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December 8, 2025
Special Shares, Peppermint Trees, Quilting "Christmas Presents", Raisin Tea Buns from Canadian Needle Nana

I read that the last full moon of the year, called the Cold Moon, is tonight and it is going to be very special by how high in the sky it will rise. Such a height won't be seen again till 2043. It's dark here now at 5 o'clock. Yesterday I took this photo of the back yard bathed in moonlight at that time. Unfortunately, the clouds kept sailing past hiding the moon. Sometimes, clouds add much beautiful moodiness to a December winter sky but my photo didn't capture that sadly. 

To celebrate December 2025, I ...

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December 7, 2025
Free Patterns, Special Video, Appliqued House and Knitting Again from Canadian Needle Nana

I've been thinking about all the turkey dinners this week and put in an order to Farm Boy for our Christmas one. We've done this twice before and enjoyed it very much. Their turkeys are amazing and they even include dessert. Of course, I'll make a couple of our traditional side dishes too and a trifle. 

  I was switching out the mugs to start using the Christmas/winter ones and thought I'd show this one below again. I'd used Rifle Paper Co fabrics in the Christmas Present quilt I shared last post and here is ...

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November 19, 2025
Free Patterns, Christmas /Winter Stitching, Orphan Blocks from Canadian Needle Nana

 Below are a few early winter photos while the snow is a novelty. While walking the dogs, I'm finding the air so wonderful and bracing. But I am a little shocked with just how cold it is already in the season. It was minus 12 with strong wind gusts that took my breath away one day, but it's back to mild and kind of damp feeling today.

Here is my usual kitchen window photo; it was dark enough very early for the big garage light to stay on. That's another thing; here in the Northern Hemisphere we ...

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October 13, 2025
Colours of Fall, Embroidery, Old Hangings and Gingerbread in the White House from Canadian Needle Nana

 The light is changing just as I know the transitioning to another season is happening all around me. And it's become one of the warmest Octobers on record so the days have been pleasantly warm with lots of sunshine. There was a noticeable absence of rain till yesterday when it poured steadily all day. Oh my, the colours though, are so wonderful. I brought in these leaves to show Tony who is not walking the back woods like he used to. But he has started to take a brief walk with the dogs late afternoon and so far it ...

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October 6, 2025
Dresden Dreaming, Pumpkin Making, Free Patterns, Flower Garden Tablecloth from Canadian Needle Nana

There are still blossoms to be spied on my walks. Here is the late flower whose bloom mimics a frog  and this one is housing a little creature made visible by the sun shining through. What a pretty colour!

And the Fox Tails are attracting a lot of bees still too.
Overnight it seems our paths look like this now in open areas...an ocean of leaves. Petey is staying on with us and we are so happy to have him. Tony always had two dogs so this is like old times. And Ned is in heaven having Petey around ...

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All the Slow Stitching, Glue Basting?, Amish Hexagons, Can You See It? from Canadian Needle Nana

 Walking the dogs just out the basement door and starting on the nearest trail, I spied something amongst the big old oak trees.  So here is another of my Can you see it? photos.

Maybe now?

What a beauty! I loved seeing this Barred Owl. I especially liked seeing how those feathers ring the neck and the tree trunks provided a natural frame.
I hear them hooting in the night so know they are near the house a lot. I took the dogs back to the house and returned to just watch it for awhile. I suspected it would be ...

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September 19, 2025
The AGF Blog is Moving! from Art Gallery Fabrics-The Creative Blog

Hello Makers,

Here at AGF we love having this blogging community to be able to share and create tutorials, talk about new fabrics and share what’s new here at Art Gallery Fabrics. Unfortunately the Typepad blogging platform we use will be shutting down permanently on September 30, 2025!  You will no longer have access to our previous posts using artgalleryfabrics.typepad.com link but don’t worry we were able to recover all of our amazing content and it is now available using this new link https://agfblog.com/

New-Blog_Final

Please share with all your sewing friends to make ...

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September 18, 2025
Free Patterns, Autumn Cross Stitching, Starry Hexagons, YouTube Viewing from Canadian Needle Nana

It had been rainy but we seem to be back into a dry spell with no rain in the foreseeable future. Very cool overnights. Day times it's been changeable- I think that's the word to describe the weather- one minute dark and cloudy and the next a little sunshine. There have been two frost warnings so far with one night recording 0.6 C so the season is easing in. A pretty sign of such is the fall Aster like flowers are in bloom. What a pretty shade of lavender.

I've been busy inside stitching away giving ...

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September 8, 2025
Free Patterns, Quilt Pros, Cross Stitch Foxy Finish from Canadian Needle Nana

Well, there is no doubt fall is coming and it's set in a little early here. Single digits overnight for the last week but everyone is saying how welcome this is. I don't think there's ever been such gladness to have summer over. 

Meanwhile, Tony calls this little guy below my trained squirrel or my very smart squirrel that has trained me. He appears on the back deck most days and, of course, I give him a handful of sunflower seeds. When he first appeared here, he was skinny and ragged looking. Now he appears to be ...

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September 1, 2025
Birthday Outing, Scones, Autumn and Christmas Stitching, Links from Canadian Needle Nana

The Japanese Anemones did not put on their usual wonderful show this year. Later to bloom, they were affected by the July drought. I regret not watering more, a lesson learned for another season. They are a very hardy perennial and, hopefully, this won't affect future growth.

They are such a pretty flower and the bees love them.
I read a wonderful and detailed post at Rebecca Grace Quilting where she compares hand stitching in applique to using her machine to applique. She is appliquing blocks for her Stonefields project. The Stonefields Quilt is by Susan Smith, a lady ...

