Ahhh home...

Hope you are all enjoying some lovely weather and getting a few stitches done outside. I got to enjoy a great weekend with my family – my daughters and husband and of course Cleo. We enjoyed every minute as the weather was great which always helps. The picture is of us girls on the streetcar railway behind the 1891 CPR train museum in Edmonton where my one daughter works. The other daughter graduated from University this past month and we are proud of her accomplishments. The other picture is of the girls and my husband standing at the Alberta Legislature Buildings.

I have finished 2 more of the Garden Secrets series and they are at the framer so.... soon we will release them. We just need to do the cover!! Coming this month.

I am madly working on my fall classes some are done; some are in transition; and some are NOT! But we are well on the way and things seem to be falling into place for everything. The designs are coming together better than expected, but I suppose I percolated so long that I had time to sort it out in my head, so then it was just a matter of getting time on the computer to generate the drawings from the sketches and research already done!

I have to tell you that my trip to Where Victoria's Angels Stitch in New Jersey was terrific, the class was thrilled with the piece and my something 'extra' - well.... what can say but-  that I loved that they loved it as much as I did! Dale, my husband was able to get away from his work and come out to NYC and toodle about after teaching which was just super. Despite pouring rain at times we had just a great time.

Okay so I love flower pictures.... I know, they are my favourite... I think I need a new camera just for taking flower pictures! ha!

After having a bit of a difficult day on the Friday getting out of NYC to fly upstate NY to Rochester, yes my flight was cancelled and I had to fly to Buffalo and then of course that was midnight by the time I got there and then it was that the luggage still went to Rochester, arg! But even after a fitful start we had 2 lovely days in Rochester at Golden Thread Needlearts, the place to hold the event in was terrific, the chairs for the stitchers the most comfortable ever!

My sister came to pick me up in Buffalo as both sisters live just over the Niagara River on the Canadian side and I had a  few days with my family in Ontario, it was great. We went up to the Lilac gardens in Hamilton, wow so many different lilacs, I never knew!

So now we are looking at the fall, I am unable to do Baltimore - due to a late change to this venue from St. Charles we had the JDD Alaskan Cruise already booked and I felt it was a bit much to run out to Baltimore prior to the cruise.

I will be going to St. Charles in September but to teach for Celebrations, seeing how I had already sorted myself to go there I thought I may as well go,  just in a different capacity. If you have ever been interested in an event, do try Celebrations it is a thoroughly exciting time  and all about stitching, the thing we love to do! There are vendors and teachers brought together under one roof ,  building new friendships and you get to see lots!

In October I will be at Stitcher's Hideaway retreat in Mystic, such a beautiful part of the country and then on to Dyeing to Stitch's retreat in Virigina Beach, again wonderful to be at the sea! I look forward to seeing you all.... it will be great!

Have a great summer ahead!

And off to New York and New Jersey!

Yes, can you believe it, I really did just come back from New Brunswick and here were are leaving again, it was a fast 4 days at home. And yes, spring has finally arrived in Calgary, we were all despairing that it would never come. It has been a long cold winter.It was just truly great in Sackville, New Brunswick at Mount Allison University for the EAC Seminar. I met just the best ladies, we had 4 fun and learning filled days of stitching. I love how the classes pan out and we all learn from each other. I had a day on Prince Edward Island and got to sit in the garden at Anne of Green Gables! Now I am off tomorrow to teach at Where Victoria's Angels Stitch and wow what a project that we will work on, I am very excited to show them. No hints! But I love it and it is very dear to my heart. Then next weekend I will be at Golden Thread Needlearts and another wow project - okay maybe one hint, I totally love this one too, it has my love of fonts/alphabets in it! I am working my fall classes..... and on the other pieces that will add into the Garden Secrets series that started with One Key, Two Tulips at Nashville, then One Bird and Three Bees in April, and now we will have 5 more in the next months to come in the Spring/Summer type feel for a total of 9. The ones that were seen in the Needlework Retailer ad - Three Poppies and One Acorn have a fall/autumn feel, so I decided to make it 2 sets of Garden Secrets as the colour choices just lended themselves to a seasonal theme. Happy stitching, jeannette

A busy Spring

Yes, can you believe it, I am leaving again very early Monday am. I think I just got home didn’t I? It sure feels like it. I couldn’t write upon return from my fabulous trip to Toronto and Needleworker’s Marketplace and then the Stitchville USA Spring Fling as I would have only spouted off my feelings of complete overwhelmingness(is that a word?)…. I took alot on and was really feeling the pressure, but….. YAY! I am almost done, and not a moment too soon as I leave in the morning for Sackville, New Brunswick and EAC Seminar!! How exciting! We shipped our boxes this past week… with my nails all bitten off because the fabric was delivered at only the very latest day it could; but come it did; although Pat at Lakeside and I were having fit with the border keeping the shipment way way too long…. oh it was an awful feeling. But all is good. I can say that now, so I can write without feeling sorry for myself anymore.

The events in Toronto and Minnetonka were totally awesome. I think just the best part of both was so many of you stitchers – are repeat attendees ( if you know what I mean! …. I love seeing you again that’s what I mean!) and took the time to come to either event and I just love that we can continue where we left off and share our lives for those few days and feel the sense of belonging that the stitching gives us.

So it’s off to seminar and meeting stitchers at the Maritime event. What a treat. I get to go see the Anne of Green Gables house, which I have always wanted to do ever since I designed Atlantic Seaboard in which the Heirs of L. M. Montgomery foundation so kindly let me use the house in the design.

The 2 new pieces for Where Victoria’s Angels Stitch in Clifton, NJ and Golden Thread Needlearts in Rochester, NY are beyond my expectation! I am so so excited for you to see. They both turned out so special and I am delighted.

Check with Pam at Red Apple Stitchery for a celebratory pattern of her 20 years in business! It’s applicious( okay I made that word up too!)

Looking forward to meeting you all again or for the first time. Don’t hesitate to come and talk to me, it’s what it is all about…. our shared love of stitching.

Jeannette xx