Retreating with Needlework Women

A Small Portion of the Sampler we were stitching

Oh my goodness this past weekend was

a wonderful experience for all who attended

The Needlework Seminar

hosted by

Dyeing to Stitch,

here in Virginia Beach, VA.

They featured the Sampler Designs 

from Beth Twist,

of Heartstring Samplery

She is a talented designer who came all the way from 

her homestead in Oregon 

to lead us during the weekend!

You can follow her sweet blog HERE

It started Friday afternoon with an Open House

at Dyeing to Stitch,

our premiere needlework store

(don't be jealous ... it's just five minutes from my house!)

I had the sincere pleasure of greeting the attendees,

giving them their name tags and first kit giveaway of the weekend.

These ladies came from all over the country to attend.

Shopping, browsing, laughing, getting to know each other,

inspiration, delicious food and so much more

was going on all afternoon.

Many bags were filled with stitching goodies

on Friday afternoon!

I must say we are so fortunate to have such a

beautiful stitch shop in our area,

Ann Robbins and Pat Ryan are the owners,

and they do everything possible to keep us

fully stocked with the latest and greatest

needlework supplies.

I don't ever want to take that for granted!

The shop was full of excitement and anticipation

Beth is the designer of

"His Eye is on the Sparrow",

the original of hers was on proud display in the shop

for all of us to oooooh and awwww over!
Stitched on 28 count dyed linen, one thread over two,
it was so inspiring and so beautiful!

Beth's original sampler she shipped for the Retreat

(It has been on my "want to stitch" list for awhile now)

My sister completed hers this year and had it framed.

Several ladies who were attending the retreat,

brought their finished works to share with Beth.

They had worked on a "stitch along" together

for 20 months to finish the sampler before Beth got here for the retreat

Here is their photo with Beth . . .

Amazing completed works!

Later in the evening,

over 60 women gathered at the Hyatt Hotel,

around tables with their needlework projects.

WOW these women are amazingly talented!

Everyone was sharing their current projects,

show and tells, laughter and a sincere love of the needle together.

I loved seeing everyone's supplies, lights, magnifiers,

stitching bags, linens and thread color choices.

I stayed till 9:30pm and was wiped out,

Day One was a success!

I was so excited about the next day,
I could hardly sleep!

On Saturday, my sister and I started with a quiet breakfast

at Baker's Crust (a local favorite) before heading to the retreat.

Gotta get that coffee in the system!!!!

 I took the morning session,

it was held at the beautiful Greenbrier Country Club.

As we settled into our seats at the tables,

we pulled out our supplies, lights,

magnifiers, needles, scissors, eyeglasses and everything we needed.

We were so ready to get our "stitching on"

We got to see the original sampler we would be working on,
take pictures and just socialize with each other.

Kit surprise from Friday check-in

My stitching mates for the day!
Norma, Stasi and my sis Angel

How delightful all of the women were who attended!
We were happy to be together sharing what we loved.
 I enjoyed every minute of the day!

On our name tags was a place for us to put our "Instagram" names,
(This was such a great idea)

and everyone was finally able to put a face with a name.

Some of us had been following each other for a long time, 

admiring each other's stitching projects

and now we were all under one roof,

it was fun connecting!!!

Our name tags designed by Donna Rae Barrow

Just one table of women, very special women for sure!

My Instagram Collage of friends!

Beth Twist is such a beautiful soul and I immediately connected with her.
She lives a life of joy, peace and love of family.
In her spare time, she creates beautiful needlework patterns,
for others to create and enjoy for their homes.
She is a soft, loving and oh so very talented needlewoman.
Some people you just know are good folk,
she is definitely one.

Grabbing a selfie with Beth on Friday at the Open House

She had a beautiful slide show of her life in Oregon

with her precious family.

Her kit was handed out to all attendees

and OH MY GOODNESS

we were all so excited with what was inside!

Her sampler design is beautiful,

the colored threads were vibrant,

and there was more goodies inside.

Presentation was everything

and she hit a home run!!!

"I could use a little more stitching in my life"

Thread Colors for our project

 The Sampler Kit we were given on Saturday
Here is Beth's Original to inspire us

Friday's Kit Surprise at Check-In
How adorable is this!
"Stitch or Die"

I was so thrilled to meet her and spend time

 getting to know her.

