Free Admission at AIC

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600

Museum Hours
Monday–Wednesday, 10:30–5:00
Thursday, 10:30–8:00 (Free Admission 5:00–8:00)
Friday, 10:30–8:00
Saturday–Sunday, 10:30–5:00

Free Winter Weekdays
From January 3 through February 4, the museum is offering free admission, every weekday, all day long (late evenings included)!

Visitors enjoy free admission from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. every Thursday thanks to Target Free Thursday Evenings.

Ingredients in hand ....

My two sons gave me a pretty wrapped gift. On top was this lovely dragonfly - I set it on a tree branch.

Inside the package were all the 'ingredients' to stitch the
Mary Hannah Gipson sampler.

When I saw Ruth Ann Russell's research and graph, I was itching to stitch.

The article and pattern are in the

SAN Q
Winter 2010
Magazine.

Lucky
Lucky
ME!

thx!

Marjorie,
blogging at
Moonsilk Stitches
gave me this
wonderful ornament!

She understands my
weakness for BUTTONS.

What a treasure, thx so much.

happily hooking

This is a kit from
The Quilt Shop
in Middlebury, IN.

GF Beth (w/o blog)
purchased the kit,
and gave up on it.

I've been moving
right along ...

More progress on the
quilt block pattern, too.

I'm liking these colors!

After awhile I get
a rhythm going +
don't want to put
the project down.

locker hooking

Back in November, GF Mel + I
took a locker hooking class.

This is my project (so far).
I like the pastel colors - maybe I should have chosen
holiday colors, like red, green, fancy gold material.

Maybe next time!

I learned a lot in the class
+ have enjoyed watching this pattern grow.

-------- My youngest son is allowing me to use his digital camera as mine seems to have finally bit the dust. Maybe Santa will toss one down the chimney this month!

On-line needlework

While browsing the Metropolitan Museum of Art web site ...
I stumbled on this wonderful article
with several photos:

American Needlework in the 18th Century

- - - - - -

According to this article in the NYTimes, there are three needlework exhibitions going on
(wish I lived closer):

Connecticut Historical Society
Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840
October 5, 2010 - March 26, 2011

Winterthur
Betsy Ross; the Life Behind the Legend
Oct 2, 2010 - Jan 2, 2011

Florence Griswold Museum
With Needle & Brush
Schoolgirl Embroidery from the Connecticut River Valley
October 2, 21010- January 30, 2011
(their web site has terrific photos + information)

- - - - - -

And, we cannot forget the one at
The Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston!

Embroideries of Colonial Boston: Samplers
November 20, 2010 - March 13, 2011
Gallery LG26

Decorative Arts Sampler Survey Results

Have you seen the samplers
on the
The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America site?
So far, there are 600+ samplers on-line.
Pour a cup of tea + enjoy browsing.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Susannah Bartlett
ca. 1802-1810
Brookfield, MA US

Sara Schrack Sampler
1820
So. Western, PA US

CMD Sampler
ca. 1780-1810
PA US

Sampler Stolen

Mary Bowker (1804)

See Post here:

Sampler Stolen + Other Sad News

Threaded Adornment: Four Centuries of English Embroidery

July 10, 2010 - Spring 2011

Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Tuesday through Sunday:
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Friday evenings:
until 8:45 p.m.**

flowers

Aren't these pretty?
Flower from DH.

Tapestry Exhibit

June Wayne's Narrative Tapestries: Tidal Waves, DNA, + the Cosmos
November 3, 2010–February 7, 2011
Gallery 50

The exhibit includes 11 dynamic tapestries inspired by Wayne’s innovative graphic designs
and woven between 1970 and 1974. Mag

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Museum Hours
Monday–Wednesday, 10:30–5:00
Thursday, 10:30–8:00 (Free Admission 5:00–8:00)
Friday, 10:30–8:00
Saturday–Sunday, 10:30–5:00

Admission
Adults: $18
Children, Students, and Seniors (65 and up): $12
Children under 14: Free
Members: Free

At last .....

Contemporary Fiber Art: A Selection from the Permanent Collection

November 3, 2010–February 7, 2011
Galleries 55, 57–59

This exhibit includes 60+ works of fiber art!

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois

Museum Hours
Monday–Wednesday, 10:30–5:00
Thursday, 10:30–8:00 (Free Admission 5:00–8:00)
Friday, 10:30–8:00
Saturday–Sunday, 10:30–5:00

My Favorite Things +giveaway winner

My Favorite Things
c.2000, C. A. Zittel
The Drawn Thread

Pulled some thread out, and need to restart some of the borders.
Didn't realize how 'off' I was!

