Where have we been???

Sue Hillis design for our weekend!

The ladies enjoying themselves with Sue Hillis.

We raised over $400.00 for the Humane Society during the weekend retreat. Thanks Ladies!!!!

Enjoying the games and winning prizes!!!

Ann stitched this "tombstone"

Raise the Roof design stitched by Pam

Lizzie Kate design stitched by Holly







Sue Hillis Americana design stitched by Ann

Prairie Schooler Santa 2011 stitched by Margaret









Prairie Schooler Santa Kit 2011 stitched by Margaret

Farms of Hawk Run Hollow , almost all the blocks, by Carriage House Samplings - it will be stitched by Margaret!! Can't wait!!

Sorry I haven't posted any updates for such a long time.............it is still HOT here.......over 100 every day for over a month. And for someone who thinks that 75 is a heat, wave 100 is just way too hot!!!

We had our Summer Stitching Weekend last weekend. We had Sue Hillis as our special and honored guest. Sue is so much fun!!! She designed the cutest chart for our weekend - she named the lady Margaret (me?!?). She is really a neat lady and we are looking forward to seeing her in Branson again. We had such a fun group of stitchers for the weekend, we met quite a few new friends and enjoyed visiting with our old friends (should I say "old" or "long time" friends?)

I've got a few pictures to post..........we have been stitching - Pam, Ann, Holly and I have had our needles flying.

Any Hawk Run Hollow Fans out there??? Marty (Carriage House Samplings) is introducing the Farms of Hawk Run Hollow. She has been putting up each block on her blog. it really looks like it will be a fun and beautiful piece to stitch. I have been putting the blocks together (kind of like a puzzle) so I took a quick picture of it, still waiting for the final block..............if you want to reserve your copy, let us know. Kathy has designed 2 1/2 blocks and Marty is having a contest on her blog - www.carriagehousesamplings.blogspot.com/ - guess which blocks Kathy designed - and you could win the free chart and fabric to stitch your own Farms of Hawk Run Hollow !!!

Well, I am going to add the pictures to this blog and get going.........hope you are all enjoying the Summer. The Baltimore wholesale show is next weekend, so be looking for all the new goodies that we'll have in the shop soon.

Take care and hope you all are enjoying your stitching!!

Margaret, Jessie, Holly, Pam, Amy, Ann, Kacy, and Cindy

Mystery Sampler Part 3 and some finishes

Is it hot enough for you?? We are at 106 , according to my car mirror thermometer. It is a good day to stay inside in the air conditioning and stitch! Hope you all had a nice 4th of July. And we at Cecilia's want to thank all of our armed forces for their service, so that we may enjoy our freedom!! Our military keeps us safe and protects us from harm, we are forever grateful to them!

Part 3 of the Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler should be in the shop this week!!! Can't wait to finish it! It is the first mystery sampler that I have ever done and I am so thrilled with the final part.

Got a couple of finishes to show you. Ann is back from Florida and she has been stitching up a storm...........we have to get her stitching framed, but I especially like the wording on this one about stitching. Ann is also stitching a monthly "All Flakes Welcome" - each month has a different snowperson. They are embellished with beads and buttons and cute little carrot noses. i can't wait to see it done!! Holly finished a cute patriotic design by Pat Carson - her designs are always so neat!!

Crescent Colors is coming out with some really neat dyed trims - rick rack in 4 different sizes, chennille cord, 1 inch cluny lace, and 1/2 inch binding tape. The colors are so very pretty - I can think of so many things to do with these beautiful trims!!!

Holly has been BUSY getting ready for our Summer Stitching weekend in 2 weeks. She is putting the finishing touches on all the goodies for the ladies. We will be welcoming Sue Hillis as our guest of honor for the weekend. I know our ladies will have a great time!!!

I am going to add some pictures and get going so I can stitch for a little bit. Hope you are all having a wonderful Summer............stay cool!!!

Take care,

Margaret, Jessie, Amy, Holly, Kacy, Pam, Cindy, and Ann

Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler Part 2

Hi everyone!!!

I am back..................not that I went anywhere, my Dad came to visit me from Boston, Massachusetts for my birthday!!! He was here for just about 3 weeks, the time went by so fast while he was here visiting. We got to play cribbage ( I skunked my Dad once!!! - usually he wins). He came to the shop with me every day, he is a huge help at the shops. And he also enjoys visiting with his 4 great grand kids, who are there with us every day.

I did have time to stitch in the evenings and finished part 2 of the Mystery Sampler. The colors are so pretty, especially the birds! Can't wait to see part 3 in a couple of weeks. Hawk Run Hollow fans - there is a new HRH coming out the end of August. It is called the Farms of HRH. Can't wait to see it!!! Have the last 2 blocks on Autumn to get done and that will complete my 5th HRH. Blackbirds Designs has some new goodies for us.............the Loose Feathers Club is starting next month - there will be 3 books in the series. There will also be a book in August where the Blackbird ladies combine different parts of old samplers to make new samplers. Should be interesting!!!

Holly is busy preparing for our Summer Stitching weekend next month. Sue Hillis will be our Special Guest.........it will be ALOT of fun!!!

