Picture taken in Holland during Summer 2005. Click for a larger image.
in Touch
(Past News)
January 2008
Hope you all had a lovely holiday season and are ready for some great stitching this year! I always love the change in the year as I dream of new things to do. To that whole new thing... I have a few 'new' things to tell you.
Here are the new patterns for Nashville Needlework Market.
This promises to be a little journey through MA and a great look into the past --The Bay State Sampler - Massachusetts- the new addition to the American Journey Series.
A Needle and Thread Sampler - done for a great Canadian Magazine Publication - A Needle Pulling Thread - this charming sampler features some lovely pulled thread work using a soft colour palate.
Two additions to the 'Sititches' series in Pomegranate and Pear Stitches, and Silver Needle Stitches. These 2 pieces are exactly the same size as the others and will also fit into the box made for them by Olde Colonial Designs. On the cover photos I have shown them framed but they certainly can fit the box as the stitch count remains the same.
For release this June ( maybe earlier if I can get the instructions written sooner! )will be "My Stitching Treasures Accessories. They are finally coming. I have worked on this for several years, I did one alphabet and hated it so I sent it the 'recycle' bin, we had it all finished and I couldn't live with the font, so I changed everything and redid it all! (I know what you are thinking! <grin>)This has 5 pieces to it and I will have it with me in Nashville for you to see but the pattern writing is not complete.
For release this September is a whole new series called 'My Stitching Album'. As you see on the home page there is a brochure with some information and I will post more as I work on updating the website. This is a ten page project (including front and backpage) featuring some of the basic stitches used in samplers. A poem per page reflects on stitching and our passion along with displaying the stitch in various different ways.
One last exciting project we are working on is a Jeannette Douglas Stitch and Sail, January 2009. I will be posting more of this exciting cruise with Jeannette when the details are refined.
So as usual I have my hand in many things and so along with my teaching this year we look forward to some very exciting times!
December 2007
My apologies for not doing this sooner, I was having webserver changes which changed other things.... you know how that goes, but finally here we are. It is almost the middle of December and Christmas is around the corner. I do hope that you all are able to enjoy some stitching, family and friends time. It seems that the lead up to the season becomes so frantic that we forget to enjoy some of our favourite things to do.
Did you see the ornament issue? I hope you got a chance to see Christmas Tree One and Christmas Tree Two in the Just Cross Stitch Sept./Oct. Issue and the Ornament issue. They were such fun for me to stitch, I am working on something for next year with the same idea as I liked it so much....either an ornament, bell or candy cane....or?
Due to the full teaching schedule last year and this year I haven't had as many designs for general publishing as I would have liked. It adds up and creates a very small window for other designs. I am working on quite a few and hope that I finish some of these in this year to come.
But I am madly in the process of getting all the patterns ready for printing for Nashville Needlework Market again. I have a few lined up and will have some new additions to series and some other interesting designs. I hope to start a whole new series and will keep you in suspense as to what it might be! I have another cool thing in the works too, so keep posted and I promise to be a bit quicker with an update, but truly the teaching for most of October and then regrouping and trying to finish the new designs for teaching and cleaning up and bringing to the printer the newest ones it seems I always run out of time
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and encouragement this year. I am blessed to have you all in my life and it truly is the richer for it. Our shared love of stitching is something that people who don't stitch miss out on!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and the very best of wishes for a great 2008!
January 2007
Due to fiddling with web pages we have inadvertantly lost the November update, my apologies!
So a little update for you now.
As you can see on the events page I have added several teaching places to the roster this year. It worked out that my far away places were in the summer so an addition to Edmonton, in my home province was very easy to do, and the addition of Ottawa our capital city of Canada is always a delight!
You can also check on the new releases page for information on my newest patterns for release in Nashville. Pictures will be coming soon.
In the summer issue of A Needle Pulling Thread I have submitted a piece in band sampler style and wrote a poem for it. I didn't realize poem writing was something that I could do until I wrote the poem for the new release 'We Stitch' and I haven't stopped since!