I won this charming acorn
from Marjorie, who blogs at:
Moonsilk Stitches.

I'm glad to be a lucky winner
in her giveaway.

The (online) Needlework Show

October 21-26, 2010

Link Here

gifts, accessories, & new bag

Friends and I went to the
Taste of Home Cooking Show
a couple weeks ago.
In addition to the door prizes given out
during the show, vendors also had prizes.
Our GF, Beth, aka the Lucky One,
won a chef for the evening --- and we all were invited to her bash.

What fun we had learning new ways to prepare
our favourite meals - delicious meal, awesome time with friends,
and the chef took care of the cleaned up.

On our way out the door, Beth gave each of us a lovely basket of gifts.
She rocks!

During our recent Needle Art Exhibit,
GF Sue made these beautiful
glass needle minders + glass counting pins.
She had all sizes and colors for sale.
I had my eye on the heart from the second
I saw it on her dining room table - before the show!
Sue is thinking to create more - I saw, go for it.
What do you think? Pretty set IMO!

And, last, I have a new bag
to haul all my 'junk' around. It is a terrific tote -
offered by the Great Lakes Region
(fundraiser)
link here for info.
Thx to GF Marjorie for attending the Region meeting &
picking it up for me.

Interwoven Expressions

26th Annual Exhibit and Sale
Saturday, October 16, 2010
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Aberdeen Manor Ballroom, Valparaiso, Indiana

Information Here

Helena Hernmarck

Tapestry Artist
Byggförlaget • Kultur
11" x 9", 128 pages, 1999





Sunday, Oct. 17th
2p.m.
Lecture for
Featured Steelmaking Tapestry
with
Artist Helena Hernmarck

According to Web Site Hosted by Brauer Museum of Art for
Featured Steelmaking Tapestry with Artist Helena Hernmarck
Duesenburg Recital Hall
Free and open to the public

images of tapestries

Link to Time Magazine Article

Brauer Museum of Art
Center for the Arts, Valparaiso University
1709 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383-6493
ghertzli@valpo.edu
Phone (219) 464-5365

Let's all Go ....

Embroideries of Colonial Boston: Samplers

Saturday, November 20, 2010 - Sunday, March 13, 2011

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Avenue of the Arts
Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5523
617-267-9300
TTY: 617-267-9703

Fun w/Friends

Yesterday, I attended the
Tast of Home cooking show with friends Beth, Deb, Mel and Sue.
The show scheduled to begin at 7pm.

We got together in the afternoon and strolled thru the vendors.
There were several booths with slushy wine, fruit, table wines, cake, fresh veggies, candy, tupperware, etc. Enjoyed all the samples.

Had a terrific lunch (25% off coupons given out at vendor booth) and then chatted at Starbucks until show time.
What a fantastic way to spend the afternoon!

Also, before the show began, each of us were given these
terrific reusable purple bags.
They were full of goodies: samples, calendar, coupons, magazine, magnet, scraper, pizza server, recipe cards.

We registered for prizes + signed up for free magazine subscription.

Enjoyed the show and inbetween the cooking segments, door prizes were given out.

So, guess what? My friend, Beth, sitting next to me
won a $250.00 gift card to Stracks (local grocery store).

Then, they called MY NAME!
I, too, won a $250.00 gift card to the grocery store : )
Imagine that?

In addition to the get together with girlfriends
(who don't have blogs, shame on them ...)
I found out our EGA chapter is going to participate in
the Soldier Family Kissing Pillows.

They gave me a couple kits to complete
eight pillow fronts - with a November 2nd deadline!

Above - is a photo of a finished pillow.

If you are not familiar with this project,
and would like information

go to Flying Fingers Plua
our EGA Chapter blog
for details

Guest on my blog

I invited my daughter, Victoria, to be a guest author on my blog today:

Last Friday I was lucky enough to see David Letterman in person. Dave came to Ball State University to interview Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, to discuss Twitter and the growing social media empire. Before I could see Dave and Biz, I had to get tickets a week in advance. I waited in line for about an hour and a half very early on a Saturday morning to get my free student ticket. Lucky for me, I had an excellent seat: row F, dead-center.

