Black Friday Sales from Craftsy

Hi everyone:

Have you had your fill of turkey and pumpkin pie? Ready to do some Black Friday shopping? Well, you're in luck because Craftsy is having a Black Friday Sale. All of their classes will be on sale for $19.99 or less!

You can treat yourself - or a friend - to one of Craftsy's classes, which will all be on sale for $19.99 or less! Yes, that's right - or less! The class sale starts on Friday, November 28 and runs through Sunday, November 30. 

While this sounds like a great after-Thanksgiving gift for yourself, you might want to consider gifting a class to a creative friend for Christmas. At these prices, you could gift one class and buy one for yourself! 

This is a great time to try out some of the newer quilting classes, such as Playful Textures for Easy Appliqué Quilts with Kim Christopherson and Kris Thurgood or The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting with Christina Camelli. 

Have fun shopping and happy quilting!

Telecast Thursday - Got 15 Minutes? Episode 9

Hi everyone:

It's Thursday and another new episode in the  "Got 15 Minutes?" video series. This week we'll be using our 15 minutes a day to practise our free motion quilting skills. I'll show you how I do this and give you some suggestions for how you can practise your quilting technique.

You can watch this video below or on my Youtube channel.

If you haven't seen the other episodes in this series, you'll can find them here. Subscribe to my Youtube channel so you'll receive automatic notifications when new videos are released. Clicking on the logo in the top right corner of any video will also allow you to subscribe to my channel.

There is just one more video in the "Got 15 Minutes" video series to start us off in December. You can then look forward to a new series of quilting and sewing videos.

Merry Early Christmas with a Free Pattern from Chatterbox Quilts

Hi everyone:

Christmas is fast approaching and each year it always creeps up on me unexpectedly and I'm usually frantically finishing gifts at the eleventh hour. I'm sure this year will be no different. I have, however, created a new winter pattern and it is already published and just waiting for you to download it and make it. I'm quite impressed with myself - until I start thinking about the present buying, the house decorating and the baking. Oh well, I guess there's still quite a bit to do.

Snowflake Brrr from Chatterbox Quilts

In any event, you at least have an early present from me. You can find Snowflake Brrr, a hand embroidery design, on my Craftsy pattern store. The pattern includes full size templates, in normal and reversed formats, as well as stitch and colour suggestions.

Snowflake 1 Detail

Snowflake 2 Detail

This is really a quick project to create and once you're done stitching you can use the stitchery to create a pillow, a table topper or maybe you'll just leave it in the embroidery hoop and hang it on the wall. 

I hope you enjoy this design and would love to see your finished projects using Snowflake Brrr.

Brrr! stitchery detail

Happy quilting!

Pre-Black Friday Deals from Craftsy

Hi everyone:

Happy early Thanksgiving to my American friends! While we in Canada will be busily decorating and buying for Christmas this week-end, you will be eating turkey and celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. 

If you are considering creating fabric-y gifts for Christmas, you may want to check out Craftsy's Pre-Black Friday Sale on Wednesday and Thursday where you can save on Yarn, Fabric and Kits.  

Shop now because you won’t want to miss these incredible sales! 

Happy quilting and don't eat too much turkey and pumpkin pie!


Please note that I am a Craftsy affiliate and will be compensated if you purchase using one of my affiliate links. Thank you!

Fall and Halloween Recap

Hi everyone:

Wow! It seems like fall just flew by and we're already into winter - at least in Calgary. I've been busy with lots of projects, although you haven't heard much about them. As usual, I start working on projects for holidays much to close to the actual date and end up with them finished - or not - past that particular date. This year, I was caught up in fall and Halloween projects. 

Embroidered Pumpkin Design by Chatterbox Quilts

Some are even almost finished. Which is saying quite a bit for me. Maybe I'll even have them quilted in time for next Halloween!

Boy Skull design by Janie Hirst for Chatterbox Quilts

I shouldn't feel too bad about not finishing these projects yet because it's been a very busy fall. We've been up to Edmonton several times to see my daughter, check out and buy (or not) some vintage sewing machines, and to buy a used tent trailer. I think we've been to Edmonton more in the past few months than we have ever been! Add to that the fact that I've been sick for all of October and still can't seem to shake a cough that pops up now and then - usually when I'm trying to sleep! We also celebrated my husband's birthday (one of the big ones) and our 30th wedding anniversary within two weeks of each other and then there was Thanksgiving and Halloween too... Well, suffice to say that the past two months have been extremely busy for us.

Girl Skull design by Jamie Hirst for Chatterbox Quilts

Now of course Christmas is looming, so maybe I should start thinking about some wintery projects. Or maybe I'll just finish off those fall and Halloween ones...

Hope you're ahead on your quilting!

