Hi friends,

Another quick note today – this one's for the quilters in the crowd. A couple of my coworkers pointed me in the direction of this article from Masthead Online announcing a new Canadian quilting magazine, Quilter's Connection.

The first issue comes out this September; look for it in select quilting stores across Canada, and at events such as Quilts at Tanglebank Gardens (Sept. 12, Abbottsford, B.C.) and the Creativ Festival (Oct. 16-18, Toronto). Or, subscribe for $29.95/year and have the quarterly mailed right to you. (Read more about the origins of the magazine here.)

I'm excited about this – an all-Canadian quilting magazine will be a welcome addition to my subscription roster.

Have a great weekend!

Hi friends,

I'm super-busy today, with my head simultaneously in Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, if you can believe it (I can't, quite), so I'll keep it short. I've really been enjoying Alicia Paulson's (you might know her from Posie Gets Cosy) recent series on sewing.

First, she asked her readers if they sewed, and if they did, how they learned. She got more than 1,000 responses, and they're fascinating. I doubt you'd find such a collection of personal memories anywhere else on the internet.

Alicia shared her own sewing story here. Like her, I also grew up in a house where people were always making something, and I really identified with parts of her story. (And oh, those pictures of her studio!)

Finally, she shared a list of advice for people who want to sew. The truth of the matter is that we can wax rhapsodic all we like, but that there are always going to be days when we spend more time with a seam ripper in hand than with the sewing machine humming sweetly along. Read her advice and know you're not alone.

Wherever you are, I hope you get to spend some time creating today.

Hi friends,

Ever Google something a little bit random, but end up with unexpectedly awesome results? That happened to me today, and I'm still smiling.

Yesterday, senior editor Miriam Osborne casually mentioned to me that she'd seen something about David Suzuki being a knitter, and said she thought that would be a neat thing to feature on the blog. I was having trouble deciding what to write about today until I remembered her words. Over to Google I went, and what should turn up? This photo of Canada's favourite environmentalist – with a larger-than-life knitted portrait of himself!*

I know, it's awesome! The thing is, he didn't knit it. That sweater is the handiwork (quite literally) of the Vancouver-based knitwear design company Granted. Granted is in its second year of operation; it's an offshoot of a family-run business that's specialized in Canadian heritage sweaters since 1978. No, not the stereotypical curling-stones-and-sitting-ducks sweaters you're thinking of, but honest-to-goodness Cowichan sweaters, handmade of 100% wool in Vancouver. The old sweaters might have leaned toward traditional patterns, but these days Granted is pushing the envelope a little, tweaking those traditional intarsia designs into a collection of handknits with a decidedly modern edge.But don't think they've left Canadian heritage in the dust. One look at this fabulous custom-made CBC sweater (worn here by CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence) proves that Granted knows exactly where our hearts lie. (Read what Grant wrote about his sweater here.)

And check out the back....

...doesn't that just scream "Hockey Night in Canada?"

Aside from the great designs, the other thing I like about Granted is that they use 100 per cent natural fibres from ethical producers, and their knitting is done by local knitters. Oh, that, and they're perfectly willing to spend 10 minutes talking on the phone to a complete stranger who calls for more information on a Wednesday afternoon. (Thanks for the chat!)

Head over to the Granted website to find out more about their collections (2009 sweaters will be announced this fall), check out their blog to keep up on the news and visit their online store. (Granted also does custom work. Hello, best present ever!)

*Love that David Suzuki sweater? It could be yours. It's going to be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the David Suzuki Foundation. Find out more.

p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest.

Hi friends,

I'm sorry, but you know I can't resist the easy, cheesy pun. Douglas is the much-loved dachshund of Canadian Living copy editor Lisa Fielding (you've met before: remember her crafty organization tips?) and her husband, Dave. These days, Douglas is also the best-dressed dog I know.

Lisa found the directions for the crocheted bow-tie in Craft magazine. After trying an adult-sized version, she made a few changes to the pattern, then made a tie for Douglas. Here's what she did:

"I altered the pattern to make it dog size, added a separate piece to wrap around the centre, then sewed the whole thing together to slip over his head. ‘Cause I wasn’t sure if he knew how to tie a bow tie."

