Saturday, September 28, 2013

The leaves are turning and the 401 quilt run begins

Fall is my favorite time of year. The hot sweaty days of summer are gone and the air is fresh and clean. We are all sleeping better at night and that makes us more productive in the day.
I realize that it has been several months since I have posted on this blog . It has been a very trying year and we are finally on the upswing and hopefully I can get back to the tasks at hand and put the unpleasantness of the past year behind me.

Jane, Pat and I have been working very hard at getting ready for the start of our month long 401 Quilt Run.
To be honest with you I feel that it has been one step forward and two steps back but like death and taxes it's coming and there's nothing we can do about it. lol
It's been an extremely busy fall with our Quilters, Rug Hookers and Knitters already. 
Fabrics are arriving daily and moving out as quick as they come in. There are beautiful colors and patterns and people are sewing everything from quilts to home dec.

I've been dying up a storm and the hookers are eating it up. I check my shelves every day and just when I  think I have them filled up they seem half empty. There have been alot of travelling hookers that have made their way to my door this past summer and fall and for that I'm grateful. I've been dyeing some fleece for spinning and felting as well as my own handspun and I feel a real sense of accomplishment. I love fiber!
I managed to miss the Michigan Sheep Fest but when I visit Grand Rapids to see our son Travis, I will be hunting some fiber down. lol

For you knitters who are familiar with Vi from Kraft Village you will know that she has retired this year leaving a hole in the knitting supply for our area. I am doing my best to catch up and keep my shelves full.
This week we received a rather large shipment of sock yarns in a large variety of colors. I'm sure there's something for everyone there. Noro yarns are back in stock and make even the simplest pattern look amazing.

Dave Schwartz has joined our staff and will be looking after all our machine servicing and repairs. Dave has been repairing machines in the area for years and can be trusted to care for your machine. Bring in your machines and sergers and get them tuned up for your fall sewing  now. Dave will not be servicing machines that are under warranty from your dealer. Unfortunately you will need to see your dealers for warranty machines.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend and enjoying Applefest and the Leaf game. lol
Go Leafs Go
Mary Anne

Monday, July 29, 2013

Back at last

Wow! I looked at my last post and realized I've really been slacking on the blog.
Life has been very busy this summer as we spend time with our Grandchildren and make trips to the Muskoka's to vist Travis.
Travis is at Oxtongue Lake slugging canoes for the summer and after a couple of visits I have a great appreciation for Algonquin Outfitters. They outfit groups with everything they need for their adventure into the parks and our boy is part of the team that help them get ready. It's a great excuse for us to visit a beautiful part of Ontario. Why leave Canada for a holiday when we have all these wonderful sites to visit.
I have been buying for the fall and things have started to roll in lately. Beautiful new yarns from Noro Yarns and some great new sock yarns as well as some lace alpaca from Malabrigo. The fabrics are beautiful and there is something to entice everyone. Jane and Pat have been busy sewing and getting kits ready for our cottagers as well as getting ready for fall classes. We hope to entice you to drop in and see what's new and tell us what you have found on your travels this summer. We learn so much from our customers and I'm always delighted when someone has been on a quilt run and brings a new idea back to us.
I've been working on a quilt this summer that seems to have dragged on but I will post a picture this week when I finish the top. I have also been knitting a spiral shawl with the Noro sock yarn and it's finally turning out. It is an extremely easy pattern that yeilds beautiful results but I recommend not talking to your husband when starting this pattern and absolutely not even one glass of wine.
I look forward to seeing all of you out to knitting Tuesday afternoon to share your projects and I invite all of you who are interested in knitting or need help to drop in and visit.
Mary Anne

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Still knitting, quilting and sewing

Well, summer is slow to arrive so we all continue to knit, quilt and sew and for my business that is not a bad thing at all. However, my tan is not getting any better at this rate. lol. Even my pool still has its cover on and Cliff is in no hurry to open it up. It's to cold to swim so why pay for chemicals is his thought. Open the Pool!
There have been lots of changes in the shop in the last year. Sharon has retired for the second or third time and at the end of May , Geri Logan has retired.Although they are retired, they are not far from my thoughts and I consult with them regularly.
Pat Schwartz has been at the shop for one year now and I am so delighted to have her. Pat is our in shop sewing consultant. I like that handle and although she would scoff at the title she is really very knowledgeable. We have had some very nice sewing classes since Pat has come on board and she is a sergeing genius. This is said by the girl who had quite a bit of difficulty even threading the serger but with Pat's patience I am now running it like I know how.
 Jayne Thomas is the new hire and I am delighted to have her on board as well. Jayne , for those of you who do not know her is a delightful addition to the shop. Jayne is an avid quilter and sewing enthusiast. She has held a couple of classes since she has come to the shop and they have produced wonderful product and led to very happy customers.
The three of us are working very hard at classes for the summer and fall . There will be Christmas in July as well as another chenille class and some beginner projects for those of you who would like to try your hand at quilting. Everyone can sew. A little instruction goes a long way and all the little tips you will learn along the way will help make your experience an enjoyable one.
All our groups will continue to meet through the summer. I have found in the past that people want to continue the routine so our Knitters will continue to meet Tuesday afternoons from 1-3, Hookers Wednesday from 1-3 and Stitchers on Thursday morning from 9:30-11:30. Everyone is welcome.
The third Friday of the month is our Spin In and the last Friday of the month is our Hook In.
I look forward to meeting with everyone on these days.
I have noticed that it had been quite awhile since I posted. My apologies, but life has gottten in the way. Thank you for your patience and I promise to do better.
Mary Anne

