My last TNNA report I shared with you that while at market I was on a mission. My mission was to photograph as many new cat canvases that I could! After all…like in life you can never have too many cats, so you can never have too many cat canvases. This Sharon G canvas comes to life with her masterful painting. Inspired by the photography of Suzy Mast Lee.

This is another Sharon G canvas inspired by Suzy Mast Lee’s photography. I am waiting to hear a meow they are so lifelike.

Canvas by dede. This is a smaller canvas and would be a great one to travel around with you.

Canvas by Melissa Shirley and this is another small one. Melissa designed the sections to work with the stitches in June McKnight’s Halloween book. Too cute!

The new Halloween Witch by Melissa Shirley. Notice the black cat with the witches hat in the bottom of the canvas!

Another canvas by Sharon G. I love the oranges and the borders!

Canvas by NeedleDeeva. This is on 13 mesh and this kitty looks so happy!

This kitty is smaller and on 18 mesh. Canvas by NeedleDeeva.

This is one of my favorites! This kitty is so lifelike I am sure that I can hear him talking to us. Canvas by Lund Enterprises.

Of course I need some cat bling when I am stitching a cat canvas. Bling by ElizabethTurnerCollection. Thank you Meredith for your generosity. We are black cats sisters as we both have 2!

That is the end of my show and tell from market! Now I need to get busy stitching on all the new projects that I brought home with me. Today will be a thread and bead shopping day and dinner with Brenda Hart. Yes it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!

AlleyCat is watching her kitty tv. and until next time…keep on stitching.

I was up at 0 dark 30 yesterday and in case you don’t know what time that is, it is way before the sun is up! Am I out of my mind or what? Getting up and out that early? Well when it comes to taking a class with Meredith, or any needlepoint class…no problem!

Okay the burning question was, well what canvas to start with Meredith? Not that I will have time to spare to work on anything for moi, but it is all about the journey. I narrowed it down to two, Angel Cat by Ewe & Eye or…

this canvas by Needle Crossings which says it purr~fectly! We settled on Angel Cat and I have ideas for this one with the saying, I just need to decide on the threads.

Meredith was channelling her inner Vanna White as she gave me the grand tour of the new bead bar at A Stitch in Time. 

Meredith was busy selecting threads, taking notes and measurements for this darling Halloween canvas!

Time before class was going to start as Meredith is busy writing stitch guides and looking at the work from yesterday’s classes. Angel Cat is sitting in front of her as she thinks of threads and stitches.

I sat down for class and shared my end of the table with the new fobs. If I was working on an Easter project, I would need that one with the ducks…too cute!

Meredith is working her magic on the Halloween Parade…ooh would I love to stitch this! The discussion was which new parade do we like better? Thanksgiving or 4th of July?

I love what she is doing with the trick or treat bag…OMG!

I had a great time in class and learned such new things as cast on bullions, puffy couching and using a layer of tulle to create the angel wings. Meredith will be coming back to A Stitch in Time at the end of May for more classes, including this canvas and hopefully a little more canvas enhancement classes. There is just too much to learn and not enough time!

Sylvester is giving me “the look” which in his cat language means “feed me!” and until next time…keep on stitching

All these wonderful canvases and now we need some new threads, books and bling, leading us into some more great new canvases! This is the new hand dyed silk thread from Gloriana called Duchess Silk in such luscious colors as Sweetheart Pink, Milk Chocolate and Halloween Green. I am very anxious to start stitching with it and it feels so soft in my hands.

A new book by June McKnight loaded with stitches created with Beading & Sequins and of course some First Lady Bling.

Some new colors by Dinky~Dyes, another one of my favorite threads!

A new book by Julia Snyder!

A new addition by Sundance Designs is a metallic tubing called Sparkles. You can do so much with this. Iron it flat, shred it apart to simulate a fire burning, scrunch it up…the possibilities are endless! Stitchpography, blog by Barbara Elmore really captures the feel of it being that she has created some wonderful effects with it already!

Silk wrapped Pearl Purl for the elegant touch and new colors of Kreinik! Purple Haze, Adventure Green, Indigo Blue and Stormy Weather.

My favorite Shogun, Yoshinaka by Leigh Designs.

