Visiting the Quiet Corner of Connecticut

Quiet Corner Rug Show at the Woodstock Fairgrounds

I'm pleased to say that Barb and I had a successful show on Saturday. The Quiet Corner ATHA guild, in the northeast corner of Connecticut, is a most welcoming and wonderful bunch of rug hookers. Thanks to Heather, Bob, Kevin, and all the members of the guild for helping us unload, set up, and knock down.

Rug shows are not simply a place for us sell stuff -- they are where we visit with old friends and new. It is such a treat to meet people who read our blogs and view our work on etsy or on the web shows we participate in. Naomi, our compatriot from PRHG (Primitive Rug Hookers group on eBay) stopped by for a visit, as did Judy and Susan from my guild here on Long Island, the Peconic Ruggers, and Barbara from LIGRA, the other Long Island rug guild. Barb's rug hooking pals came, too: Mary, Carol, Kathy and Stephanie. Stephanie just completed her first rug, which I'm honored to say is my pattern, One Fish, Two Fish. It is a thrill to see my patterns interpreted by someone else. Stephanie did a fabulous job. She's going to hook my mermaid pattern next, which, at 26 x 48 inches is no small feat for a beginning rug maker.

One Fish, Two Fish, hooked by Stephanie Kinsley Patterson

We also love reuniting with fellow vendors who travel the same circuit we do. We were lucky enough to be right next to Nancy Jewett of Fluff and Peachy Bean Designs from Vermont.

Jane Griswold and Nancy Jewett of Fluff and Peachy Bean Designs

Rosalie and her husband Don from Amityville General Store drove up from Long Island. Rosalie carries a great selection of Woolrich wool and those hard-to-find white enamel pots we love to use for dyeing.

Amityville General Store

The Quiet Corner guild hooked a lovely rug to raffle . . . I really wanted to win this, but no such luck! Here it is with guild member Nancy Zeuse, who I met years ago at the ATHA Region 1 Rug School:



And here are a few photos of our booth. Barb always make us look great! This was the first time we used the grid walls that Jen of Mojo's Place kindly gave to me. (Hi, Jen! Many thanks! Hope you are feeling better!)






Our next show is closer to home: the LIGRA show on Saturday, September 26 at the Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow in Melville, New York. Hope we see you there!

Quiet Corner Rug Show

The Quiet Corner Rug Show is this weekend. Please stop in and see us if you can!

Quiet Corner Rug Show, Woodstock Fair Grounds, Route 169, South Woodstock, CT. Saturday, June 27, 2009 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
TRADITIONAL HAND-HOOKED RUGS; VENDORS; DOOR PRIZES & RUG RAFFLE

GUEST SPEAKER 1:00 ELIZABETH BLACK

INFORMATION: CALL 860-928-0162

Happy 21st Birthday, Clara!

Yes, my baby is 21 one years old today. Clara can not only scuba dive, but she can now legally drink in the United States. Clara, Pete and I celebrated with dinner in our basement. (How memorable is that?) We toasted the day with a glass of Brunello, a delicious wine produced just south of Florence, her favorite city.

Here's to you, Clara, my marvelous, talented, sweet daughter. I love you more than everything.

American Folk Art Theme Update Today!

This month's theme? Americana, of course! Please head on over and see what's new. Click on the button on the left hand side of the page.

One Bright Spot

in an otherwise gloomy June. I found this baby blue jay sitting on the side porch this morning. He's a smart little thing, finding a place out of the rain. Cairo wanted to eat him, of course, so I moved him to the wisteria after taking these photos. Although he showed no fear when I got close, he was not happy when I picked him up. His adult feathers are not all grown in, but his voice is fully mature. He is able to fly several feet at a time, so I am hoping he gets better at it quickly. Our next door neighbor has a houseful of cats, and I'm sure they would love to have him for dinner.



This is the wettest June I can remember. I am not a rain person, particularly right now. Our wood floors are being redone and they just won't dry. I had hoped to move back into the house tomorrow, Clara's 21st birthday, but we're not even close. Maybe Friday, the floor guy said. That's the day the appliances were supposed to be delivered. So now we're putting that off until the following week. I am sleeping in the new basement (which is almost finished, but not quite). Even though it will someday be a nice room, right now it's not. The foundation is not completely dry, and all our belongings are piled everywhere you look. We are lucky to have the old fridge and a sink in the basement, as well as access to the mud room and new bathroom. Thank goodness we had that floor tiled.

