It was a lovely weekend indeed. My niece had all of us Douglas’ over for a wonderful time with family. We always look forward to catching up with each other. I finally felt recuperated somewhat from the week of festivities in Utah! The theme for the Shepherd’s Bush retreat was Christmas, so I can say festivities with gusto and mean it. By now you have seen some pretty scary pictures of me on facebook! ack! either in total concentration because I did not want to make a mistake at the till with Tina or like a crazy woman showing the design for the retreat at the big reveal on Thursday Sept 27. Haha… I laughed at them. And then that Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers took the most amazing pictures and then one of me photo bombing her shot! Check out her blog – she wrote a great overview and super pictures of our time in Utah -http://plumstreetsamplers.typepad.com/ what a treat to spend some time with Paulette, we both enjoyed every minute. So I feel I don’t need to repeat her great rendition on her blog! Thanks Paulette. Another wonderful blog on the retreat is from Bonny Woomer -http://thenebbyneedle.blogspot.ca/ – she is a new designer on the block, doing some lovely things and she did a super write up of the retreat also. Thanks Bonny! I am afraid there is not much from me…. I came home last Monday and have been working tons on my further events for October – this weekend at Camp Chief Hector out in the mountains for Stitching Corner here locally and then next weekend in Portland for Acorns and Threads.

I just have to say that spending time with fellow designers is terrific. Sometimes I feel in a bubble all wrapped up in my own concerns, so it is so nice to share. I had some great times with Pat and Ann from R& R Reproductions, I always say I want to repin everything they do on pinterest so you know from that – that you like the same things…. it’s nice and comfy that way. It was so great to get to know Linda  Lautenschlager  of Chessie and Me- I had to go check her website to see how to spell her last name and good grief, she has a great blog on the retreat too! Okay I feel totally bad that I didn’t take pictures and do a story, but here is her’s too, check it out too – http://chessieandme.blogspot.ca/ – this way you can see them all and enjoy a variety – that’s my excuse…… Thanks Linda, we had fun and you forgave me for that first day where I kept calling you “Chessie” instead of Linda….. I totally kept doing it too!  What can I say about that “Charland’ but that she is the best. I hope you read my little JCS story with the ornament because it is about Charland! Charland always brings her fabulous sense of humour and I love it. It was Ann’s birthday at the beginning of retreat and Sydney of Charland Designs at the end so we had birthday festivities too! Cece of The Thread Gatherer did a wonderful project for one of the evenings at retreat and I am always amazed at her talent. She can do so many things and be good at them all! Tina and Teri – well they do put on an awesome retreat. It is an event!! and amidst all that planning and fun stuff for retreat a great sampler design yet too.

As I look to the next events on my calender I can only say “WOW” what an awesome 2013 we will have!! Look for it to come on the events page soon, and yes we are working on the website….. renewal coming up soon. I need to firm a couple of dates yet for next year and then I can post that. But of course the Hawaiian cruise is set – April 6th 2013 – see pdf on front page of the website.

Well Calgary and area ladies, looking forward to seeing you on the weekend! Hope the weather gets nicer…. and Portland ladies, I am thrilled to come again, and you are going to love the project!! It turned out great and we have some nice surprises for you!  See you soon, jeannette

Well in Calgary there is a distinct crispness in the air especially in the morning. I bought a couple of big mums to put out at the front door, I love those! I took a picture with my phone and maybe I will post a picture of those beauties.

New releases this fall include the following:

In the ‘STITCHES’ series we have Pumpkin Stitches, with some absolutely lovely oranges, that was a challenge for me who hardly ever uses orange, lots of reds but not necessarily orange. It was fun. It has a thread pack available with the great handpainted pumpkin charm. Also in the ‘STITCHES’ series is Apple Stitches, what is fall but a wonderful fresh apple. Again also a thread pack with this pattern, but no charm funnily enough, it just didn’t seem to need it with those big apples in it.

I have to tell you, I designed this next piece called “Christmas Sampler’ on white fabric, I had so much fun and enjoyed the colour palette, but it also called to me in the more natural, primitive colours, so yes, I did it both ways. In the chart is White Winter and Au Naturale – both charts in one leaflet, just the thread pack is packaged either one way or the other, so depending on what you want to stitch you can get the white glitzy number… or the primitive au naturale stlye. Nearly all the motifs were the same but one, it is just the colour changes that make the difference!

Then of course, we have had so much fun with the pincushions, that yes with the help from Just Another Button Company we did Hallowe’en Quaker Pincushions and Christmas Quaker Pincushions. I designed one pincushion like the original and the others are different quaker motifs again to make these. The finishing remains the same the WDW Wool Fabric and JABC has packaged up the buttons and pins in a button/pin pack in whatever colour you might want! It is awesome.

In a couple of weeks I am off to Ogden, UT to go to the Shepherd’s Bush event, what a treat to be invited again to this wonderful retreat in Park City. I hope that I get to meet you again or for the first time and look forward to seeing you all. And you know that I had fun with the theme for the event and have some great smalls to go with it! It’s going to be great!!

Then come mid October off to the west coast I go…. to Portland, OR – Acorns and Threads – and you who signed up with no idea of what I was doing…. I love you! you made my day! I look forward to seeing you and sharing in our wonderful passion for needlework.

