing bad on Jiffy Lube but I would not have had my tires rotated and re-aligned and the missing/broken piece would not have been found.  Yeah Subaru!  I am on the road too much and I need to feel safe in my car!

I have managed to be outside and prune and tidy up the yard a little more for the winter.   I’ve been able to enjoy a few lunches at the picnic table.   Trust me, I am well aware I find things to do in the yard as an excuse to be outside all day.   Upside, I am loving it; downside, less stitching time.  

One more Up and Down Update for my trip to Corning Glass Museum on the return trip……not sure when I will get it posted.   So many pictures to choose from.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching…..I sure hope to find some stitchy time this afternoon after cleaning and laundry!

Finger Lakes Visit, Part 2

There were so many pictures, I had to break this into two posts……….

We traveled the last half hour of the ride to Pittsford and arrived around 4 pm.   First stop, Hobby House for a little perusing.   Then to the Air B & B to unload, unpack and head off to the hotel where our friends were taking classes.   They were having a Happy Hour after class which we were invited to join.  It was great to see, Vikki and Denise, Diane and Jennifer, and Dana of course, and to be greeted with a big hug from Jackie DuPlessis herself!  

Back to our house, we settled into pizza and wine around the round oak table and chatted the night away.    As for me and my silly expectations of stitching to be accomplished over the weekend, not much stitching was completed.  The girls did manage to do their homework for their Saturday morning class.

Saturday we walked over to the store to shop.  Regretfully, I shopped and purchased.  There were two wool pieces in Hobby House Woolworks that I liked.  There was one woman in the shop snipping her fingers to the bones to kit up the charts and supplies as fast as she could for others.   No sweat, I’ll be back in October and pick them up.  She was pleasantly relieved.   One - which I didn’t photograph, was a wool penny Christmas Tree and the second a winter table runner.   I ordered the blue one; Stacy the red one.  

So if it is not bad enough having a Cross Stitch Store and a Wool Store, David and Kathy are opening a Quilting Store sometime in the fall in the same shopping center.   Oh boy!   One stop craft shopping for me for sure!   

Following our unnecessary purchases, we were off to Fairport, NY where we had booked tour on the Erie Canal.   Another beyond adorable, quaint little town.   

See that red boat….you can rent them for the week. You get boating instructions (?!!) Sounds kind of sketchy to me.  (Not everyone realizes there are NO brakes on the water!)  The boats include sleeping for two, four or six, living area, kitchen and come with bicycles as well.   Sounds like fun to me!

Below, it is hard to see, but the bridge does not open like a typical drawbridge would.   Rather it slides about 8 feet upwards on the four corner posts to allow boats to pass under it.  It is called a vertical lift bridge.  

 

Leave it to Robin to have to picture the landscape.  

Skies were cloudy when we headed out on our canal tour.

Construction started on the canal in 1817 in Rome, NY.   The Canal opened in 1825.  In 1825, the Canal was 363 miles and cut the travel time of 2 weeks by stagecoach to five days from Albany to Buffalo.  

We were not quite as close to the bottom of the bridges as it appears but we were close enough to be told not to stand up or raise our hands to touch the bridges when we went under them.  The Captain warned us at each bridge and actually could be seen ducking down herself under a couple of them.

Several railroad bridges, still operating, cross the canal.

We traveled through Lock 32 on the canal.  

Doors closed, and water is added to raise us up to the top.

 

Once at the level of the other side, off we went. 

There were so many wonderful public spots along the shore to be able to sit and watch the boats go by.

And even more, private docks.   

And the houses to go with the docks were beyond beautiful.   To be able to live on the water, there were a number I could suffer through living in.

It is a marvel to me that the canal was constructed and then opened in 1825.  No modern machinery like today.

The old tow path is a walking trail the ENTIRE length of the Erie Canal.

Sunday night dinner and “speed dessert” at Label 7.  Again, walking distance from our house.   Speed Dessert, you asked.   Well we didn’t know what to call it.   There were six of us at the table and three signature desserts.   Crème brûlée, Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce and Bread Pudding made from donuts.    We ordered one of each and six spoons.   Take a bite and pass the dish to the right.   We all got several tastes of each one and really enjoyed it.

Beautiful bed of cone flowers outside the restaurant.

Walking the path under the bridge on the way back to the house.

Some did not get enough dessert so we walked past our house and down the street to the creamery.   The Pittsford Dairy Farm.    Look at how awesome the ceiling lights were and the stools to sit on were.  There was the cutest little old man, 93, who was working the store counter.   He said he had worked there since 1961 when he was dating his wife, the dairy farmer’s daughter.   Imagine the changes this man has seen!

Sunday morning saw us eating breakfast al fresco.   

Back to the store before we headed out on Sunday morning.   I  had this project kitted up and picked it up from the store on our way our of town on Sunday morning.   This is the first of four parts of the Mary  Allcorn Sampler.   Since the owner, Kathy, is charting these, it is a Hobby House Exclusive.  The second piece, expected in the fall, is smaller and will go on a wooden spool.  The third pieces will be a needlebook.  The final piece of the series will be the sampler itself.   Look at that fabric - 40 count!   I hope 40 ct is as easy as everyone says it is.

On our ride home, we stopped in Skaneateles, a town on one of the Finger Lakes of the same name.  I love the unusually nooks and crannies of a waterfront town.  It was a beautiful little town with a Main Street filled with shops as well as dozens of Victorian homes in full glory.

Ducking into an antique shop, I spied this as a souvenir of our trip.  A cool little find.  It appears to have served someone with many years of good service.

Lakeside in  Skaneateles. 

So that was my “speed weekend” in New York.   And trust me I know how fortunate my life is to have such experiences.   I thank the universe every day.   Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching!