Tuesday Preview - CQT Episode 046

Hey Everyone! I'm so excited to bring you Episode 46 of Canadian Quilt Talk. 

But first - Guess what!? We are coming up on the 1 year Anniversary of Canadian Quilt Talk this July! Can you believe it's been a year already? I have so many exciting things happening for prizes, special guests and more. So stay tuned - We are going to celebrate! 

This week on CQT 046 you'll meet Saskatchewan fibre artist Monika Kinner-Whalen who has such a lovely talent for stitching that you'll fall in love with her prairie landscapes, and we'll talk all about her passion for postcards. (and introduce a new postcard challenge to you! Eeeee!)

CQT 046 - Fibre Art Postcards with Monika Kinner-Whalen

Here's a link to Monika's Flickr postcard page so you can view some of her gorgeous postcards. But don't be intimidated by the beauty because postcards are the perfect way to try out new techniques. There are 100s of photos to feast your eyes on from quilters around the globe and you'll find plenty of creative ideas. So check it out!  She also has loads of inspiration for those who love to stitch on the My Sweet Prairie blog. There you'll find Tips on Tuesdays, Things I Love Thursdays, Friday Finishes, Saturday Stitches and more. If you want a blog that will keep you inspired day in and day out - My Sweet Prairie is the place for you! 

AND speaking of postcards and inspiration, I'll be announcing the very first Canadian Quilt Talk Postcard Exchange on the podcast this week! THAT MEANS YOU! It will be so much fun and a great chance to meet a new quilting penpal. Be sure to listen for the details (you can guarantee the theme will be something with a Canadian twist, but still suitable for listeners around the world). I'll do a full blog post all about it next week. And if you want a sneak peek at the theme - go to the Brandy Lynn Designs website right now to sign up and you'll find out! 

So head on over and SIGN UP!

And now for this week's winner of the Quilter's Corner: LIZ MARTIN

Liz tells us a short and sweet little story about how quilting has changed her life AND her stash! I'm sure many of you can relate, so congratulations Liz! You have won a complete postcard kit to make a half dozen postcards including stabilizers fabric, prestamped backings and embellishement packs in a few different colourways that Monika has put together from her stash. So that makes it super special!

So head on over and sign up for the Canadian Quilt Talk Postcard Exchange happening just in time for Canada Day and listen this week to find out more about the exciting prize we'll be giving away on the Anniversary Show coming up on July 3rd. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! 

Cheers! 

Episode 045 Canadian Quilt Talk - Get out of that rut!

Join Brandy Lynn this week as she explores what you can do when you get into a rut and can't seem to find your way out. Whether its with quilting, your job, or just everyday life, get yourself inspired to look at the bright side and keep on truckin' with Canadian Quilt Talk. 

Check out this episode!

Tuesday Preview - CQT Episode 045

Have you ever had one of those kind of weeks where it seems the world is just crumbling down around you? Sometimes I find it hard to adjust from the high of teaching, travelling and judging, to the low of drudging away at my month end finances and realizing there is only so long that I can do everything I do for free. 

I know it sounds rather sad when you put it that way, especially just coming off of a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, and heading off very soon to judge at CQA 2014. But the truth is, I struggle to find a balance between creating free podcasts, videos and content and generating enough income with my patterns, products and services to break even, or in the grand dream of things, contribute to the household income.

So this week's podcast will focus on ways you can pick yourself up if you happen to walk into a wall, like I've done this week. I’ll show you how to bust out of the overwhelm by taking a look back at your little successes along the way and how to review what works and what doesn't to make a quick and clear plan for the future. I’ll announce some simple changes to the brandylynndesigns website, and I’ll give you a sneak peek into the top 5 reasons why I do what I do for free every week!

So set your daily woes aside, grab a glass of wine and join me this week on CQT Episode 45 where we’ll talk PASSION, CREATIVITY and PURPOSE!

Oh, and I can't forget the winner of the weekly Quilter's Corner! 