I have stitched other designs from Beth,

and I love her designs.
I recently completed her
Needlework Roll ... Pat Ryan and I did our own "stitch along"
and we finished just in time for the Retreat!

My completed Needle Roll

I was even able to spend time with Beth Friday evening,
She was stitching at our table on her own piece and I
noticed she was stitching so effortlessly!
I showed an interest in the way she was stitching
and she began to show 

 me how to stitch with the "sewing method".

 I am still practicing and getting used to it this week!
I am going at a slow and deliberate pace,
it is so worth it.

Learning the "sewing method" ... One stitch at a time

Needle women are beautiful, caring,

and so willing to share their ideas,

designs, supplies and smiles with each other.

I made new friends, re-connected with old friends,

and deepened current friendships.

How blessed I am to know Ann and Pat so well,

spend time with them and call them friends.

Their love of the needle shows in everything they do!

Thank you so much for such a beautiful weekend!

We were given amazing gift keepsakes

that I know we all will cherish!

I was overwhelmed by their generosity.

Pat and Ann ... How I love these true needlewomen! 
Blessed by their friendship and love for sure

I have returned to everyday life this week,

and in my quiet moments I continue to  stitch on my retreat sampler.

With each stitch I am reminded of such a special gathering

of women this past weekend,

it was kinda hard to say goodbye!

I hope I don't forget this wonderful experience

for a very long time.

I am fortunate to gather with my local stitching sisters,

whenever I can, on Thursday Evenings,

around the table, at Dyeing to Stitch.

Laughing, sharing, talking about everything and anything,

just being together,

because there will always be "fellowship of the needle"

Morning Session Students
photo credit by Beth Twist/Donna Rae Barrow

Donna Lee

aka Yogiknitgirl

Beauty in Nature

I am in love with this time of year!

There is so much beauty all around,

my camera has been very busy!

I have been flower pressing for awhile now,

everywhere I go I love to collect fresh flowers,

take their pictures and then into the press they go!

I got mine from Etsy years ago,

all you have to do is visit Etsy

and search "Flower Presses"

Watercolor sketching is a way of life for me,

and I love having lots of new things

to sketch and paint!

So here is a little inspiration for you,

flowers I have collected

along my way in just the past few weeks!

I love pressing flowers! I encourage you 

to give it a try if you haven't done so!

You can use them for so many things!

It's always wonderful to learn something new.

Whenever I travel, I love collecting

momentos and treasures that I can use later.

Here is my most recent treat . . .  It's what's on my nightstand.

"Plants are Magic"

by

Rebecca Desnos

I found her on Instagram a long time ago

and she helps you fall in love with Botanicals.
I fell in love with her first book
"Botanical Colour at Your Fingertips"

you can find her HERE

I hope that your week is filled with

beauty, love and all good things.

Take time to observe Nature,

certainly in all of it's beauty right now!

Donna Lee

What has my attention lately!

A treasure found while visiting Edenton, NC

Well I certainly let a whole week go by without posting!

I told myself in January I would try to post

regularly, every Wednesday on my blog.

I made to March 29th, 2017!

One thing I have learned for sure,
is that life is full of unpredictable moments!
Moments that take your breath away,
Moments that occupy your time in ways you never dreamed of,
Moments that just fly by.
Moments that keep you from accomplishing
all that you want and need to!

I have been weaving a lot lately,
I am currently weaving on my beloved Mirrix loom
and creating a Tapestry Woven Pouch Necklace.
I am blogging from start to finish
for the Mirrix Loom Blog,
this project is amazing
and the hand painted silks are beautiful
to work with,
I am having a wonderful and creative time.
The first post is posted on the Mirrix Loom Blog,
you can follow my journey HERE . . .

Currently on my Mirrix

Adding in some Beads

I have been reading a lot of blog posts
about building your own pipe loom,
either from copper or galvanized pipe!
The weaving community is so generous
and always sharing knowledge with each other,
for that I am truly grateful!

My weaving mentor, teacher and friend
Rebecca Mezoff
wrote a great post HERE ...
So I went to the hardware store
and bought what I needed ...
if you want to know exactly what to buy,
HERE is the link that Tommye Scanlin so generously shared!
I actually bought the pipe pieces about a month ago,
and have just gotten around to building it on my day off today!