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August 18, 2025
Free Patterns, YouTube Videos, Links, Stitching Too from Canadian Needle Nana

I did get outside for a little veranda stitching before the heat wave returned 

and, on the front of the house, the Hydrangeas are definitely dominating the space just now. 
The lawns are getting crispy and there was an announcement that the forests here in Ontario are under great stress. They've asked even hikers to stay out of them lest they start a fire. We are up to 19 days straight without any rain. Due to break with rain tomorrow. 

Here is Petey getting his morning greeting and tickle from Tony.
Besides wonderful balancing Petey, I want to point ...

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August 8, 2025
Fabrics Made for your Unique Sewing Style - Introducing 'The Cur8tors' by AGF Studio from Art Gallery Fabrics-The Creative Blog

Hello Makers,

What if I told you you can easily pick a style, mood, and theme for every and any sewing project you could ever want to make, that not only fits your personality but is on trend, fashionable and up to date! Well, it’s time to celebrate and get our fabric dance on because our wishes have been granted! AGF Studio has created “The Cur8tor”! A specially compiled selection of 4 mini collections designed to cater to every fabric enthusiast’s unique styleEvery season we will be dropping new mini collections consisting of 8 eye-catching prints that ...

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July 20, 2025
New Quilt Start, Embroidering Flowers, Journeying On from Canadian Needle Nana

The garden and outside in general does call to me these summer days which answers LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color question of hammock or digging when it comes to gardens. I get up close with my flowers as I do a little weeding almost every day. There are many beds here and there is usually a point each summer where they "get away from me". I'll start out with them very trimmed but mid way, the growth takes over, especially in the heat, and I will admit it all becomes unmanageable. But since it's just us ...

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June 23, 2025
Scrappy Starry Madness, Free Patterns, Cross Stitching Too from Canadian Needle Nana

Halfway through the year now and past the halfway point of June. I wonder where are all those hours we were promised for retirement...when time on your hands would hang heavy- an expression first recorded in 1760, btw.-I was curious enough to look up that expression. But no, though my days begin early there is still not enough hours to get everything done. I struggle not to have the feeling I'm getting behind. Behind what exactly is a bit of a mystery. But there is always something that needs doing and mostly, I'm thankful to be ...

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May 18, 2025
Photos, Great Online Fun Site, Helpful Readers, Free Stuff from Canadian Needle Nana

 I promised a few photos of my weekend away to downtown Ottawa which according to Google maps is a 41 minute drive from here. It was exciting to be in a city but I had mixed emotions about what I saw there. A lot more folks suffering around the streets and we were warned about not walking at night in an area that had always been an interesting/wonderful place to stroll and explore. But on the upside the Chateau is still so beautiful- I love it there. This is the view from our window looking towards Parliament Hill.

 And ...

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May 14, 2025
Sewing with Sunshine- Say Hello to a Juicy Summer with Tangerine Fabrics by Art Gallery Fabrics from Art Gallery Fabrics-The Creative Blog

The time has come!!!!

Say hello to beach days and fancy refreshing drinks while lounging in your backyard!  Tangerine Fabrics by AGF Studio is here and it’s sending us a cool retro Summer, filled with charming florals and playful designs. This collection reminds me of my days living in South Florida and my weekend getaways to Key West. Popping on my me made Summer dresses and my sunnies and riding on mopeds all day weaving in out of the endearing streets of this island's rich history. I am so excited to start sewing up some of the ...

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May 5, 2025
Busy Stitching Table, EPP Stars, Free Patterns, from Canadian Needle Nana

 The Phoebes are building a nest on the old speaker at the back of the house again this year...two in a row. I can watch them from my chair in the TV room window. The two of them spent ages flying back and forth from a nearby tree to the site thoroughly checking it out before giving it an okay it seems.

 They are both bringing material now I notice but I can't tell them apart, though one seems a little darker which might mean the male.
Working together which is nice to watch. They are beautiful birds ...

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May 4, 2025
Unusual Thrift Find, Happy Scrolling Sites, Bear Bell And Baskets Too from Canadian Needle Nana

Pouring down rain lately made for a couple of  drab mornings. One of those mornings, I used my thrifted umbrella, the one that is kind of useless as it doesn't really keep the rain off just sort of but I love the shape and colour. I bought it years ago and it remains my most unusual and probably most impractical thrift buy. 

 It's unique enough I always wonder about who owned it before me. It's got a real wooden handle too.  This was at the end of the walk and I'm actually wet. Form over function ...

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April 21, 2025
Two Thrifted Things, 4 at a Time HST's, Free Bird Pattern and Liberty's Too from Canadian Needle Nana

Spring is trumping winter-at last- as I write this. I saw our first robin on Sunday last. And the little chipmunk has emerged from the underground winter den, the one I imagine lined with my sunflower seeds. 

Just after the snowstorm this guy below appeared acting like this, a sure sign of spring. The flock of females that were with him had wandered off but he hung about showing off, just because he can, I guess. I'm curious about the mechanics of this- being able to lift all these feathers and change certain body bits to different and bright ...

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March 30, 2025
Feelings, Stitching Progress, New and Fun YouTube Channel from Canadian Needle Nana

 March, someone said, is the triumph of hope over experience...not unlike second marriages as somebody else said. So here we are cruising along through the month and I'm going to ignore the major snow and ice storm warning we have on the horizon. Perhaps it will not materialize; they've gotten these predictions wrong before. However, just to be on the safe side, I've filled both tubs in case we lose the power. 

The way down through the big woods path has opened up and I've been taking Ned there adding a further loop to our ...

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