DEB VEZINA

TQPM Website

Deb tugs at our heartstrings with talk about how quilting is therapy and quotes a great list of the health benefits of quilting that you don't want to miss. Congrats Deb - you have won a one year subscription to The Quilt Pattern Magazine. 

Happy Mother's Day!

I had such a lovely time yesterday as the special guest for the Annual Mother's Day Tea at the Summerland Library.

I have loved moving from the big prairie city to a small town. It's so nice to recognize new friends on the street every day and feel like you know everyone. I planned a fun little Mother's Day craft for the kids and mom's and it turned out quite well.

The moms got involved in the stitching for the very little kids and the kids 7 and up did the stitching quite well. Each mom went home with a ruches flower in a soft floral batik.

I've had a few requests since posting this photo on Facebook, so I'll make a ruched flower for one of my 52 Weeks of Fibre Art videos - maybe next week. Here's a lovely shot of yours truly and my wonderful illustrator Marcia Stacy. She is such a sweetheart and blew my expectations out of the water with her watercolour illustrations for the book.

It's tempting to say that my favourite thing about Mother's Day is bacon as the smell fills my house as I write this, but there are so many other things better than food. Snuggles for one - I love the soft whisper of a child's voice waking me up to the first round of snuggles. Bar none, that's my favourite thing about Mother's Day, and every other day for that matter. Next, I love the surprises. At this stage in my son's life, there's often a gigantic poster-sized card, a bouquet of flowers or a potted pant, and a gift that he picked out himself. But today he went above and beyond by hand pulling bolts of fabric off the shelf at the local quilt shop and having them cut and packaged in a little adorable bundle.

What are we going to make together!? I've deduced that we are going for a picnic at Fintry where there is a waterfall which is another one of my favourite things.

But before I sign off as the boys are urging me out the door (I've been lazing around writing this post for hours now...) I just want to say that beyond the snuggles, my favourite thing about Mother's Day is my mom! Love you mom. You are sweet, strong, sensible and hilarious. And you've instilled a bunch of that in me. Thanks darling! Love you, love you!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Mother's Day!

Episode 044 Canadian Quilt Talk - The Quilt Patch

Join Brandy Lynn this week from the Eye Candy Quilt Show in Regina Saskatchewan as she interviews Shelley Wicks and Jeanne Large about their new quilt pattern book - Here Comes Winter and much, much more...

Check out this episode!

TUESDAY PREVIEW - CQT EPISODE # 44

Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

I had so much fun last week at the Eye Candy Quilt Show in Regina. And while I was there, I had the pleasure of interviewing a wonderful pair of quilters. Jeanne Large and Shelley Wicks are the owners of The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Beyond the immense job of running a quilt shop, they are pattern designers, 4-time Martingale published authors, fabric designers and more.

Shelley Wicks and Jeanne Large

This week on Canadian Quilt Talk Episode # 44 we'll talk about all of their adventures as a team and tell you what's inside their latest book called Here Comes Winter, coming out this June with plenty of time for you to get started on those holiday gift projects. 

Book Launch June 3, 2014

And here's the winner of our weekly Quilter's Corner: Tara Tkachuk with another hilarious story about how a quilt show handles the use of the men's washroom as an overflow at major quilting events. Congratulations Tara, you have won Shelley and Jeanne's book Urban Country Quilts! 

Shelley and Jeanne are the co-authors of four books with Martingale:

Tis the Season (2010) 

Urban Country Quilts (2011) 

Tis the Autumn Season (2013)  

Here Comes Winter, releasing in June 2014! 

It was so fun to interview these two great women right outside their booth at the quilt show surrounded by wonderful quilts and with quilters walking around wondering what we were chatting about. We laughed so hard when I said, "We are here at The Quilt Path Bootch!"  

So join me this Thursday at 4pm Pacific time to meet Shelley Wicks and Jeanne Large on CQT Episode 44!

Epidose 043 Canadian Quilt Talk - Quilt Care

From washing and storage, to mailing and travelling with quilts, join Brandy Lynn this week as she shares her top 10 tips on caring for your quilts. 

Check out this episode!