Sure, tying a bow tie might be beyond him, and sure, it took both Lisa and Dave to wrangle him into sitting up for this photo session. But he's also the fastest wiener dog in southwestern Ontario...so I'm willing to cut him a little slack. I mean, seriously. Just look at him.

Thank you for sharing with us, Lisa!

p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest. I'm getting such a kick out of reading your notes.

Good morning, folks.

I'm having trouble getting the random integer generator to co-operate with me this morning, so I thought I'd spice it up a little.

Instead of letting a robot do the heavy lifting, I asked James Doyle*, one of my fellow copy-editors here at Canadian Living, to pick a number between 1 and 36.

And the lucky winner of last week's giveaway is....

...Melanie McLaughlin! Congratulations, Melanie! The copy of Green Crafts for Children will be on its way to you soon.

This week I've got a copy Country Living's The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen to give away. It's a cookbook and a craft book and I'll admit it: I'm going to have a tough time giving this one away. I enjoy The Farm Chicks blog and if I had my way I'd be in the kitchen right now, using some of my precious first-Niagara-peaches-of-the-season to whip up one of the pies in the book. Mm!

I've been wondering about my readers in the last little while, so for this contest, why not leave me a comment introducing yourself? You don't have to write much, just tell me a bit about yourself. I'll go first:

My name is Austen; I'm 31 and live in Toronto. I like vintage Pyrex, red rick-rack,  ice tea and peach pie.

You've got until Friday, July 31 at 5 p.m. to enter, and I'll post a winner next Monday. I'm looking forward to meeting you!

* Jamie said it was OK for me to link to the story he wrote about his short time as a ballet dancer, but specifically asked me to tell you that the photo that accompanies the article is not a picture of him.

Happy Friday!

I don't know about you, but one of the things I look forward to most about the weekends is finding a spare hour to sit down with a cup of tea and an inspiring craft book. Sometimes I like to look at an old favourite (Denyse Schmidt Quilts is always a good one), other times I find myself in the craft section of the local bookstore. It's a good way to get ideas and to (try to) keep up with current craft trends.

One trend that I've noticed is an increase in interest in craft books from Japan. There was a flap of excitement in the craft blog world when two favourites, Patchwork Style and Linen, Cotton, Wool, were released in English by Shambhala Publications back in the early spring. I bought a copy of Linen, Cotton, Wool and although I haven't made any of the projects yet, that's only because I can't decide what to make first. (If you'd like to try before you buy, head over here, where there's a selection of four patterns from the books available for download. You can also find the pattern for the cute felt slippers from Linen, Cotton, Wool on the Canadian Living website; click here.)

Interested and looking for more? Find out more about Japanese crafting in general (because sewing is just the tip of the iceberg) at the Japanese Craft Journal blog. If you're looking for more books, try searching "Japanese craft book" at etsy.com, or visit a site like this or a shop like this. (If nothing else, I bet you'll get a kick out of this book of Japanese masking tapes!)

There are a number of tricks and tips out there if you're making a project from a Japanese craft book (and of course, it might help if you can read Japanese!), so it's worth doing a bit of research in the craft blog world before you get out the fabric shears and start cutting. (Flex those Google muscles!)

Have you ever made a project from a Japanese craft book? How did it go?

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday.

Hi friends,

Wow! Have you seen the beautiful new Charley Harper needlepoint canvases over at The Purl Bee? I think you'd remember if you had, but let me just jog your memory...

Photo from The Purl Bee.

They are exquisite. I am in love. When I saw this picture and read the accompanying post I got really excited – in the sweaty palmed, fluttery heart, check-my-bank-balance-because-I-need-that-right-now way that I get when I see a craft that I really, really, really want to make and keep in my house (or maybe even on my person) for ever.

Apparently I'm not the only person who felt that way, because when I checked online this morning there were only 4 kits left, compared to the dozen or so that were available a couple of days ago. No matter. It's worth visiting the blog post to find information about Charley Harper, a great (and previously unknown to me) American artist – and they provide tons of links, too, so you can keep on learning. And I've mentioned before that Purl's technical know-how is outstanding, so if you're interested in needlepoint, they'd be a great place to start.