Ball State President Gora introduced Dave, who then came out and gave a small monologue. He was really funny, poking fun at Starbucks and life, as usual. He thanked us for giving him such a warm welcome, stating that he was glad to be back at the home of the fighting cardinals--the biggest, baddest, meanest robin known to mankind. The audience clapped at this statement. One student in the back yelled "Chirp Chirp!" which is, of course, a Ball State mascot thing. Letterman laughed and said, "Yes, chirp-chirp...that'll get the Boilermakers."

Letterman interviewed Stone about Twitter and its effect on social media. They spoke about how Twitter is now a global phenomenon and serving people with news worldwide. Letterman and Stone also answered questions from students who were told to text or tweet questions from their mobile phones. Questions were a mix of both serious and funny.

After the interview, Letterman stayed for over an hour to sign autographs for every single faculty, staff, and student who wanted to wait for autograph. I was fortunate enough to get my ticket signed by Dave. I told him that I had previously tried to get Craig Ferguson's signature a couple of months ago. Letterman joked, "Oh really? You know it's because he doesn't know how to write!"

I decided to call my Dad who was with my mom on their way back from O'hare. After Dave signed my ticket, I gave my phone to Letterman speak to my dad. It was a brief conversation, which ended in Dave telling my dad that I needed more money for school. How funny.

Shortly after, a women came up for an autograph wearing a Late Show T-shirt. Dave asked the woman how much she had paid for the shirt. He then gave her a couple of dollar bills, apologizing to her for her terrible purchase.

After signing autographs, Dave took a handful of photos with students. I was one of the lucky ones to get a picture!

It was such a fun night. I was so pleased that Dave took the time to talk with everyone and sign autographs. Most celebrities would probably not take the time to do that so it was great to have the opportunity!

link to Video Recap

link to newspaper article

Needle Art Exhibit

"The Threads That Bind"

Needle Art Exhibit

presented by

Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana

October 2-3, 2010

10am - 4pm

Munster Community Social Center
‎8751 Lions Club Drive, Munster, IN 46321
(219) 836-6921‎


Enjoy the needlework on display
made by our chapter members!

Stop by the
"Learn To Stitch"
Table

Visit the Members Boutique
&
Ornament Sale Fundraiser
(Made by Members)

Opportunity Drawings for prizes
($2/ticket or $3/five tickets)

On Saturday, we will be honored
to have the attendees from
The Great Lakes Region
meeting attend our exhibit.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Questions or Comments?
e-mail:
NeedleArtisans@gmail.com

New Silk Fibers & Update on Buddy

Recently,
Dinky-Dyes had a contest on Facebook.
I was one of
the winners ...
look what came in today's mail!


Yeah, I know, you are all green with envy
(which should be one of her fiber names)


These are the family dogs. The lab mix in the back, Buddy, has a stressed ACL (not sure the exact initials) in his back leg. He has been on three medications since last Saturday + returns to the vet this Saturday morning. For those of you who already knew this, thx for the e-mails and he really isn't doing any better. I had hoped he would be feeling more like himself, and he is just not. Perhaps the pain medications are helping. He has stopped yelping when he barks, tho, he rarely has barked. Also, is gingerly walking in the yard.

some progress

A Sampler Pinkeep
A few more stitches into this project
I can only manage over-one stitching for an hour
at a time. Then I have to quit.
It is a challenge.



I found the DMC Stitch Pink Needlework Accessory Kit today.
It was at the large JoAnn Fabrics store.


There are pink
floss bobbins
scissors
needle threader
and charts inside a pink case (zips shut).
With a coupon, not too bad of a deal.

As for the locker hooking,
I had a few e-mails and questions.
This is the book I have.
It is by Theresa Pulido .
Supplies can be found at local
craft stores and on-line.
You need latch hook/rug canvas, fabric cut in strips,
locker hook, and yarn needle.
There are videos on line to
explain the process.

Such an interesting project

Some progress on
A Sampler Pinkeep
The Heart's Content, Inc.
Kit

Since the county fairs, I've been picking it up from time-to-time
and adding a few more stitches.

Would like to actually
finish the stitchingand make it into a pinkeep this year.

close-up pictures

Suzanne, blogging at
Squazi and The Chickens asked me about the stitching on this project.
I stitched it together using an uneven cross stitch. Hope the close up photo helps.

In case the background looked familiar ...

yes, I did complete my locker hooking project

Kiwanis Festival

Hot Air Balloon Festival

21st Annual Gathering of Quilters