Kennebunkport, Maine. Martha ran the workshop and Michelle ran the house. We stitched and ate, drank and laughed, went for numerous swims in the pool barn, and played a killer, mean-girls game of Sevens with tons of talking smack and acting out. My ribs hurt from laughing by the end of the game.

We meant to design a patch commemorating the weekend, but it fell off the bottom of the list. Here's one version I designed using the art from a greeting card Martha found.

I came home from the weekend and had a minor surgery scheduled for my left hand. It’s been driving me crazy to just sit here in front of the TV without holding my embroidery hoop, stitching away. There are so many projects I want to do, and my overalls are calling… Fortunately I can edit photos and blog with one hand in a sling.

Margo helped me to pin on most of the birds I had embroidered for my Aviary Ovies.

My brother-in law Richard drew these sweet little leaves for me. I’m putting them on the cuffs and straps of my non-bird ovies. Rocking the French knots! Honestly, I can not draw a straight line, but I can stitch through the paper and follow an outline. I have even figured out how to fill in the different areas with satin stitches.

Skill levels in the group ranged from never having threaded a needle or sewn on a button, to some seriously talented stitchers.

So, what’s up with the overalls? Well, our sister Martha is a fabric artist (among her many other talents), and she is part of an overalls art collective. They make art, the overalls are the canvas. There’s also an ongoing project called Overalls 365. A few folks are wearing overalls everyday, or part of each day in a year, and journaling, patching and stitching away on them. It’s born out of a reaction to the fact that most folks wear a piece of clothing just about seven times before they dispose of it. While researching these folks’ art, I recently discovered a huge community of Sashiko stitchers, and that is another fabric story I previously knew nothing about. You can learn more by visiting on Instagram #overallsartcollective and #365oac.

Kate made this gorgeous sunflower for her ovies. I love the way the petals extend beyond the denim.

The workshop was originally scheduled for Friday through Monday, but with eleven inches of snow predicted on Friday, Michelle invited us all to drift in from midday Thursday on, to beat the storm.