Jeannette’s Jive – the JDD Blog

I can breathe a sigh of relief, all patterns are at the printers! yay! It always feels like a big load is done! Well and I suppose it is. We have 9 new items for the Nashville Needlework Market. I had worried in the fall that because of my 2 surgeries last year I wouldn’t have anything….! well. This is good. So do check back because now I have to load everything and sort it out, the photo covers are done too so we should have pictures soon.

I have a link here for you to see My Stitching Album by Ann McDonald on black. How cool is that! Remember send me a link of yours and I will try my best to post it if you like.

Check out The Caron Collection website for a designer profile on myself and an online project to enjoy. How lucky we are to have wonderful hand-dyed silk threads for our use.

Wishing you all the best of the year ahead. And what a year it will be…. I am already struggling with my commitments and ask myself now how will I get this all done. I like having things organized my desk clear and the work table clear, I have not seen the bottom of either for weeks! Now even the floor is getting used. This pile goes with this…. this one with that… oh where is my other pile?…. oh way over there? now why did I do that? Yikes, I wish I could say that things go smoothly but really it ends up that it is broken up in bits and starts. Whether it is bookeeping or orders, or having to order or printing or taking pictures, it is often on the fly and did we actually hear the word design in there? I think that I shouldn’t even admit it…. that the designing gets done at the oddest hours. Is that because one does it when you have the idea? I think there is never a right moment, some of it is just the pressure to do it, some of it is you have been percolating in the background about something and some of it is inspirational moments!

I have to talk to my webgal about trying to get some pictures up of what you all have been doing with your My Stitching Albums. If you have pictures and would like to share… I am hoping that we can create somewhere for you to share them. I know that some of you have been very creative and I would love to see! Let me talk to her and I will let you know.

One always has to talk about the weather and I can joyfully say we are in plus temperatures, under a chinook arch, what a treat in the long winter. It breaks it up for sure.

The picture was taken at Virginia Beach, it was very windy that day, but how cute those beach balls; just calling for picture taking.

Nashville’s a coming and we will have lots of new small and bigger projects for you to work on!

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the best of the holiday season.

Hope you were able to get some ornaments stitched and now have some fun Christmas events. It is not like we don’t know that Christmas is coming and yet I always seem pressured for time, good grief! I don’t know why I let that happen. I always think I am going to add one more thing in….. Well, it will come whether we are ready or not.

I am looking forward to the New Year already and have projects in different stages of readiness for Nashville. I have a project coming in an upcoming magazine issue of The Gift of Stitching. And of course looking forward to seeing you all!

Happy New Year too!

Yay! I am doing great. This time around no nasty infections. Once I was over the 2 week hump on Wednesday and got my staples out I felt I was on my way. I can walk around the big block here, and it seems that is all I am focused on is walking! No arthritic pain, yay!

I must tell you about a lovely stitcher who has made up the fonts for My Stitching Album into a chart form for us. Go to the MSA icon and then clik on the first box with the original information leaflet I had to promote this and under it you will find pdf’s for the Alphabet Stitches. I want to express my thanks to Diana Sheppard for her work on this. It is truly appreciated. I am not sure if this will link you to that page -MSA Alpahbet Stitches but I hope so.

As you can see it is a busy year next year with event opportunities all over! Do come join me in an event somewhere either close to you or one where you have always wanted to go, it is such a special thing to do. It is not often in our daily lives that we can share with like minded people and totally immerse yourself in what your passion is. The events have gifted me with something that I missed after not nursing as much and that was people contact. It has been terrific meeting so many of you and I hope that we can meet again or meet anew!

I am working at all the new Nashville stuff and while all of it is stitched I now have to do the instructions! Always a challenge to write it down in a fashion that is understood by many! Look for new things to come your way soon.

Yes it’s true, I am going in again tomorrow for my other knee replacement surgery! ack! We will be still looking after things, just maybe not as quickly! Apparently if all goes well, I will be out of hospital by Sunday afternoon, and excercising will be my full time job! At least this time I am not in the middle of renovations at the same time and it is going into the more relaxing time of year, it is when I do most of my designing usually- November, December, but I have been pushing here in October to get designs done so we shall see. Keep stitching and I’ll be back soon!

