Date: July 20, 2008

Subject: Creations SewClever Weekly Update

Summer’s simply slipping by ~ much has been a blur….

All the constant traveling has led me to concur ~

Though I think traveling is nice,

I wish they’d patent a device ~

Some time machine that’s quite precise...

Then blink me there, yes sir! 

July 20, 2008

Hi Friends!!

  I know it’s been several weeks since my last e-letter, and I apologize.  As chatty as I get in these weekly missives, they take me a couple hours to write and send, and lately I haven’t had a couple hours in a row to do anything (except sit in a car or an airplane!!).  For all the poetry written about taking time to smell the roses,  the joy of the journey, the delight of just wandering….etc., Trust Me…..I wander a lot. I smell lots of roses; I’ve enjoyed quite a few journeys. There’s really a lot more to be said about the joy in reaching one’s destination!!  The wonderful thing about all my travels is, regardless of whether I’m traveling to or fro….there’s always someone at the end of the journey ready to greet me. Why would I want to dawdle when I know what awaits at my destination?

  Since I last wrote, I spent the Fourth of July weekend at my brother and sis ‘n law’s lake house in southern Indiana for a surprise 50^th birthday party for my brother, and a McFarland family reunion. We had a blast!  I drove home that Sunday (4 hours), worked all day Monday, then drove back to the Lake House again on Tuesday with my fun and funny staff.  We played and laughed and swam and ate…..[and did some sewing!] until Thursday afternoon. We cleaned the Lake House, loaded up all our stuff, and drove home (4 hours). Saturday was the very fun One Block Wonder class and Sunday I did laundry and packed my suitcase and the Stitch Mobile. Monday I lectured (gosh I hate that term!  I chatted) and sold goodies to the Mansfield Millennium Guild. That’s such a nice bunch of gals!  I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited there every couple years, sew I feel like they’re old friends. [If you want to know what they look like, check out the cover of my Mystery Quilts book!]

  I drove home from Mansfield very late Monday night and had to be awake by 4am on Tuesday to get ready to leave for the Columbus airport.  Ron and I headed to Colorado.  I taught for the Piecing Partners guild in Colorado Springs where Ron and I both made many wonderful new friends!!  He golfed (too bad for him!) while we solved lots and lots of mysteries!  The Piecing Partners is a large guild of about 200+ members, and all of them were ready to laugh and have a good time!  Sew we did! Currently we’re visiting with our web hosts (friends) in Granby, Colorado, and this afternoon we’ll drive to Crested Butte to visit some friends from our years in Phoenix.

  See, if I could just blink myself from one location to another, I’d have lots more time for fun and friends, and much less time getting lost or being searched and questioned in airports (try taking rotary blade sharpeners, rulers, Gypsy Grippers and other various and strange quilting notions in your carry on bag through airport security. …..another story for another day.)

  I’ll be back in the shop this coming Friday, and then following weekend I’ll be in Manhattan with my daughters and daughter in law for a “Girls Weekend”.  We’ll have a ball!  One of the most exciting things on our list of things to do is see “Mama Mia” on Broadway!  I’m driving the Stitch Mobile to New York City, sew I’ll play my “Mama Mia” CD all the way there, just to be sure my girls are in the mood for the show!!

  Okay, I really must get back to the business of quilting. It’s hard for me to gear back into “quilt shop mode” when I’ve been gone awhile. However, I really have been working while I’ve been here. I shipped 7 boxes of quilts and products to my new best friend’s home in Colorado Springs, and all I shipped home was the quilts. We’ll be filling orders from the guild event for the next 3 weeks!  I know I make it sound like all I do is play, but…..well, actually, all I DO do is play!  I have the best job in the world!

  Here in Chillicothe at Creations SewClever, it’s still July, and our July Special is BOOKS ~ 20% OFF!  In the past several weeks we’ve gotten TONS of new fabrics, sew we’re ready to clear out some older bolts. Sew this week’s Hot Stuff is Empty-a-Bolt ~ 30% OFF!! Help us make room for all our new goodies, and we’ll give you a great bargain!!

  Because I’m on the road I don’t have all my notes of messages I am supposed to pass on. I know there are several gals who are looking to sell sewing machines, sew I’ll put that information on next week’s e-letter sew I get all the information correct.

  On Saturday, July 26, if there’s enough interest, I’ll be at the shop teaching from 9am to 5pm. I don’t even care what I’m teaching!  Let me know what you want. An all-day class is $40, and if you just want to finish a class project that you started in a Creations SewClever class, there’s no charge.  Here are some class ideas: One Block Wonder, French Braid, Watercolor Trip Around the World, Watercolor Irish Chain, 4-Patch Posey, a Mystery Lap Quilt, or something else you might like to do. PLEASE call the shop if you plan to come, and PLEASE let us know, No Later Than Wednesday, if you’ll need a kit for your class. The gals at the shop can discuss kit sizes and prices with you, or you are welcome to e-mail me if you have questions or want to ask me about the class. These Random Chaos Classes are tons of fun!  I can work with each of you at your own speed, and if there are too many of you for just me to handle, I’ll summon the Wench Brigade!  When you take a class with lots of people, regardless of what projects they are working on, everyone feeds off the combined creativity and it’s just an exciting way to spend a day sewing!

  How about a few good recipes?  We’ve been eating our way across Colorado, but to be honest, Ron and I have been doing most of the cooking. He does the manly grilling, and I woman the kitchen. Works for us!

QUICK ORZO PILAF

1 cup orzo
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 large ripe tomatoes chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1T olive oil
Bring 1 qt salted water to a boil and cook orzo al dente. Rinse frozen corn to thaw. Drain and place in large mixing bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, onions and olives. Drain orzo and add to bowl. Drizzle olive oil over all and toss well. You can add 2T pesto sauce for more flavor, or add 2T soy sauce, 1tsp sesame oil, grated ginger and sliced mushrooms for Asian pilaf

FRESH TOMATO, SPINACH AND PASTA

4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1lb fresh spinach, cleaned
½ lb favorite pasta, uncooked
1 cup black olives
3T butter
2T pesto sauce
1 sweet onion, sliced
8oz sliced fresh mushrooms
Greek salad dressing if desired
Fresh shredded parmesan cheese
In large frying pan or wok, sauté onion and mushrooms in butter. Add pesto sauce and continue cooking. While you’re doing that, cook pasta in boiling, salted water with drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking, until just al-dente. Before removing from pan, add fresh spinach and stir quickly to wilt. Drain all in strainer. Pour cooked pasta/spinach in pan with onions and mushrooms. Toss gently together. Add tomatoes and black olives plus dressing to suit. Sprinkle shredded parmesan generously over all.

CORN SALSA DIP (from Jane Cullyford, Calhan, CO) Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!

2 cans confetti or Mexican corn, drained

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (drain and press well to get rid of all juice)

6-8 green onions, diced

½ cup sour cream

½ cup mayo

  Mix together and refrigerate. Just before serving mix in 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or Frito’s Scoop Chips.

  I know there are lots of things I’m forgetting to tell you, but I wanted to let you know I’ve not forgotten you! I’m taking you to Colorado with me!  I’ll fill you in on anything I might have overlooked next e-letter, and I hope I see lots of you on Saturday!!

  “Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.”  ~Charles Kuralt

        “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.”  ~C. Stinnett

   There’s sure no routine in MY life!!  Have a wonderful week!!  You’re on my mind!  Your friend in running stitches, Rita