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Spin In Friday

Don't forget that Friday is our monthly Spin In. Come in , sit down and spin away your problems. This is one of the most enjoyable days of the month for me as that is exactly what I do. 
There is just one problem. I need to start using all this wool I have been spinning. lol
See you Friday
M

I'm back again

I've been away for a little while but I'm back and ready to go. 

Mothers Day was busy as usual and I was off to the flower shop to help look after the Mom's and play with flowers for awhile. Although it seems to be something I am doing less and less , I still enjoy going into the shop and doing design work.
It's a rainy day out there this morning and I can actually see the grass growing. lol. Poor Cliff has been cutting the grass like crazy already. No rest for the wicked. 

Pat, Jayne, Geri and I have been very busy at the shop making shop samples for classes. It is always difficult to know what people want to do and it has been my experience that by making these samples up you get your feedback and then you have your class.
It is very important to listen to your customers. They keep us informed as to what they're looking for and usually after being asked for something a couple of times you know that you better get it in  
the shop because as sure as the sun will rise, there will be more people looking for that item.

Our Rug Hooking group continues to grow and we are going to make great strides this week in making more room in our classroom area. There have been up to 15 hookers some days and it's getting a little cramped so we're remaking the room once again and I'm looking forward to it. 
When spring arrives I can't seem to stop myself from moving and cleaning. Hopefully we'll be able to find everything once I'm done tidying. 

This past week has seen the arrival of some beautiful fleece fabrics for babys and some nice brushed fleeces for pajama pants. Pat has been teaching some sewing classes and I'm expanding our fashion fabrics to accomodate these classes so drop in and check our what's new. 

Mary Anne

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Springs seems to have arrived

As I sit here and type, I see that the sun has come up and is shining. Woo Hoo! I won't get to excited as the weatherman has just informed me that the storms are coming up from the U.S. and we will have lots of rain coming our way. At least it's not snow but thanks for sharing with your neighbors to the north. lol
Knitters will meet this afternoon from 1-3 , so if you are in need of company, drop in and knit to your hearts delight. We knit everything from socks to afghans.
We are off to The Gathering this Saturday in Port Hope. For you fibre enthusiasts this is a wonderful show of spinners, weavers, knitters and hookers. You can always find something to buy at this show and I always have a wonderful time while I'm there. It's a getaway for me, not work.
The Gathering is held at the Port Hope Community Centre on McCaul Street just behind the ball diamonds. There are plenty of vendors and lamburgers for lunch. It's a wonderful group and you will have a great day. See you there.
Mary Anne

Sunday, April 7, 2013

New at Andjareenas Place

It's been a busy week at the shop. Hookers, knitters and stitchers have been working feverishly to finish projects as we all know that spring will be coming after all. When spring arrives my textile artists become garden artists and disappear for a short while until they have their outdoor work done.
Don't miss out on some of our new arrivals. Fabrics have been arriving daily as well as beautiful yarns and dyed wools. Dyeing is my new passion . I have decided I like it much better than cooking, to Cliff's dismay. I have been trying  my hand at swatch sets so for you ladies that are interested in six value swatches, I'm on it.
I'm a little late in getting my April newsletter out after the Shop Hop and I do apologize for that. I hope to have it ready next week. With all the new things going on in the shop I need to sneak away to do computer work and as it's not that creative I do find it difficult. Drop in and see what's new. It's time to get out of the house after our very long winter.
For our out of town customers, whom there seem to be many , I thank you. It is so nice to see so many people out and about and a thank you to Hilary Rice who seemed to draw some to town on Saturday. A lovely group of ladies from Oshawa were happy to find us and made a point of letting us know how they got to the shop. This type of word of mouth advertising is invaluable to small business and we thank you.
It is a bit of a gloomy Sunday morning so I am off to the dye pots to brighten my day. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and if you're heading east stop in at the O'Connor House Tea Room in Deseronto. I hear it's delicious.
Mary Anne

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Quilters Shop Hop

A big thank you goes out to all of you who attended the Quilters Shop Hop this year. Although we had to move up our Hop this year as Easter comes early, you didn't disappoint us and came out in droves. All shops are happy with their turnout and I can't wait to hear who won all the gift baskets provided by each shop.
Thanks again
Mary Anne and Staff

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Dyeing not cooking

I have decided to give up cooking for the time being. I have yet to inform Cliff but he did make a lovely dinner last night so maybe it won't be a surprise to him. I am dyeing up a storm and loving every minute of it. Saturday evening I decided to dye the natural wool felt that has been sitting in the shop waiting for someone else to do it.  As per usual , that someone didn't show up and do my job so I am now doing it myself. lol. Quilters, look out! I am so excited as I see these colours come together. I see wall hangings , penny rugs and perhaps a few needle books in my future.

