Happy Valentines Day ......

Valentines Day marks my blogging anniversary, it's been 2 years since I first thought I would try to do this blogging  thing. I have learned a lot along the way and met a lot of great quilters and non quilters on this journey.
I will be having a little give away to celebrate , sew if you leave a comment I will include you in the draw please leave a way for me to contact you if you are a non reply commenter. Draw will be made Sunday, Feb. 17th.

I feel that I  have done a lot of growing as a quilter in these last 2 years and have stepped out of my comfort zone as well. I am a quite and shy person, but I have learned to speak up and out. I  have even been a guest speaker. I have taught more classes on quilting and post cards, still learning to use that camera of mine( work in progress ) and designing more ( and that lead to the McCall's Quilt Design Star 2012 , watch for the May/June issue of McCall's for the finalists and winners in both categories ) I have even taken part of a few blog hops with some great themes. Watch for the lists for next weeks hop, I'll try to post it for Friday.

some of the goodies in
 my give away

I have a few more post cards to share from the swap and even a extra from one of the gals on this end of the swap a sewing / quilting buddy from Regina.
I think almost all the post cards have been delivered and enjoyed. I have heard that there are one or two that are taking just a little longer to get to there new homes.

                                                             this one is from Carol

                                                        This one is from Brenda

                                              and  from Isabelle

                                                      and one from my good friend Sheila

Here is a group shot of my lovely Valentines...... Thanks sew much Ladies

Sew thanks sew much for stopping by my little blog and spending part of your day with me.
I hope to continue my blog and share what's going on in my quilting life and even a little on the non quilting life too.
In Stitches
Annette

And I should not forget that I did get our son's quilt delivered this weekend as well

a little more mail :)

A few more post cards have arrived in the mail. Such a wonderful collection I have be receiving in the mail. The ladies have such great ideas for the post cards I can hardly wait to share them with you all and some of my friends .... thanks sew very much for the special cards ....

A lovely PP post card from
Annie

 



wonderful little hearts hanging in the trees....
made by
Dianne

Each card is special to me and shows me how we all connect through things we love. I think we should or could do this again for Easter or maybe even St. Patty's Day .....
Thanks for letting me share my mail with you today I do have a couple more to come sew keep watching
in stitches
Annette

a weekend of stitches and seams

I had a great week filled with stitches and seams ...I finished a loopy scarf for myself

and did some sewing , testing a pattern for one of the quilt designers that I enjoy.

I call this one Snakes and Ladders

I even designed a quilt with the ruler and technique. I think I will add a set of eyes in the border just keeping a eye on things ... pun intended....lol
 I'll wait to show the patterns tested for the designer, ( I would like to get the okay from the designer.)
I still have one more that I want to try out.
I have the costumes half done, just the shirts ... they are all cut and ready to go.
Have a great day/ evening
in stitches
Annette

Weekend projects

Well this week end I hope to get a little more done with the dance costumes, as well as testing a pattern for one of the quilt designers that I like to follow and use there patterns...... hint Hollow Cubes is one of their designs.I will share what I have been doing with this pattern when I get the okay to do sew. I still have to do the label for the Hollow Cubes quilt for our son, it has been taking too long just to do that sew I think I will put it on the top of my list.
I also hope to enjoy some of that sunshine that's out there today as well.
I do not think the ground hog saw it's shadow and spring is on it's way ...... either way 6 more weeks of winter.....
Sew I hope you all have a great weekend
in stitches
Annette

Mail... coming and going

My little post office box has been busy today ....
I received 4 fabric post cards from some of the gals in Nova Scotia .

a cute pieced heart
 ( Paper Pieced / a mended heart sew to speak)
with accent stitching.
made by Becky

 a strippie paper pieced heart ( I think)
with a cute little border
made by Carol McN.

just lovely cards ladies thank you sew much , I can hardly wait to see what next will bring.


stacked hearts and in a row
great accent stitching
made by Donna

 a lovely little stitchery
made by Joanne
 

We all where to mail them by the end of January sew that we would have our Valentine post cards to enjoy before Valentine's Day arrived.
Sew here is the cluster of post cards I put in the mail. I hope they arrive early next week.

