Happy New Year!

I hope 2012 is full of love, laughter, quilting and hope for you and yours! My only resolution this year is to get back to blogging more! I got out of the "habit" and its really silly because you know I'm still sewing and am chalk full of opinions! So if you notice I haven't blogged in a while give me a nudge, you can comment, email me or send a tweet! What do you want to change for 2012?

Merry Christmas!

May all of you feel the love and joy that abounds this season. You all are my gift and you have enriched my life by being in it.

To all my nonChristian friends, may all your celebrations be joyful and full of family and love.

Happy Birthday Quilting Gallery!

Mishka is having a blog hop to celebrate Quilting Gallery's 4th Birthday!

The Blog Hop Party starts today and there are all sorts of giveaways all over blogland in celebration! You can visit the site here.

I am not participating as I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment but I wanted to make sure you all get in on the fun!

SeamedUp Poscast

Back in November I did a podcast with Allison of SeamedUp and it's finally posted!
You can listen to me talk about Market, free vs paid in quilting, what's new and awesome, and so much more!
Allison and I spoke for 3 hours and she managed to edit it down to a little over 1! Grab some stitching or do some cutting and listen!

Quilted Wraps!

For my longer time readers you will know I make and sell quilted wraps, which all started with one of my free Moda Bake Shop patterns, Pure Comfort.
I've made a few changes to the design, giving it a square neckline, and making it longer, which have improved them immensely, in my humble opinion.

I've also listed them in my etsy shop!

This is the Red White and Blue version, made using Minik & Simpson's American Primer

I also have ones made with Fig & Plum, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Parisville, Origins, Pure, Eden and Half Moon listed.

I also do custom wraps, I'm currently working on an Alabama one for a friend's mom.

For all my bloggy friends I've made a code to give a 15% discount CHRISTMAS2011, good until next week.

Friendpatch block!

Many months ago the incredibly organized Mme Samm of Sew I Quilt, and Sew We Quilt (formerly Stash Manicure) sent an email out asking for block tutorials for a Block Party on Sew We Quilt. 

Seeing as I love a party, I came up with Friendpatch!
Merging two blocks I'm really liking right now, Friendship Star and a Nine-Patch Four Patches (I'm sure there's actually a name to this one but not sure what it is)

I made the block as a 6" block but it is easily changed to 9 or 12. If you need help changing the size email or comment and I'll be glad to help!

You can check out the directions, and 3 different layout options on Sew We Quilt, and I'd appreciate it if you could leave a comment over there too!

And still we will remember them

I have written my feelings about this day several times since I started blogging and I don't think I have much more to add so I will just repost.
The only thing is that in this time which is seeing the creation of more veterans then any other in modern times we remember that today is not only for the World Wars though, it is to remember ALL veterans of ALL conflicts, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and all members of our peace keeping forces who have given their lives to our great nation's service, and for the dream of a peaceful world for all.
It is also for the families- the husbands and wives, children, parents- and friends of those who serve. They sacrifice so much to support our soliders. Today we must also honour and remember them.


Last year's

    On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month we will remember them.

   Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada, Veteran's Day in the US and Armistice Day in the UK and France. While originally only commemorating the Great War (WWI), and then both World Wars, today we remember all of our veterans of all conflicts, and our Peacekeepers around then world who so bravely serve and fight for our freedoms and way of life. Where ever they are, remember our serving men and women, and their families who stand up for what we as a nation stand for.
Whether in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Rwanda, or Haiti  or those from conflicts further in history, remember the important and great work our men and women have done and continue to do.

  In high school I was very blessed to be able to go to France with a large groups of history students to travel and learn more about the World Wars. We visited so many very important sites, The Somme, Dieppe -the site of one of our greatest defeats and later a great triumph; Vimy Ridge- the site where Canada became nation is the eyes of the world; the Beaches of Normandy; too many cemeteries to count, though the most significant for me was Bayeux.
Bayeux cemetery is a multi-national, mutli-faith cemetery where far too many soldiers are buried. The thing that I remember most though is meeting this beautiful woman who had been in Bayeux when the battle took place there.
She was 16 years old and like so many women of the time took care of the wounded and dying. Every week since then she has tended the Canadian graves at this cemetery. At the time it had been 56 years.
For 56 years this woman tended the graves of those boys, and they were boys 16-22 mostly, who had come to liberate her country from horrors she still will not speak about.
Grave after grave, and so many saying only "To Be Known Only Unto God". Boys no older then I was then. So many heartbreaking inscriptions. To this day I cry when I think about it. So many families left behind.

