Transported

trans-port 1. v.t. to carry (goods, people or animals) 

from one place to another...to cause (a person) 

to be carried away with strong emotion. 

Only a few days in to the "enchanted journey" course, 

(see the Magic of Myth) 

and I'm already stunned by my own realizations and connections -

yes, I'm gleefully transported, to say the least!

 Since starting the course, I've happily taken to

stitching and reading my way through each evening, 

a comforting space that seems to encourage 
valuable connections and insights.
In the spirit of evoking sprites, 
spring time-colored flosses slip through my fingers as I work

 Rebecca Ringquist's Blanket Stitch sampler.   

Then when enough new stitches are made, turning  
the pages of another Grimm brothers' fairy tale 
is nothing short of entertaining, 
and enlightening....

With great anticipation and excitement,
I'm looking forward to each class, each assignment 
and each discovery. This course has already become
a meaningful platform for personal growth, 
and I'm anxious to see how the coming weeks unfold!

In the event that Elizabeth offers this course again, 

which I hope she will,

I'm refraining from sharing details of our class work, 

discussions and readings so as to prevent spoiling what would be

your own experience, should you take the course. 

For a better idea of "the Magic of Myth, an enchanted journey 

with Elizabeth Duvivier", click here. 

You'll be so glad you did. ;)

Now, to bring it all together, 

the enchanting Priscilla Ahn:

Priscilla Ahn, Dream

Fairy Tales Divine

From "The Giant Who Had No Heart In His Body", Illustration by Kay Nielsen

If you've ever received a gift 

that literally stopped you in your tracks, 

rendered you speechless, caused you to tear up, 

and most important, had you treasuring that gift for ever more,

then you already know how I felt upon receiving this 

Christmas gift two years ago from my very dear friend, Tracy. 

This reprinting of fifteen Scandinavian fairy tales was originally 

published in 1914, illustrated by the Danish artist Kay Nielsen. 

As you can see, even by my amateur photo above, Kay Nielsen's 

Art Deco-inspired illustrations are something to behold. 

Curling up with these fairy tales, ginger tea and a soft 

hand knit blanket transports me to a wonderful other world.

I'm pretty sure Tracy would be pleased to hear that.

 I'm currently reading these fairy tales and a few others

 as more than a lovely way to pass chilly winter evenings - 

it's all leading up to the highly anticipated online class, 

The Magic of Myth, led by Elizabeth Duvivier,

the founder of Squam Art Workshops.

The course is sold out, so I feel fortunate to 

be taking part in the whole experience. These next six weeks

hold the promise of discovery, creativity and growth,

and I'm ready! 

What treasured gift(s) have you received?

 I'd love to hear.

Spring In an Envelope

With winter still hanging on, this burst of spring

made my walk to the mailbox well worth the effort!

 This is the first of 3 Dropcloth monthly samplers, 

made by the lovely Rebecca Ringquist, 

which I recently won over at the inspirational

City Stitching with Christine Haynes.

Rebecca's packages always deliver cheer!

This time, she tucked in two of the sweetest hearts 

cut from other samplers she's made. 

Her thoughtfulness and attention to detail instantly transform 

an ordinary package into something truly special.

Amidst all that cheer, the star of the show is the sampler!

I can hardly wait to pre-thread my needles with happy colors 

(clearly inspired by the wrapping paper) 

and explore one of my favorite stitches, the blanket stitch.

If you'd like to try your hand at embroidery, 

Rebecca's samplers are the perfect way to begin. 

For starters, her drawings are irresistibly fun and sweet.

Rebecca's knowledge of embroidery is enviable.

Each month's sampler focuses on a specific embroidery stitch 

so you can master it just in time for the next month's sampler to arrive. 

My friend Marjorie had a fantastic idea: 

she purchased one of Rebecca's subscriptions for her 

Home Economics classroom to help teens learn embroidery basics. 

I want to be in Marjorie's class!

Rebecca has a Flickr pool so you can check out how other stitchers have 

handled her Dropcloth samplers. 

Get your needles ready!

To keep the spring time energy flowing, 

enjoy this beautiful and uplifting escape!

Órla Fallon performing Mo Ghile Mear from her latest DVD "My Land"

Telling Our Stories

Labor Day 1916, Garment Workers NYC

Is anyone watching The American Experience on PBS.org?

I recently watched the Triangle Shirt Factory Fire video
and just had to share it.

The video is fifty minutes well spent if you're at all interested 
in learning about the real sacrifices and determination
of our fore-fathers and mothers so that 
we might have a better life and better working conditions. 

If you have another three minutes, 
give a listen to Utah Phillips telling the story of  

the Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912, 
another pivotal point in the shaping of "the people's right 
to control the conditions of their labor." 

Bread and Roses, performed by Utah Phillips 

As Utah Phillips said,

"This is our history, and these are our people,

so you darn well ought to learn it, right?"

Now those are words I can get behind, 
and since I didn't learn these stories in high school  
there's no time like the present!

Enjoy!