Merry Christmas

Pog and I wish everyone a joyful day spent with family and friends.

 Be safe, be kind and be thankful! 

Merry Christmas  from Shuttle Hook and Needle!

We miss you Monica.

The Day After

The tour is over. 

I had a successful weekend with lots of friends, new and repeat customers visiting.

 We missed the worst of the weather in the mountains with little to no ice on Sunday

 but most people came on Saturday.

 I did have a few brave souls who ventured out on Sunday to take home a couple of rugs,

 which was great.

To say that I am now very tired is an understatement. 

I am exhausted! I only have one special bird order to finish up and 

then I can take a break for the rest of the year. 

The house was decorated and the tree put up the weekend after Thanksgiving so I would not have to deal with it now. It was a lot of work to get the house and studio ready for the holidays and the tour at the same time but now I am glad it is done.

 I am so grateful for a patient, helpful and understanding husband 

who supports me in every way possible. 

It is now time for both of us to sit back and enjoy Christmas! 

 I do intend to start some new projects soon because the tour always inspires me. 

Before the tour I become tired and don’t want to make or weave anything else 

but now that it is over I am excited to get started again. 

The difference is now I get to make what I want to and not what I have to,

 at least for a little while, which will be a nice break. 

Pog and I both were so busy that we really didn't take many photos

 but here are a few of the ones we did take of the studio and the work. 

There are a lot of empty spaces now which is great!!

Most of the rugs found new homes.

Star of Bethlehem Dish Towels

Snowmen, ornaments, more dishtowels and mug rugs.

There were lots of wooly ornaments.

I hope everyone was safe, warm and snug at home during 

all the terrible weather in the country these past few days. 

I am looking forward now to snowy days at home stitching, weaving 

and maybe even a jigsaw puzzle or two! 

The Day Before

After months of hard work and the last two weeks of cleaning, tagging, decorating and preparing, the tour begins tomorrow.
The studio will be open to the public, Friday from 12 to 4 and Sat./Sun. from 10 till 5.

Maps can be picked up at The Toe River Arts Council locations in both Burnsville and Spruce Pine. This is a self-guided tour, which includes over 100 artists and galleries.
 Just follow the red and white tour signs for an adventure into beautiful mountain scenery and wonderful unique homes/studios.
You will be greeted with a smile and even some fresh baked goodies!!
So much to see and do on this tour!

I’ve worked really hard the last few months so there are lots of beautiful hand woven rugs, dishtowels, table runners and mug rugs.
There are also lots of stitched ornaments and a few snowmen.

I wish all of you could come and visit but I know some of you are too far away so
I’ll have lots of pictures over the next couple of days for you.  

A Glimmer of Light

If I squint real hard I can begin to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!

I have been so busy that I haven’t taken time for photos or blogging or

 not much of anything else but weaving and stitching. 

The Toe River Arts Council Holiday Studio Tour is almost here. 

Just 16 more days then the studio will be clean, everything will be tagged, Christmas decorations will be up, goodies will be baked and the open tour sign will be out!

I still have woven dishtowels and rugs to hem. There are a few more snowmen ornaments to finish up and a butterfly to stitch on until Thanksgiving. I am stopping then, so I can enjoy a couple of days for giving Thanks and then decorate the house for Christmas that weekend.  The next week will be spent getting the studio clean and everything displayed for the tour.

This year we have over 100 artists and galleries participating with different mediums – Clay, Book Arts, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media, Dimensional, and Wood. Come to the Western North Carolina Mountains for a unique experience and see where artist’s live/work and buy direct from them for your holiday gifts (or even something just for you!). 

This is the premier open studio bi-annual event held each year the first weekend in June and the first weekend of December. 

Here’s the link for all the info and how to pick up a self - guided map to all of the open studios.

http://www.toeriverarts.org