Our show-and-tell at Redwork recently was Dish Towels.  I especially love the days-of-the-week themes.

I believe this pattern is by Grace Drayton, who also drew the Campbell Soup kids.

I love the expression on the face of this little Dutch girl.

I’m not sure she’s cut out for housekeeping!

Melinda had these.  I think they’re most unusual.  It’s from the rhyme, “This little pig went to market, this little pig stayed home, this little pig ate roast beef, this little pig had none and this little pig cried ‘wee, wee, wee’ all the way home!”  I remember it from my childhood!

Melinda also had these towels made from a 1940′s pattern called “A Sweet Little Miss.”  It’s the basis for my Merry Margaret patterns.

Here’s a set of mine, where I drew Merry Margaret doing her chores.  I call the pattern All Week Long.

Here are some pretty flower pots with matching fabrics from Happy.

Tea pots seem to have been a popular motif.

Some in Redwork.

Some in pretty colors.

Some in Bluework.

Well, you get the idea!

These are cute with the kitty faces.

I loved these canisters.

Melinda made this for me several years ago.

This bluebird is adorable!

But I think the most unusual was these mushrooms!

For about 12 years now, I’ve been part of a Redwork group.  From time to time, we branch out from Redwork to other needlework styles.  Recently, we decided to start having themes for out meetings.  A recent theme was Tea Linens.  Everyone brought a pretty tea cup, Linda made scones and I made tea sandwiches. 

Show and tell is always the best part.  Here’s a vintage card table cloth that I picked up years ago for just a few dollars. 

And, of course, when you’re being served tea in bed on a tray, you must have a proper tray cover! Notice the little pocket for your napkin.

This is a pretty design with an interesting stitched edge.

Here’s a closer view.

Ethel made this pillow as a store sample for Anna Lena’s a few years back.  It’s a pattern from Darlene Zimmerman.

One of the ladies brought these pretty dishtowels.

And look at this pretty quilt.  I think Loretta made it. 

I love the delicate rose on the corner of this tea tablecloth.

These stitched tea towels are oldies but goodies.  Don’t you love how the thread color matches the bands on the towels?

The bias tape scalloped border on this cloth is really interesting.

The bias tape is checked!  How cool is that?

A few years back, our project was these blocks from Crabapple Hill Designs.  These are Eleanor’s–still waiting to be put together.

She’s a Red Rose tea drinker, so personalized her tea bag.  How clever!

Monica designed this setting for her blocks.  It is so very sweet–just like she is!

This is so pretty, but I can’t remember whose this is.  Oh, me bad!  Somebody, help!

Ethel made a tablecloth with her designs.

And I did a crazy quilt with my blocks.

Today was our Redwork Club meeting, and we started by going to tea at All The Tea and China.  

Then we came back here to Studio Anna Lena for our “meeting,” which is really just show-and-tell!  It’s always fun to see what others are working on!  Linda has taken my Through My Window panel and embroidered it.  Don’t you love how she’s doing one extra little thing on each block?

Loretta brought a completed quilt top that she started in 2006.  She wanted our opinion about the dark blue border.  Everyone thought it was too dark, so she bought some of my Cornflower solid to replace it.  It’s a much better match.

Here are some of my favorite blocks from her quilt.

Loretta says this is her stitching.  I hope those are pins in her mouth and not chin whiskers!

We share more than just stitchery.  Robin just finished hand quilting this vintage 1930′s top.  She’s a wonderful hand quilter, and this quilt was a challenge because it didn’t lay flat.  But look at it now!  Amazing.

And here’s something very special.  Linda bought this hand crocheted apron at a garage sale and brought it for show-and-tell.  Then she gave it to me!  Thank you, Linda.  You know it will have a special home here.  And it’s nice to know that someone years ago liked orange, too!

Yesterday was the drawing for the Red and White Delight quilt kit give-away.  

“blop” was the winner of the Quilt Kit!  I used a random number generator, and her number came up.  Congratulations.  I hope you enjoy the quilt.

We interrupt this Ohio adventure for a quilt kit give-away!

This Red and White Delight quilt is featured on the cover of Quilts and More–and it uses my fabric!  The quilt was designed by Maebeth Oxenreider, and the folks at Q&M were nice enough to let me offer kits for the quilt on my web site.  One cool thing that Q&M does is show fabric requirements and cutting instructions for lap, twin, queen and king sizes.  There’s even a pillowcase kit!  Here’s the queen size – photo courtesy of Meredith Corp.

So, I thought it would be fun to give away a kit for a lap sized quilt.  It finishes 42″ x 52.”  I’ll include the magazine, of course, so you’ll have the pattern.  This give away is worth $46.98.  All you have to do is leave a comment and on June 8, I’ll use a random number generator to pick a winner.  Oh, and if you want a bigger size, you can apply the $$ toward a bigger one.  Hope you win!

It’s wonderful to have talented friends!

For more than ten years now I have belonged to a Redwork Club.  It started when I had the shop, and we continue to meet each month.  It’s really become more than a Redwork Club.  We do all kinds of embroidery and while we often have a projects, we love to share show-and-tell of anything needlework that we’re doing.  This is some of what was shared at our meeting.

Linda W. has taken the Through My Window panel and added her own special touches to it!  Not only is she embroidering the whole design, for each month she is adding a little something extra–black eyes on the snowmen, satin stitched hearts for February, a green shamrock for St Paddy’s Day and a purple Easter egg.  Don’t you just love them!

Ethel K. has completed our last years project–Playmates.  She made it for her great-granddaughter, Ellie.  

I’ll share more next month!