The Next Rabbit Hole

The winds of change are coming. I have felt it for some time now. My life changed a lot since I moved here a year ago. I've decided it's time to hop down another rabbit hole and have a new adventure. Oh how I love a new adventure!

I've been toying around with things for about three months now. Playing with ideas in my head, doodling snippets here and there and just letting myself be inspired by different things. It's been fun and rather freeing. I decided I wanted to design things that would match my own decor. The calm, clean and serene style that I have always felt so at home with. It's not too simple and not to fancy, but somewhere perfectly in between.

My new designs and classes for 2017 will be featuring hand dyed 100% felted wool from my friend Julie of Auntie Ju's Quilt Shoppe. This wool will be in lieu of the blended wool/rayon felt that I have used for the past four years. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm really excited to be working with a local friend. Her wool is simply scrumptious! The color palette won't be bright nor pastel, but rather a warm hug in the middle.

Here's a preview of one of my first designs. I needed new stockings for my new house. This is one of two designs. The patterns and kits will be available at the end of July so stay tuned! :)

In closing today, I wanted to share this photo. I had a super fun visit from my dear friends in New Bern. Renee, Gerri and Linda came to play in Wilmington. Of course I had to take them to the quilt shops! :) It was so great to see them. Love y'all! I also had a visit last week from Steve and Val, the folks who bought my house in New Bern. I didn't get a photo though. Dag...anyway, it was great to see them as well. They are so sweet!

Well, I gotta get hopping on for this evening. As usual, the days seem to get away from me.

Have a super fun 4th. We will be celebrating one year in Wilmington! Woo hoo!!!

Light, love and hugs to you,
Michelle

Patriotic Pin-Keepers

Helloooooooooooooo!!! Did you see the full moon the other night? Gosh was that ever cool. I still remember the full moon we had on Christmas. Loved it!!

Well, as I mentioned last week, I have a new Folk Art Fusion project to share with you! These are my Patriotic-Pinkeepers.

I wanted to make two fast little projects in red, white and blue featuring my reverse wool applique.

They were really fun to work on and I'm totally in love with the mini pom pom fringe and baby ric rac!

They can also be made in other colors if you are not a fan of "Americana."

Here's the inside of the Needle Keeper.

 

It even has a pocket on the back for your scissors.

There are a limited number of Kits available in my Shop. So if you would like one, hop on over before they are gone. The kits also contain the baby ric rac and mini pom pom fringe. Again, I have a limited supply.

Well, have a wonderful rest of your week. I have lots of paperwork to do and I'm also stitching on a new design for Christmas. More to come!

Light, love and hugs to you,
Michelle

One, Five and Seven

Hi there. How's your week going? Mine has been one of those weird weeks when things seem surreal. Ever have those kind of weeks? I guess because I have been looking back and remembering.

One:  Monday marked one year since I said goodbye to my precious Harrington. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. He took a huge part of my heart with him when he left.

It's weird, but I guess I am finally having closure with his death. There was just something so special about Harrington. He was unlike any other rabbit I have ever had. I miss that wonky eared boy so much.

Five: On a happier note, Hannah and I celebrated five years together on May 2. She is doing incredibly well and for that I am truly grateful.

Seven: One of the reasons I didn't get Hannah a friend after Harrington died was because she is an older bunny. She just turned 7. Also, we were in the middle of moving and that on top of her sinus issue, I really didn't want to stress her out even more trying to bond her to someone new.  The poor thing had been through enough.

Hannah is the oldest bunny I have ever had. Some of my friends have had rabbits live to be 10 and twelve. I told Hannah that she should make it her goal to live that long. It sure would make me happy!

Well, I gotta get back to work. I have a bunch of new designs coming and classes to teach and traveling to do. I'll see you back here next week with one of my new designs.

Light, love and hugs to you,
Michelle

The Cottage, The Cat, The Quilters

Hi ya! Just a quick pop in this week. My best friend of 36 years, Beth, has been visiting and frankly, we have been out playing! hee,hee,hee.

