Teaching, Inspiring and a little Lindsey Stirling

Well hello there! I hope your week is going well. Mine is going really, really well. In fact, I am so excited to share some news with you! I have been accepted as one of 123 teachers at this years Houston International Quilt Festival! This has been a dream of mine for a very long time and I haven't stopped doing the happy bunny dance!

I started teaching the art of quilting back in 1995 at a local quilt shop. I taught nights and weekends, for the most part, to support my fabric habit. My most popular class was Quilting 101. This was a beginning quilt class in which I would teach fabric selection, design layout, how to use the tools of the trade, piecing, needle turn applique and machine quilting. I designed the quilt for my class as well, which was a medium sized wall hanging called "Star of my Heart."

In 2000, I met a wonderful lady from England, Sallieann Harrison. She and her husband were living in the States for a few years for her husband's work. Sallieann was one of those students who was chock full of incredible talent. Her quilts, use of color and embellishments blew me away. I knew she would go on to be a very creative quilter.

Well, this past November after twelve years since we last saw each other, Sallie and I reunited in Houston.

It was so much fun to catch up on all our creative adventures that we had been on over the years. She thanked me for inspiring and encouraging her with her quilting as she has gone on to inspire and encourage her own students as a quilt teacher in England.

I couldn't be more proud of Sallie. I knew way back from that first quilt class in 2000 that she would be a star and indeed she is.

Here she is with her students and my Dove postcard from my Postal Fusions Christmas collection. Everyone did bunny ears for me! LOVE!

Teaching and inspiring others to be creative has forever been my passion. Through many challenges and hardships in my life, I can truly say I have been blessed by falling down this rabbit hole.

I hope to see you in a class one day and if you are in Bristol, UK, Sallie would love to see you too!

Until then, here's a little Lindsey for you. Be sure to listen to her message at the end of the video. :)
Hugs,
Michelle

Norfolk Windmill - the next stop down Briarside Lane

We have come to the next stop on our journey down Briarside Lane! This month we are excited to bring you the Norfolk Windmill.

Norfolk Windmill by Jules Woolford

On a clear, cold early morning in late autumn, the salt marsh is waking to the sound of birdsong. The reeds have turned from bright gold to a tarnished hue. We can hear the sails of the old windmill creak and grind. Many of the struts are lost and broken, but still the windmill turns.

Suddenly, a movement catches our attention; to our right, a barn owl flies home from its nightly hunt. It glides, ghost like, across the winding river. We stand, transfixed, watching this feathered beauty pass across the cycle of the great sails. A single beam of sunlight pierces the cloud above. For just a moment, the worn, old bricks glow and the giant windmill gleams, standing proudly against the soft colors of the autumn marshland.

The Back Story:

Jules is fascinated by windmills. Her favorite can be seen on a hike that crosses the salt marsh at *Cley, an eastern seaside hamlet located in the county of Norfolk. Walking this way for the first time, Jules had an amazing experience. As the majestic windmill came into view, the white shape of a barn owl flew across the footpath in front of her, a ghostly silhouette beneath the sails of the mill. It was an instance of pure magic and one she has never forgotten.

For those who know of the beautifully renovated Cley Mill, don’t be confused. The Norfolk Windmill remains untouched, harking back to an older, more romantic time!

* Pronounced Kly

Here is Jules original watercolor piece. Isn't it beautiful? I must say that I am having so much fun creating wool and embroidery versions of her incredible work.

Just like Bumblebee Cottage, there is a FREE embroidery version of this design.

We have a National Nonwovens wool blend kit available for this block.

and we also have the Briarside Lane Valdani perle cotton collection, which includes all the colors we will be stitching with on this adventure.

The e-Pattern, Wool kit and Valdani kit are all available in the SHOP. So hop on over!

Please feel free to post your creativity on The Raspberry Rabbits Facebook Page. It's been so much fun seeing what everybunny has been inspired to create! Be sure to visit the Briarside Lane tab at the top of the blog for more inspiration.

We hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Norfolk Windmill. Our next stop down Briarside Lane will be March 1st when we debut the third block of our journey. Until then, hoppy stitching!

Hugs,
Michelle, Jules and the Bunnies

A Play Date with the Brunswick Quilters

Hi ya! Sorry I am late to this blog post date, but I had a most wonderful adventure yesterday and so I delayed my post to share it with you today!