Pete is commuting to his office on the second floor via ladder. I feel like we're living in a reversed version of Rapunzel. I call to him from outside when I need something and he throws it down to me . . . His office is connected to our spare bedroom, so he has been able to sleep there. I, of course, don't do ladders that high since my knee surgery last year, so I am in the basement with the cat and dog. Clara is sleeping on the couch in my studio, which gives her (but not me when I need to work) a bit of privacy. The studio is a mess right now, too, because I'm getting ready for a show on Saturday). We've had offers to stay from several friends and neighbors, but with a cat and dog, we don't feel we can impose.

I know we are near the end. I know I am incredibly lucky to have been able to do this renovation, but I am at the end of my tether. Tuesday was particularly bad. Pete left at 5 am for an appointment in Binghamton, NY (a 6 hour drive). I had to finish moving the last of the furniture to the front porch so the floor guys could start. The electricians were here, as were the painters. It was mayhem, and I was very close to tears. But I was saved from disintegration by Brian, one of our electrician's, who talked me back from the edge.

I am eternally grateful to all the guys who have been building our addition. They have been wonderful -- friendly, respectful, thoughtful, supportive. They find solutions to every problem (and there have been a lot of problems, thanks to an architectural firm who is not friendly, respectful, thoughtful or supportive). Although I am looking forward to the day when I no longer have to listen to the air compressor, table saw, and nail gun, I will miss all of them when they move on to their next job.

In the mean time, if the sun would shine, I could handle all of this so much better.

Am I a Top Chef?

I watched Top Chef Masters last night. Their main challenge was to cook 3 courses using only a hot plate, a microwave and a toaster oven. Oh, puhlleezzee! That's what I've been doing for the last 4 months! Without a microwave! Am I a Top Chef?

Our renovations are moving along. Our gorgeous counter tops were installed yesterday. The plumber comes today to hook up the sinks and the bathroom fixtures. Of course, the appliances were ordered ages ago and put on hold until we needed them, then requested ASAP, but they haven't arrived. There's still some carpentry and painting to be finished and we need decks and stairs to the two new doors. No outdoor work is being completed because it has been raining all week.

The floors are due to be sanded on the 18th. I am hoping we'll be back to normal by Clara's birthday on the 22 (She'll be 21 this year!) So keep your fingers crossed!

I Said Goodbye

to my Volvo wagon last Wednesday. The lease was up. I've always believed a car is a tool -- it just has to get you places safely -- but I loved that car. I really, really loved that car.

We thought long and hard about buying it, or extending the lease, or getting a new one but in the end we decided to get a Toyota Rav 4. I need something big enough to cart my inventory around to shows and we like to have one all wheel drive for the snow. We've spent a lot of money this year, what with the renovation and sending Clara to study in Florence (the exchange rate is really bad!), so we thought we would be thrifty and get a cheaper car with better gas mileage. Also, we were pretty ticked off with the Volvo dealership (Eagle Auto Mall) in Riverhead. They were supposed to call me with the May special offers -- here it is June and I still haven't received them -- after visiting twice and calling twice. So they won't get our business again. And we will get another Volvo wagon -- I told Pete to be prepared, because in three years, when the lease with Toyota is up, I expect to have heated seats again.

The Eclectic Artisans

The Eclectic Artisans will hold their next web show this Saturday, June 6, 2009. Don't miss it!

Pomp and Circumstance

Pete and I attended Deerfield Academy's 210th graduation ceremony Memorial Weekend. Our goddaughter, Natalie, was kind enough to include us in the celebration of her big day. Nat has been a day student at Deerfield for the last two years. Deerfield is an old and preeminent boarding school in the Massachusetts. It is nestled into Historic Deerfield, a wonderful collection of 18th & 19th century buildings.

The entire weekend was filled with activities for the graduates and their families. We arrived on Saturday, just in time for the dinner-dance under the largest tent I've ever seen. We had a fabulous meal and danced to a live swing band. The young women were dressed in their finest; we saw gorgeous dresses in every color of the rainbow.

Graduation started at 10 am Sunday morning. It was gray and dreary, but very festive. The girls were dressed in white and carried yellow flowers; the boys in green jackets and khakis. Two of the graduates spoke very movingly of their experiences at the school. After they received their diplomas, lunch was served. I was really impressed with the school and with the students. It is an amazing place.

But the festivities didn't stop there! Nat's parents threw her a party back at home, and a brunch the next morning! It was great fun to be with our old friends and to celebrate such a special day. Next year -- it's Clara's turn! Graduation from college! How did I get so old?