Off to Cairns - North Queensland

I am never ready early let alone an hour early - but here I am. Been walking at 6:00am and then things just went very fast. Thought I would have to miss today - but no I have time.

Thought I would share a group family pic so you know what everyone looks like when I speak of them - left to right: Simon, Cleo, Harvey, Kirstin, Kath (affectionately known as Peaches my 'adopted' daughter), Mz Honey and Me, Sue, Sam and Lottie. You all know Simon and Sam (my two younger children) Lottie is Sam's puppy and who Lottie's Poppies design CD is named after. Kirstin and Cleo are Harvey's parents, and Sue is my sister who is a medical Doctor up in Brisbane. This again is a photo taken on my birthday week-end - it surely is a 'coffin' memory.

Well I finished writing the directions for When Dreams Flower the quilt - not the book, but that is a huge break through so I am feeling really great - text is off to Nina my fabulous subeditor. Jo my designer also worked her magic and within half an hour of speaking with her re the cover it was back designed - looks great but will keep you all guessing for a while but it looks great.

It is now time that I headed for the airport - I am taking paper and pencil to draw some designs for our next design CD - it is going to be called Harvey's Garden and is based on pictures I used to draw for my children when they were little. They would colour these pictures in by the hour and kept them busy when they needed to be quiet - like church. Also we are working on Peaches Purse design - it is magic just have to get Simon moving.

Off to the airport!

Simon and I are off to Cairns today to do a machine embroidered quilts presentation for Kay and Sandra - my they have been busy. I will post some pictures when I return. I will be hot and humid and I have never been to Cairns but have not time to stay - back on Monday.

Faux Knitting Coat

After my friends had viewed Rita's video on the above coat I had lots of requests for a photo - well here it is. This coat will be featured in my up coming book When Dreams Flower -which again I am taking time out to write my blog. We love this coat and Robbie and I had so much fun designs and making it. We are very proud of it actually, as we designed the pattern and all. The Faux Knitting fabric is created using Dissolve Magic Sticky and a basic sewing machine -amazing and such fun to make. It takes a lot less yarn than knitting, not hard on your hands and looks like expensive fabric when finished. You will just love creating your own fabric.

The embroidery is from Lottie's Poppies design CD and is of course embroidered with my wonderful rayon embroidery threads. The embroidery technique is called Padded/Trapuntoed Embroidered Decoupage as the embroidery is freestanding and has a layer of Quilt Magic (which is back in stock by the way) and a layer of Quilt Magic Plus just released double sided fusible batting - simply scrumptious and amazing to work with. Well enough of the coat - how do you like the Shoes? Aren't they the best. I am going to wear them to the Melbourne Cup lunch on Tuesday! Will have to get a photo for you all to see - if Simon remembers to book a restaurant!

CE 25, which is due out for Christmas, is running a little late - sorry, but it should be here late next week or early the week after - remember all good things are worth waiting for you will just love it.

Well that is it for day - feel like Julie (in Julie and Julia) please notice we have not heard from Catherine yet - but we live in hope!

Finally our new web site is up and running - Yippee! Thank you Andrew who has worked tirelessly battling bureaucracy and technology but up it is.

Thought you should all meet my family. For my birthday this year we all went to my beach retreat and my friend Toni took some amazing photos - she is such a great photographer and this is one of them . Simon, and Sam (my son and daughter) with Harvey and I (Harvey of course is my beloved grandson).

I have so much news for everyone but you will have to wait - this is my trial and I have taken time out from laying out our next book When Dreams Flower to play with my new 'toy.

You may also like to check out my latest video on my website http://www.jennyhaskins.com/ and Rita Farrow's Blog has a video on it, and interview with me at Houston http://sewingandstitcheryexpo.blogspot.com/

Have to fly, must get back to my text. Remember - Love life and it will love you back.

First Hello from Me!!

Finally I have a blog page - something that Andrew and I have been working on for nearly a year! I promised Sam my daughter if I got a blog page I would keep it up - and keep it up I will!I have just been to see Julia & Julie the movie, which is the story of a frustrated young writer who loves cooking and decides to write a blog on cooking her way through Julia Child's French Cooking for Americans recipe book over 500 recipes in a year! A really inspirational movie if you have not seen it you should.My dear friend Catherine rang me this morning and mentioned that she also had seen the movie - then she announced she was going to sew her way through Jenny Haskins' books and write a blog - so now it is official she has to do it!Simon and I have just returned from Houston Quilt Market and Festival - as always it was amazing, wonderful, awesome and inspiring. The winning quilt was by Caryl Bryer Fallert as always her work is sensational and inspiringly beautiful - and talk about a flat quilt it was like a desk top.I hit the deck running, catching up on emails, phone calls and then working on photography for CE 26 and our up coming book When Dreams Flower (which I have taken time out from to write the first page of this blog). Then I had family to catch up with, my beautiful daughter Sam and her friend (my second daughter) Kath, and then there was Harvey, Kirstin and Cleo who came down for the week-end - what joy to see them all. My friend Debs daughter Natalie got married on Saturday - gloriously perfect wedding and then it was catch up with girl friends and neighbors. Out for dinner, movies, helping Sandy (another girl friend) with the quilt she is making not to mention looking after Mz Honey - my beautiful and faithful little puppy. So that is my week in a nut shell! Never a dull moment and I never miss my 2k odd walk first thing in the morning - it is another personal commitment of mine. Life is really great - thank you God.

The Jenny Haskins' products stand looked fabulous, decorated by Simon and show casing all our wonderful products including books, Creative Expressions, current and past issues, stabilizers, threads, beads, crystals, kits - the list is endless.

We introduced Faux Knitting ® a great new technique of ours, and everyone loved it. We had our latest quilt (and up coming book) When Dreams Flower on display along with jackets, handbags, scarves and wraps. The coat was the hit of the show, with no one ever guessing we made the Faux Knitting ® fabric in the coat ourselves!

Simon had his latest amazing quilt on display, made with Simon's Terrific Trims, using a great patchwork technique. He is just so clever and the vibrant colors are spectacular. The quilt has no name yet, and he doesn't like my suggestion so if you have a good name for it let us know.

Gina, Pattie, Jenny and Janet - Four Girls in HatsWe also had RNK and CE's Light up a Life ® challenge jackets and hats on display - and the girls on the stand just had to try on the hats! Thank you to everyone who entered, the standard was exceptional. Sue Hausmann judged it along with Debi Homer (thank you ladies), congratulations to Jean Halstead, who sent her entry from England who won first place, Debi Reese from Cleveland who received second place and Linda Stiltz from St Charles, MO who received third place.This is a good start I think, for the first of many pages in this blog, as I share my life's experiences with my fellow machine artists, I also look forward to hearing your comments. I am off to visit my dear friend Maree who is not the best (maker of Maree's Magic Christmas cake recipe of which is in CE 25) due out very soon.