Day Two in Arizona - Hanging with Tanya

Day 2 was a Thursday.  We stayed at the Hyatt Mesa which is a lovely hotel with a wonderful complimentary breakfast in the morning where we started our days in the dining room at a high table with our food and phones.  We are able to find endless items of interest to Google and track down.  Total Fun!  Our plan for the day was to visit the totally lovely home of Tanya who is the fabulous person behind the designs of The Scarlett House.   Here is a link to her blog so you can visit some of her fabulous projects:  CLICK HERE!

Before we left I had to again make fun of Pat for the length of thread that she finishes with.  It is so small!  When I get to about 3" left of thread I change it.  I don't have the patience to fool around with trying to get every last bit of thread used!!!!  What about you? 

Then I needed to show off my red scissors purchased the day before.  They are from Bohn.  I think I first saw them in Tanya's stitching kit and was duly impressed; so when I saw them at The Attic I had to get them!  

So, we were off to Tanya's!  A word about our transportation (why did I not take a picture!!!) We rented a mini-van!!!!  It was fab that all five of us could ride around together!!!  You know how in the winter you go out and start your car ahead of time so that it is warm enough when you get in????  Well, that is what we would do in the Arizona heat!!! We started the car and ran the air conditioning so that it would be cool(ish) when we got in!!!!

Above is one of the many, many, many charming and brilliant design details at Tanya's house.  Her home is perfectly wonderful and I would move right in given the chance!!!!!  Her taste is flawless and her stitching is all around.  You can imagine the heart palpitations that were going on!!!

I love this square bowl of smalls!!!  Especially the George Washington silhouette!  It is a chart by Heartstring Samplery and is stitched on 28 count linen over 1.  I am going to try this soon.

Everywhere you turn there are samplers on the walls.  To put it bluntly, when I was looking around I got so excited I nearly fainted!!!  Also, the paint color on the walls is a perfect backdrop for all of the samplers!

Tanya has stitched pieces everywhere that capture your eye and your heart. 

We were very lucky to see some of her antique samplers.  Here is one of my favorites that I need to get back to.  This is Mary Betchell 1810. 

I am working on both of these samplers (above and below).  They are so stunning!!!!!

We even made Tanya pull out her Fall things.  Love this little pin pillow!!!

 Here is the model for a club piece from Dying to Stitch. 

 This is one of the three Boston Terriers that live with Tanya and her husband, Scarlett, Ruby and Henry.  They are adorable.

 A painter has a pallete of paints and a sampler designer has a pallette of threads!!!  This designer stores her threads in a very artful manner.

 Gorgeous entryway!

 Another inviting vignette!!! 

 Here is the most recent reproduction sampler Tanya has out.  Gorgeous!!!  Maria Pillings 1818. 

 Another basket of goodness!!

I think we can all agree with this sentiment. 

After looking at all of the stitching goodness we worked up an appetite.  Off to lunch at La Casa Blanca which we went to last year too.  They have the best Mexican food!!!!  Double Yum.  At the table you can see Pat, Brenda, Karin, Tanya and Teresa.  Love these peeps!!

And the fun did not end there!  We were off to the shop for Thursday night stitching at The Attic!!!  We hung out with the lucky "regulars" who live close by and shopped and stitched some more.  I "stitched" so much I had to go get some pop!  And by "stitched" I mean shopped!  I mean look at the background.......there is stitching inspiration as far as the eye can see (and then some!!)

 I kitted up this chart I brought with me.  Actually put in the A and the B!!

I also purchased Pretty Pair by Linda Danielson of Samplers Remembered and kitted it up.  It calls for silks but since I plan on stitching it on a lower count I had my personal conversion consultant, Ms. Pat, convert it to overdyed cottons for me.  Aside from being my personal nurse, she does a bang up job with conversions too.  It is her personal calling.  

As you can see, Day 2 in Arizona was like being in a dream come true.  And we still had three days left!  More to come.....and thanks again to Tanya for hosting us at her home and making us feel like giddy teenagers.  We had such a great time and were inspired greatly.

Attic Summer School!!!!!

 My charmed life continues!!! I was able to travel with four of my friends to The Attic Needlework's Summer School!!!  We flew to Phoenix on a Wednesday in advance of Friday night's start of summer school.  We wanted to have plenty of time at the shop itself and time to goof around before school started.

First stop upon landing was the shop itself!!!!!  We have been dreaming of the day we could get our hands on last year's class piece by Tanya of The Scarlett House.  This is the Little Red Chair Sampler.  That was the first thing on our list. 

 There was a wonderful display table of projects and models from the local designers that make up the teachers at summer school.  Lots of talent there in Arizona!!!!!

 I was so happy to see these wonderful threadkeeps from Paula of Kelmscott Designs!!!!  I have one of each now!!!!!

 One of the specialties of The Attic is stitching on high count linen.  Here are a bowl of projects stitched on high count linen and made into the most darling pin keeps you have ever seen in all of your life!!!!!! 

This is the model of The Red Chair Sampler. 

 Here we are at one of the tables thinking of how each of us will kit this up. 

 This new design from Heartstring Samplery was a definite "kit it up!"

Lucy's Colonial Pocket.  This is the model of the class piece we would be doing by Priscilla's Pocket.

 This is the project that Tanya of The Scarlett House designed.  It is a coverlet piece in a tray with wool strawberries.  Love!!!

 I picked up this fun kit from the local designer table.  Could not resist!  This is from Priscilla's Pocket. 

 After a day of traveling and intensive shopping we headed back to the hotel, but first a stop off at Safeway for snacks and pop.  I was delighted to find my Tab at the store!!!  Tab makes every day better.

The Hyatt Mesa even had these lovely signs welcoming the stitchers!!!

By the end of the day we were very tired, but not tired enough to play with our new toys.  I added a thread keep to a ring of threads and was quite pleased with myself.  

More pics to come!  If only the pictures could convey to you the level of happiness, giddiness, joy and friendship that we were experiencing!!!  Such a wonderful time!  We only wished that the rest of our stitching group (Patti, Kellie and Linda) were with us.  

Also, a special shout out to the ladies of The Attic!!!  You made our days there so special and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!!

Picking Kellie's Next Project

We attended Tuesday night stitching at Inspired Needle last Tuesday!  What fun!!!  All of us were there except for Brenda.  Karin was in town with her daughter for Lollapalooza so we got more stitching time together!!! 

Kellie recently inherited a bedroom in her home to turn into a stitching room!!!  She was organizing and brought several projects with her so we could decide on what her next start should be.  As you all know....this is a very fun task!!!

First up we found this needle minder in the shop that was perfect for our chef Kellie!  So we made her buy it!

Then we spied this totally fabulous chart and thought it was perfect for Kellie too!!!  Truth be told this design is perfect for everyone.  Love it!

Okay, here is the start of what Kellie had kited up.  Please enjoy the pictures!  The pick will be revealed at the end of the post. 

 Please note:  For My Pinzzzz by PSS...our friend Pat substituted Crab Cakes for the called for flower color.  Kellie is following suit. 

 

And now for the reveal of what Kellie started....... Gathering Honey by Plum Street Samplers!!!!!  Any design that has a sweet chicken on a leash and a row of crowns and trees that look like flowers and bees with crowns!!!!  Well I mean.......guess who is going to be stitching this one very soon too????  Me!!!  I love it!!!!

 Doesn't hanging with your stitching peeps just make life a million times better????  Yes indeedy it sure does!!!!!