I thought it was going to be overwhelming,
but opening the pipe pieces
actually took longer than building the loom itself!!!
Cleaning the scanner price tags
took longer than building the loom!

So here is the finished product!

Tightened up with my hubby's strong hands

and a really good wrench!!!

My finished loom

So I immediately wanted to get a warp on the loom,

I used my 12/6 cotton seine

sett at 8 ends per inch

I plan on weaving a small tapestry diary

and getting used to the loom.

I am totally in love with Washi Tape,

so I marked off inch and half inch increments on my tape

and then added it to the loom.

Setting at 8 ends per inch

So as you can see Tapestry has gotten

a lot of my attention lately,

and I think that is a good thing.

In order to do anything well, we must spend time with it.

Sometimes I spread myself too thing,

doing way too many things.

This morning was quiet, the birds were singing,

the breeze was blowing through the window

and I was weaving before work.

Thoughts often come to me while weaving,

this morning in honor of National Poetry Month,

I wrote a poem on Tapestry!

It was a very good morning indeed!

Poem Writing while Weaving

May your week be filled with

love, creativity, happiness and joy!

Thanks for being here

Donna Lee

Progression

What is currently on my floor loom

Every moment I enter my studio,

my loom Welcomes me ...

I sometimes run in for a paintbrush,

a quick sketch,

look for a certain book or journal,

and I wish I had more time

to sit and weave ... just weave more!

I have been weaving on my Mirrix loom

and my Hokett looms for smaller projects,

but I haven't spent a lot of time

on my larger floor loom.

I have owned it almost a year now

and I'm not getting very far!

I created this current weaving project 

almost seven months ago,

and I ask myself "Where has the time has gone?"

I created a watercolor cartoon,

(from a watercolor original of mine)

set up the warp

and my weaving is slowly

working itself up the warp.

Progress has been so slow it sometimes disturbs me.

How I admire current day

tapestry weavers that accomplish so much!

I now realize they devote their time to their art,

not spread out their time in so many different avenues!

In order to do something well we must spend quality time

devoted to it ... learning, experimenting and discovering.

My Original Watercolor

inspired from Jeanne Carbonetti

When we are allowing ourselves growth and progress with our passions,

we must first realize how important it is

to devote time to our art or endeavors.

I don't want to spread myself too thin

in an already full life.

Tapestry weaving is important to me,

I have been distracted with knitting,

sketching, playing, 

working, needlework and writing . . .

all wonderful pursuits for sure.

Yet each pursuit has pulled me away

from my Tapestry Weaving,

what I truly love the most.

I do realize that in order to show progression

in my Tapestry Weaving,

I need to devote more solid time with it.

Progression in our work 

comes when we concentrate;

when we devote time to a certain thing,

when we set aside moments to grow.

My current work

I find myself saying yes yes yes to what I am writing

and agreeing with every word I have written here.

When we are passionate about something,

whatever it is for you and for me,

we must devote time to it.

I want to grow in my knowledge of weaving,

I want to see progression in this beautiful work

I currentlyhave on my loom.

I don't want to waste any more time.

So I ask you my friend ... 

What is it that you need to show more progression in your life?

Are you spending quality time doing what you love and need to do?

Are you spreading yourself too thin

and not getting much done anywhere in your life?

I think it is a question we have to ask ourselves

from time to time for sure.

Spring is a season of new beginnings,

at least it is for me.

My new beginning is carving out time

to just sit and weave,

quietly and meditatively in my studio,

my private and very special place.

My loom is calling me,

what is calling to you?

I know I am going to love this when it's finished

Donna Lee

Creating My Own Art

Created this morning

I have been on an Art Journey for quite some time now.

With each new day I grow as an Artist.

I am inspired by so many others,

their techniques, style, color choices,

designs and their own personal journeys.

I have taken some wonderful classes,

in person and online

with some pretty spectacular teachers!

I have learned one technique here,

one there

and all the while I was developing

my own personal style of art.

Implementing the skills and techniques I had picked up along the way.

I am grateful that there are so many artists

out there willing to share their style of art,

write books along the way

and teach creatives like me!

I myself have taught many classes,

I have loved sharing my process to others.

I feel I now have something to share.

I think it is important to learn from others.

We are all together on this artistic walk of life.

Fellowship with other creatives is a must!

Whether just getting together as friends,

going on retreats, taking a workshop ...

certainly whatever works for you.

