house wren studio

vermont getaway :: october 2013

This is my favorite photo from our trip last fall to Meleen's southern Vermont house. It captures everything that I loved best about it - drinking coffee on the porch in our pajamas, talking, planning the afternoon adventure, new friends, great laughs. And Meleen, the most amazing, energetic host to our fabulous weekend.

She and I are teaming up to host a weekend this coming October 3-6. Peak season for autumn leaves, antiquing, farmer's marketing, tag sailing and crafting (and all the in-between good times of a small gathering in side-by-side houses). There will be more news to come. Time to let you know so you can start thinking about it. 

I blogged about it here last year, and the photos to follow are just a little refresher. (If you are new to this blog, click here to see an event I hosted awhile ago.)

Nothing like New England in the fall. We're pretty excited! It's going to be so much fun!

Details to come. 

california and the art of craft

Last week I was so happy to finally meet up again with Rebecca and Pam for a little beach time before we taught at French General and the Art of Craft. California was beautiful, but goodness, it was so, so cold. Colder than New York for sure. Seemed like I wore all my clothes all the time. Didn't matter. The sun was shining, the territory was new and the friends were so sweet. Who cares about freezing feet?

We made art, shared inspirations and wandered around beaches and towns in the area of Santa Barbara. 

Pam brought lots of art materials. We each had our stitching.

Kits were finalized for class. (I was excited to use my new collection Tilly in my class this time.)

Beach walks. 

Instagramming.

Thrift and scrap hunting.

Wine, paints and visits from our friends, Syd and Mary.

At last we left the little cottage by the sea and headed off to French General for our classes. 

I love teaching. Especially here. Amazing students. Coolest store. Kaari, Molly and Mogull put on a fantastic weekend. For me, it was a little reunion of France. And always the best time.

Thank you to every one of you who made our little getaway memorable. It was so good!

cutting and kitting

Cutting bits of my Tilly collection to personalize the Traveling Needlebook kits for my class next Friday at French General's Art of Craft in LA. I just saw the class list and am so happy that so many old friends and students will be there! 

There was a last minute cancellation which opened one spot in my class (Friday afternoon) and possibly one also in Rebecca's (Friday evening) and maybe Arlene's on Sunday. If you snag the seat in my class, let me know so I can make a kit just for you!

Would love to see you there!

mountain house

Just home from a few days teaching holiday crafts in the mountains. I adore this place and loved every minute of my time there. As if just for the event, a silvery fog and snow fell over the glacial lake and lodge as we arrived. All kinds of magic and beauty everywhere!

 

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I'm so far behind in my blogging I don't even know where to start. Never got to properly tell you about Quilt Market because we got caught up in the storm after. My Tilly fabric for Blend is shipping out to quilt stores now and I'm hoping it comes to one near you. So pretty! 

And thank you so much for all the nice emails and comments about the wreath. Makes me very happy to hear that you are enjoying that so much.

Can't believe that tomorrow it's December! In my Etsy shop, use coupon code THANKS2012 for 10% off through December 31. The samplers make great gifts and stocking stuffers for crafty friends and family.

my class at french general

{We are still without power here in our part of New York. But that is the extent of our inconvenience and it hardly merits any whining. The devastation is stunning and heartbreaking now that we've had a chance to see images and get news of the wider picture. I'll be back to blogging as soon as I have power at home. Today I'm borrowing from my daughter because I want to let you know that ...}

Signups began yesterday at French General for the Art of Craft classes in January. I am teaching this beautiful stitchbook project on Friday Jan 11 in the afternoon. (Click the class description image on the site to see the full page contents of the project!) The book is constructed from an old cutter quilt and various pages from other textiles. It was such fun to make, layering the textiles, stitches and bits. Everything is provided by French General. Last year's class sold out quickly so I don't want anyone to miss out. Rebecca Sower is teaching that Friday evening and there is an option for a day pass which gets both classes at a discount. Pam Garrison teaches Saturday and all the other classes are listed on the site. A weekend pass is a great option to consider as they are all fabulous. Make a weekend of it! (Kaari has a hotel and travel guide on the site page too.)