 On the anniversary of D-Day we were in Bennie-sur-Mer, on Juno Beach. The beach Canada took for the allies in what is still one of the greatest military operations in history. We were invited to march through the town as part of a parade to commemorate the liberation of the town, and at the end to sing O Canada while ground was broken on what would be a memorial centre. People  hung out the windows watching, and when they saw our flags and jackets with the maple leaf they cheered and waved. We heard more the one Vive la Canada! Merci Canada! And these were not just from the elderly who had lived through it, but all ages who had been brought up to remember. I cannot tell you how proud to be Canadian that memory makes me.

Today and everyday may we remember the sacrifices of those who have gone before us, and who go before us now so that we may have our corner of freedom and peace.

 For those who are teachers, please continue to teach our history. We cannot forget the huge sacrifices that have been, and are made every day by not only those who serve in our armed forces, but their families as well. Bring out the old text books with more than one chapter on what has made us.

Bring alive the history, the human sacrifice, the trials and triumphs.

Our country came of age in the midst of horrendous wars. We stood tall when greater nations fell. We volunteered more men per capita then any other nation. We held lines when others ran. We took the field when wave after wave of others had failed. We showed kindness to those who had been so brutally mistreated. Europe does not forget and neither should we.

Be proud of our history and our legacy.
Teach our children to be.
Teaching them that our peace came at a terrible price does not glorify war and violence.
Teach them that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Teach our children that peace is the ultimate goal, but it is not always an easy one.
It takes strength to stand up.
And as Canadians we have long and proud history of standing up.
Teach them to continue that.
Especially when it is hard.
Teach them to call those who do nothing out.
To Stand On Guard. Our anthem is not just another song. Teach it to them.

So that never again will our nation, or any other, ever be called upon to make such a sacrifice again.
Lest we forget.

seamed up! I'm doing an interview!!

Exciting stuff! I'm going to be doing a podcast on Seamed Up tomorrow!! I'll nervous and excited!! I'll let you know when you can download it!

Quilt Market Part 3

Ok I'm getting long winded here so I'll try to shorten up this last post.

So I left of Saturday having finished up at Market, after another awesome dinner and gabfest with the girls I was staying with it was on to the Moda party! A blast was had by all, and incriminating pictures of my dancing may have been published on Fat Quarter Shop's twitter feed. No I'm not giving you links.

 After the Moda party it was on to the meet up of the Modern Quilt Guild, which was at the bar in hotel lobby. Even more awesome people were there and I actually remembered to get some pictures and was able to have a little longer then 2 minute conversations!!
I had to take my glasses off for pictures because I was looking demonic with the glare.
Amy Ellis from the Creative Side flew in, she was hush hush about it so it was a nice surprise!

 The super nice John Adams, aka Quilt Dad. He really is such an awesome guy.

 Fellow Canadian Cheryl Arkison! Who has a book coming out in the Spring!

 Lynette Anderson! I LOVE this woman. She is funny, sweet, smart and talented! What more could you want?

Lynette and John! 

We're not sure what Julie's doing here but it was nice meeting her!

After staying up waaaay to late on Saturday night it was back to Market Sunday. I ran around some more, annoyed some more people and just soaked up the awesomeness.

 I ran into Natalia from Piece N Quilt at the Starbucks, which is the best place to meet people as we all need the caffeine to keep going at such an intense pace. I was so glad to meet her, even though it was only a few minutes.

Jacqueline found this gorgeous little clutch made up in Bari J's Paris Apartment! 

 Presencia threads! These were really gorgeous and I learned a lot from the wonderful ladies at the booth, I'll share more about that later.

Here are some of the awesome Moda designers, which I'm still on cloud 9 over meeting.


And look at that chair! I so want!