Thanks sew much ladies for your lovely post cards, I  look forward to collecting my mail next week.
Have a great weekend ..... happy stitching
in stitches
Annette

where dose the time go????

Well it's been a few days since I posted any thing on the blog..... sorry about that.
Let's see what I have gotten done in the last week or sew.
I have 3D quilt Hollow Cubes ready for the label which I hope to stitch out today.
I taught a Fabric Post Card class on Tuesday evening and contacted everyone on my end for  a post card exchange with a group of gals in Nova Scotia who are in a guild with Sheila from Sheila's Quilt World . I have made a few more post cards and should have them in the mail on  Tuesday, sew that they will arrive before Valentine's Day. Thanks Sheila for organizing the swap I am sure we all will enjoy seeing what we will receive in the mail.
I went to Humboldt, with one of my quilting buddies, to sign up for some classes for this years conference the end of May. As well as delivering a few gifts to a good friend while there.
I have had some fabric dropped off to make a couple costumes for some young people in the dance club here in town .... now to get the measurements so that I can get to the sewing.
And of course there was work ..... so that's what I have been up to.
And as for today I hope to get to my machine as I did not sew all weekend and I can hear it calling me  ; )
The quilt label and getting started on the next hop that I will be participating in. I may have to make a call sew that I can get started on those costumes, as I may have some time to work on them this week.
I  also hope to get a few pictures taken to put in my next post sew that you can see what I have been up to as well.
Thanks for stopping by
in stitches
Annette

In Your Words - feeling a little Blue ???

  (My post for January 15)

Well it is almost at the end of the Hop .... but today is my turn to show you what I did.
A couple years ago at the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference I took a blue printing class also know as Cyanotype.
Blue Printing is done with  fabric that has been treated with chemicals that react to the sun. You work in semi darkness to prepare your fabric with items that will create your end design , kind of a negative image and then you take your work out in to the sunshine. The fabric starts out a chartreuse green and changes to the dark blue. When the desired darkness is achieved you then remove the design items and rinse it out well to stop the process and then hang to dry indoors. The only thing you must remember is that this fabric can never be washed with soap as the phosphates will take the blue away.
 I had a great time learning and playing with this and loved the end result of the fabric. But alas you know who it goes that we do not always get everything done that we would like to , with what I had started in that class.
One of the items I did had some words that I like and that I think apply to all of us
 LIVE    LOVE and LAUGH.

some of my favorite words

Sew Thank you Madam Samm and Linda for this hop as it helped me to take out my wordy fabric and get creative.  I added some free motion quilting and embroidery.
Here is my finished product..... I hope you like it

Sew try to Live Well, Love with all your heart and Laugh often. I know I try to follow these words.

I also had one piece that I tea died  sew I made this little mat to stick my Needles and Pins into sew that they do not fall to the floor and get lost in the carpet only to be found later by someones' feet.( usually my hubby's)

I also have one more item only just started as I still am looking for the words to put along the wide border....

awaiting words,
maybe
 a baby's name

 
Thank you for sharing a little of your day with me, now if you have time stop on by and visit my fellow bloggers
Here is  today's schedule

Tuesday, January 15

BQuiltin Studio (Beverly K.)

Hill Valley Quilter (Britt-Inger)

Bumbleberry Stitches (Theresa K.)

Buzzing and Bumbling (Linda W.)

Outback Crafter (Debra S.)

In Stitches and Seams (Annette S.) ME

Englating (Marica from Sweden)

Stitchin by the Lake (Marlene B.)

Selina Quilts (Selina)

Sheila's Quilt World (Sheila M.)

Words & Stitches (Beth S.)

What a great group of ladies to be included with . I hope you are enjoying the blog hop as much as I am, I love seeing what everyone has done.

in stitches

Annette