One of the many great things about working as an editor at C&T is that I get to work with and get to know a lot of wonderful people such as Lura Schwarz Smith and Kerby Smith. I had met them both at Asilomar when we were all teaching at one session, but I got to know them better while editing their recently released book The Secrets of Digital Quilting—From Camera to Quilt.
Last summer I had a chance to visit them at their home near Yosemite. The area is gorgeous.
And as they say, they live in a gated community…to keep the neighboring cows from wandering off.
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As expected, their house is full of their wonderful artwork.
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Continue Reading…
A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.
Fits and spurts
Spurts and fits—
Sometimes creativity
Comes that way—
Not neatly measured
In ordinary
Time
We’ve been hinting around about it, but it’s finally here…the Stash Books blog is alive and waiting for you!
Stash Books is our new imprint with a totally tempting tag line…fabric arts for a handmade lifestyle. Doesn’t that make you want to get out the sewing machine, dig through your stash and make something new…like right now?
Instead, head over to the Stash Books blog right now, and take a peek at the first Stash Books titles coming out this spring season, if you haven’t seen them already. There’s also a beautiful Simple Abundance Sewing Tray project for free download and Acquisitions Editor Susanne Woods’ story about her day on the set of The Quilt Show with Stash Books author Camille Roskelley.
The Stash Books blog will soon be full of inspiration, with engaging photos, free projects, and personal stories from our staff and authors. We invite you to visit our second home, and become part of the community there by signing up for the new Stash Books email list.
Welcome to the era of confident crafting…welcome to Stash Books.
I learned to knit and crochet from my mother who has since passed away. She was a very crafty person who crocheted dresses for all of her granddaughters and great granddaughters, and every Christmas we got crocheted slippers. My oldest sister loved to knit sweaters, mittens and scarves before she passed away, also.
I was never the crafty person in the family, but I have dabbled in basic crocheting and knitting in the past. I really miss the items that both my mother and sister made for me, so I thought maybe I should make something for my kids and grandkids.
One day Sue Astroth, one of our authors at C&T Publishing, showed me some socks she had knitted. I fell in love with them, and I told her that I wanted to learn how to knit socks also. So the next day Sue lent me a book she has about knitting socks and also gave me some yarn and knitting needles. It took me almost a month to finish them, but here they are, my first pair of socks!
So now I am hooked and all my kids, grandkids, and friends will be getting socks for Christmas. And yes, I am starting on these projects right now.
Thank you Sue for giving me the inspiration. I just love knitting socks—it is such good stress relief!
