A First...but no new work...

I have been busy but it seems that no new work is being produced.

Since coming home from Quilt Market/ Festival I have had little time at home.

A lovely visit to my sister for a week added to the busyness. I think I am stuffed until Christmas. She is a great cook.

A bit of Christmas shopping was done on Black Friday. No great deals because our dollar is so low compared to the US. I liked it much better when it was closer to par.

But I did pick up some cosy fabric for my mom to make our granddaughter some sleep sacks.

I did a two day long arm course before I left. Talk about brain overload. Friday or Saturday I am going to get some stitch time in!

I have been prepping for my first vendor sale. It is a lot of work but literally I hope it pays off. lol

I simply love, love, love the fabric line Nuances from Sew Batik. I think it will be a good fit for me since I have come to the conclusion I have feet firmly planted in the Art Quilt World and the Traditional/Modern world.

We have one more week trip planned before Christmas with good friends. And then it will be home for a few months. I am going to dedicate my time to creating. Getting on a good schedule will be the key.

How to create habits that are good for me that I don't resist doing? How to be good to myself and others too!

But for now I need to get cracking and finish off the last details of packing my sale stuff. By tonight it will be over. Tomorrow clean up and then hopefully so Jo Sew Time. My machines miss me.

And one other tidbit ... the Canadian Quilter Magazine from CQA had an article on the Canadian Nine Patch Exhibit in Houston. Anne and my quilt made the article. It was a nice bonus to our adventure. Everyone's quilt deserved to be in it.

No pictures this week. No sewing this week.

So I will leave you with some pictures from our Houston Trip.

Meeting Maria Shell was a great highlight of my trip as she is one of my favorite SAQA artists and a very nice, gracious person to talk to. She didn't even run when I gushed about how much I love her work. 

This was us after Sample Spree. This took place after all day running around the School House segments. Think School House as 20 min commercials all day long in different rooms. And over 1300 people running the halls all trying to get somewhere and get the good free goodies. Add Sample Spree in the evening which is the same people ( or at least number of people) running around to vendors to get the new products from companies like Moda ( or other big companies) People line up for a couple of hours to be first in line so they can run (literally)  to get to the shopping when the doors open. Think of the running of the bulls for fabric shoppers. 

This was such a cute turtle tower at Market I could resist taking a picture. It was at Jen Kingwells booth. 

Part of the fun of Market was getting your picture taken by the Moda designers then posting to Instagram. I had to get a Instagram account to play the game. This was Deb Strain's new collection which I won a set of fat quarters. I love the graphicness of the line. A bit of an address mix up but the fabric is on its way to me. Out of the five of us who hung around at Market 4 of us one a free set of the artists line. My daughter didn't win one so that is ok since we share everything any way.


Hope you have a week full of stitching fun.

Jo

Whats coming up.....

It has been a few weeks since posting....

First I have been off running about Houston Quilt Market and Festival...

This was an awe inspiring, exhausting and exhilterating trip! 

It was to see new things, get new ideas, and see... 

My Paternal Great Grandmothers quilt hang. She made it for her sister in 1908 for her wedding. 

And to see this quilt my daughter Anne and I made to honour the two sisters.

The pattern of the blocks is an uneven nine patch called Garden of Eden. Perfect name considering the sisters Jessie and Min grew up on the family farm that is still in our family today in the Niagara Region of Ontario Canada.

In Houston the quilts hung proudly in the ....

which has been a focus of attention for us for the past year or more. 

And now we learn that this exhibit will be going on to hang in the Canadian Embassy Art Program for the next year or so. 

All this was the brain child of my Friends Leslie Prokop and Shelley Dehaye Turner. To them I am very thankful to them for all the hard work they have done to get the exhibit to Houston! 

And here are my daughter Anne and I pousing in front of the quilts in Houston. 

Such an honour! 

I have been super busy since I have got home. But more of that later... for now I am rushing out the door once again. But I wanted to hook up to needleandthreadnetwork and finally have made the weekly deadline. 

This has opened new and wonderful worlds for me. And I would love to share them with you!