Thursday, March 28, 2013

A Norfolk Weekend in the Pacific Northwest!



We have just returned from the BEST weekend in quite some time - first of all, we were with great friends, sharing our love of needlework!  Secondly, we immersed ourselves in the Norfolk sampler tradition!  And third, we went off our beaten path to find new adventures!  What could be better?

Friday morning found us battling a snow-storm as we headed our car south to Portland!  Our stitching and traveling friends, Barbara and Beth were with us - and we knew this was going to be FUN!  As soon as we got out of the snow - which we did pretty quickly.  As we whizzed along the highway, we talked of all the things we were soon to enjoy, and reminisced on how we'd met some of the people we were going to see again this weekend.

First of course, we needed some serious retail therapy!  The Button Emporium and Ribbonry was our first stop.  As we'd recently taken the Button Lover's Brag Book class from Sherri Jones of Patrick's Woods, we knew we needed some nice new buttons!  



And we certainly found some beauties!  This faux scrimshaw of Mozart is my favorite!


The rest of the afternoon was whiled away with fabric stores, home goods shops and a wonderful paper goods shop, called Oblation featuring letterpressed stationery made on the premises.  Last time we were there, I thought I saw one old letterpress being used to make gorgeous vintage-look stationery and invitations.  Now there are at least five! All looking like antiques - all in working order and being "pressed" into service!  



Next, we met up with Amy and Sandy and headed off to Ken's Artisan Pizza for a wonderful dinner!  Then off to check into our hotels and rest up for the next big day!

The morning found us joining in on a meeting of the Northwest Sampler Guild, at the home of a member.  She is the owner of some lovely Norfolk samplers.  There we met with Joanne Martin Lukacher, our author, who was speaking the following day at a small exhibit being organized by the folks in Vancouver, WA.  It was a lovely day, as Leslie has not only Norfolk samplers, but many lovely pieces all over her beautiful home.  She made us feel so welcome as we oohed and ahhed over her treasures!  A wonderful lunch was prepared by the NSG members who live in the area, and we enjoyed our time visiting with everyone.

In the afternoon, we had to stop by just a few more shops of course - quilt shops and antique stores abound in the area, and we were not disappointed!  


That night, we again met up with friends old and new for dinner.  Such a lovely time talking with everyone, and the Hilton's Gray's at the Park dining room was wonderful!



The next day was the exhibit and talk and we were so excited to see even more samplers and visit with Joanne.  The Marshall House in the old Fort Vancouver was the venue and as soon as we stepped inside, we knew we wanted to come back for a tea party some day.  What a beautiful old house - the perfect setting for the event!






One of our greatest joys during the two days of samplers, was seeing Amy Mitten's new design - this gorgeous pocket, based on the sampler she has in the book - Ann Wade.  It seems like such a short time ago that we were sending out a "Little Girls Lost" notice, hoping to find out where several Norfolk samplers had landed.  We got a very quick reply from Amy Mitten that we could stop looking for Ann Wade - she was hanging on Amy's wall.  Very generously, Amy offered to send a photograph for the book, and we are so grateful.  But beyond that, Amy took the sampler and charted an adaptation of it, 





and then she continued to design a stunning needleworker's pocketbook.  These projects can be done in online tutorials - Amy gives you everything you need to finish them up - and oh, my, her kits are wonderful!  Now just LOOK at this pocket book - isn't it amazing?






It was truly a magnificent weekend!


If you feel like you missed out, Joanne will also be speaking at the first ever Penn Dry Goods Market Show and Sale in Pennsylvania!  May 17 and 18th, this wonderful event is coming to the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center!  Take a look at their lineup on the Schwenkfelder website.  We'll be there and would love to see you!





We are continuing to ship the book to new shops - it's now available in Europe (Belgium) as well as England, Canada and Australia!  Of course, there are many places to find it in the US, including Amazon.com now, as well as our website.  

Here's where you'll find Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition by Joanne Martin Lukacher:



In the US:
3 Stitches in Spring, TX
Acorns and Threads in Portland, OR
Attic Needlework in Mesa, AZ
Cecilia's Samplers in Branson, MO
The Mad Samplar in Yadkinville, NC
Needle in a Haystack in Alameda, CA
The Scarlet Letter in Sullivan, WI
Shepherd's Bush in Ogden, UT
The Silver Needle in Tulsa, OK
Stitcher's Stash in Brookville, PA

In Europe (Belgium)

Erica Uten - contact Erica at erica.uten@outlook.com

In Australia:
Apple Gallery




1 comment:

  1. thank you for sharing! I wish we could have been there! I'm very jealous! Thanks again to Joanne and you for the book-- it is wonderful!

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