Stitching for the Modern Soul
Another day of fun…to keep you from going stir crazy in these days of social distancing. I have another set of 10 designers for you to check out. The post will be available at 12 noon EST. Head over to my page at Facebook.com/puppygirllynn and while you’re there. be sure to “Like”! Thanks!
Welcome to our Virtual Designer Shop Hop!
The word is to stay at home so why not just stay at home and hop with us!?!
So for these next ten days, I want to take an opportunity to introduce to you to some of my favorite quilting colleagues and friends. I have over forty websites to share with you. Head over to facebook.com/puppygirllynn and please “Like” our page when you visit!
The next Block of the Month – “At the Seashore” debuts in April!
Have you ever done a Facebook Hop? Neither have I – I don’t think it’s been done before. Linda from https://colourwerx.com/ has organized a virtual shop hop with pattern designers, shops, quilt teachers, machine quilters – pretty much anyone in the quilt world that volunteered to be part of it.
Starting on Saturday, March 21 st, I’ll invite you to explore the newest offerings, patterns, and notions from fellow quilters.
All of them have something unique to offer to you – our virtual shop hoppers. With new and exciting sites to explore throughout the week, you’ll be happy you took a break and virtually hopped to meet new friends!
To take in all the fun, go to facebook.com/puppygirllynn and “Like”!
New Years Day 2020 – spent the day at my home guild with great friends. Several were working on ‘mysteries’ while I was working on a Care Quilt, with cute turtles! Good people, good food and stitching away – does it get any better than this??
For the past 25 years (length of time being a quilter), almost every year my New Years Day resolution is to spend more time quilting – making them, shopping for supplies, road trips with buddies, etc. This year is no different and took steps to make it happen.
When it comes to quilting and stitching, what is your resolution this year? Do you have a show (or two or three) that you want to attend? Retreat? A new technique? Please share…
I woke up early this morning to freezing cold temperatures ( 4 degrees F), the Puppy Girls and kitty Jackson under the blankets with me and the birds eating their breakfast at the feeders outside my windows. I laid there a while, loving the cuddling of the kids and enjoying the vast array of visitors this morning. I have observed that when it’s this cold, the birds are not really picky who’s eating along side them – sort of like eating at the counter of a diner. You may pass the salt and pepper, say a few words but you’re mostly there for the chow.
I’m extremely lucky that several types of woodpeckers regularly visit me – Downys, Hairys, Red-Bellied, Pileated and 
Northern Flickers. Then there’s standard Chickadees, Titmouse, Sparrows, White Breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jays, couple of Finches, occasionally American Goldfinch. Occasionally will have some of the ground feeders – Mourning Doves, Juncos, Cardinals – up at the feeders. But today, there was a new customer at the diner – a Carolina Wren!. I’d never seen one in person before, so it took some research to identify this pretty. Has beautiful coloring of brown and buff, curved beak and very compact body. It flitted back and forth and occasionally sat like it is here. I looked around from another window but didn’t see any others.
Eventually we all got up, quick trip out for Girls , breakfast and back to bed – now to continue reading my traditional Christmas book – this year it’s The Christmas Boutique by Jennifer Cheverani.
Wonderful book, cup of hot chocolate, watching the birds, all 4 Fur Babies snuggled in and I am admiring my Advent Calendar. There’s only a few ornaments up just yet but I love the tradition of each evening pulling out an ornament and putting it on the ‘tree’. Like everyone else, I’m especially busy this time of year though it is more for work than for fun. But still, I take a little time here and there to enjoy the moments of the holiday season. And you should too. It is way too easy to become overworked, overwhelmed and underappreciated. We owe it to ourselves to find the joy whenever possible. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of my Advent Calendar, you should read last year’s blog at http://puppygirldesigns.com/a-christmas-memory-revived/. I’m sure you’ll love it!
Are you thinking about Christmas? Do you need a special gift for an embroiderer, sewing enthusiast, Secret Sister, or a treat for yourself? I Have A Notion has a perfect suggestion! The Beam n Read, a light weigh hands free portable light! The most difficult thing about hand stitching is the light source never seems to be where you are stitching. This LED battery operated light hangs around your neck on an adjustable strap. The Beam n Read offers three options for the angle of the light, as well as a choice of how much light, either 3 of the LED bulbs or all 6. The light operates on 4 AA batteries and will last for at least 50+ hours on the 6 bulb setting or 100+ hours on the 3 bulb setting. The Beam n Read light also includes 2 blue light filters, (orange and red), appropriate for reading before sleep. Never stitch in dim or inadequate light again! 
Beam n Read url: https://ihaveanotion.com/shop/notions/hand-sewing/violet-beam-n-read-personal-light-see-better-in-dim-lighting/
Beth Hunter of
“I Have A Notion”
Hi Everyone! 
I am so honored and excited today to be Lynn’s guest blogger for Puppy Girl Designs! I’m looking forward to sharing a few things about myself and getting to know you all as well. I’m Sandi Colwell from East Bridgewater, MA and in addition to being a wife and mom of three daughters, I am an author, quilting instructor, pattern designer, and long-armer! My company is Quilt Cabana Patterns and I run it out of my home studio.
I didn’t begin quilting until after I was married and had kids. My grandmother gifted all of the graduates in the family with a sewing machine and I promptly stuck it (unopened) in the back of my closet where it lived for 15 years! Once I became a stay at home mom, I started watching The Carol Duvall Show and Simply Quilts. My interest in crafts started to pique and I asked my mother if she could teach me to sew. She told me to bring the girls to her house and she would teach me to make a child’s apron! I was so excited to learn how to use that machine!! I made the apron and went on to make many dresses, skirts, and ponchos for my daughters. I was hooked but I really wanted to learn how to quilt. I went to a quilt shop and with the help of a sales associate, I purchased everything I needed to teach myself to quilt! Once I had the hang of it, guess what? My mom asked me to teach her to quilt! And I did and we’ve been quilting together now for many years.