The best part of what I do is being able to inspire creativity in others through my designs. For 2017, I decided to make a big change to my "Play Dates" workshops.  Instead of having students create one of my patterns and providing a kit to make the exact same thing I made, I decided to make my "Beekeeper Pincushion" exclusive to my Play Date participants. I wanted to offer something special to those with whom I have the honor of teaching in person.



The participants are able to choose from three flower designs, then choose their own wool colors, Valdani perle cotton and embellishments to make their own individualized "Beekeeper Pincushion."

Yesterday was the first time teaching and inspiring with this new class format and I must say, it was a total BLAST! Everybunny had so much fun and I was so excited to see the beautiful flowers that each of these amazing friends made.

Of course, I had to get a class "Bunny Ears" photo for my collection. :)

This is Brenda, who hired me to have a Play Date with the guild. She is such a doll and I was so excited to finally meet her in person. She has carpal tunnel in her wrist and she said that stitching the flower didn't bother it one bit. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

Here's a close up of Brenda's flower. Pretty! 

Here's the rest of my friends with their flowers.

Gail had fun playing with the threads. hee,hee,hee.

Stephanie is a former student of mine from The Cabin Branch Quilters in Virginia. She has since moved to North Carolina and it was so wonderful to hug her neck and have her in my class again.

Marji (above) brought me a pressie! She made these adorable wool trees. I love them!!! 

Thank you Marji!

Jean saw me on Quilting Arts TV and downloaded my "Conrad the Carrot Collector" pattern (link on my about and free designs page above). She brought her interpretation of Conrad to share with me. Adorable! 

Jean also brought this sweet little wool bird in a nest. So darn tweet! hee,hee,hee

Vicki is a talented rug hooker and creates incredible wool pieces like this bunny!!!! Yes, I threatened to put him in my bag and run out the door! hee,hee,hee. Isn't he the cutest? 

Vicki also shared this gorgeous penny rug. It is a Doreen Frost design and the light yellow wool was hand dyed by her friend using Daffodils, or was it Dandelions? Gosh...my bunny brain is getting old. Anyway, I think it is stunning. Thank you for bringing these Vicki!

It was a wonderful day and I now have many more friends added to The Raspberry Rabbits family. Would you or any of your friends like to have an adventure down the rabbit hole with me? I would love to have a Play Date with you! You can click on the tab at the top of my blog for more information.

Join me back here next week as Block 2 of our Journey Down Briarside Lane continues! Until then, keep creating.

Hugs,
Michelle and the Bunnies

Inspired by a Paper Cutter

Hellooooooooooooo! I must say that I have been LOVING the weather this week. It has been in the 60's and 70's. Now that's my kind of January and winter for sure! hee,hee,hee.

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I'm inspired by many things like music, animals and nature, not to mention, other artists. I think every creative person is inspired by many things and people.

Today, I want to share an incredible artist who truly inspires me. Her name is Karen Bit Vejle. She is from Denmark, but lives in Norway. Her paper cuttings are incredible and I love the stories they tell. They inspire me when I work as many of my designs start out as a paper cutting. In fact, I will have a new design coming soon that was indeed a paper cutting.

So take a little hop into Karen's (Bit as she is called) world. There are two video's I think you will really enjoy.

Bit in action from Karen Bit Vejle on Vimeo.


Hugs and see you back here next week!

Michelle and the Bunnies

An Amazing Wool Artist - Inger Johanne Rasmussen

Hi my sweet! Hope you are having a good week so far. I got a bit of a cold over the weekend, but I'm feeling much better now. Mother nature has been a bit crazy for sure!

It's been a while since I shared an artist that I admire, so I thought it would be fun to do that today. Her name is Inger Johanne Rusmussen and she lives in Oslo, Norway. I found her work to not only be beautiful, but captivating as well. They are very large pieces she creates with wool she dyes herself.