I got to get a booked signed by Kay Whitt, Sew Serendipity Bags, which is an awesome books on all levels of bag making.

The evening was spent with Jacqueline and Laine, Sha and Tiffany having had to go back home. We again did the talking and chatting thing, also took a TON of pictures of my quilts and wraps, mostly because Jacqueline is a way better photographer then I am and took pity on me.
I really loved being able to meet and stay with such good friends I'd met through Twitter and the #talknt chat. It made the trip so much less anxiety ridden for me, because no matter what I got that from it and what is more important then friends?
 
Monday was essentially all travel home, but thankfully I had my new little stitchery from Lynette to keep me occupied!

So that was my Market experience more or less. It was incredible, and I would do it again in a heartbeat but am now still so worn out and sore from it all that I've gotten almost nothing done this week.
If you ever get a chance to go to Market, or even Festival, I highly recommend it. Large numbers of quilters gathering to celebrate our craft leads to an immense amount of fun!

Ok so yesterday I covered most of what I did at Schoolhouse, if you want another good detailing of it check out I'm a Ginger Monkey, she went to more sessions then I did, and I think got waaaay better pics!

Fabric 2.0 was a great party Friday night, I have pictures with people that are missing, which is really making me sad, but it was probably one of the best parts of Market for me. I got to meet and talk with so many incredibly talented people in a fairly relaxed setting.
Here is Stephanie from Fat Quarter Shop, she and I email back and forth about #talknt all the time so it was great being able to put a face to the email address.

Sarah Fielke may be one of the funniest people in quilting. She's an Aussie who designs for Lecein, and her book Little Things is now available in the North America.

These little butterfly's Sarah is wearing became on of the must haves of Market, she had tons of them made up in different prints from her St. Ives line.

So from this point on my pictures from Fabric 2.0 are missing and I really could cry about that as I had ones taken with Joanna of Fig Tree, Kate Spain, Melissa from Generation Q Magazine and a host of other really talented and awesome people.

But at Market there is no rest so it went on and so will I!
After a great gabfest with Laine, Jacqueline, Sha, and Tiffany and about 4 hours sleep it was off to the Market floor!

I saw Ellen Medlock, for whom I had done a quilt pattern for, and she had the quilt to show off at Market!

I meet up with Niki from Stitchin Heaven who I just ADORE! I'm going to be so sad when we're not doing charm school etc anymore.

And as I ran around Market I ran into, sometimes litteraly, all sorts of talented people.
The awesome Pat Sloan with Niki! I may have been super hyper so I think Pat may be slightly terrified of me now, though I do have a new Sullivan Ruler to check out and tell you all about!

Like Linda Lum DeBono! 

 In between running into all the awesome people were all the gorgeous booths! I couldn't get over the creativity of so many people. Honestly just mind boggling.

 This is from BasicGrey's booth, Hello Lucious will be out in the spring and it is just stunning! I really love the colours in this one.

 From the Moda booth's Papillon from 3 Sisters.

 Minik & Simpson

Me and My Sister

Rouenneries Deux from Moda!! You know I'm just ecstatic over this one being redone!

 That gorgeous lady is Tula Pink, fabric designer extraordinaire and visionary in the quilt world, she is blazing some awesome trails with her designs and use of colour.

 Alma from Blackbird Designs, I LOVE Blueberry Crumble, it has awesome light and dark blues, with whites and tans. Really a great line, especially if you want to do a blue work quilt.

 Sweetwater!! What more do I need to say???

StudioKat had a lot of really nice bag patterns, I especially like the orange one in the back with sunflowers.

 Could it be? Is it she? The awesome Kate Spain! Designer of Terrain, Fandango, Verna and now Good Fortune! And one of the sweetest people I met.

And the adorable girls from LizzieBCre8tive Liz and Beth!




There's Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill designs newest BOM, using Rouenneries Deux! 

 This one is from Laundry Basket Quilt and the new line is called Love Letters.

 Part of the Aurifil display! I couldn't get a shot of the table, which they had done up like Thanksgiving dinner, with coloured thread as all the "food". It was really well done!

So blogger won't let me add more pictures so another update is coming soon!