May 15,2008

Hi fellow needleworkers!!

Hope you are all enjoying our wonderful, yet sometimes rainy, spring weather!! We have chosen a name for our blog - Ethel's W.O.W. Blog ( Ethel being my Mom and W.O.W. being "words of wisdom"). I have included a photo of my Mom, Dad and me taken a couple of years ago. (Mom went home to be with Our Lord 2 years ago, Dad is still here with us). My Mom and Dad have taught me just about everything I know. I have truly been blessed by having such great parents!Hopefully, I can pass on some of their wisdom, lots of needlework news, some fun tid bits and maybe even a few yummy recipes.

We are having a really busy year at Cecilia's .......we have added many new classes that have been so much fun!!! We have a beginners knitting class the 3rd Saturday of each month. Knitting is a needlework that I had done as a teen, but found slow and a bit boring..............but now, WOW!!! We have so many fun and unique yarns to choose from!! Some of the yarns do the work for you by self striping and patterning (is that a word?) as you knit. And the knitting needles are so varied and fun, from light up needles to hand made wooden needles with a variety of decorative tops, to the classic pretty colored metal needles I remember from my childhood - there is a knitting needle for every need and want!!

In addition to our Stitching Weekend retreats, we are also inviting some expert needleworkers to our shop to teach classes. We have Susan Greening Davis coming to Branson in July. She is such a fun person and will be teaching a beautiful project for us. It will be a zippered needlework bag, the front panel being stitched with a variety of stitches in pretty colors to compliment the fabric on the bag. Susan will also be treating us to her "Gadget Gal" presentation, which is very informative and so much fun!!!

We had a very special treat this past Fall when we got a visit from Pat Carson!!!! (Owner of Designs by Gloria and Pat).She is one of my "needlework heros", Pat has spent years teaching and passing on her love of needlework to so many of us. She has graciously allowed us to exclusively reproduce her 17th Century Band Sampler Chart that had been out of print for several years. It is such a neat chart to have!!! The sampler itself is just gorgeous, and the reference material included in this chart would be a great addition to anyone's stitching collection. We are happy to be able to donate 25% of the sale price of the chart to the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation, we thank Pat for her generosity in allowing us this opportunity.

Watch for another announcement coming soon about a special event with Pat Carson!!!!

We are already planning 2009's classes ..................and it will be GREAT!!!

I've got to be going. I am working on Jeannette Douglas' New Stitching Treasures Accessories and I've got to get stitching!!! Hope you enjoy each and every day!!Be back soon....
Take Care,
Margaret