Great grandbaby

First things first - introducing Addison Clare weighing in at 9 lbs. and 13 oz. on January 13, 2011....our newest of 4 great grandbabies!

Today we're in Statesville NC for the Quilting and Needle Art Extravaganza - awesome attendance and beautiful weather.  We just introduced Everchanging Seasons - Bunny Hill and we're already sold out!  Hoorah!  And everyone loves our new hand-dyed wools...it was a great day!

Bunny Hill

More later.....

Just returned from The Myrtle Beach Quilt Party and Vendor Extravaganza in Myrtle Beach SC where nearly 1,000 folks came through the doors (including over 200 students for quilting classes). Good attendance for a first year public event!  The dates for next year haven't been set yet but keep tuned as we'll announce them as soon as they are available.

 

Here's some of  the yummy new hand-dyed wools we have to offer!

Be sure to come see us this weekend in Statesville NC at The Quilting and Needle Art Extravaganza. 

We'll be there from 9am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday at the Statesville Civic Center for your shopping pleasure, along with many other vendors offering everything from beautiful wood/glass quilt display cases to knitting supplies, antique linens, buttons, quilts, sewing machines, etc., etc.  There's going to be something for everyone!  Be there or be square...............

HERE'S TO A VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY!

Good morning, 

Here's what I have on my plate today.

• Prepare Calendar Series Punch of the Month mailings (darn, the post office is closed today, so they will go tomorrow) 
• Prepare The Civil War Chronicles Block of the Month mailings (darn.....ditto above........)

• Cut Goose Feather kits for upcoming shows
• Sew together 9 Civil War Chronicles blocks for our Block of the Month quilt display at upcoming shows
• Finish our January newsletter 
• Print business cards for upcoming shows
• Contemplate what block I am going to make to mail to each of 8 quilting members of our family for our block exchange (we will of course receive 8 different blocks in return and will have to get real creative and put them together into a quilt/wall hanging/ etc. for judging at our family reunion in August)  never done this before, sounds like fun
• I'm sure something else will come up

And, oh, by the way, I've already sent out an invitation to everyone on our mail list to come visit us at the Myrtle Beach Quilt Party and Vendor Extravaganza this weekend and at The Quilting and Needle Art Extravanganza the following weekend.  See more details on our website www.auntiejusquiltshoppe.com

Not to mention preparing a big pot of bean soup that is simmering on the stove as we speak. All this after my morning ritual of doing 2 Sudokus and 2 Crosswords over coffee. 

Whew, I'm tired all ready, but now I've made my list so let's get to it!

Sanford Show

This past weekend Auntie Ju's vended in Sanford at The Quilting and Fiber Art Marketplace.  If you missed it this year, make sure you put it on your calendar for next year; it'll be posted soon on our website show schedule. 

There was a nice mix of vendors, something for everyone, not just quilters.  It seems we got out of town just in time as they were expecting 7-8" of snow this morning.  However, the storm tracked it's way to Wilmington and we now have over an inch of snow on the ground with more falling as we speak.  

We met some nice folks from Heelside Farms who were vending across the aisle from us.  Carolyn and her family raise some 40+ Border Leicester and Icelandic sheep on their farm near Four Oaks NC.  They shear twice a year and send off the 'dirty wool' to be cleaned.  The roving is then dyed into beautiful colors which they spin into yarns.  

Carolyn's friend, Victoria, is spinning the natural roving into yarn

Here she spins two colors together

Winding the yarn into hanks ready for sale

Have ye any wool?  Yes Sir, Yes Sir, three bags full!

You can visit the farm and take classes in knitting and crocheting, purchase roving and yarns.  They also have bees so you can purchase honey.

The Beasley Family will be at the Carolina Fiberfest in May 20-22, 2011 at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh NC where they will have a 'sheep to shawl demo', meaning you will see them shear the sheep, prepare the wool and spin it into yarn to knit a shawl - you can view the process from beginning to end.

A Give-a-way from the The Empty Nest

Sign on as a follower and you might win a wonderful neck scarf made with love by Janet!

THIS AND THAT

Auntie Ju's has been on hiatus since November 15th and I've enjoyed having some extra leisure time to putz? around the house - remembering to water plants, putting up Christmas decorations (even though they were sparse this year), enjoying Christmas cookies baked by hubby, cooking Christmas dinner for 5, going out to dinner with friends and attending Christmas Eve service at our St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Julie used this time to try her hand at hand-dying wool and preparing some new samples and I made a quilt sample from Morris Tapestry fabric, all in preparation for the new season of shows (evidence of our work was shown in a previous blog) and of course, we had to perform the dreaded 'year end inventory'.   I think that's under control - now to update the inventory on the website and then it's up to the bookkeeper to keep it all straight for the rest of the year.

Our Blow-out Sale ends in a couple days on January 3 and then we leave Thursday, January 6 to set-up for our first show of the year in Sanford NC.  If you're in the area please be sure to stop by and see us at the Dennis Wicker Civic Center on Friday and Saturday from 9am to 5pm for The Quilting and Fiber Art Marketplace.  This show includes not only quilt shops but also vendors who offer buttons, trim, antique textiles, jewelry, yarn and fibers, rug hooking, threads, smocking, photography, wooden cases and ladders to display your quilts, books, patterns, notions, rubber stamping and more - all offering inspiration to get your creative juices flowing in 2011!

And through it all, I managed to read three, yes 3, books. 

The first was "The Full Cupboard of Life" by Alexander McCall Smith, the fifth in 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series.  I had read the other 4 books in the series and have had this one on the book shelf for a few months.  It didn't disappoint and to quote a phrase from the New York Times Book Review, "Precious Ramotswe (is) the Miss Marple of Botswana"!

The second book was "Condoleezza Rice, a memoir of my extraordinary, ordinary family and me" by Condoleezza Rice.  What an accomplished woman!

And the third a wonderful book called "Lucky Man" by Michael J. Fox.  From the book cover, "....Michael J. Fox recounts his life, from his childhood in western Canada to his meteoric rise in film and television that made him a world wide celebrity and most important, however, he writes of the last ten years during which he has dealt with Parkinson's disease".  This book was written in 2002 but is a must for anyone whose life has been affected by Parkinson's disease, directly or indirectly.