Hope to see you there!

And back here ... just as soon as possible!

chateau getaway :: day five :: stitching and lavender fields

Right now in New York it's really hot. I think it's that way just about everywhere across the country. If I stand outside I can imagine I'm in France again because it was hot there too. It's supposed to be hot - for the sunflowers, the crops, the lavender. The buildings all have big wooden shutters that they close during the day against the scorching sun. The windows might still be open but the shutters keep the hot sun at bay, and it works. 

On this day, it was too hot. We took advantage of the cool morning to sit on the terrace and continue stitching the samplers of the chateau. There were some amazing stitch and textile experts in the group. Less like a class, more like a stitchalong, we enjoyed sitting beside each other, sharing colors, stitch choices, tricks of the needle, laughs. So many laughs.

Isn't it inspiring to see the way each is different? Just a stitch or thread choice renders the work unique to the maker. All so pretty!

After lunch we headed for the lavender fields where we were greeted by Nadette, lovely and generous.

She took us out to the field and explained the growing process for lavender, the varieties, the harvesting.

I mentioned it was hot. 112°

Nadette offered us refreshments, her handmade soaps and lavender bundles.

There was time for stitching in the shade and a playful scene with Millie and Laurent. 

That car ride home was so fragrant!

Last night I had second thoughts about posting each day as it went, start to finish. This is taking a long time to tell. But the truth is, I won't remember the breakdown of days and adventures if I don't do it now. Already things are blurring together. There is so much I haven't touched on. It looks as if all we did was hop from place to place, shop, eat, drink, wander about the countryside. Behind all these busy moments, we found ourselves part of an adventure that unfolded like an old-fashioned novella. Travel does that. The time spent together along with the unique challenges of the unfamiliar opens us up, shakes out the wrinkles and shows our true colors. As the pattern of days stitched together, our group of random souls became a lovely sampler itself. Sweet friends, each a different design, color, stitch, style.  

Throw in some wine, actual stitchwork and late-night talks as the moon rises. Tomorrow you'll find out what happened to my favorite dress after one of those late nights gabbing and story-telling. Wine played a big part throughout.

Red wine.

chateau getaway :: day three in caussade

We probably could have lounged about the chateau all day, but the chateau chef, Charlotte, invited us to tag along with her. She markets locally in the centuries-old village of Caussade on Mondays. There was even a small brocante on the threshhold of the fresh market.

Everyone knew Charlotte or Kaari or Lizzie.

At the market, Charlotte briskly worked her way here and there to find her favorite vendors. She's gifted, cheerful and magnetic, adored by the vendors - and the guests. Charlotte asked us to let her know what looked good saying she'd be happy to add it to the menu.

Everything looked good! The market was so charming and visually electrifying. Every once in awhile I looked up over the vendor umbrellas, watching and listening to the chittering swallows darting around the cathedral.

She took us to the cheese shop.

And to the man who sold cured meats. To the olive seller.

To the spice stall and nearby, to a lady who sold saffron. The saffron jar contents amounted to less than a tablespoon, made from 200 flowers she grew and harvested herself.

Nearly lunchtime, we stopped at a cafe for a coffee before we headed back.

Millie came out with us and brought her new friend, Laurent.

Good-natured Molly agreed to stand next to this salon sign. 

A few more purchases and it was home for a cooking class with Charlotte. But first, she whipped up another amazing lunch for us. 

After lunch, she showed us how to make the basil granita we had the first night and we made mustard using her recipe. 

We gathered again on the terrace for an evening of local wine and cheese pairings. 

I know! All that in one day? (I think I actually left out a few things!)

Just like the wine, every single drop of that day was fantastic and memorable! 