Since that time, I’ve gone on to have many designs published in national quilt magazines, have a book published with Leisure Arts, began long-arming, started a podcast, and now I teach workshops out of my home. It’s been the greatest pleasure to serve others by teaching them how to quilt. Today I’m particularly excited to launch my new eBook, Fabric Sketch Collage. This eBook walks you through how to turn your treasured photos into unique fabric collages! It’s an easy and fun process that is both relaxing and produces beautiful, fast results. You won’t believe how fun it is! Now through December 2nd, anyone who purchases the eBook will also receive a free pattern download for a mug rug. You can purchase the eBook and see all of my patterns in my Etsy Store.
I would love for you to visit my website and blog for more fun and updates! The links are listed below!
Website: https://quiltcabanapatterns.com/index.html
Blog: http://quiltcabanapatterns.com/blog/
Podcast: https://quiltcabanacorner.podbean.com/
Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Quiltcabanapatterns
Email: colwellsg@comcast.net
In 2020, I’ll be working on adding workshops for guilds. 
I’ve enjoyed sharing space here today with you all! Thank you so much for reading and a big thank you to Lynn for having me here today.
Sandi
Hello,
The final blocks for the Woodland Holiday BOM have been posted. The downloads include the pieced star blocks, the Rose Breasted Grosbeak Top Border and the Assembly & Finishing instructions.The blocks are now available for download on “My Pattern” page at Puppy Girl Designs. The October Bonus Block, The Chipmunk Bottom Border, is now available for $5 on my Etsy.
I have also added 2 more videos to assist you. The “Flange” video shows the very easy steps to adding a little extra border to the quilt. The second video is an interview with Machine Quilt Artist, Karyn Doremann, as she explains the various types of quilting she used to accent the embroidery of the Woodland Holiday. Her quilting is just awesome.
The “Flange” video can be viewed on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va2KHRcYDY0
The “Quilting” video can be viewed on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLBk2Fa2LKA
I sure hope you have enjoyed stitching along with this quilt as I did in creating it!!
*** I am already hard at work on the next Block of the Month to start early 2020!!
I know it’s a little early, but I feel like this is an early Christmas present just for me! Each Christmas holiday season, I select a feel good holiday novel to read each night – between Thanksgiving and New Years – before bed. Jennifer Chiaverini’s initial book series was the wonderful Elm Creek Quilters and here’s her latest!!
***Special Note – whenever possible, please shop the brick and mortar book stores for they, like our brick and mortar quilt shops – need our on-going support!
Hi there,
It’s been over six weeks since I’ve posted and you all probably wondered where I got too. I worked every single day from September 10 through October 12, many days double shifts. Lots of women do this all the time and I used to. But I’m many years older now, still recovering from the near fatal car accident and I wasn’t going to miss anything on my schedule.
That scheduled included teaching a very accelerated NYS EMT class in eleven 8-hour days for a new group of 10 Sheriffs Deputies. It take A LOT to maintain the high energy to keep the students interested and there’s prep or work before and after classes. I also worked my days at the local Town Offices AND most important of all, Puppy Girl Designs vending for the first time at a large local quilt show the weekend of September 14-15. The weeks and days before the show was very busy with getting samples made, patterns tested and printed, displays designed and made, the list goes on. I learned a lot, had a great time most of the time and met several new friends that join us here. I send out extra special thanks go to my very special Roadie, aka Nancie Van Alstyne for the late nights, the support, the driving, etc. The following Saturday, September 21st had me at the Quilt Consortium of NYS Quilt Show out by Rochester demonstrating hand stitching. Had a great time! The EMT class was held around all these events and jobs, even on weekends. By October 12th, everyone was very tired, especially me. I slept a couple of days then back into regular work mode, with the beginnings of a wicked cold, and was looking forward to working on Puppy Girl Designs again! I was not surprised that even though I took as good care of myself as I could, my body wasn’t happy. But my heart was happy, with so many different projects completed successfully.
On Wednesday, October 16th, I was stitching away on yet another pattern sample when I received a phone call from a good friend. I thought it odd that he was calling as I knew he was out of town visiting family. We exchanged hellos, how are you? And then he said “I guess you haven’t heard yet…”. That sentence can be innocent most of the time but his voice, quivering just a bit had me very quiet. He then recounted how a mutual friend had died very suddenly a few hours earlier, the details of the ambulance call, hospital stay and then the sudden end, all within a few hours. This wonderful, giving woman was also an EMT with a neighboring Rescue Squad and the Fire Department. She was first my student, then my friend, then trusted confidant and treasured sister. And then she was gone, just like that. I said very little during the phone call and the days following. Last Monday, I went with Roadie to our guild’s Fall retreat. Did my best not to share my cooties (my cold) with anyone and kept mostly to myself. I worked only on the sewing machine (not like me at all), not picking up a embroidery needle the whole time (totally unlike me).
It is still not registering that Doris and I are not going to have our hour+ chats anymore, that she won’t be smothered with puppy girl kisses (from hers puppies or mine) anymore. Most of all, I will miss her smile and laugh. Please take this moment to tell those you like and love just how special they are to you. Doris knew how I felt towards her and for that, I am grateful.