We need to be with like minded souls.

It fills our vessels for those times we can't be together.

I have learned a strong lesson along the way ...

I needed to take what I had learned and 

create my very own style.

I don't want to copy someone else's work or style,

I want to create my very own.

I do believe I have ...

I finally am comfortable in my own creative skin!

I create only what I want to create now,

and that is such an important lesson to learn.

My wonderful hubby reminds me all the time

that my work is unique,

my colors choices are great

and he loves my work above others!

(It is nice to have your own personal art cheerleader)

I created this small watercolor journal to play in

and created the cover work this morning

Early morning play on the art table

I began with a small sketch,

added watercolors,

then ink, then splatter, some oil pastel,

than pen and just kept going!

I wanted to just play and see what I came up with

for my blog post this morning.

It is all about the process for me,

not always the end result.

I have learned to create from Intention.

I needed the process to speak to me ... and it did!

Art is a way of life for me,

whether I am creating with inks, paints, 

or even my palette of threads.

A peek at my Tapestry table in progress

I create my art for ME,

(sometimes as a gift of love)

no longer for sale.

I went down the Etsy Shop journey years ago,

and found great success; but I wasn't happy.

I was creating just to refill the shop.

I was even part owner in an Art Gallery,

again I found myself creating to fill my little area ...

Art wasn't fun anymore, it had become work.

Now I create mainly for me.

I need to create ... it certainly calls to me.

Handpainted silks by Mirrix Looms

for my next Tapestry Project

I create because I need to.

Because I am called to it

Rather than filling my mind with

mindless television and wasted time,

I return to my studio ...

over and over again.

Each time might not be perfect,

or I may not create a beautiful work;

but I am there

granting myself the gift of peace,

quiet and serenity.

That my friend is worth it's weight in gold!

I don't want to copy anyone else,

trust me with social media these days

it would be easy to just imitate what I see.

There would be no originality in that.

I create my own art

because I love it,

I am finding my own true voice

through my work.

It has taken me years to like my work,

trust me ... there were times I did not!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

What inspires you?

What is your creative process?

What does your Art mean to you?

We had a beautiful 62 degree day here yesterday

in Virginia Beach,

today is very windy and dropping to 30 degrees!

I feel my studio is calling me ...

wonder what else I will create today?

Donna Lee

A peek inside my sketchbook

My latest sketchbook

While visiting in Providence, Rhode Island

at Squam in the City a few years ago,

I visited the amazing RISD Museum

(Rhode Island School of Design)

Oh my goodness their gift shop

and Art Supply Store was out of this world!

I purchased several accordion watercolor journals

and brought them home!

I have been in love with these little journals,

and am on my last one!

I haven't been able to find them since,

so guess I will try to online shop with the museum

to stock up on a few more!

I am in love with the accordion journals,

they are portable, and you can draw on both sides!!!

I decided to share it with you today,

and let you have a peek inside.

I love to carry a small travel bag at all times,

I only carry this small journal,

a portable watercolor palette,

pencils, micron pens, eraser

and of course a water brush.

I never want to find myself without supplies,

there is so much inspiration out there in the world,

a quick sketch is just a moment away.

I am practicing my sketching skills,

I'm not always good with perspective!

I guess I didn't pay attention enough in art class!

Documenting my favorite OBX destination

Just sketching what I see

Drawing and Sketching are used in so many

parts of my life ...

sometimes it is nice to step away from Zentangle®

which is a very focused and meditative way of drawing.

Even in my Tapestry Weaving journey ...

drawing my cartoons are important,

which then become a woven cloth.

I've been playing with all my watercolors
in a different journal I created
for my friend Mindy Lacefield's
Watercolor Journal Course 
(she is amazing and I'm just relaxing and playing)
I'm learning to just enhance my painting and design skills

That's it for today ...

just a peek inside my sketches.

Wishing you warmth, love, creativity

and above all

peace in your daily walk!

Donna Lee

Spiritual Renewal

I was in for an amazing gathering of women!

This past weekend I was able to attend

the Women's Retreat (IF Gathering)

with my Trinity Church.

It was held at the beautiful Westin Hotel

in Virginia Beach

and I spent the night with my longtime

spiritual sisters and friends

Debbie Bailey and Donna Irwin.

What is a retreat if you don't get a night away

of fellowship, laughter and jambes?