Well it has come to the end of My Stitching Album – all 8 chapters. Wow what a great journey in stitch. I enjoyed sharing my fun in stitches with you. It is on my list of to do’s to post some progress pictures. Coming soon, I will have an alphabet to post for you – for you to be able to write the stitch word in the space where the initials are, in case you wanted to do it that way.
We have shipped Herringbone the last 3 days so depending on where you live you will either get it sooner or later! Enjoy!
I have to tell you that I had a truly wonderful time both in Buffalo and Virginia Beach. Thank you guild members of the Buffalo Chapter for such a great weekend of sharing and learning. I loved being able to share the stitching through power point as the piece we did had so many stitch diagrams it made it so much easier for me and I hope nicer for you.
The team at Dyeing to Stitch gave us a truly delightful weekend, full of fun and memories. The weather cooperated so we got to fully enjoy the waterfront between classes and events. Thank you stitchers for your welcoming faces and making me feel immediately at home. Remember ‘Take time for Friends!’

On my JCS ornament submission in this year’s magazine I forgot to add a back stitch around the ornament. Use Perle Cotton #12 -642 and back stitch over 4 fabric threads- 8 fabric threads out from the design on all sides. This will give you the edge that you will stitch your backing fabric to. It will give you the stamp look at the end because the thread will stick out from the fabric somewhat giving it the lacy look. Note: this one does not have the silver tiny holly charm stitched on it yet.

It has been busy here in the office/studio getting the projects ready for our events and ready for The Needlework show on-line. Yes, we will have a new project ready for the Oct 7-12 show so please check it out at www.needleshow.com
I will be leaving the 23rd for the East and look forward to seeing family and friends again. First stop is the event at the EGA Buffalo chapter- Sept 26,27 – girls I am thrilled to be going to an area that I lived close to growing up. I have super memories of the Buffalo zoo – I was very enchanted by the seals as a child – they would go on this slide and seemed so happy to repeat this over and over. Another memory is of peaking around my mother’s skirts as a lady in a bright green fortrel dress ran down the street downtown Buffalo holding her chest with pearls spilling out and a man running after her yelling “stop that woman!” I look forward to seeing the wonderful architecture and apparently a Buffalo ‘fish fry’ and of course meeting the Buffalo stitchers.
Down to Virginia Beach I will go in the week and by Oct 1 will be oceanside. This girl who now hails from the prairies never fails to be delighted by the water. To be able to be at an event for the fabric gals from R & R at Dyeing to Stitch with other designers in the business is a highlight. I anticipate meeting new old and friends….. please don’t hesitate to approach me and introduce yourself, I would love it.

I heard some back to school commercials in the last few days….. and we all know what that means! I know both my girls have been preparing to go back to university and wind down their summer jobs. I am gearing up for events in the fall. My piece for Dyeing to Stitch in Virginia Beach is at the framer, as is my piece for the Buffalo, NY guild.

This week we are shipping the next installment for My Stitching Album -Chapter 7 – Rhodes Rhapsody. I am having separation anxiety. I am going miss this project. As much as it really kept me on my toes and deadlines as I am sure you know, make for more pressure to have things done, it all worked out well and the girls and I have enjoyed our shipping days and had lots of good laughs together at some of the most totally banal things. Doing the on line shipping and having a postal machine in the office, certainly frees up time and has been wonderful. Check on the Rhodes Rhapsody page for what I did for the pocket item for this chapter or use your imagination. You can put a picture here of you and a friend stitching, your family or some other meaningful thing to you.
My newly renovated office, is working out very well, we love it. Now I just have to find time to hang some samplers and my thread peg board and I am set.
Enjoy your last few weeks of summer and if you have any questions on this next installment – please don’t hesitate to ask!

There is a new release this week, in the Take Time series- Take Time to Scrapbook. It is a charming addition to the take time series and it has 2 different colourways to do it in. The thread pack will carry enough threads to do both pieces in whatever colourway you choose, either teal or purple. I did it on 35 count but had my stitcher do a second on 32 count and it looks just as good. The fun will be for you to pick out your picture to put in the piece. It is a nice way to share both your passions if you love to stitch and love to scrapbook, but also great for a friend who is a scrapbooker. Enjoy!

Hope you are enjoying your summer whatever you may be up to…. I am enjoying the new office immensely! It is such a treat to be in a space that fits. I still have to find a spot for some things…. and want to hang up my pictures but mostly it is done.

We are working on getting things together for the next chapter -can you believe it! I feel like I just shipped the last one! But we are…. and so chapter 7 -Rhodes Rhapsody will be ready by mid Aug. – so look for it to come. I am hopeful that I will have one more release – around mid Sept. but I will keep you waiting – we shall see if it can all come together.