I was away last week and upon my return have been thoroughly chastised by Fran & Freda for missing Fowl Friday! Still working on getting them computer literate and sometimes any kind of literate but please don't let them know I said that!

In just over a week I am off to Quilt Market in Houston to promote my latest book Sweatshirt Remix with demos and a book signing. I really enjoy the promotion side and getting to meet the retailers who are so passionate about quilting and sewing. It is an industry where the shop owners are avid quilters and love fabric! To celebrate I will be giving away every week one of my last book Sweatshirts which has 18 jacket, coat and tunic designs. Just leave a comment or email me. I will draw a name every Monday in October!  Here is one of my favorites from the book modelled by my lovely daughter Kate! She is a very patient and mostly willing model. I have only pricked her once with a pin but will never live it down!

I am busy finishing up some deadlines and getting ready for Quilt Market! I always return inspired!

Have a Marvellous Monday! Keep creating! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Today I opened my email to a message from the local cat club with a story I am meant to share. I live in Atlantic Canada in New Brunswick, part of three very small provinces beyond Ontario. Nestea like many companies, which are encouraging and rewarding worthwhile causes and people  is running a contest "Release the Goodness". The finalist stories receive a prize of $5000. There is a story from Atlantic Canada that has made the finalists. If it wins Karen, it is her story "Helping Elderly Gentleman" is giving the money to our local animal shelter, the Fredericton SPCA which like every shelter could greatly use this gift.

Karen's story touched me deeply and raised questions to really think about. Her story took place in the US while travelling. You can read in full on the site and only takes a few seconds to register to vote. She and her husband were on a flight and an elderly gentleman had an embarrassing situation. Noone else including the attendants offered to help. Karen offered assistance and took the gentleman, aged 94 to the Executive washroom and cared for him. I was reminded of my mother and this type of situation was one of her biggest fears to have happen to be embarrassed in that way. This was a stranger reaching out in a situation that was not easy. I asked myself the question, would I respond as Karen did or as the rest of the passengers did? How would you respond?

I am comfortable with seniors and different situations, I have had kids and pets. I believe I am the kind of friend and person that can be counted on in any situation. I believe in that moment my answer would have been yes and say I would have helped him as well. Karen truly knows the kind of person she is, she made a difference in someone's life and  in many others with her one act of true kindness. Please vote and enable this act of kindness to continue.

Bernie Berlin is another person I know who puts herself above and beyond in her caring for animals in her shelter, A Place to Bark." Her main help Jeff suffered a serious car accident recently and is going to be awhile recovering.

To live in a world where there are many people who care and act to make a difference is both inspiring and humbling. We walk this way but once, each footprint matters. Who we touch in each day ripples outwards. I choose JOY for I see the innate goodness of the world around me. Each of us has a gift to share lovingly in this life and to pass it on.

Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Our past influences each present day, I was reminded of this in my world when looking through some pictures of my pattern line I had in the 90's when country bears and dolls were huge. Each bear had a story and a friend, I designed them for Crafts, Teddycrafts and Butterick and it was my main design focus for several years. I found pictures on the weekend for several of my favorites. In the recent report of our CHA Designer Section Trend Team of which I am a member, teddy bears are on the rise in popularity again. Plushies and softies, quirky and whimsical have been embraced by the younger sewers and designers, I am embracing the quirky attempting to go past my two eyes need to be the same size or even if a cuddly creature needs two eyes! I will have to really stretch before I can envision a third eye on one of my characters but you have to move on with the times. Creativity without traditional boundaries is a whole exciting adventure and endless inspired territory beckons. So I give you a view of my past and Benjamin was inspired by my childhood memories of the little yellow rail car box which contained a favorite cookie treat, Animal Crackers!

And in the present I am working on all kinds of projects for three different seasons, needle felting, sewing but they are all for future publications and cannot be revealed!

Follow the JOY! Keep creating! Debra, CEO!

Well it is Fowl Friday and it is supposed to be Fran & Freda but Freda is unavailable at the moment. If you follow us at all on Fowl Fridays well while Debra was away in Vancouver we were at home behaving. Behaving well not according to Debra, we killed her plants and Freda was slightly tipsy dancing around singing "Oh what a night!" The rooster she met on Hatch.com kind of stayed over too long and Freda enjoyed his company, I will just leave it at that!