Got to be going.......Jessie has updated face book and the website with the new goodies in the shop, be sure to check them out. Hope you all are having a great Summer so far, make time to stitch outside - the pure natural sunlight is the best stitching light you could have!!

Take Care,

Margaret, Jessie, Amy,Holly, Kacy, Pam,Cindy and Ann

Happy Memorial Day!! God Bless America!!

Hope you are all having a good Memorial Day!! Please take a few moments to remember all of those in the Military who have given their lives to protect us and keep us free!! God Bless America!!

Holly is on vacation for the next 2 weeks...........lets see what kind of "trouble" the rest of us can get into while she is gone!! ;-) Be watching your emails............you never know what we are going to do!! Stitch has decided to help out while Holly is gone. He really needs a booster seat when he sits at her desk. He did do a good job with shipping out orders today, except he forgot that there is no mail pick up today!! We'll have to get Stitch properly trained.

I am including a picture of my Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler, so far. I have the border done and we are waiting for part 2 - due in about June 10th. This is my first Mystery Sampler - I just love the colors, can't wait to see part 2!!

Got to get going...........hope you all have a good Memorial Day Weekend!!

Take care,

Margaret and the gals at Cecilia's

Mystery Sampler.........and LHN and HRH

We hope you all are safe from all the rains and flooding that has been going on all over our country. We had a bit of flooding in the new section of the shop..........fortunately, it was confined to the rug on the floor. A shop vacuum (thanks to Howard! - Holly's husband) and a dehumidifier running for a week ( thanks to Kenny - my husband)has fixed us right up!! Although we had to keep reminding Holly that her seat could also be used as a flotation devise! ;-)

But we are all back to normal now, or as normal as we can be around here..............

Katey, Jessie's 2 year old daughter, was in the hospital for 4 days with pneumonia. She was so brave as she battled a 104.3 temp and nasty cough. Jessie stayed at the hospital with her the whole time. Katey is home now and back to her cheery, fun self!!! Bob (Jessie's husband), took care of Alice -their 4 month old so Jessie didn't have to worry.

Pam and Holly's daughters both graduated from college this month. Last weekend Emily, Pam's daughter graduated . And this weekend Holly's daughter, Tiffani will graduate college. Then Holly's family is off to Disneyworld in a couple of weeks for Tiffani's wedding!!! Kacy, Holly's other daughter is home for the summer from college. You'll see her in the shop and next door at AJ's - she is a great young lady and we enjoy having her here for the summer!!

I have been working on 3 of my projects the past week. The Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler came in and I have been working on the border. The colors of the Weeks dye Works floss are so pretty!!! Can't wait to see part 2!! Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow is moving along well. I am going to be starting square 10 !!! Little House Needleworks has a four season mono color design - each season is a different color. We recieved Summer this past week.......it is a pretty blue Belle Soie thread. Each season is done in a different color silk.

Got to get going...........we have had a busy day in the shop and there are more ladies coming in the front door!!

Take care - enjoy your stitching!!

Margaret, Jessie, Pam, Holly, Kacy, Amy, Cindy and Ann

National Armed Forces Day

We want to thank our Armed Forces and Veterans today for their service and sacrifices for our country. If it weren't for their service, and their families sacrifices as they wait at home, we would not be enjoying the freedoms that we have today!! God Bless our Armed Forces!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope you all are having a good weekend! It has been a while since our last post........time flies when you're having fun.
It took a few days to "recover" from our "wild and crazy" CSI Retreat.............it was so much fun to see our friends and meet new ones. The ladies had such beautiful stitching projects they were working on, they are a very talented group.
Jessie and Bob had Alice Christened, she wore the same Christening dress that Jessie had worn (and Katey had worn, too). It was a nice ceremony with Amy as Godmother and Josh (Bob's brother who was home on leave from Iraq) as Godfather.
Holly has been busy getting ready for our July Retreat with Sue Hillis as our special guest! Holly has alot of exciting surprises in store for the weekend. We look forward to welcoming Sue Hillis and all of our attendees to Branson for the weekend!! There is so much to do in Branson, there is something for everyone!
Pam has been knitting alot of quick projects, using 1 skein of yarn........hats, baby sweaters,bonnets...........we got a new book in the shop with projects that use 1 skein of yarn. Pam just loves the book, it has lots of neat knitting projects!! We have the Eros yarn back in stock. It is a beautiful ladder/trellis yarn that can be used for many different projects. Alot of our ladies are making some really pretty necklaces with the yard. We also got the rolls of mesh to crochet the "scruby pads" - it is an easy and quick project - takes about 20-30 minutes to crochet the scrubby!!
I have been working on Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow - I am working on block 9. It is so much more colorful than the picture shows on the pattern. Three and a half blocks to go and I will have completed the whole HRH series. They are easy to stitch, it is so awesome to see the squares progressing into a completed design.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler. It is supposed to be in the shop soon, maybe this week!!! It will use Weeks floss and fabric(your choice of 30, 35 or 40 count). I can't wait to see it!!! I will be stitching it as it comes into the shop (in 3 parts - May, June, July). Let us know if you'd like to join our automatic for this "mystery" project!!!
Got to get going...............hope you have a great Mother's Day!!! Enjoy your stitching!!
Take care,
Margaret, Jessie, Amy, Holly,Kacy,Pam, Cindy and Ann