We had a great day of hooking on Friday and I'm sure all in attendance had as much fun as I did. I am back working on my Deanne Fitzpatrick piece and after many suggestions that I work with a #6 cut , I am finding that I am enjoying it much more than I was. The fact that I am dyeing alot of antique colours is also a big help as my sky had changed three times and i still wasn't happy with it. I admire all the finished projects around me and I aim to finish a little more myself.

The Zig Zag socks are finally nearing completion. I hate those socks and they hate me right back. Had I taken the pattern home with me I would have picked up the right number of stitches and the darn things would have zig zagged instead of striped and I would be done but unfortunately I couldn't live with two different feet. Janice is rubbing off on me. lol To be fair she said she wouldn't have re knit the foot but I don't believe it for a second.

Sergers, I salute you. We had a great serging class  on Saturday and after listening to the comments I feel that they all went away happy and can't wait for the next one. Pat was tinkled pink.
I am in business to make my customers happy and will strive to offer classes that you are interested in. Feel free to suggest things to me when you're in the shop and if the time allows it I will do my best to get a class going.
Can't wait for spring and hopefully our Quilters Shop Hop will have great weather. I figure we've had enough winter and by March 21,22 &23rd we should have great Shop Hopping weather. 
Shops this year include Your #1 Sewing Centre in Campbellford, The Robins Nest in Brighton, Pine Ridge Knit & Sew in Trenton , Andjareenas Place in Trenton and Picton Fabric World in Picton. It should prove to be a wonderful run as all the shop owners are very excited and working hard to make it a great event. Make sure to book this date on your calendar and I will remind you many times so you don't forget. 
Hope all of you are having a great weekend and I'm hoping for warmer weather.
Mary Anne

Sunday, January 20, 2013

having a blast dyeing wool

I am having a blast dyeing wool for the hookers this week. I may have found my calling . Everyone knows I love to cook but I've moved on from supper to wool. 
I decided to sit down and write while I was waiting for the colours to cook. 
It's been a very busy week for Pat and I at Andjareenas.
Yarns and fabrics and notions arrive daily and I was able to squeeze in a meeting with Yvette at Pine Ridge Knit and Sew and our Spring Shop Hop is on for the weekend of March 21,22 and 23rd.
It is being held a little early this year because of Easter and shops involved having other commitments but I think that March is a great time. We are all feeling a little shut in by then and are ready to check out the latest for spring. 
I was very excited about our turnout for the Spin In on Friday. We had seven spinners and one hooker show up and there was a great deal of wool spun that day. We did miss Bad Betty. I thought Betty was coming to the Spin In but there was some concern that there could have been an altercation with an elderly man in the pool at the Y. Said man slugged her as he was swimming by and she was looking to get even. I can read the headlines now. lol. Just kidding Betty.
Back to the dye pot. 
Hope to see you all next week.
M.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Happy New Year to all of you

I'm a few days late but better late than never.
Happy New Year to all of you .
Being away from the shop over the holidays prevents me from enjoying the time with you that I would like to spend but all in all we did manage to get a pot luck off the ground with the Hookers and some of you even came to visit me at the flower shop, for which I am grateful. To see a smiling face just dropping by to wish me the best on the holidays was rejuvenating. I love working at the flower shop but when the holiday hits it becomes real work and I find myself looking to see if the end of the tunnel is getting closer. lol
Enough about me. 
We are preparing classes for the New Year and have taken a different approach to alot of things. One of the new things we will be doing this year is running a children's program. You can sign up by the month or if you sign up for an 8 week program you can claim it on your taxes. We could always do these things with sports but the arts are now included and I think it's wonderful. So if you know someone who wants to sew  , we want them to sew with us!
Hookers. Don't forget your class will start on the 16th of January. This is an open class so all are welcome.
Know your Serger. This will be a two part class. Pat has been working diligently on this class, both for your learning as well as enjoyment purposes. We want you to have a good time in this class, learn a ton of stuff and have fun too. Serger is like  a bad word to me. I persevere and stay with it but that darn machine just doesn't like me very much. One thing I do know is that after taking a class with Pat, I knew that it wasn't going to beat me. So, if you have a serger and want to love it instead of hating it. This is the class for you.
Quilters, there are fabrics, patterns and notions arriving all the time so drop in and see what's new or perhaps what you missed on your last visit. Classes will begin in late January so drop in and check us out. I have UFO days on the first and second Friday of the month so if you just want out of the house and to sew with some friends let me know your're coming and I look forward to seeing you.
Knitters. Lots and lots of yarn for sweaters, scarves and socks has rolled in over the holidays and it's finallly cold enough to be inside knitting. On those beautiful days , we all want to get outside and enjoy but it's a little chilly and the sidewalks are a little slippery and there's nothing like a pair of socks on your needles to keep you busy.
I will try to keep my blog a little more updated this year as I've noticed I've been slipping lately. 
Mary Anne