Just a quick note on the Just Cross Stitch Issue of Sept./Oct. that has Pumpkin Sampler in it – I do have thread packs for this design available, just email me at info@jeannettedouglas.com or shop@jeannettedouglas.com

May your autumn be filled with colourful events just like the season!

In the mail came a lovely note and picture this week, that I want to share with you from Marilyn Skuce of Port Stanley, ON. She writes: Thanks to both of you for creating and publishing “Summer at the Ocean” (Jeannette’s) and ” Seaside Garden Sampler” (Thea of Victoria Sampler). It has been a goal to stitch a design to reflect our waterside retirement home. Finding …both designs, I’ve been able to accomplish this goal.

The design is built around my Haiku poem…

Summer… tranquil, cool. ebb, flow

driftwood…relax, sand ripples,

peaceful waves….welcome.

I’ve added 3 local restaurants in their traditional paint colours….

Neale at Thread and Eye in London, ON has worked his magic to mat and frame this design.”

Marilyn what a treat you created. By expanding the rows of water and sand you have created a peaceful tranquil place on this piece of fabric that extends outward. Thank you for sharing, and now I share with you all.

Summer at the Ocean(JDD) _ Seaside Garden Sampler(VS)

Marilyn's Seaside/Ocean Sampler Framed

Just a little piece of news, look for your latest edition of Just Cross Stitch as there is a lovely Pumpkin Sampler in there from JDD, I hope that I can get the instructions finished in time to release ‘Pumpkin Stitches’ the new piece in the Stitches Series set. Also look for Apple Stitches, it is done and waiting to be printed. Also new will be a Christmas Sampler, I haven’t done Christmas since about 10 years ago, so it was high time! I had so much fun with this that I did it 2 ways! One is called White Winter and the other Au Naturale…. I think the titles give it away…..

While many parts of the continent have very high temps, we in Alberta are enjoying a lovely summer. At the beginning of July Dale and I took a week to go to Whitefish, MT. We had a super week, weather was terrific and all the July 4th celebrations are always a sight to behold to Canadians. On my JDD facebook page I think I posted a picture of both the CDN and US flag flying that week, that was so nice to see. So we celebrated July 1 – Canada Day in America! It was great. On the way home we took the way through Glacier National Park, it was awesome, there are just no other words. If you have never done the “Going to the Sun” road it is a must at some point. We have done it a few times and each time it gives awe inspiring visuals. We had a perfect day and once at the top – Logan’s Pass – you could see mountain flowers side by side with glaciers, so neat to see. We saw mountain goats too, with a little baby goat, so cute.

This will be the first year in many that I will have a few autumn releases, it always seems that my classes take up so much time, but even though I have classes and busyness…… as usual! I did work on some general releases. Look for them to come in September. Working on the instructions and covers etc. in August after I get back from my niece’s wedding in Ontario!

So looking forward to Shepherd’s Bush retreat Sept 26-29th! An absolute delight to go! and the bonus is that they are in my time zone!! Mountain time, terrific to go to an event and not have to do time change. In October I will be at Acorns and Threads in Portland, OR – October 20,21. The pieces are surprises – but totally fun!! Looking forward to sharing them with you all!

Here is picture of Lake McDonald in the Glacier National Park, did you know that it is connected to Waterton Lakes National Park in Southern Alberta to make one -they (the US and Canada) created the world’s first International Peace Park: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (WGIPP) in 1932-it’s kinda cool.

Lake McDonald July 2012 in Glacier National Park

Although you saw Strawberry Stitches in the Just Cross Stitch Issue last spring, I thought that for those of you that missed this lovely pattern you could enjoy it now! It is the 10th in the ‘STITCHES’ series and is a pleasure to see unfolding as you stitch it. I love eating strawberries so I was sure I would love stitching them too! I am just working on a strawberry pin button to put on the freebie page for you…. not quite ready, I have to finish it into the button, finally found a mold to fit. There is an embellishment package available as always with  a lovely mixture of Thread Gatherer Silk N Colors, Soie d’Alger, Belle Soie, Gloriana Silk and some Mill Hill beads and a By Jupiter Charm. I couldn’t find a handpainted one that was cost effective!

I also have to share the ‘Garden Secrets -Autumn Set’ It turned out great. I put all nine into a quilt, wonderful gal here in Calgary put it into a quilt for me and Flo stitched into a finished quilt and it turned out great. These again are like the spring series which I did in 9 parts but this way you get all 9 at a much better price point, because I don’t have to do nine covers and nine sets of printing, and nine frames….! It uses the lovely Crescent Colours Floss and The Gentle Art Sampler and Simply Shaker threads. I again worked from a wee bit of blackwork and made nine little autumn themed pieces that can be used in any fashion you think might be interesting.

I am steadily working on my stuff for fall, have some done, some not SO done! but it is all coming together. My work is out on some trunk shows, so get to see them at Mom and Me Forever in Bethalto, Illinois and at Cross My Heart Columbus, Ohio.

Always fun to look forward to summer, enjoy your holidays if and when you get them, I know from working in nursing for 30 years, it was not always a given that you got summer holidays. Just when I had lots of seniority I go and quit to do this!! <grin>

In stitching, jeannette