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The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) is starting a newsletter! Sign up before noon (Eastern) on November 13, 2012 and you’ll be in a drawing to win “Bright Star” featured here. “Bright Star” was made by AAQI supporter Martha Wolfersberger of Frenchtown, MT. The quilt measures 8.25″ x 12″ and it is meticulously machine pieced and quilted. Sign up here: http://www.alzquilts.org/newsletter.html The Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative® ( www.AlzQuilts.org) is a national, grassroots charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. The AAQI auctions and sells donated quilts, and sponsors a nationally touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer’s. The AAQI has raised more than $773,000 since January 2006. Thank you for making the AAQI possible!

Well, it was pretty exciting when I went to the mailbox and received the latest issue of Embroidery Canada, the magazine of the Embroidery Association of Canada (EAC).  There on the cover was one of the little quilts I have made and donated to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative !  Inside the magazine was the article I wrote and submitted some time back - far enough back in fact that I had forgotten all about it.  If you would like to read the article, you can see it  here . One thing I would like to mention is that because the article was actually written so long ago, it does not mention the wonderful contributions made by my home chapter of EAC, the Calgary Guild of Needle & Fibre Arts.  The guild has its own page on the AAQI website where you can see the quilts made and donated by guild members.  All six of the quilts currently on the page are now up for sale at the big quilt show in Houston.  CGNFA also has a sale table of excess stitching stash donated by members at

    The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AlzQuilts.org) offers an online auction during the first 10 days of every month. Each November, in honor of National Alzheimer's Awareness Month, the AAQI offers 12 very special quilts. This year the auction quilts have been made by world renowned quilters Alex Anderson, Hollis Chatelain, Caryl Bryer Fallert, John Flynn, Diane Gaudynski, Becky Goldsmith, Pat Holly, Libby Lehman, Marsha McCloskey, Sue Nickels, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims.   Caryl Bryer Fallert Paducah, Ky USA The quilts are about 16" x 16" and the auction is open to the public.   Ricky Tims La Veta, CO USA  Last year the 12 quilts offered in the November auction raised more than $14,000 for the AAQI, an all-volunteer effort to raise awareness and fund research through art.   Alex Anderson Livermore, CA USA    Becky Goldsmith Sherman, TX USA    Visit http://www.alzquilts.org/ciqa.

Here I am, completely blocked!   This has been going on for some time now.  Remember me?  I regularly resolve to stitch a minimum of 15 minutes per day and stick to it year after year.  Now I have not picked up a needle in months! What do I do about this?  At first it was exhaustion that kept me from stitching - gut wrenching exhaustion from working two jobs all summer and running myself into the ground.  Then one job ended for the season and the other picked up.  Since I am a sucker for punishment I found another job and planned to work two at once again but my regular employer questioned me dedication since I was planning to moonlight so I left that job.  I am now housesitting/babysitting for a couple weeks and after that I will be unemployed.    I am actually relieved about my upcoming unemployment.  I have been so exhausted since the summer I have been nodding off at the wheel of the car, falling asleep sitting up and unable to concentrate on anything.  Exhaustion bred

  A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of stitchers in Saskatoon and enjoyed the customsry exchange of little favours among the attendees.  I love these little stitching items and thought I would share them with you.  The first item here is a little needlebook from Cochrane Big Hill Needlearts Guild.   When you open it up there is room to park your needles and included were these two sweet counting pins adorned with crystals. The second item is a needleroll - you can see it here rolled up as well as opened up and ready to add a needle or pin stash to. This is a clever idea - a thread counter or place holder when you are doing counted thread work.  I hadn't seen or heard of these handy little helpers until very recently.  I thought - what a genius idea!  It's one of those cases where everyone else in the world knows all about something and you discover it late and can't get over what a wonderful idea it was! lol Speaking of bril