Primitive Gatherings

Road tripping again! This time to Primitive Gatherings in Larsen, WI. Thursday was a travel day and we had enough time to incorporate three stops. (We didn’t visit Boyd, WI, but I had to snap this picture!)

Stop #1 was The Needle Workshop in Wausau, WI. We’ve been to this shop before. You really need a lot of time to dig through all the treasures they have here. Lots of older charts mixed in with new ones. And, there’s a quilt shop attached too!

Stop #2 was The Stitching Bee in Green Bay, WI. We’ve been here before too, but we were happy to visit again. It’s a cute little shop with lots of models and friendly owner.

Stop #3 was Hometown Needleworks in Green Bay, WI. The shop just opened a few months ago so they are just getting started, but there are lots of possibilities! Great space.

We arrived at Primitive Gatherings on Thursday afternoon at about 4pm and went straight to The Gathering. Let’s just say that the space is stunning. It’s a quilter’s, crafter’s, cross stitcher’s heaven - lots of light, open space, tables, comfy chairs, cutting stations, iron stations - it’s amazing.

Just off The Gathering is a hallway with sleeping rooms - singles, doubles, triples, and quads. All equipped with sink, toilet, and shower in each room. And of course, the rooms have quilts on the beds. The walls in the hallway showcase various quilts too. Comfortable and convenient!

We slept, ate, and created all in the same space. We never had to leave the building! Continental breakfast each morning (with whole milk fresh from the dairy!) and amazing lunches and dinners prepared by their onsite chef! 

So why were we there? Our good friend Linda Lautenschlager from Chessie and Me was teaching a weekend workshop and it was the perfect reason to be there. Linda’s project used motifs from an antique sampler that had belonged to a friend of ours. The motifs were incorporated into a pillow design. We spent most of Friday stitching on our new project.

Linda brought a trunk show. Here are a few of the things she had displayed.

Linda prepared a small project for us on Saturday too. We each made a strawberry to match our pillow using a gold colored velvet and green wool for the top. Sweet!

Friday and Saturday were shopping days. The Primitive Gatherings shop was right next store. Lots of fabric, wool, and cross stitch to tempt us.

It would seem appropriate to end this post with more of the beautiful quilts displayed throughout. We will definitely plan to attend future events at Primitive Gatherings. Great weekend!

Blue Earth and Spring Green

Time to catch up! May was a busy month for road trips and retreats. Let’s jump right in!

May 18 was a good day to be In Blue Earth, MN at Welcome Stitchery. Why? Cathy Lounsbury was there.  If you don’t recognize the name, she is a popular flosstuber and records under the flosstube name “Sew and Sews”. She was invited to Blue Earth to teach an embroidery class and it was a great! We made a needlebook and learned about 8 - 10 different stitches which can be used to embellish our cross stitch finishes. Here’s my finished needlebook (front, back, inside) and my picture with Cathy.

Last Wednesday we traveled to Madison and Spring Green, WI for Stitch Camp at the Country Sampler. A trip that direction would not be complete without a visit to Lynn’s of Madison.

And the Country Sampler never disappoints either; oh the eye candy! If only there was enough time to stitch all the things!

The primary reason for our visit was Stitch Camp. Three designers and three beautiful samplers - Brenda from With Thy Needle and Thread, Jennifer from Violets and Verses, and Birgit, from the Wishing Thorn.

In between these two trips we had a special birthday party! Our little Griffin celebrated his first birthday. Elmo, aka Dad, made a special appearance. Looking forward to many more years of celebrations with this little one that has stolen our hearts!

Thanks for stopping by!