Back in the USA

We returned home yesterday from England, we had a great time, but there is no place like home.

We have so many good memories of the people we met, the places we visited and the things we saw, we will be talking about everything for years to come.

As a member of The Sampler Guild I had the opportunity to visit Belfast, Skipton, Ashford in Kent and several homes. http://www.thesamplerguild.co.uk/
They are great group of people who welcomed me into the guild and treated me as if they had know me forever. I really appreciated all their kindness and hospitality. In a previous posting I posted pictures of the gifts I received, I will enjoy them all and will fondly remember each person who gave them to me.

This is a picture taken at the Linen Museum in Belfast, I had never thought about how linen is made, she is spinning the flax and then the linen is woven on a loom.

I have two places that I visited several times and would go back to again, if any of you ever go to England you should see the Sunbury Embroidery and Hampton Court Palace.

The Sunbury Embroider is an amazing needlework project created by the village of Sunbury. You can go to their web site to see pictures: http://www.sunburyembroidery.co.uk/
There is also, a walled garden and a cafe with freshly baked treats and tea.

The picture is of the sculpture of a French knot, I talked to one of the people at the museum and they are going to have the French knot sculptures, in a small version, to sell. A great gift for someone who loves needlework. There is no charge to visit this museum and pictures are allowed.

My other favorite place is Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry VIII and where the Royal School of Needlework is located. The gardens are beautiful, I have visited them in February, May, July and August the gardeners are always working to keep them in excellent shape. A great place to get ideas for future projects.


Now it is time to get back into a routine at home and make time for stitching everyday, I have a friend who stops working every afternoon at 3:00 to put needles in her hands, either to stitch or knit. I need to remember to do the same everyday, so I will have new pictures to post.

Hope everyone has a nice Labor Day week-end!