Enjoy this video and let me know what you think. :)


Hugs to you,
Michelle and the bunnies

Mid- Atlantic Quilt Festival

Hi ya! How's your week going so far? I have been spoiled by some really warm weather. I know it won't last long. It was 76 yesterday and by Saturday it will be 36. Poo! It's ok though, it gives me a perfect reason to stay inside and stitch over the weekend. :)

Speaking of stitching, Jules and I are over the moon excited about all our new family members who have joined us on the journey down Briarside Lane. We can hardly wait to show you the next block! There is a tab at the top of the blog where all the posts for Briarside Lane will be so you can easily access them. There is also some photos of what Jules did with her "Bumblebee Cottage." Remember, this entire journey is about inspiring your artistic spirit. We would love for you to share photos of your creative journey with us. You can email me photos or you can share them on The Raspberry Rabbits Facebook page.

Next, I am sooooooooooooo excited to share this with you! I have been attending the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival for over 20 years. It's such a fun show with incredible quilts and lots of shopping! I applied to be a vendor there well over a year ago. I knew the waiting list would be long as I have been told it could take up to 7 years to be accepted. Well, I got accepted!

So, if you are around Hampton, VA next month, I would love for you to hop over and see me! Here's more information on Quilt Fest. 

Have a fun rest of your week and I'll see you back here next Wednesday!

Light, love and hugs,
Michelle and the Bunnies

Briarside Lane - The Journey Begins

Welcome travelers!

The journey down Briarside Lane is not only about completing a project, but inspiring your artistic spirit -- the spirit that seems to get lost as we grow older.

In a world where everything moves so quickly and things are simply "reproduced," our wish is that you take time to stop and enjoy the moments and peacefulness which comes from making something with your own hands.

The patterns, as well as the photos of our work, are meant to guide you as you build the quilt blocks. However, we encourage you to use other methods of stitching, colors and even fabrics to create an individual piece. A piece that is a reflection of your own creativity.

So come and join our journey down Briarside Lane. A quiet country road that meanders gently through the British countryside, with hidden surprises around every corner. It's a rather special place.

We'll be walking, but don't worry, there's no traffic here! We may go miles and miles through different counties of Britain and many changing landscapes. We never quite know where we're going to stop or what we might see next. We just know that it will be worth stopping for!

The Back Story: Britain's varied landscape, nature, and historic past have always captivated Jules. Traveling along Briarside Lane is a journey from her imagination, but it's full of real life places and events which reflect some of the unique treasures of the British Isles. All of these special memories make her heart beat a little faster. We hope some of that magic appears for you , as you stitch a little bit of Britain in the USA. 

Bumblebee Cottage - our first stop on the journey.

It's been a beautiful day, hiking along the lane. Sitting at the bottom of the wooded hill, is the cottage. Its freshly thatched roof gleams golden in the sunshine on the warm, summer evening. The air is full of enticing scents -- the fresh, clean smell of new mown grass and the heady perfume of the old rambler rose that clambers over the worn wooden porch. Nothing can be heard but the "thrum" of the bees as they meander through the borders gathering pollen, and the gentle "coo" of a wood pigeon hiding in the tall conifers.

We stop, leaning a little on the garden gate and drink in the scene. Then we open the gate and go down the path. A delicious supper awaits, then a retreat to the garden and later a cozy feather bed before we continue our journey.

The Back Story: Years ago, out walking along a country lane in the beautiful Malvern Hills of Herefordshire, Jules rounded a bend and discovered a tiny, ancient cottage with a picturesque garden. The whole image looked as if it had been pulled straight from a book of fairy tales. Next to the front gate was a small post box, bearing a polite notice for the postman, "Please do not use the post box until further notice. It is being used by a family of nesting Chickadees." The house was called "Bumblebee Cottage," which she thought was simply delightful and just the place she would love to live!

Briarside Lane will be a mystery quilt, but as mentioned above, we want to inspire your artistic spirit. So, when you purchase the e-pattern, you will not only receive the instructions to make the block in wool (or cottons if you like), but you will receive an embroidery version for FREE.

We also have Valdani size 12 perle cotton kits available. This kit will be used for all the blocks.

In addition, we will be offering National Nonwovens blended Wool Kits for each of the blocks.

The e-patterns, thread and wool kits will all be sold separately. Pick and choose as you like. So hop on over HERE to the SHOP to get what you need for Bumblebee Cottage. While you are there, you can also pick up Soft Fuse fusible web and embroidery needles if you need them.

We are ever so delighted to have you with us. What a wonderful journey it will be!

Hugs to our Raspberry Rabbits family,
Michelle and Jules