Just a Quick Note....

If any of you are on Facebook, please drop by and follow (or become a "member") of Mountain Meadows Quilters.

I would love to have you!

After having a VERY successful first workshop with Pat Sloan in August, the quilting ball is rolling!

Starting again next year, we will have another quilter/teacher workshop  in the spring (teacher TBA), and, hopefully, have Pat return in the fall to teach another workshop, and  schedule a Saturday Sew In every now and then!!

The Facebook page is way to keep in touch, keep people up to date, and to post interesting links, quilts we are working on, and news from the quilting world!

Here is the FB link

For those of you not on FB, I will try to post Mountain Meadows Quilters updates here, as often as I can.

Would love to see you join us at a workshop sometime!!!

Yes, It's Tuesday......

.....and I am having tea (Twinings Lady Gray) Seems apropos, since it is a dreary, stormy, and VERY gray day today......


Since my computer service is spotty - the "power tower" is shrouded in clouds, I will just briefly post this contest link, just discovered on Facebook this morning.

Hope it's not raining where you are, but, if it is, get out your favorite Twinings, and post about it!!!!

 WIN - 6 Twinings History Mugs and a years supply of your favourite Twinings tea.

TELL US: Which is your favourite Twinings tea and why?

We will announce the winner this Friday at 4pm here on Facebook.

If you would like to see these mugs close up, visit: http://bit.ly/FannyShorter

Tea on Tuesday

This 1938 photo (courtesy of somewhere in cyberspace) would seem to be the type of tea party I would have had as a child - were I "into" tea back then!!!! Of course, I was not yet a "glimmer" in my mother's mind in 1938!!! She was of the age to be having imaginary tea parties back then!!!

Who better to have as guests than animals??? Not quite a Mad Hatter's tea party - but it will do!!! A hawk, and a lobster- the lobster being quite content to be a guest and not an entree !!!!

                                                     How 'bout tea in a tree????

                           1921, Tea at the Kit-Kat Club - not sure where this club was!!!

My new Yixing clay teapot (all kinds available at Julieanna)

My very early morning tea-in my English lidded bone china mug- Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea- because it's 3am, and I am going BACK to bed!!!

Hussif, Hussif, Who's Got a HUSSIF....?????

                                        


                                    Does anyone know what a HUSSIF is?

                                           I may be in the minority, but I sure didn't!

This morning, I saw a FB post by famous doll maker extraordinaire, Patti Culea- about an intriguing "hussif" she created. Here is her link.

I love hers, having dabbled a teensy bit in doll making myself, years ago..........her creation is the best of both worlds- it's a doll, and it serves a purpose in sewing organization!

In researching what a "hussif" was,  I found this blog - a hussif  is, simply put, a needle case. Could be a roll up, could be fashioned in almost any shape to suit the sewer's needs for whatever  needs to be  stored and/or carried.

  You know how it goes - one link leads to another, then you find the wee hours have slipped away (literally- I was up at 3:50am today!) - all spent in the cyber space! This 2nd blog (link below) gave me the definition of the word HUSSIF.

Its origin is Olde English - meaning "housewife". A word that appears to be coming full circle, from the days of women's lib (when it was a bad word!) to the present, where alot of women (including myself) appear to be  embracing the back to basics and relearning the skills (and they are skills!) of housewifely "drudgery" combined with the arts of fine handiwork- sewing, knitting, spinning, weaving, etc..Altho', I must admit - I do NOT categorize washing dishes as an art!! That is still drudgery - unless I can escape to an imaginary world in my mind, while gazing out the window, and mindlessly scrubbing pots!!!LOL..... 

You can read about the definition of the word Hussif - here

Curiosity just got the best of me - I could see what it was that Patti Culea created - and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  it- but did not know the origin of the word she used to describe it! Now, I do!

So, as always, GOOGLE to the rescue!!!!!

I also found photos - click here
 
                                                  Oh sooooo many photos!!!



I have made several needle cases over the years- and have swapped needlecases online. I have a ton of them - well, maybe not a TON- but I have alot!!! What I need to create now, is an artsy storage case of sorts, to hold all the needlecases in a semi organized way!!!

blogger decided it looked better this way! My own wool envelope- I love the teeny pewter basket pin cushion!Lined with  vintage feedsack.

(Obviously having another photo placement blogger issue again today.......sigh)

One hussif  that I do NOT have is a larger roll up style, similar to Patti's creation..

I do have several wool applique envelope styles - 2 or three of these inspired and created while in The Woolie Nuts group with Pat Sloan, Lennie, Judy, Ann Weber, Debbie, Joanne, Patty, when we did some round robins. I admit being only a sporadic member, as work and kids allowed! Now distance separates...

Woolie Nuts- late 1990's ?- from left, Judy Post , Lennie Stimpson, Pat Sloan,Ann Weber, Deb MacDougal Conway, and me (on the floor)photo probably taken by the ever elusive Patty!!!

 This is one of the needlecases - mine- from the Woolie Nuts Round robin. I think my base wool was one hand dyed by Patty.www.bitze.wordpress.com, back when she was into that sort of thing!! She created the best wool colors ever!!!

sideways pic - but you get the idea- each person in the round robin added another wool applique

back view

Others are small folder or book styles - created and swapped in an online group with Judy and several others.

this is the outside of Judy's- all recycled fabric - the outer is from her dad's old sweater, I believe - how sweet!

and the inside

a gorgeous burnt fabric method- needlecase by London artist Rosemarie McLavy for the online Art4Mail swap in 2011

After seeing Patti's wonder-full creation, I have a feeling I need to create a fantasy roll- up. Maybe borrowing the from the theme of  Pat Sloan's  recent workshop at my Mountain Meadows Quilters Retreat,  and use up the rest of my stash fabric to put together a new all encompassing hussif !

If you have made any hussifs - and I am SURE you all have - under a different name, perhaps ????- leave a comment - share a link with a picture of your creation!

                               I'd love to see them!! As would we all!!!! We can all become hussies!!!LOL

                                                   Inspiration comes from sharing!!!