Wednesday embroidery workshop

Having owned two machines with embroidery attachments [unused for some years!] , a friend booked me into a workshop at BSK Bedford to "get me going again!"
Wow it was a real learning experience, firstly I have never used a Babylock machine and found having no foot pedal difficult to manage, BUT I loved a lot of the features on the machine and the teacher Val was very patient. All the fabric and threads were supplied and within 5 minutes of arriving I was embroidering [ well... the machine was!] the front of my bag. No resting on this workshop, while the machine was doing its thing, we were using another sewing machine to start making up the bag.
At home time the bag was finished, and I had booked up for two more workshops. Now to dust off my own machines...

Two new toys from America

At a quilt show in Green River Wyoming I managed to buy two new "toys" and as soon as I can "find" my workroom again will start using them.

The first is a pair of rulers for cutting fancy shapes to make Double Diamonds.. looks really neat!
The second is a Bloc-Loc square up ruler with a dip in the middle where the seam from half square triangles fits, making it flat to cut out, such a simple idea but very clever.

USA 25c help!

Can anyone help me? I am two USA quarters missing from my 2004 - 2008 State Quarter set.

I need Alaska and Hawaii from the Philadelphia Mint [little P on the front].

Having manage to collect 98 of the coins I would really like to complete the set. Happy to pay postage etc.

USA act 6

Some of the sights of Yellowstone, from frozen lakes and lots of snow, to hot mud pools. A sighting of a wolf causes a big traffic jam as he wanderes across open ground.

USA act 5

Jackson Hole Wyoming, our nearet town. The antler arch featured in an old Clint Eastwood movie, and there are one on each corner of the town square. Bronze statues are everywhere, I'm saying hello to a cowboy and his dog.

USA act 4

An enjoyable visit to a Yellowstone Visitor Centre, after seeing a Moose with her calf.

A scary moment after a beautiful waterfall, there is a hold up on the road, "oh I see a buffalo coming this way!" Agh!! it walks right in front of our car and long the side of where I am sitting, it sure is a big powerful creature.

USA ... ACT 3

Quilting on the Green, Expedition Island Pavilion, Green River, Wyoming.

After a nice meal at Penny's Diner, we went to the quilt exhibition for the opening evening. We were mad very welcome and when asked to fill in a form saying how far we had travelled caused a bit of a stir when I put 7000 miles !! The one thing on my shopping list was a kit for the American Icon [a cowboy], so this was the first of many things I bought. Some of the quilts on show were fabulous, I especially liked the first picture next to the diner.. sorry I did not take a note of who made it, but I think it was made to raise money for a museum.

USA trip .. Act 2

Meet the lacemakers of Wyoming. During my stay with Ann Barney I was invited to meet a group of lacemakers that meet regularly at a Senior Citizen home. After a lovely meal we sat around and chatted making lace, I showed them some of my lace that I had brought with me.

USA visit.. Act 1

The start of a three week trip to the USA, found us arriving in Salt Lake City Utah and picking up our hire car, which CJ fell in love with as it is new and big! After a nights sleep we set off for Wyoming and the cabin our friends had lent us for the first week, it was 4 or 5 miles down a track, with nothing for miles other than the odd deer making an appearance. CJ settled in the cabin where the only neighbours were the bulls in a pen, and cows in the fields, but the views and peace and quiet were welcome sight. The Green River runs through the property, and was part of the original Oregon trail.

gnitsub hsatS

This is my "Stash busting" report from the USA.. as you can see by the heading I am going the wrong way!! Since arriving in the USA I have increased my stash [ a small selection in photo] by 63 yds.
33 yds were here waiting for me, when I arrived, having been ordered in England.
7 yds are in a kit called The American Icon, a wonderful kit of a cowboy that I purchased at a quilt show.
Finally yesterday I won $140 at a casino and promptly spent $139.75 on 23 yds of fabric on the way home.