The Four Seasons full circle

How are you doing with your fall projects? I can say that, it is the first day of fall! As many of you probably saw in the news - we went from summer to winter in one day Sept 8th or something like that, we have recovered nicely and it has been in the 20's Celsius and 70's Fahrenheit, since then, a nice little break before more cooler fall temperatures. The trees are turning and it is lovely. I had lunch outside, I love doing that. The title this month reflects a few things, one that I finished my picture of the four seasons out of my office window and the other that we are saying good bye to our beloved dog Cleo. I can't really write this without tears,  so forgive me. Her life has come full circle and we loved the companionship, the love, the excited greetings- even if we were away only an hour,  and the many many walks we took over the years. It will be lonely without her but we have 'Walter' the dog next door, who has wormed his way into our hearts and I am sure will give his 0700 howl to get us to open the door to let him in for the day.

Doing the Fall needlecraft market was terrific but it has made me a little slower in getting my class materials done for teaching. The push to do the show and then get all classes done before I start on a busy teaching schedule has made everything quite tight. I like a little breathing room and I seem to have a million notes on my desk of to do's and not to forget to's! Every night for the last week I have gotten up and wrote a little note to not forget this or that. Needless to say sleep has not been my friend. But we are totally looking forward to this weekend to go to Portland, OR and see and the stitchers there. This is my 5th time back to this group of ladies - well maybe 6th- and I so look forward to seeing everyone! Acorns and Threads owner Jeannine is an avid reader of the same books as myself, so we also have 'book' talk that we need to get in too besides stitching!! Ladies, hope your pre-stitching went well and I think we will have fun with the project. See you soon!

I am flying from Portland to Kalispell, MT where I have a week of a bit of holiday for me, with my family, having the Fall show in St. Charles in the summer, made it so that I did not get away in the summer so we are taking a week now. Hence my big push to get everything done for Shepherd's Bush retreat too. I get back for our Thanksgiving and then off to SLC for that retreat. So as the retreat in Park City gets closer I have several piles on my floor and I totally had the wrong chart packed to take for Acorns - but I caught it and we are all good.

And so the fall begins with many changes to adjust to....

Hope to see you at an event this fall,  I am looking forward to seeing new and 'old' friends!

As ever, jeannette

Home from the Fall Market

Home from the Fall Needlecraft Market. It was a terrific show - thank you to all the attending shops for making it so. But oh my it was warm, so happy for air conditioning. Hope you  have been able to see some of the new things released at market, there are some great treats to stitch this fall.

I will sum up my new releases here for you, enjoy.                                                                        Happy Acorn Harvest is an acorn sampler that can be made into an e reader cover if you like, both are pictured on the front of the leaflet. Out of having so much fun with acorns I continued the theme and created a set of accessories - Happy Fall Accessories, including a long pincushion using 2 kinds of fabric and banding over the join. A needleroll scissors fob and a small needlebook that also holds your scissors. These were a fun set and I had my woodworker create a tiny little wood acorn charm to add to these smalls in any way you might like - I attached one to the needleroll with the pin, and one to the pinroll with beading and rather pleased with both! He has some acorn thimble holders and acorn needlecases and acorn tape measures which I brought to market, a wonderful little addition to your acorn set!

I added to the gift tags - in spring I had done some thank you tags etc. and here ready for Christmas use are some holiday themed gift tags for your gifting pleasure - the words on the tags are as follows: Joy to thee dear friend, Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth, Peace to thee and to thee Peace. This gives you options to choose from to get just the right one for your friend. The little kits come with the threads and pattern, the brown wooden tag is sold separately.

Two new additions to the 'A most suitable Name Series' in Devoted Dorothy and Modest Mildred. My husband's mom's name was Mildred so I was thrilled to use it and Dorothy came to mind as I worked with a most lovely co worker nurse named Dorothy and it made a great fit to continue the alliteration to use Devoted. I love these older names that were popular in the early 1900's , they exude a charm all of their own.