Thank You, Subscribers!

Hi everyone:

I have some exciting news today - my Youtube channel now has over 500 subscribers! I'm I'm so thankful to my subscribers who comment and give me suggestions for new videos. Thanks, guys, you're awesome!

My purry assistants, Charlie and Teeka, wanted to join me in saying thanks to all my subscribers and express their gratitude for your support. 

If you aren't yet a subscriber, you can become one by visiting my Youtube channel. Once you're a subscriber you'll receive automatic notifications when new videos are released, so you'll never miss one. 

Again, thank you to my subscribers for helping us reach this goal. You can look forward to many more quilting and crafting videos from myself, Charlie and Teeka.

Happy quilting!

Telecast Thursday - Got 15 Minutes? Episode 8

Hi everyone:

Welcome to another Telecast Thursday. In this week's episode in the  "Got 15 Minutes?" video series, we're going to talk about cleaning. No, not house cleaning, but sewing machine cleaning. In just 15 minutes a day, you can clean and prepare your sewing machine for your next quilt project.

In this video I'll be showing you how I clean my machine and the tools I use to do this. 

You can watch the video below or on my Youtube channel.

If you haven't seen the other episodes in this series, you'll can find them here.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel to receive automatic notifications when new videos are posted. You can also click on the Chatterbox Quilts logo in the upper right corner on the video itself to go to my Youtube channel and subscribe. 

I'm almost at the end of the "Got 15 Minutes?" video series, so subscribe to see what my next series is all about.

If you have any other ideas on how to use 15 minutes a day to advance your quilting project, please post them in the comments area.

Telecast Thursday - Got 15 Minutes? Episode 7

Hi everyone:

It's actually Sunday and I just realized that my Telecast Thursday post didn't go out this week. Sorry about that! Here it is - a few days late.

It's Thursday and I've posted another new episode in the  "Got 15 Minutes?" video series. This week I'll be showing you fusible web appliqué fans how to advance your project in just 15 minutes.

If you love to do fusible web appliqué like I do, you'll love this tip. In just 15 minutes, you can trace the majority, if not all of your appliqué shapes. Remember to use you Sharpie Ultra Fine Point pen to trace so you'll have dark, clear lines and no smudges.

You can watch this video below or on my Youtube channel.

If you haven't seen the other episodes in this series, you'll can find them here. Subscribe to my Youtube channel so you'll receive automatic notifications when new videos are released. Clicking on the logo in the top right corner of any video will also allow you to subscribe to my channel.

Were you able to trace all your appliqué shapes in 15 minutes? I'd love to know how much you were able to accomplish - just leave a comment below.

Lest We Forget

Today we remember...

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Illustrated page by Ernest Clegg. 

In Flanders fields the poppies grow

     Between the crosses, row on row,

   That mark our place; and in the sky

   The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

   Loved and were loved, and now we lie

         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

   The torch; be yours to hold it high.

   If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

         In Flanders fields.

Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915 

during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium

by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

Today I remember my maternal uncle, Albert Glazer, of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (SD&G Highrs) regiment, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps, who died at the battle of the Falaise in France on August 21, 1944 at the age of 22. 

Page 317 from the Second World War Book of Remembrance

I remember his sacrifice and those of so many others so that I could live in a country free and safe. "True north, strong and free". 

Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Lest we forget.

Craftsy Classes on Sale for a Limited Time

Hi everyone: It's a week-end to save! Don't miss Craftsy's Shop to Unlock Sale happening now! Get up to 50% off online classes for a limited time only! If you purchase a class during the flash sale, you will unlock a second set of classes on sale. A sale within a sale! I love it! For users who purchase, you will receive a subsequent email with a link "unlocking" the next set of classes. This is an opportune time to purchase one of Craftsy's on-line courses at a great price.  Hurry, this offer expires on November 9th, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. Shop Craftsy's Shop to Unlock Sale now and save big. Please note that I am a Craftsy affiliate and will be compensated if you purchase a course through the links in this post. Thanks!

Telecast Thursday - Got 15 Minutes? Episode 6

Hi everyone:

Welcome to another new video in my Youtube series, "Got 15 Minutes?".

This Thursday I'll show you how you can use your 15 minutes to pick out fabrics for your quilt project. I love playing with my fabric and enjoy seeing how various fabrics will combine in a new project. There's no pressure - just lots of playing!

You can watch this video below or on my Youtube channel.

If you haven't seen the other episodes in this series, you'll can find them here. Subscribe to my Youtube channel so you'll receive automatic notifications when new videos are released. Clicking on the logo in the top right corner of any video will also allow you to subscribe to my channel.

Do you love playing with fabric too? Leave a comment below to let me know how you pick fabrics for a quilt project.

Happy quilting!