Next post is rummaging at the abandoned hat factory. xo

chateau getaway :: day one and two

This post has taken quite awhile to dig into. There are almost 1700 images from the trip and I found it hard to figure out where to begin, but the first day is a pretty good spot. 

I had never traveled to France or used any of the language I studied for more than 14 years. At one point I could read and write in French, but apparently that was a million years ago and of course, it took almost the whole trip for any of that to return. There were minor adventures before we reached the chateau (having Javier, Penelope and Leo on our flight, losing our luggage in Toulouse, collecting our group which almost included a bewildered traveler near tears), but this post has to be about reaching the chateau itself. I'd seen so many photos of the building, had studied them closely so that I could draw it for our sampler stitching project, but I couldn't have imagined the complete picture. The gardens, the views, the history, the luxury, the grace and charm of every little thing. Most of all, the welcoming staff and the awesomeness of Kaari and her French General crew.

Just incredible.

Exhausted and relieved to be there at last, we trundled up the path, each of us so delighted that this fantasy was finally a reality. 

We waited for everyone to arrive and thankfully, our luggage turned up too. On the terrace, we enjoyed the first of many extraordinary meals and met each lovely guest. 

Sleep came easily.

In the early morning we woke up to find homemade croissants, french-pressed coffee, breakfast and the excitement of our first adventure as a group. 

Off to the Sunday market in Saint Antonin Noble Val! 

(That cat in the window is among my favorite images from the whole trip - all of them taken with my iPhone4.) 

On the way home from St. Antonin, we stopped in Caussade for a Vide-Grenier, which is something like a village wide tag sale. If you're tooling around France and see one of those signs, be sure to stop.

My treasures from Caussade. Inside the Sucre tin? Buttons!

Could be the best way to make new friends is over a pile of vintage French linens. Some for you, some for me!

Home for lunch. The day is only half over!

One more VG outing and then back home again to start stitching. 

Add some wine and a beautiful evening with food, new friends and a special birthday.

Whatever Julie wished for as she blew out the candles, surely it all came true!

Day Three up next: the farmer's market with the chateau chef, a brocante or two and cooking class. 

off we go to the chateau

Yes, I really did that. Yesterday I made a tiny felt beret for Millie to wear in France. She looks a tad like Henry VIII, but you get the idea. Anyway, we're all packed and running errands for a last round before we go. I'm very, very, VERY excited!

For a few years now, Kaari runs a legendary getaway of adventures and wonders at this lovely chateau near Toulouse. This is Textile Week and I'll be teaching embroidery. We're making a sampler I designed of the chateau itself, stitching details of the ancient structure, trees, lavender and sunflowers. There will be other mini-classes, woad dyeing and who knows what else. Leaving lots of room in my suitcase for flea market treasures and handmades. My friend, Jane and I are adding a few days in Paris to finish our trip.

I'm going to spend my week with needle and thread, walking shoes, camera and friends, so I won't be posting here or to Instagram, but if you want to see what's up, Kaari and her sister Molly are posting. Check #frenchgeneralgetaway. After seeing last week's photos, it looks like every wish comes true there. 

My Etsy shop will also be closed until I return July 3. Hope everyone got their summer samplers for vacation stitching. Looking forward to sharing everything with you once I'm home again. 

Safe and happy summer to you all in the meantime. A bientot, mes amis! xoC

home from home

Millie and I had our big adventure to Saint Louis, the town where I grew up. It was a wonderful trip and busy, busy, busy! 

I stayed with three friends over four nights and taught two days of workshops at Mary's studio.

For some reason, I can't teach, talk and take photos at the same time. But I'm pretty sure everyone had a really nice few days at the studio and in their classes. Me, too. 

And then I finished my banner on the plane ride home. (Do you remember I was hoping to finish for Mother's Day?)

Now it's time to prep for France. Millie's a good little traveler and pal. Thinking I might have to make a tiny beret for her. Mais oui!

We are so excited!