One of the stitched Shogun’s amid some of Leigh’s Pagodas in assorted stages of being stitched.

One of Sharon G’s new canvases. I love this! I bought a skein of silk today that I think would be a great orange for this. I see such possibilities and the borders will be so much fun!

This morning, my day will start off with breakfast at Julienne’s with Meredith Willett and Allsion of A Stitch in Time. A quick trip to the bead shop and then to a canvas enhancement class with Meredith. I have my Angel Cat out by Ewe and Eye that I will take with me. I am sure that it will be a fun day as Meredith is such a hoot!

AlleyCat is chillin and I need to get going. and until next time…keep on stitching.

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, this is so AlleyCat! The canvas is by Maggie…frame by Jim & Lisa Krause and would be just purr~fect in my house. I was on a mission and that mission was to search out as many cats as I could at the show. The trouble was there were so many great canvases at market, how could I just select one of them?

This is another canvas by Maggie. Look at all the mischief that these two are getting into! My Felix was one who loved getting into the dresser drawers and making himself comfy.

Notice the kitty sitting in the window as the knitting goes on! Canvas by Maggie and the frame by Jim & Lisa Krause.

How did that kitty sneak into the basket with Toto? This canvas is darling and my framers have this awesome red frame that would be absolutely drop dead gorgeous with this! Canvas by Jelly Bean.

A Charley Harper Design of Cleopatra Cat. Too many canvases, not enough time!

Canvas by Kelly Clark which Kelly said she painted with me in mind… I am so flattered!

I already have this canvas which is by Ewe & Eye. Now that I see this wonderful frame, I am motivated to start it! I have a canvas enhancement class with Meredith Barnhill coming up on Saturday, so I just might need to bring this one.

Meet Bastet, the Cat Goddess and this is the one that is coming home with me! I will be stitching this and writing a stitch guide for Tapestry Fair. I am so honored.

Actually I saved the best for last! My Cat Goddess, AlleyCat.

Except that she is just a little too big for the box!

and until next time…keep on stitching

The last image that I left you with was the picture of the Kelly Cark Crazy Quilt class at BeStitched. The shop where stitching magic happens in Scottsdale, Arizona. That is where we are headed next.

The TNNA Winter Market ended Monday afternoon, with many happy vendors and a wonderfully successful show! Breakdown was short and sweet as goodbye hugs were plentiful. We look forward to seeing each other in a few short months at Destination Dallas, the spring cash and carry market. A few hours after breaking down and packing up found us in the car with Lisa of BeSticthed fame, who was very gracious in chaufering Missy and I to the shop. We helped the girls set up for class the next day as they readied for the anxious students clamoring to learn all about this great piece designed and stitched by Kelly Clark.

As always, the girls at BeStitched wow us with their extra touches and always making everybody feel so special. The shop is beautiful, the threads and canavses aplenty along with lots of bags, magnets and bling.

This is the finished Crazy Quilt as stitched by Kelly! Isn’t it gorgeous? We all had prework to accomplish before class, so that we could master Kelly’s techniques of ribbon work, adding the basket and the bunny and then the amazing seam treatments with silk ribbons, beads, pearls, Swarovski bicones and so much more!

A delicous lunch was served al fresco along the sidewalk of the shop. The weather was picture perfect as I am sure you can tell by the blue skies.

Dessert was an upside down cupcake! This way you get more frosting. A very clever idea! Mine was lemon…and I Iove lemon, well not quite as much as chocolate.

I was so honored to have Jeannine sitting at my table! Now this class was so wildly popular that BeStitched is scheduling an encore. So give them a call if you just have to put this on your must stitch list!

Another look of the Crazy Quilt. Kelly hand selected the tapestry fabrics and trims when having this amazing pillow finished. A wonderful class and I will be anxious to continue working on my piece!

You can also stitch the Crazy Quilt along with us in Needlepoint Now as the stitches and stitching instructions unfold over the rest of the year. Elizabeth outdid herself with the cover of the latest issue showing off the finished pillow.

Early morning views from our hotel in Scottsdale. A beautiful way to start the day.

