CHA 2010

I just got home from CHA. What a show! Our Craft Critique reporters are still hard at work covering this amazing trade show. There is a ton of patterned paper and cutting systems at CHA, but we spotted lots of other kinds of crafting too. Read our coverage HERE.

I spotted a few craft celebrities at the show. Last year, amusingly, Paris Hilton was hawking some stamp designs and paper. I don't think that worked out too well for her with stores looking for crafts to buy, but she was a bit of a sensation.

We didn't have that level of "celebrity" this year, but I totally got butterflies when I saw Carol Duval. Some of you may remember her show on HGTV. Did you know that they used to show crafting on HGTV and DIY networks? I learned to quilt from television and I learned that I could do pretty much any craft from Carol Duvall. Sadly, although there are a few great shows, it is hard to find well produced craft programming on television these days.



I took like 50 bad pictures of her. I think I might make a bad picture flip book and reenact her talk.. Later on, I missed her book signing, but at an event that evening my friend, Sarah Moore, made sure I got to meet her. Click HERE to see Sarah with her Carol Duvall signature on her arm. I'll take Carol Duvall doing crafts any day over Martha Stewart...

Also spotted at CHA was letter turning yarn diva Vanna White. I missed her talk, but she has nice yarn at Lion Brand!

Deborah Norville also has some soft and squishy yarns for Premiere Yarns. We used some of her samples at our consumer booth and it makes nice squishy pom poms. Her sweater is really soft, although she admitted that she didn't knit it herself.

Read our coverage of what's new in yarn HERE.

I saw The Crafty Chica several times, but I didn't take her picture. Everyone agrees that she is so nice!

TV Hosts Cathy Fillian and Steve Piacenza have new products they are showing and as I was listening to them a woman came by to ask me to photograph them all together. While I was having trouble with her camera, I looked at her badge and it is Donna Dewberry of One Stroke Painting. Y'all, Donna Dewberry has a crappy camera. This is the pic I took of those three notable personalities with my camera:

Finally, Craftster was there at the consumer portion of the show with their parent company Namemedia. That's Leah, Me, Jungrrl, and KittyKill, underneath the felt banner expertly handmade by Jungrrl herself.

Uh.. trade show food makes me bloated and I learned that I am totally allergic to California... I forgot to tell you that I got a Best of Craftster award again this year! More on that another time...

Still making things, but slowly

I like winter, but I do get kinda lazy during these darkest days. It is clear that I have been neglecting my blog. My son, husband and I have been retreating into our XBox. We do play together and talk about all the gaming strategies and game plots, so it is sort of a family "activity" for us. I did make some cute things for Christmas, but I never photographed them! They were a cute apron and two sets of very cool potholders for my Mom. I'll try to get a photo sometime later when I'm at her house..

Yesterday my kids were home for MLK Day and fighting over control of the television. (They are deeply divided over the watchability of Supernanny.) I decided we had to turn off all media and do something else. My son is not crafty so he found other stuff to do, but daughter and I decided to do the Craft of the Day that came as an email from Martha Stewart. It's called a Heart Felt Bag and it was easy to make, although it is more decorative than anything because that cute little handle isn't very sturdy.



See? Cute! We need to reglue with hot glue because the hearts are slipping off. The handle and top of bag also form these cute hearts:



In other news, I am super excited to finally get to attend the Craft and Hobby Association trade show in Anaheim, California! CHA is a big deal in the crafting industry. I'm going as a reporter with my friends from Craft Critique. Prior to the show, on Friday and Saturday, January 22-23 is a big Craft Supershow for anyone and everyone who is crafty. Read about what Craft Critique is planning for the Supershow HERE. We even have a discount coupon if you are planning to attend!

Come and find me at the Supershow! We are in booth 1101. If you can't attend, be sure to follow Craft Critique for the latest news about products and trends in crafting. I will make it my mission to find the cool fabric and fiber craft products!

Glowing Stitching

I stitched a glowing snowflake for Craft Critique to review Glow in the Dark Embroidery Floss by DMC. I liked it and it really glows a lot!

Check it out HERE.

Tea Towel Tour 5

The Susie Can Stitch family is still around, but I've been busy and a little bit overwhelmed by various things lately. Only one more week of school and the kids are home for the holidays! The craft show I did a few weeks ago went well and I think it is one I may do again since both times I've done it have been successful.

I realized that I never shared with you the lovely Tea Towel that was stitched for me in our Tea Towel Tour 5 swap on Craftster!
As you can see, there is a large area for me to add my very own motif. I plan to get to that sometime. Probably after Christmas when things settle down a bit. Ugh.. those colors are all messed up in the above photo. The towel is white, not greenish and pinkish... Cloudy day with artificial light makes for bad pictures. I did want to share an ironed towel with you. THIS PHOTO has better lighting, but the towel needed to be pressed.

First, this is the stitching by Pearliepie. She used rich colors to stitch these beautiful stylized flowers for me. I love their folk arty feel and that outlining stitch is amazing:


Next is the stitching by j-q-adams. He uses variegated floss to great effect! I love the french knots and a bird motif was a theme I was thinking of going with until I decided not to specify a theme for this towel.


This is the stitching added by Kitten Wrangler. She did a Hungarian motif not even knowing that I am 1/4 Hungarian! This is amazing satin stitching and there is an unusual sort of weaving done on one of the flowers:


Here is the motif by SarahJ2001. I adore Hollyhocks, but I haven't been able to get them to grow here in my Chicagoland clay soil. Her stitching is full of charm and warmth and I love the pretty variety of colors she chose:


Finally, this is the stitching by Ritaizza. This is a design from a crewel work book she has. Crewel is a tapestry embroidery done in wool, but the desings are easily adapted to cotton floss. I think she has done a sort of twisted stem stitch on some of the flowers which adds a cool texture.


I absolutely love my towel! Thanks so much to my talented swap partners who kept up with our demanding swap!

Winter Whimsy Sale

Tuesday night I'm doing a fun craft show with my friend's neighborhood in Evanston, Illinois. This is a group of very talented women and the show is busy!


Usually it is held it at one of the neighbors houses, but the show has outgrown that space! This year Winter Whimsy is Tuesday, December 1 from 7-9pm at the Robert Gold Salon, 2942 Central Street, Evanston, Illinois.

I'll be selling my embroidered pouches:



Hand Dyed Crochet Flowers including red poinsettias



And a big selection of cute embroidered felt hairclips:


Come on by and say hello if you are in the area! I'm baking butterscotch brownies and there will be other refreshments too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's getting close to mealtime around here! We are just waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.



I resurrect my Grandma Nelson's favorite Bob White dishes for this special holiday. For years and years this was the holiday we spent in Iowa visiting our lovely relatives. Actually, for a long time as a child I thought only old people lived in Iowa and the kids I saw were just visiting like me.



Roasting the turkey in a bag is a great method as is having one of those thermometers you can read from the countertop. Our turkey is now resting peacefully in the kitchen awaiting the carving and gravy prep.



Enjoy this wonderful holiday!

Geekery with Quilters Interfacing

Check out my article at Craft Critique to see what I made with Quilters Interfacing. It's a really fun and easy product to use. The only hard part is trimming and ironing the seams on the back to reduce bulk.

----------------------------------------

I also spent some time listing inventory at my Etsy shop. Click through to see some great gift ideas! I have lots of new pouches, felt hairclips, and hand dyed wool flowers.