I have also added the Hamilton City Sampler to the City Sampler page, and a link to Stitchers Hideaway. Sue does wonderful upbeat retreats in different cities across the States, a good fit for me and my geographical samplers isn't it!
SUMMER 2006
Welcome to the new website! With an overhaul, new logo, new business cards etc., I think that Véronique at Évoque Designs has done an absolutely terrific job. Véronique thanks so very much for being able to interpret what I wanted and putting your wonderful ideas throughout. It's been great working with you.
Please enjoy browsing over the pages, some to revisit hopefully in a better format and check out some new freebies for your stitching pleasure.
I am working on my 3 pieces for teaching in the fall 2006 of course, and will release the final piece in the Seasons of Stitching Series - Autumn Stitches in September.
Read other updates in 2006....
As ever, keep stitching
Jeannette
Update June 2006
Okay, I know an update was high overdue, but exciting news..... I have a new webdesigner and we have been working on a brand new website so I didn't have access! So you must stop by soon and see the new digs! We are hoping that sometime in June we will be able to launch it. I have always done it myself so this is great. She is Veronique at www.evoquedesigns.com and it has been delightful to have someone to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. She has made me a new logo, and other cool things, so look for that soon.
Well to say that my teaching this spring was awesome would be an understatement. It was so great. I enjoyed myself everywhere I went and every place was just the best! It certainly brings home to me again how easily you all made me feel at home, I think our love and passion for stitching gives an instant bond.
Spring lasted 6 weeks for me... In very early April, I was in Portland at Acorns and Threads and marvelled at the glorious magnolias and tulips and daffodils... we had such a great time with the Acorns and Threads Sampler, and Olde Colonial made us a special box for the piece, which just sets it off wonderfully. The retreat weekend ended with my dear high school friend driving down from Vancouver, Canada to meet with me and we went shopping!!
In mid April I got to see beautiful magnolias, tulips and daffodils again in New Jersey/ New York, now you must know that there is nothing in Calgary at this time yet, so it is such a big treat! Where Victoria's Angels Stitch hosted me teaching the New York/New Jersey Sampler and this piece will become the next in the American Journey Series. I was very pleased with the 'yellow taxis' on this piece and after 'pulling' the Statue of Liberty's arm to make it longer I was pleased with her! The stitchers took me into New York City and I had an absolutely wonderful time, thank you girls!
With a little jaunt back into Canada on a very small propeller plane with myself and 17 business men, Montreal was the next stop. The Lakeshore Stitchery Guild hosted a weekend retreat at Manoir d'Youville an old Grey Nuns place south of Montreal and I got to see budding willow trees and magnolias and tulips and daffodils all over again!! Learning new French words for stitching things was great fun, eg.'le chemin de fer egals' is railroading! Did you know that! The Montreal Sampler was a great hit and it is now available if you want a memory of a trip to this lovely city in Quebec. It is also available with full French translation. Please see www.lacigalebrodeuse.com or www.jeannettedouglas.com to purchase this piece.
Back in a little propeller plane I went and on to Celebrations in New Hampshire. Well I have never met so many stitchers at one time. What a great event. It was lovely to meet with peers in the industry and to meet new and revisit with known stitchers from before. And yes I got to see blooming cherry trees and tulips and daffodils again! I stayed an extra day in Nashau and went shopping.... and had a wonderful long swim in the pool. This was great as I knew that coming home there would be piles of everything to deal with, so it gave me calm before the storm.
Returning to Calgary I got to see tulips and daffodils again, but no magnolias they don't grow here, but we do have lovely flowering almond bushes and flowering plum trees....which I did get to enjoy.....so, see how many weeks of spring is that! I am working on many different pieces, and of course for my classes above. I am releasing Spring Stitches in the next week or so and am putting the finishing editing on Summer Stitches - so it will soon follow.
As I am working on new pieces, I have wonderful memories of of the past teaching spots and look forward to meeting you again soon or meeting you for the first time. We are so lucky to enjoy such a fun hobby!