Have a great day, folks.

Hi there,

I love crafting for other people. Seeing the smiles on the faces of my friends and family when they open their handmade gifts at Christmas makes all the effort worthwhile. Of course, people I don't know might appreciate a handmade gift even more.

There are many options if you're interested in crafting for charity. Here's a small selection:

• Blankets for Canada is a nationwide collective of crafters who provide blankets for those in need - and you can be sure that those blankets are well used on our cold winter nights.
• Project Linus (Canada) has chapters across the country working to provide handmade quilts and afghans to children from  infants to age 18 who are seriously ill or who have survived traumatic situations.
• Afghans for Afghans began in the US and now involves knitters from Canada as well; they provide woollen items to people affected by the war in Afghanistan.
• For local activities, check the listings at communityknitters.com and on the Charity page of the Canadian Knitwear Designers and Artisans website.

Once you've decided to help, the next step is deciding what to make. In Canada it's fair to say that warm woollens are a good bet. You might find something in this collection of patterns for warm winter apparel; or maybe you'd like to stick with that Canadian classic: the toque. A knitted afghan can't go wrong; if that seems like too much for one person, why not get a couple friends involved and make this community afghan together?

Do you craft for charity? I'd love it if you'd leave a link to your organization in the comments of this post.

p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest for a chance to win a copy of Green Crafts for Children: 35 step-by-step projects using natural, recycled, and found materials by Emma Hardy.

Good morning!

Two weekends ago I found myself at Nathan Phillips Square on a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon. I'd completely forgotten that the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition was on, so I was a bit bemused as I wandered into the maze of booths, stepping carefully to avoid the big mud puddles, relics of Saturday's thunderstorm.

Photo courtesy Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

With more than 500 exhibitors, there was a lot to look at: paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed-media art (not to mention the ice-cream vendors, hot-dog carts and beer garden...ahem). But the booths that caught my eye were the ones occupied by textile artists. From screen-prints to subversive embroidery/fabric collage to baby bonnets knit from fine-gauge wire to rip-stop nylon, reinterpreted, there was plenty to admire and be inspired by.

Photo courtesy Kate Busby

The booth that I enjoyed the most was that of Kate Busby, a Toronto-based textile artist whose work was absolutely beautiful (that's one of her quilts, above). It takes a lot to get me excited about a quilt or a wool blanket on a hot summer's day, but the work Kate had on display had me wishing for a cold winter's night (and a spare $500 or so, but that's another matter). I particularly appreciated the interplay of colour and texture in her meticulous work, and her designs made me think of both Denyse Schmidt and the quilts of Gee's Bend. I'm looking forward to seeing where Kate's work takes her.

Did you make it to the exhibition? What caught your eye? Does your community do something similar?

Have a great day.

(And don't forget to enter this week's contest!)

Hi friends,

If it's Monday, it must be giveaway day. I had a record-breaking response to last week's contest - a whopping 68 comments! Wow. I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who's thinking about Christmas in July. (Actually doing anything about it in July is another story, of course...)

Without further ado, our winner is:

Lucky number 57 is Debbie W., a crafter after my own heart, who writes:

Congratulations, Debbie! Keep an eye on your inbox for an e-mail from me.

This week I've got another new book to give away, and I think it's perfect if you've got a kid in your life who might be about to succumb to a bad case of mid-summer "I'm bored!" syndrome. Green Crafts for Children: 35 step-by-step projects using natural, recycled, and found materials by Emma Hardy is chock-full of the sort of crafts that I loved when I was a kid – if you ever spent hours making things out of old cardboard boxes or fashioning pine cones into prickly pets, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Clothespin dolls, friendship bracelets, homemade playdough...there are lots of projects here that would brighten up a rainy afternoon at the cottage or a occupy a day when it's just too hot to run around outside.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Friday, July 24 at 5 p.m. detailing your favourite summertime craft (as a kid or an adult, whatever works). I'll post a winner a week from today.