The gift of long time Sistership

Our 13th floor window view over Town Center

The experience was filled with

laughter, tears, worship music,

guest speakers, delicious food,

testimonies and sharing.

It was so good to fill my spirit,

renew my heart once again,

and be with like minded women.

My Spiritual Peeps for the experience ... such beautiful women and life stories here!

Life has been so full of busy "stuff",

family illness and the death of my aunt for me.

I've been working, trying to meet deadlines,

feeling overload and over commitment lately.

I haven't had much time to do my writing,

and very little time to do my art!

You know we all get to that point, 

over and over again.

For me this retreat just allowed me to PAUSE ...

for just a short time and focus of my spiritual walk.

It was just what I needed at this moment.

Trinity Church came to my life several years ago,

when I was leaving a church that hurt me,

disappointed me and did things I didn't agree with,

they rocked my spiritual steadiness a bit.

I am so grateful to be in a place 

where I feel safe again,

safe to worship,

safe to share my talents and my life.

It is good to feel healthy again!

Thank you Trinity Church,

you have my heart!

I came home restored, renewed and focused.

Something I was certainly needing

and I am sure I can say that about all the women

that were in that gathering with me!

As women we need to come together,

re-focus, share, laugh, dance and sing!

It is good for the soul!

Life isn't always easy 

and it is so good to hear from other women

their life experiences.

If you get the chance to attend an IF Gathering,

I urge you to do this!

It was my first time and I can't wait

to attend again next year.

What an amazing team and organization

of faithful and insightful leaders.

Their lessons, testimonies and stories were powerful.

Thank you IF for your amazing presentation.

My friends

I do hope you will live the rest of your week

in love and in peace.

Know there is a loving God in this life,

who cares about your every moment,

your precious heart

and all that is about you!

You are amazing just the way you are!

I am truly grateful we are friends

and we are here together!

Donna Lee

Thoughts on Social Media

 Yearning for some sweetness these days!

 Wow it has certainly been a whirlwind of emotions

on Social Media ever since this political season began!  

I am not sure how I feel about it all just yet.

When I first came onto Facebook,

it was a way to reach out to my artistic friends

I had met at art retreats I had attended,

That was many years ago for sure.

I love being able to communicate long after

the retreat had ended.

It really was when Facebook was something special!
I still enjoy connecting in special groups
with my FB friends
and being able to see what is happening in their lives.

That part is still fun!

Instagram came along and I was hooked (I still am!)

It truly was the reason purchased my first iPhone;

because back then it was the only way to get the Instagram App!

Photography is something I love,

and Instagram was a way to share a photo

and a quick description of what

I was walking through in my life at the time.

Now there are so many users,

and Instagram has definitely changed.

I believe it has become even more commercial

and that saddens me.

Facebook has become a political nightmare!

It is where anyone can say whatever they want,

at any time, with no regard,

I don't enjoy it anymore,

and frankly ... it scares me a bit.

I find myself staying away each and every day.

Too many outspoken opinions,

our world is in unrest.

There seems to be so much anger

and discontent in our nation presently

and it sure doesn't seem to be calming down at all.

I want my old Facebook back ...

a place where I could see what my friends were up to,

a place where I could post ...

"Hey my blog post is up"

 "Hey look at this picture"
"Hey this is how I am feeling today ..."
"Hey this is what I want to share today!"

We are running so fast these days,

we aren't taking the time to be considerate of one another,

slow down on the highways,

be kind to each other in the grocery store,
we are forgetting common courtesy 

and I could certainly list so many other ways.

We are too busy looking down at our phones

in our hands

not paying attention to the beautiful world 

happening around us.

I'm pretty close to saying bye bye to Facebook,

not Instagram, just yet.

I want a slower pace of life,

I want to a kinder and gentler nation,

I want to respect my President,

yet I am having a time even liking him.

I want people to slow down,

look at me in the eye with a smile

and just say good morning.

I want to hear myself think.

How about you?

Social Media can be a good thing

and it can also be very dangerous.

Think carefully how you are using it,

how it is affecting your well being.

Perhaps we all need to lay off of it a bit

and just return to the simpler things in life.

Today I wish you a day filled with love for your fellow man,

Peace in your heart and soul,

Quietness and Rest whenever you can grab it.

Thanks for being here and reading my thoughts,

it means the world to me!

Donna Lee