Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Paulette.
Paulette who?
Exactly.
I've been MIA for so long, I almost forgot how to sign into my blog. But there has been a very good reason for this… since returning from Colorado, I've had this insatiable desire to overhaul my entire house! New paint in every room, new blinds on every window, a new stitching chair in every room (okay, just one room), and new carpeting everywhere, which will arrive in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure if this mission I was on was due to the fresh mountain air or simply from being with friends who give me lots of positive energy, but whatever it was, I'll take it.
And I must say, Colorado was wonderful! What a beautiful place to present a workshop, and the Sampler Guild of the Rockies' ladies couldn't have been more welcoming. I enjoyed every moment I was able to spend with them! The room was full of not only everyone's stitching belongings, but a large boutique area (I couldn't fit that into the photo) where I did plenty of shopping. š
It was the Guild's 20th anniversary, and since the theme was Crowns and Jubilee, I presented a reproduction of the first antique sampler I've ever purchased, called 1837 Crowns Sampler. Here is the original:
The smalls I designed were based on the sampler, and I called them A Crowning Effort.
Judy Yunt and Katrina Devine did the most amazing job putting this workshop day together for the ladies, and I can't thank them enough for the honor of being invited to attend. The decorations were beautiful (which included fresh flowers in beautiful blue Mason jars at every table!), the gifts given to every single attendee were outstanding (stitched scissors fobs – 65 of them, front and back stitched! – black Kelmscott Storklette scissors, and beautiful beeswax crowns), and the door prizes were absolutely fantastic (Lady's Trimkeeps and stitching wallets – again, stitched by the sweetest, most generous ladies – sampler charts, and so much more!). And the food! Absolutely delicious, and I think every single person there needed one recipe or another.
It was sad for the day to end, but I left knowing I'd made many new stitching friends. š
After the workshop was over, I stayed a few extra days at Katrina's house, along with good friends Natalia and Karin (and we got to visit Jen's house for a stitching day as well!). We had such a fun time chatting endlessly, eating everything Katrina cooked (because everything she made was amazing), and "shopping" in her stash room, which holds more kitted samplers and Natalia's stitching wallets than you can imagine.
And did I mention that everything was organized by designer, and then alphabetically?
I'm not even kidding.
We also spent a day going shopping and walking around Garden of the Gods. It was such an awe-inspiring place, with the way the rocks had formed there…
This particular rock formation is called the Kissing Camels…
Hi Natalia and Karin!
And of course, for Instagram:
By the way, Katrina's house is lovely, and I'm quite envious of the view from her kitchen window in the mornings:
And these are her little princesses:
But there's one little princess that will be even more spoiled than these two, and her Grandpa can vouch for that:
Thank you for having me as your guest, Katrina! It was a perfect mini vacation, at least for me. š
And by the way, for those of you on Instagram, you can follow Katrina as she works on her Crowns Sampler, and see the color changes she's made. It's coming along beautifully, and if I were to stitch this sampler again, I'd go with her conversion!
(The 1837 Crowns Sampler chart will be available at the upcoming needlework market in St. Charles.)
I suppose I'll sign off of here and get back to my stitching a bit before I go to bed. I'm almost finished with a project I got from Katrina's stash room, which I'll show you in another post. That is, if I remember how to sign back into my blog again. š
I'll see you soon!
19 Comments
Sharon
Paulette this sampler is stunning! I am even more thrilled that I will be able to get my hot little hands on it soon. I envy you these amazing retreat trips and classes. It is so nice to be with people who share this beautiful craft.
Judy Dudley
Hi Paulette! Love the sampler, so glad to read that it will be available soon. Love the colors that Katrina is using. Do you know if she posted her conversion anywhere? Judy
Elisabetta
There must have been a wonderful adventure!!! I love so much the miniature and your ‘A Crowning Effort’ is super!!The pattern or e-pattern will be available??
Sylvia
I am so glad that you had a lovely time!! I would go on a mini vacation at Katrina’s any time!! LOL. Your projects are gorgeous. You have outdone yourself once again.
Giovanna
I’m completely in love with the smalls (the sampler’s beautiful but too religious for me…) Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures, and I’m glad you all had a great time – please come and do a workshop in Italy sometime š
Cathy B
Oh do we have to wait for St. Charles? It’s a beautiful sampler. Those lucky Colorado stitchers!
Margaret
Gorgeous pieces! What lucky stitchers! I’m in love! Love seeing the fun you had too. Wonderful!!
Vonna
What a lovely retreat! I’m certain that Katrina and Judy did a lovely, gorgeous job of making everyone feel warm, welcome and wanting to stitch! Your beautiful stitching set was the Belle of the Ball for sure, I bet š
I’ve had the honor of stitching with both Karin and Katrina and spending a weekend among them and good friends….its a fond memory I treasure!
Natalia Canaday
What a fun time we had, Paulette !!!! We were so thrilled to have you in our retreat and everybody LOVED your designs and, of course, the sampler. The weekend at Katrina’s was fabulous and I am so glad I got to be there too !!! The picture of Jeff and Ellie is just precious…. Let’s get together again soon !!!!
Linda
I’m hoping that I will have the privilege of attending a retreat and meeting you in person. I love your designs and this beautiful sampler is no exception!
Anja
Dear Paulette,
I think you really had a wonderful time.
When I saw the first photo, I wish, oh, I wish, I would be one of those ladies. There are no events like this here in our area.
I think all German stitcher are alone in their own small rooms.
I tried to have a stitching group in the next town, but we only were four and it did not work. We only met four times.
IĀ“m looking forward to the great āNeedle and Threadā-Exhibition in September in OsnabrĆ¼ck. This is the place to meet people who also love stitching like me. And we love to meet there.
I am happy that you share your adventures with us.
Your stitching friend Anja
(leaving the house in a few minutes for the knitting group Oldenburg)
Charleneā„SC
Oh, it sounds like such a delightful time! The pieces are so beautiful – we’ll be watching for market.
Melissa
Oh, I am totally envious of everyone who attended the workshop. The projects look divine and I like how you’ve packaged them too. Nicely done, Paulette!
Love the new sampler (soon, soon!) and Katrina’s own colours are looking gorgeous. I hope she will share them on her blog.
Linda
Beautiful smalls for everyone to work on and the sampler is gorgeous! Glad you had a fun working vacation and fun remodeling when you got home!
Tracy
I’m so so proud of you. You are an amazing talent!!! Your sampler is beautiful and is on my wish list! Way to go girlie. Love ya!
Katrina
Too much fun, it was such a great weekend!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for you to visit again.
Melody
Paulette, I’ve missed you! Sounds like you had a great retreat. I marvel at the beautiful packaging you did for the retreat, and LOVE the crown sampler and accessories!!
Very cool that you were inspired to update at home. You will have to share pictures when you are done!
Faye
I just keep coming back to this post!! Everything is just beautiful from the wonderful projects to the stunning scenery…. I cannot wait fir this samplers release… The colors are so soothing…. Great job my friend :). Faye
Willeke
The sampler is just lovely. And the text is lovely too.