People I meet:
My nose has been glued to the laptop for most of the past 9 months while completing my new book, yet I’ve connected to some fascinating people and resources.
In September had the great pleasure to spend the day with Virginia Avery and her friend Rhonda when their cruise ship docked in Halifax. They were on a jazz cruise out of New York. Besides quilting, jazz is Jinny’s other passion and has had her own jazz band for 55 years. Here we are in the Halifax Public Gardens.

I’m pleased to have a couple of Jo Diggs’ pieces included in my upcoming book.
While chatting, Jo mentioned a special piece of fabric she’s in search of made by Hi Fashion and I offered to help track some down.
If you’d part with this fabric, in any colour or amount, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Jo. While searching for this fabric I met Sandy Gunning who has an online store in New Brunswick http://www.rivergallery.ca/fabric.htm Sande specializes in landscape fabrics: leaves, sky, water, grass and architectural fabrics.

On yet another search for appliqué landscapes I came across this fascinating web site by Anna Grossnickle Hines http://www.aghines.com/whistling/whistlingprocess.htm
Her web site explains her process of illustrating a book in fabric and her inspiration from Jo Diggs landscapes. Anna explains her design process for making landscapes in this charming site.

My web travels led me to another extraordinary children’s book.
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/special_exhibits/dokabiquilt/index.htm There is an interactive mode so you can travel around this quilt and see the 3D details of the characters.

I have re-jigged my on-line store with a new layout and some new products like Ranger Heat Set Inks used to paint iron-on transfers. My store is also the exclusive on-line source for the hot-off-the-sewing-machine line of patterns from well-known designer, Janet Rice Bredin. Take a look at Janet’s delightful line of Botanical Art Quilts on my supplies page. I’m also pleased to be a supplier of Misty-Fuse, fine fusible web produced by Esterita Austin.

Recently I came across a post from Libby Lehman talking about her passion for good, sharp needles: “This is a subject near and dear to me. Don’t you love the feel of using a pair of sharp new scissors? A new needle is the same. I change mine every 6-8
hours religiously. I piece with a #75 Quilting, or #70 or #80 Microtex or Jeans/denim. These all have sharp points-you’ll get a very straight stitch. I use #90 topstitch for decorative threads, including metallics. I keep old Schmetz needle packages, mark them with a big red “X” and fill them with used needles. When they are full (5 needles), I pitch them. If you use a pill case or film canister, it will be a long time before you have the sense of accomplishment that tossing them gives you. Letting used needles hang around is too tempting. I know some of you have dug in there and reused them in a moment of desperation!”

Have you tried using those titanium needles? They last longer and go through many layers of fusible better. Organ makes a nice titanium needle for a regular machine. Here are 2 great sources for specialty and bulk machine needles.

The woodshed is full and we have started lighting the woodstoves. The fall leaves are full-blown gold and red and past their peak. Now, we await the November rains to fill the wells and the pond.
Best,
Valerie