A couple weeks ago, my sister who lives in Kentucky got married! My other sister and myself were bridesmaids in addition to numerous other jobs during the week of the wedding.  It was a fun week spent there–laughing, smiling, chatting and spending time with one another! I’ve traveled back and forth to Kentucky a couple times over the last couple of months helping with wedding plans and sewing/altering dresses and it was wonderful to see the day we’ve been waiting for finally arrive!

Great times! Fun memories! :)

All six of us bridesmaids!

Sisters!!! — Jena, Krissa, Serena

Jena and I!!!

Ryan & Krissa!!!
(Photo credit – http://www.conrhodzonio.com/)

I’m not sure I would want to stand for hours on end sewing, but for a few hours here and there, it worked just fine!

World-renowned machine embroiderer, Jenny Haskins whose creativity and passion for beautiful colors, along with her philosophy on life “that it is never too late to be what you could have been”, is reflected in every glorious page. This luxuriously produced magazine attracts both the novice and the expert sewer, quiltmaker or embroiderer around the world.

In this issue:
Robyn’s Renaissance Quilt Part 1
Garden for Bella Quilt
For the Love of Lace Tablecloth
Amber Ambience Pillows
Delicate Detailed Butterfly Necklaces
Plus many other creative ideas for you to enjoy!!

Note from Serena: Another great issue from Jenny Haskins! So many creative projects to fill your creative sewing time!

Order yours today and start creating!!!

Introducing a unique collection of machine embroidery designs from Sue Box Creations!

Jewels, ornaments, butterflies, elephants and lace make this stunning collection from Sue Box a collection you can’t miss! This collection comes with designs specifically designed for borders and outlines plus many free standing 3D lace designs.

This is a collection that Sue Box designed exclusively for Janome Sewing Machine Company and now is releasing to everyone. Because this was a Janome exclusive, all of the designs on the cd are only available in JEF format. Janome Memory Craft Embroidery machines supported are: Memory Craft 11000, MC 10000 series, MC300E, MC350E, MC9500 and MC 9700.

Please note that if you have embroidery software that will read the JEF format, you can convert the designs from JEF to your desired format.

Take a peek here!

Joanna spent quite a while deciding what to do and then implementing it. The results are beautiful!!!! Here’s some pics that she said I could post. At some point Bernina will be showing photos and a video of the fashion show on their site, but I’m not sure when that will be, so these are before the show shots.

dress and jacket – it’s hard to see in the photo, but the jacket attached with a neat little loop attachment that’s embellished

bias cut dress

The jacket is embellished with embroidery (which Joanna created and digitized!) and little crystals adding just a little sparkle in the embroidery.

Sleeve detail with embroidery and green piping.

Joanna and I in the Bernina booth

Also, I like to take classes and see other teaching styles and methods. It helps me continue to improve in my teaching and gives me ideas of teaching tools that I can incorporate in my classes. You can never stop learning. My theory always is that you will always learn something, perhaps very little, but something from every class you take. Even if it’s a one second sentence or one little tool that’s mentioned. It’s always beneficial to take a class, because you are sure to learn something new!

And sometime it’s reassuring to know that the method you’ve been doing something is the right or ok way to do it. Many times, I will be doing something and I’ve had no “formal” training on the “correct” way to do it; I just figure something out. But then when someone is standing in front of a class teaching the same way I’ve been doing it, it’s nice to know I did it correctly! Right?

I took a couple of new classes related to something I’ve never done or done very little of (tatting and the Golden Threads quilting-as-you-go method). No time like the present to learn something new! Tatting I certainly want to try and create something. I have to admit, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, that I love handwork, I just don’t have time to do it. I can see loving this type of handwork if I can just find time in my day to do it. Actually I did buy a tatting needle and some thread, so I’m going to do something so I remember how to do it and maybe I’ll continue on from there. It’s simple, it’s easy, it just takes time. :)

My personal favorite way to quilt is to stitch the quilt top and then layer the top, batting and backing and quilt the layers together. I’ve done a little of the quilt-as-you-go method, but it’s not my personal favorite way of quilting. It does make it easier to quilt as you have smaller sections to work with inside your machine, but I’m not a fan of the joining together and having a cover fabric on the back. I know it doesn’t show that much, but for some reason it just bothers me to have that extra strip on the fabric. But that’s just me.

The whole reason for this post: sign-up and take classes! You will learn something! It would be nice to know everything there is to know in the sewing/quilting/embroidery industry, but unfortunately it’s just not possible. Participate in classes and you are sure to grow in your knowledge!

I will taking several days off around the holiday season, December 24-28. Orders may still be placed online, but will not be shipped until Monday, December 29th.

Plus I always gain a ton of ideas for projects to stitch and other fun things to do! Seeing all those wonderful booths just makes me want to just come straight home and start sewing! I’ve got some fun things to share with you regarding quilt market, including seeing Bernina’s brand new 830 sewing/embroidery machine! Which that wonderful machine with the JUMBO hoop is most definitely at the top of my “got-to-have” list!

I’m still in the process of catching up on email and answering those I’ve received from the past week, so if you haven’t heard from me yet, you will be soon!

Oh and that wonderful Olfa rotary cutter giveaway – the winner is Sue! Congratulations! You will enjoy this new rotary cutter; it’s breeze to change blades! If you didn’t win, you can purchase your very own cutter here or put it on your Christmas wish list!

I’m skipping this week’s giveaway, but another new and fun giveaway will be posted on Monday, so don’t miss it! Plus I brought some wonderful little treasures from Houston that are just waiting to find their way into your home!

For those of you who have heard little tid bits about an online Latte Quilt class starting in 2009 – yes, it’s true! Starting in January/February 2009, I will be teaching an online class to stitch the Latte Quilt. You can sign-up for more information as it becomes available here.