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

Happy Canada Day!

I wanted to sneak this post in for June, I missed May completely and June has been frantic. Thank you for your great support of the Patriotic Sampler - American Style, it was so fun to do, the three colours just look grand together. And seeing as we are just a few days away from our own Celebration of Canada Day I thought I should say that I am working right now on a Canada Sampler- either to be called 'True North Free' or 'Home and Native Land' or something like that. It will be released at EAC Seminar next year -right here in Calgary. Thank you to all who made Celebration of Needlework in New Hampshire, such a success. It was loads of work but so very rewarding. Our Bird box class was jammed and I appreciated everyone accommodating the larger number. The sweet little Celebrate piece has such happy colours - I used  Poppy from Garden Cottage Threads in Australia, it makes the class happy to work on it.The booth turned out well with help from Karen Kubla - Rosewood Manor who lent me some hooks for hanging. And it was enjoyable to have Tracy Horner from Ink Circles, and Liz Westlake across from me - we had some good laughs. It was awesome to meet Beth Seal from Summer House stitche workes  and Janis Note of Noteworthy Needle.  Pam Reed from Olde Colonial Designs does a great job holding  this event. I must say my first day in Montreal I was not moving very fast, thank goodness my friend has figured me out and knows I am recuperating.... <grin> I am working steadily away on my lessons in Italian whitework and schalwm. It is going well, but I have come to realize that I like things to go fast..... and while that is fine on regular cross stitch, it is not so much on counting and cutting...... and cutting! But I am becoming more patient and learning to be more tidy...... From Montreal I was off to see family in southern Ontario and as always there is not enough time to fit all those fun things in. But I did get some 'croquetten' to eat, which I love.

Once I was home it was boxes piled in my office of the new Patriotic piece and off we were shipping and filling orders, and then it was the end of June just like that!

Thank you to the Edmonton Needlecraft Guild for hosting a lovely evening, we had some great potluck dishes at the supper and then show and tell and I did a little presentation. I think we all enjoyed ourselves immensely,  my drive up to Edmonton was just beautiful and I got a breakfast with my daughter out on a patio the next morning so it was indeed a treat.

I am also working on all our NEW stuff for the St. Charles fall needlecraft market. I have never done the fall market as it always seemed to fall when I was doing fall classes but seeing as how it is in August this year, I am going! Look for the new fall and Christmas pieces to come. We will be doing an exclusive piece for the market that shop owners who come to the market will be able to have for 1 month prior to other shops. A special thanks to those that attend.

It is a funny long weekend here as Canada Day falls on Tuesday July 1 - so lots of people are extending it by adding in the Monday and having a nice 4 day- enjoy everyone! And to the stitchers that celebrate July 4 may you have a lovely long weekend the following weekend and may both our countries continue to enjoy our peaceful border.

Cheers, jeannette

On to Celebration of Needlework

Really I should have posted when I returned from Florida - I had the best time! Great event, great ladies, we had a blast. Thank you ladies for making it a most memorable time from start to finish. Cathy Coggins from Needlecraft World had us all set up in lovely suites and a great stitching classroom, it was terrific and of course the weather couldn't have been better for a northerner. Lots of fun had by all and I see by some posts that there are quite a few who are done their sampler - hats off you too! 'Sunshine Welcome' for sure. Thank you to the 'English' ladies who made the trip over the pond for the retreat. What an absolute treat to see you and I cherish that you took the time to come. I love it so - that when I come home and see facebook posts, I know who you are!! That is wonderful. Now on to the next event! Celebration of Needlework! If you have never been .... it is a must! Lots of teachers, shopping booths, and excitment galore! My first time I was very intimidated and I felt like the wall flower girl at a prom dance... I reverted to my grade 3 shy self - but hey you know I am not really that way! - just when it is all so new.... but now, I love it!! I look forward to seeing you all there, it is such a good event. There are round robins, there is shopping for things we love, there is friendships made  and friendships to nuture and things to be learned in the classes. See you there next week! In each class I am doing I am basically full; but I could make 2 more kits so I did... so there may be some room to join in on site.

New releases- Finally yes, I will be releasing the Patritotic Sampler that I did for a class in Massachusetts last year. We are just waiting for it to come from the printer and some of the threads for the kits... hopefully this week - so I can send them on to the distributors for the shops to order. But then of course with me being gone to NH - it will probably all get pushed to the middle of May when I return to deal with it all. With it I am releasing 2 accessory kits that are very cute too. One is Flag Needlekeep  and the other is Stars Pyn Roll-they both will have all the threads( The Gentle Art Simply Wool) and buttons and Weeks Dye Workds Wool backing Felt fabric to stitch it with in the kits. I will post the items in the blog here below.

After New Hampshire and CofN - I will go to Montreal to spend a few days with a great teacher who has taken classes in Europe on Italian Whitework and Schwalm etc. - so I too can learn new things and help me to grow in my craft! Then I will fly on to Toronto and area and see my sisters and families and friends. Always nice to fit in a little family time! And Charland Garvin you must keep an afternoon open for me, looking forward to seeing you!

Patriotic Sampler - is done on 32 ct Lambswool using Gloriana Threads silk, Classic Colorworks silk and various buttons and charms. An emb. pack is available. Stars Pin and Scissors Roll & Flag Needlekeep are both stitched on 32 ct Natural using The Gentle Art Simply Wool threads and Weeks Dye Works Wool Felt for finishing, and includes the buttons - in separate kits. These kits are only available through JDD. The sampler is available through the distributors.

On a sadder note, we lost a very lovely stitchy lady a few weeks ago to cancer who was dear to my heart - Gina Reyes - she came to alot of my classes whether they were near or far and I will miss her smiling cheerful face in class and her friendship. I think this is the gift of my work in designing.... the instant bond that stitching creates in us. Thank you Gina for making my life the richer for knowing you. Patriotic Sampler was the last class she took with me.

I had so very much fun the Patterned Pretties and so have done a new one with SPRING colours - and I have a couple more coming.... #7 that you see here is available now and #8 is almost ready, and #9 and #10 are being stitched (PS. I have pulled out most of 9 so we begin again...!), they have been very enjoyable for me, a little of a challenge because of specialty stitches, but the challenge has been colour too - it doesn't always go together just because you think it should! ha! It is turning out to be a little lesson in colour and pattern for me, oh it's the best - I love that. Well not the restitching mind you.... but the playing....

So as we finally get spring here in Calgary I love that I can eat my lunch outside on the deck, and that things are finally turning green from that awful brown. It is very much a renewal - the spring on the prairies. Enjoy spring wherever you are and see you soon.

On the Stars  Pin and Scissors Roll; there is scissors fob shown, it is a free pattern for you and I hope I did this right - this should be the link to do the pdf.  Scissors Fob -Free pattern_1

As always, enjoy, stitch happy. Jeannette