Sewing Machines I Saw and Loved

There were many objects to catch my eye and bring my mind to sewing as we travelled about.  Enjoy!

At the Avoca Woolen Mills, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

A brochure table in a cafe in Brugge, Belgium

Part of the floor in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin - I think a quilter had a hand in this!

This one needs some TLC, but I loved it in the courtyard of Carrygerry Country House,
Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland

By a bright window in a cottage at Bunratty Folk Park

Tucked in a corner of a cottage at Bunratty Folk Park

 Two more window sites - the perfect spot to sew in cottages at Bunratty

A bit of praying while sewing is an excellent thing!

Down a hall, but not out of sight!

Sewing Up the Trip

Wool Cottage at Bunratty Folk Park

Since the name of my shop is The Quilted Purl, you may have wondered why I have not posted anything about visits to fabric shops on my recent European trip.  Simple answer - I didn't visit any.  Over the last year many folks from Europe, and especially the British Isles, have stopped by the shop.  The most common comment has been how much more selection we have in the United States for fabric and how much lower our prices are (doesn't seem possible, does it at $10-12 per yard?).  Consequently, I spent my time on the yarn search instead.  However, fabric was never far from my thoughts, so you may enjoy these pictures of items that kept thoughts of fabric and sewing threading through my mind.

Fiber and Weaving from Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb,  Co. Meath, Ireland

Quilt from Dunguaire Castle, Co. Galway, Ireland
Date unknown

Weaving Loom at Avoca Woolen Mills,  Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Next post - sewing machines I saw and loved!

World Wide Knit in Public Day at TQP

Thanks June, Sandi, and Marisol!  Three locals who make my day whenever they come by!

Yesterday, June 11th, was World Wide Knit in Public Day, though I only found out about it late Friday afternoon. Trying to think of how The Quilted Purl might celebrate, my eyes spotted the basket I keep for the small balls of yarn that I have after finishing a project. I remembered a visitor to the shop telling me about a scarf that had become popular in her part of the country, made entirely of leftover yarn.  This seemed like a quick, easy, and doable activity to mark the day.  But what to do with our finished product?  Saturday, I was reminded of an upcoming craft fair in neighboring Idaho Springs in support of a future Habitat for Humanity home to be built there.  Perfect!

I am declaring the day a success judging by the amount of fun I had, but let me know what you think!

Thanks Pati, Marleen, Judy, Karen, and Linda!

These five happy women are all former colleagues of mine, now retired from the education field.  Seems retirement is agreeing with them the way it does with me!  They pitched right in with the knitting in true teacher fashion, differentiating instruction, making accommodations, working collaboratively, and giving positive reinforcement.  In fact, when we found a couple of dropped stitches from the never-knitted-before group, let's call them the Bluebirds, we decided they were just making lace!

Marilyn from North Dakota - thanks for stopping by, for your time, and your business!  Enjoy your vacation!

Sonny and Donna

This mother and daughter team came by early in the evening, but as the weather had turned cool, we had moved inside.  Sonny was my student a few years ago, and though she has never knitted before, she still has the desire and ability to learn that she demonstrated back in the eighth grade.  Sonny has just graduated from high school with a  great GPA, was named Athlete of the Year, and is headed on to University of Nebraska on a golf scholarship.  All that, and now she can knit!

To add to the World Wide aspect of the day, I want to thank Nicki, formerly from England, who stopped by and knitted for awhile while her visiting nephew Tyler patiently watched, though we could not convince him to give it a try.  Finally, a delightful woman from Israel, Mimi, came by. Enjoy your tour of our country, Mimi, and thanks for making The Quilted Purl a stop on your adventure!

While young Marisol in the top picture was working to in a small way make a home possible for others, her family condo in Georgetown was, unbeknownst to us, going up in flames.  Fortunately, no one in the eight families affected by this fire was injured, but  my heart and the hearts of the people of Georgetown go out to them all.

The Quilted Purl ~ One Year Later

Photography by Pati Palumbo

     On June 1st, The Quilted Purl passed the one year milestone.  For me, the year has flown by and been one delightful day after another.  My thanks to all who have supported me in this effort over the year, especially my husband Bob for his many visible and invisible assists.  The well wishes and encouragement of family and friends, from the east coast to the west coast and right here in Georgetown, have meant so much to me.  Every time a former colleague from my teaching days has dropped by to say hello and check out my new life, I have felt grateful to be blessed by such friends.  And of course, I am grateful to all the customers who have made the trip upstairs to browse, get some ideas, chat, and maybe make a purchase.  Not many people have the opportunity to spend the day as I do - quilting or knitting as the fancy strikes me, meeting interesting and pleasant people from all over the world, sharing ideas, and making new friends.  I am fortunate, and I know it!  Thank you, one and all.