Thank you Jeannine and Lisa for your gracious hospitality…and to my roomy, Missy! The best room mate ever, and such good times as we laughed away till the wee hours of the morning like 2 schoolgirls. Do you know that she is such a concenious student, that she was actually up and stitching on her prework at 4:30am the day of the class? Now that is dedication. Missy, this one’s for you! and until next time…keep on stitching

Well here he is in living color! Mr. Crow and he looks mahvelous dahling. I am absolutely thrilled with how handsome he is. Thank you to Melissa Shirley for creating such an amazing canvas…thank you to Wendy of Aristea for allowing me the opportunity to stitch him…thank you to Sew Much Fun for doing such a wonderful job finishing him and hand carrying him to the show.

Owls are everywhere! This is by Maggie and the colors are wonderful. I can see some amazing overdye threads being used in this one.

The Owl & the Pussycat by Sharon G. The border fascinates me and the possiblities are countless. I am have to add this to my want to stitch in this life time list!

This turtle is magnificent! Wow! A new artist and this was taken from a painting to needlepoint canvas. Amazing work. This canvas is from Lund Enterprises.

Here it is in a smaller size made to fit perfectly into a HP Lacquer Box. There is a beautiful blue tulip wood box that they have that may just be the perfect color.

The show has been great, with countless new canvases to tempt us for our stitching pleasure! Threads, bags, scissors, books, magnets and new laying tools too. Decisions! Decisions! Today the show starts an hour earlier for last minute running around, oh I need to order this, I need to order that and where has the time gone to? The show comes to a close today and it seems to end all too quickly.

Tonight I change venues and will be moving to Scottsdale for a few nights. I am staying over an extra day for my Crazy Quilt Class at BeStitched. I have been enjoying working on it so far as I ready the foundation stitches so that Kelly can teach how she worked the seam treatments, the flower baskets and the bunny rabbit. I may not be back for blog writing for a few more days as I may be stitching in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow…then I need to get home to a mouthful of meows from you know who!

Early morning found Teem Deeva back at work adding the finishing touches to our booth, displaying models and finishing up the last minute details. The doors are open and we are ready for business! Needle Deeva’s booth is located in the last row, so we started off our day with our booth being full of anxious keeping Teem Deeva very busy writing orders, chatting with the shop owners, answering questions and showing off our new canvases.

Things quieted down in the afternoon, so I was able to get some window shopping in! Pictures of Sandra Gilmore’s new mermaid has been seen, but now we can see it made into the tuffet.

The fabric that was selected is perfect…look at the fringe…and those beautifully hand painted feet!

Barbara Russell’s newest dog is absolutely wonderful! She researched the fabric design that accompanies the dog. Just gorgeous! and the dog is so regal looking in his pose!

Another new canvas by Barbara!

dede has designed new sun faces which I love! They are smaller than the ones that are already in her line and are appropiately summer, spring, fall and winter. It would be hard to pick just one of these.

Another favorite of mine that would be a wonderful canvas for an enhancement class down the road. This is the Kitchen Collage by Lani. I love these collages as each section of the canvas is like starting a new one!

Too soon is was time to go back to the booth and finish up for the day! Then it was off to dinner for a little diversion, wonderful food, a little adult beverage and lots of laughs. The doors for the day open very soon and back to another day of work!

We were on a mission! Teem Deeva assembled early in the morning, full of energy, caffeine and raring to go! Our mission was to set up our booth and assemble the packets for Sample It! night which in all reality was just a few short hours away.

Things went smoothly and we worked way ahead of schedule which thrilled me. It left plenty of time to visit, a sneak peak in or two of what the new items will be and a nice leisurely lunch. The weather is wonderful, the convention center is gorgeous and Starbucks aplenty!

Judee, the Deeva herself is photographed while adding the finishing touches to our table. I had a few moments to get in a little early shopping and see all the new must have, can’t live without that will be showcased during Galleria.

Walking in the door, the first thing that you see is the Hugs pillow stitched by Robin King. Finishing by Elizabeth Turner Collection.

Of course this is one of my favorites! A new canvas by Maggie and notice that cat looking out the window…the frame by Jim and Lisa Krauss is just purr~fect.

This was definitely the most clever and creative table ready for Sample It! by Cheryl Schaefer Designs.