Today Debra is like usual working on a couple deadlines in her studio, that requires her use of important spaces and equipment like her sewing table and fabric stash. Freda was found in the "family way" and chose both the sewing table and fabric stash to nest in. Impressed not! Debra is now constructing a nesting box for Fran in the garage after putting a load of pink fabric in the washer. Freda does like her pink! She is washing down her sewing table after and Freda will be comfortably nesting in the garage. Soon there will be little Freds & Fredas running around not sure how they will fit in with the four cats! There maybe a chicken coop in the backyard or we maybe sent off to some farm, city bylaws have to be investigated. Oh Freda, two glasses of wine and she is dancing on the tables and more! The rooster from Cape Breton long gone, he was a party animal, not a family guy. His profile read no kids, no way and child support well chicken feed does not come cheap! Anyway next Friday could be just Fran again, I may need a new sidekick, Freda will be busy after the chicks and wants to gain her figure back before appearing. Her feathers are getting a bit straggly looking.

Updates on delivery day will follow! For now Fowl Friday with Fran!

In a few short weeks I am off to Quilt Market , international tradeshow to promote my new book Sweatshirt Remix. That involves my one woman show of stripping garments off and on while I talk and walk. The sweatshirt is a comfortable garment no question but as far as flattering to a woman's shape not at all. Dropped shoulders, excess fabric through the middle and a band that usually cuts the body in a place where no cut should be allowed. However it has much potential for being reborn as both comfortable and fun or stylish to wear. I was interested in embellishing the sweatshirt but much more about structure techniques for better fit. Both books SWEATSHIRTS and Sweatshirt Remix include techniques and guides to create seaming details to the body and shoulders of the sweatshirt. Today being Thrifty Thursday and restyling a sweatshirt is a thrifty project I am showcasing a design from the book, Daisy Crop Jacket which used some wool felt scraps and a couple tea towels for the collar and trim. If you do not sew Beacon's Fabri-tac glue will allow you to create the same look.

Page from Sweatshirt Remix F+W Media Inc.

Follow the JOY! Keep Creating! Debra, CEO!

My trip to Vancouver particularly Granville Island home to many artists, artisans and their studios was both inspiring and touching. It spoke to my spirit in a way that I had not experienced in a long time. The location along the water is beautiful and that I could walk from where I was staying along the sea wall set the pace and mood. I had time stretching before me and that contributed immensely. We are often always so busy that taking time to just wander and experience life at a slow pace does not happen very often. Making time for taking time!

As I had a couple leisurely delightful days on Granville Island I walked different routes each day and down the alleys in between the buildings once in a while. Near the Emily Carr Art University located on the island in an alley was a colorful handmade tree with leaves created by some students. It had a hand written note to just make a leaf and put it on the tree. The unexpected surprise of art in the alley and the colorful burst of creativity reminded me of the miraculous gift that creativity, artistic expression brings to the world and how it can show up in the most ordinary places making them extraordinary. The reality is how we see, really see anything, anyone, if we take the time there is creative expression and true beauty always before us and around us. On that perfect sunlit day in an alley where a tree blossomed I was reminded of the power of creative expression in our lives!

Follow the JOY! Keep Creating! Debra, CEO!

I belong to several discussion groups, one of them being The Art of Licensing which provides a wealth of generous information from its members regarding all aspects of licensing. Tomorrow Tara Reed has a free tele-seminar call coming up for licensing and character licensing with Jill Seale, the creator of the "Nunn for the Road" characters. http://www.askjillseale.com/call-details.html Fran & Freda are dancing with joy, they  want to be in on the call and have already posted their questions! They want to listen in as well but I am still not sure where there ears are!

The moderator of the list Franchelle Contreras has a new fabric line which will be available at Quilt Market next month. Colors are gorgeous especially the colorway with purple and lime green is my favorite. The Art of Possibility Studios  is having a party in their booth introducing their new fabric. There is something special about fabric, textiles wrap and clothe us, furnish our homes, our intimate places, bedrooms, bathrooms with comfort and beauty. To see your designs in fabric is a thrill and then to see it translated into garments and home decor even more exciting. At present we are working on a new fabric line, it takes about a year to see it through to completion so not ready yet but I will be at Quilt Market celebrating everyone elses lovely lines and promoting my new book Sweatshirt Remix. I also get to hang out in the Creative Homearts Booth and demo some designs I have done for the upcoming Holiday issue.

Today is International Lymphoma Awareness Day and a dear friend Sue Warden lost her only child Nicholas to Lymphoma in January. Sue with a spirit that just lights up a room is now working tirelessly for the cause, promoting awareness with her usual determination and style! We had the opportunity to spend time together at summer CHA and was deeply moved by her resilient spirit, she carries on her son's request to live life and make a difference! She is!

Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Happy Monday all! So much of my work is not revealed until months after completion it is almost a surprise when it arrives in the mail in print. In the spring I had the delightful job of working with Vicki Schreiner's new line of Bazooples applique manufactured by Expo International. These adorable animals are captured in easy to use iron on appliques. They are ideal to personalize and dress up any baby garment, nursery accessory or memory book. There are three booklets and are filled with projects using the Bazooples applique. Vicki's characters are also in fabric and buttons. I am now enjoying working on more new projects with all of her Bazooples line!

This week is filled with several deadlines which involve every season of the year. Working on different timelines sometimes means conjuring up visions of sugarplums while wearing flipflops. Enjoying all holidays is a bonus when it comes to feeling inspired and accidentally sprinkling silver glitter here and there! Deadlines give definition to my job and those set for me and those I set for myself keep me on track most of the time. My studio staff, two very enthused cats, especially the ragdoll kitten Milla, who has organized my buttons by some strange system I have yet to figure out. Those that roll seem to be high priority! So off to the studio for today! 

Keep creating! Debra, CEO

  Fran & Freda will return next Fowl Friday! I am here on a day when we remember September 11 and how all of our lives changed that day. The terror and devastation, the sadness all were raw and real. I had just returned from Phoenix just a few hours before and in our group were several designers from New York, one had her husband along, a New York firefighter. She organized many relief efforts and we became the best of friends. Our whole group like so many everywhere said what can we do and did. We are all shaped by that day and those that followed. Heroism happens in the quiet unseen moments when people continue past their breaking point, putting others first and caring deeply from the roots of their beings.

Believing comes from the place where when there is chaos or despair around us we still believe that it will pass, that we have to hold on to our beliefs for ourselves, our children for others of the world, that people are intrinsically good and when given the opportunity will rise to what they are called to do. We know so many that inspire us to shine, to be our best, to volunteer with our mind, body and soul. Today we celebrate those who truly are making a difference with some of the people I am very honored to know.

Today finds my daughter in one of her last clinical rotations of her nursing degree, her first choice was community and so today she is walking the streets as a homeless person to get a slight feel of what her clients live every day. Her instructor is a committed activist for human rights and the local shelters.

Bernie Berlin of a A Place to Bark, a no kill foster and adoption shelter, is a young designer who runs this amazing shelter. Her updates consist of the dogs rescued, their health issues, her success in reclaiming their lives and giving them a future. Her dedication is amazing and she could use votes right now to receive a much needed grant. Please visit her site to find out details to vote and to see her life's work.

The Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting handmade butterflies for an exhibit in Spring 2012 representing each child lost in the Holocaust, 1.5 million. There are a couple of groups on Facebook, one of which is led by the talented designer Michelle Zimmerman. Michelle's father is a Holocaust survivor. She and Helen Bradley another amazing talent organize the AMACO Friendly Plastic butterfly challenge.

Kiva , "loans that change lives", is a place where you can lend $25 to a small business somewhere around the world and make a world of difference. I support a women's sewing business in Africa and they have within this past year almost paid it entirley back. It can then be reinvested into another small business.

Believing and doing, a powerful combination. This is dedicated to all of those who believe and do everyday. We walk this path but once and each footprint makes a difference. To the steps we take and the path followed may it bring JOY filled difference to all who we meet along the way.

Remembering & Believing, Debra, CEO! Creative Eternal Optimist!

Fran & Freda are back! Fowl Friday found them being the biggest fans! My good friend and licensing partner Deborah Peyton finally agreed to create "portraits" of the fowl pair! Deborah has illustrated the last three of my books and created all of the illustrations on my website. She is a very talented cartoonist and illustrator. Her "Day by Day" cartoon strip ran for seven years and had a huge fan base especially her cat character who got his own fan mail. Her animals have lots of character and she has a special affinity for chickens having had a hobby farm where our conversations were occasionally cut short by her running after a renegade chicken. The fresh eggs were another welcome perk, I was hoping she would encourage Fran and Freda in the egg laying department but no such luck! However they can hardly contain themselves to present their "portraits" and tell all!

Fran here! What a day we had Friday! We got to pose for one of favorite people, cartoonist and illustrator Deborah Peyton! It was so exciting, we got to sit on her special drawing table. Of course feet were extra clean, no bits of sawdust at all between the toes. She suggested some poses and helped us to bend just the right way showing off our best features. Freda did inquire about Photoshop as she thought she looked a little chunky. Deborah was so kind she just erased the extra bits for Freda and got her to stretch tall to give a more elongated look. Freda was preening big time after that!

After our sitting with Deborah she took us out for ice cream and let us sit in the front seat beside her with the window wide open. Just threee gals having a good time! It was a great day and Deborah is a nice as she is talented and sure knows how to make a fowl look fabulous! Later Fran & Freda!