However, I wanted to show you how our cottage looks now that we removed all the "builder bushes" and pine straw and replaced them with Gardenias and mulch. I parked my car out front to give you an idea of the size of our house. See, it really is a cottage. The house to the left of us is almost complete. It still hasn't sold though. There are two houses being started to the right of us. They will be the last two houses built on our street. Hopefully, they will have them done by September. I'm read for the dirt and portable toilets to find a new home. ;)

Sabrina has adjusted quite nicely to her new digs. She has found several places to claim as official "nap" spots. Sometimes I get sleepy just looking at her!

"This spot is juuuuuuuuuuust right."

Lastly, I want to share this photo of my friends at Quilters by the Sea. This is my local guild and I had a play date with them a few weeks ago. See everyone's bunny ears? LOL! They also made my "Bee Happy" design. I had such a fun day with all of them.

Alrighty then. I will see you back here next Wednesday. I hope you are out enjoying some beautiful June days.

Light, love and hugs,
Michelle

Michigan and 4 years ago

Hellooooooooooo!

I hope you had a fun Memorial Day weekend. We did! We celebrated David's birthday and had a wonderful visit from my sisters in law despite all the rain. Some days I feel like I live in Seattle instead of Wilmington! ;)

So a month ago, I was invited to give a "Chat and Play Date" with the Thornapple River Rippers Quilt Guild in Hastings, Michigan. This was the first time I had ever been to Michigan and this was also the first time I had 22 students in my class. They were all so wonderful and we had a great time making my Peter's Pumpkin.

This cute lady is Jane. I loved her clothes and sense of style. I'm good at decorating a house, but I am terrible at decorating myself. hee,hee,hee. I'm always in awe of people who can put fun outfits and accessories together.

This is Rebecca, the President of the guild. She is a doll and a professional painting contractor. I had the most wonderful dinner with her and enjoyed getting to know her better. What a terrific lady! Oh, and I totally wanted to steal her shoes!

This is Sally. I was soooooooooooo excited she brought her little hexie quilt for me to see. Can you believe there are 1100 little hexies in that thing! OMG!!! She made me the most delicious salad for lunch. Thanks Sally!

One of the most wonderful and best things about the trip was being able to meet my blog friend, Brenda. It's so exciting getting to meet friends in person. Brenda is such a doll and I was so grateful for all the help she gave me schlepping my gear hither and yon especially in the rain.

Brenda took two days off from work, traveled over two hours and stayed at the same Bed and Breakfast so we could meet. I loved hanging out with her.

She is an architect and so she loved staying in this Victorian B&B, the Adrounie House. She, her husband and her daughter also own an old historic home that they restored and remodeled. I loved seeing the photos.

This was the first time I had ever stayed in a B&B and Don and April, the owners, made it a very special treat. April made the most incredible oatmeal I have ever eaten. Brenda and I enjoyed tea in the parlor and we even took a 15 minute cat nap! LOL!!! If you are ever in Hastings, MI, be sure and stay in this lovely home. The bed was like sleeping on a cloud!

I had such a great time with my Michigan friends and am grateful and honored they invited me to visit. Which brings me to four years ago. It's hard to believe that four years ago, I took a big hop of faith and decided to make The Raspberry Rabbits my full time job. I had been through so many changes after my job loss, the economy, etc. Looking back on this whole experience of growing a business, writing a book, designing patterns, teaching classes and so on, I sure have learned a whole lot. Some things were easy, but most things were learned the hard way. Moving forward, I'm excited about the new direction of my designs and the collaborations with friends.

This is Julie of Auntie Ju's Quilt Shoppe. She is the sweetest and also lives here in Wilmington. I have drooled over her gorgeous booth at shows for years. She carries so many wonderful wooly things.

I'm delighted to announce that my new designs in collaboration with my dear friend, Jules Woolford, whom I told you about last week, will be featuring Julie's hand-dyed wool. Here's how they look with our Valdani "Wilmington" collection. Yummy don't you think?

Going forward, I will also have a new class for 2017. I'm working on the designs now and should be able to show you them within a few months. The class will have a bit of a twist and something I think you will really enjoy while at the same time staying true to my beloved Folk Art Fusion style. More on that later.

Thank you for following along with me on my adventures. It sure has been so nice having your friendship and support. The bunnies and I are forever grateful.

Hugs and see you next Wednesday!
Michelle