The Christmas season will be here before we know it and so I have released Be Merry and Bright Sampler. It is done in the longer thinner version of the band sampler, so a rather quick stitch once you begin and you get to use Lorikeet Wool from Gloriana Threads and Simply Wool from The Gentle Art. A fun stitch, to use something else. It also gives great dimension. Two little seasonal accessory items match this sampler - 1) Stocking bag - comes with the threads and the bag to put the completed stitching on and Be Jolly Needleroll - a fun little Christmas cracker or ornament.

Joy Banner is great specialty stitch piece done in Classic Colorworks handdyed  perle cotton and Gloriana Threads Duchess Silk which is so soft but like perle cotton in thickness. It is stitched on 18ct Tula and hangs just perfectly on a mantle for Christmas - this is the 30 day market attendee special. Mid Sept it will be at the distributor.

And as you all know because I go on about it, I have 3 new pin pillows in the Patterned Pretties series.... which I am beginning to think I have a problem..... as I have more ideas on these than time to stitch them. So we now have #8,9 and 10 - check them out, they might be your colour! It's been a fun play with colour and pattern for sure, and learning as I go.

Lastly a little piece of Hallowe'en - Hallowee'n Acorn House - a tiny little acorn shaped house- I can just imagine little acorn people living in it!

Happy Stitching, till next time... as ever, jeannette

Going to the Fall Needlecraft Market in St. Charles, MO

How to get ready in the summer..... it's not easy. In Calgary we have a few short months of lovely weather..... they are mid June to mid Sept.- the needlecraft market falls in August here in a few short weeks, and I have been literally sweating it out. It has been a warm summer for us - above 80F - around 28- 32C - no laughing in the southern part of the states... about our temperatures.... haha! and it has been calling me outside, not behind my computer! Nevertheless, we do have new things for market! I was approached in the spring to do a St. Charles exclusive for 30 days and that is the 'Joy' Banner pattern. It is on 18ct. Tula and stitched with Duchess Silk - which is like perle cotton but overdyed - quite soft and lovely. One of the colours is a Perle Cotton overdyed from Classic Colorworks, the others are Duchess  from Gloriana Threads. After 30 days any shop may order this pattern, it is only exclusive to shops that attend market for the 30 days. There is a thread pack with the silk and perle cotton in it.

The other new items are a variety of some new Christmas Gift Tags on the boards we used in the spring for the Thank you gift tags and because I cannot stop designing new pin pillows we have more Patterned Pretties. For some reason I am addicted to these things.... I may have to just put them in one big sampler or something!! But then that would detract from why I like them, each one is a different colour play and that must be what I like.... still colouring in my 50's! The gift tags come with the threads necessary to stitch it and the patterned pretties come with the silk threads and the wool backing to complete.

Two new samplers are being released. One with a Christmas Theme with some matching smalls and one with an Acorn Theme and matching Accessories. All these patterns have thread packs available to help you get the necessities. Two new additions to the series 'A most Suitable Name' - maybe it might be your name! These have been a joy to do. I just love the little women and changing her clothes!<grin>

We have reprinted the Patriotic Sampler as I did not realize how that would sell! Thank you! There is a  new group on Facebook called the 'Star Spangled Stitchers' and I will be the first featured designer so check it out! Fun!

I think that brings you up to date - so check back after the show for pictures of our new items. Always great to share. And my featured picture here is my view in summer from my office, now we have done all four seasons. It was inspiration from my daughter  Sylvia who took a picture of her street in the four seasons that spurred me on.

Oh yes, I almost forgot our events this fall - don't miss out.

Acorns and Threads -Portland, OR - Sept 27,28/14.

Shepherd's Bush- Ogden, UT -Oct 15 -19/14.

Spokane, WA -Oct 20,21/14.

Saskatoon, SK -Nov 1,2/14.

How lovely for me, all in the west. Cheers, jeannette

PS - late next fall 2015- exciting new trip with Cruise Ship Centers, The Silver Needle and JDD (me) to cruise from Nuremburg, Germany to Budapest, Hungary on a River Cruise Ship! Contact - jbradford@cruiseshipcenters.com - Judy Bradford