As ever, keep stitching
Jeannette
Update MAY 2006
Here are some upcoming events that I will be attending:
-
June 10, 2006 in Cochrane, AB CANADA at the Stitching Corner. The piece will be Crystal Winter.
- October 12,13/2006 at Salty Yarns in Ocean City, MD . This is a place, band style sampler or I may try something new! ...and it will be fun with
a real ocean flair. Please see www.saltyyarns.com
- October 20, 21 I will be in Hamilton at Golden Threads - www.gthreads.com with a band style place sampler for Hamilton.
- October 27, 28 in the Niagara area for the Niagara Peninsula Needle Arts Guild with a Grape Sampler. Contact Nellie Zonneveld at jacnelli@vaxxine.com. I am so looking forwrd to being in my old stomping grounds and visiting with my sisters!
As ever, keep stitching
Jeannette
Update February / March 2006
Well, it is the New Year, and I suspect an exciting year it will be.
First, my apologies to shops for not going to Nashville, I had to cancel as I just felt that I had made commitments to teaching that I needed to get in control of, and I wouldn't have enough new patterns to warrant going. It is with regret that is so but my stress level has diminished immeasurably by doing so. I actually cancelled last fall already when I saw how tight the spring was going to be. I am grateful for the teaching opportunities and I do hope that I can go next year again. I loved going last year and will be sorry to miss it.
The new release is 'The Sunshine State Sampler' the 3rd in the American Journey Series. It will be posted on the New Releases page. It was a delight to go to Kissimmeee, FL with www.stitchershideaway.com and meet some wonderful Floridians. I loved my time there and this sampler gives me great memories of a terrific visit, hurricane inclusive!
I am working on Spring Stitches, the mate to the Autumn Stitches that was released in the Just Cross Stitch October Issue and Winter Stitches released in November, but it is just not done yet as I was focused on getting class materials done. And I suppose when you read the teaching schedule below you will see why I am bit behind!! Some of these will be strictly teaching pieces and others will be released when contracts are fulfilled.
April 1,2/2006 at Acorns and Threads, Portland OR- the piece promises to be a delightful mix of acorn design theme plus the thread portion is depicted by use of varying kinds of threads. Please see www.acornsandthreads.com
April 21,22/2006 at Where Victoria's Angels Stitch, Clifton NJ - this band sampler style piece will be a wonderful mix of 2 impressive states - New York and New Jersey. I had hoped to include Pennsylvania but it certainly would have been a blanket sized sampler of immense proportion to try and do the Tri-state area together. Please see www.wvas.net
April 27, 28/2006 for the Lakeshore Creative Stitchery Guild, Point-Claire, Quebec -with a band sampler style piece - a place sampler called 'Montreal - La Belle Ville.' Please email Julia Sinclair: stitchergirlca@yahoo.ca
May 4-7/2006 for Celebration of Needlework 2006 in Nashua, NH. It is America's oldest continuously running needleart show. I have 3 classes booked. Please see www.celebrationofnw.com For a good picture of these pieces please new releases page and scroll down to where they are labeled.
October 12,13/2006 at Salty Yarns in Ocean City MD - this is a place, band style sampler and it will be fun with a real ocean flair. Please see www.saltyyarns.com
October 20,21 and October 27,28 I will be in Hamilton at Golden Threads - www.gthreads.com with a band style place sampler for Hamilton and in the Niagara area for the Niagara Peninsula Needle Arts Guild with a Grape Sampler. I must check which weekend is which...
As you can see it is full speed ahead. I do hope that you are able to see me at one of these places and that I can reconnect with you or meet you for the first time, I am sure we will both be delighted, me to be able to work in what I love, and you to come to a weekend of stitching, who wouldn't like that!
Just a little reminder Victoria City Sampler is available for general release, any of the Canadian cities is available to shops or stitchers who wish to order it. It has an embellishment pkg. available.
As ever, keep stitching, Jeannette