Noshes were being readied for the hungry shoppers after shopping till you drop at Sample It! The exit from shopping lead you right into the Galleria where this was set up. Of course we would be too busy with our table to partake in the festivities.

Elizabeth Turner Collection had a large selection of Needle Bling for your shopping pleasure!

Mindy and Dream House Ventures had a selection of wonderful new Mindy canvases ready to go with a perfectly matched threads in Soy Luster and Baroque Silk.

We had a very busy evening at the Deeva table and the newest hearts were quite the hit. Our evening finished off with an amazing dinner and then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

AlleyCat was trying to tell me that no you can’t leave me… but I am here and now it is time this morning to go to work…

Teem Deeva is getting ready to reunite at the TNNA Winter Market in Phoenix. Just in case you don’t know us, Teem Deeva consits of Robin King…stitcher extrodinaire, Chip…the keeper of the walls and setup, Greg…in charge of finances and all things computer, myself…the blog writer, stitcher and stitch guide author and of course Judee…the Deeva herself! It takes all of us coming from all points of the US to successfully stage Sample It! and the show booth. Lots of hard work ahead of us, but of course there will be equally as much fun, laughs, wining and dining!

I hope that you will come and visit us at Sample It! We will be the the one with all the hearts…hearts on our sleeves, hearts on the Valentine tree, hearts on the table and hearts packaged with stitch guides and ready to go!

Not to worry if your travel plans don’t get you in time to get to Sample It! Please visit us on the show floor at the Needle Deeva booth 2023~2025 which is the last aisle and we will be happy to add them to your order. Or please just stop by to say hello and “hey I read your blog! how is AlleyCat? or Sylvester?” yes I know AlleyCat does steal the show from time to time or should I say most of the time!

I am busy packing away in between a Needlepoint 911 call for some beads for one of my stitching buddies. Beads are such a necessary part of my stitching and I can’t imagine stitching without working some of them in. I have learned so much about beads in the last few years and there is much more to understand. I was thrilled when Elizabeth, you know of Needlepoint Now fame thought an article about beads would be a great addtion to the magazine!

My packing is being well supervised by my two kids! I don’t think that there will be any room for you to come along…let’s see I have models to bring, canvases, stitch guides, stitching stuff, my canvas and threads for Kelly Clark’s Crazy Quilt Class at BeStitched. Oh did I mention clothes?

AlleyCat quickly tired of her hard work and stretched out in her best Cleopatra imitation.

And then she rolls over to this position. She never ceases to entertain me in any which way she can think possible! yes I will miss you kids…

and until next time…keep on stitching

The stitch guides for market have been checked, double checked and rechecked… I am sure that the first one that I look at I will see something that I should have done differently or just a little bit better! Really I can’t rely on the cats to be my editors as they are usually much too busy napping, snoozing or just getting into mischief.

I absolutely love the January market. It is the start of the new year and the also marks the beginning of lots of new and wonderful canvases to be debuted for our stitching pleasure. The designers have been working long and hard hours for months now to get their new designs show ready, stitching models or having them stitched, creating catalogues and price lists, gathering models and last but not least, packing and shipping.

I have been going to market for many years now and I can still remember my first one oh so well! It can be quite overwhelming and you have such high hopes for stitching this one and stitching that one. There are a few styles of shopping that the buyers use. One might be using the first day to look at everything, taking copious notes along the way all the while keeping your customers wants, whims and wishes in mind. The next day will be returning to place your orders and hopefully you can read your own writing!

Another way to shop is just work aisle by aisle and placing orders as you go along. Others may walk into the show floor with a plan and a list…such as I want to order from this designer and then I want to order from that designer. There are allot of thread companies that will be here this year, along with all their new colors and thread lines. Books, bags, scissors, accessories  and so much more that make it quite the adventure.

The feline children have been feeling rathered neglected as I have been spending way too much time with the Mac. So I made it up to them with some serious play time yesterday. Sylvester absolutely loves the laser pointer and will come running as soon as he hears it move!

Even AlleyCat had to see what was going on. I couldn’t quite get a picture with them both and the light…but I am sure that you get the idea.

and until next time…keep on stitching