It has been a busy several weeks of travel for me. For the past 12 days I have straddled the retail worlds of mass marketing and independent dealerships in Puerto Rico.  I have been to this island several times but this is the first time that I have visited a retailer other than International S... [More]

Since Christmas is just right around the corner, there’s really not time to go into a quilting lesson.  I’m taking the month of December off from blogging.  But I shall return in January to give you new insights on the subject of quilts.Let’s take a trip.  We quilter... [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

A long time ago in a land far, far away there lived a man named Horst Kunow.  Horst was young and strong and enjoyed working with his hands and constructing furniture.  Being born and raised in Germany, his heritage was from a long line of quality craftsman.  As an apprentice he learn... [More]

The first time I saw a ‘Bean’ stitch, it was from a distance of about 12 feet.  I could see tha [More]

Greetings, all, from the Great White North! It's been a busy last couple weeks here, so I thought I'd better get my act together and get back to the Magic Bookshelf. My greeting notwithstanding, we have no snow up here yet, but they say it might come next week. Any of you down in the warm p... [More]

So, my friends, you have covered a lot of territory with LaRueSews quilting.  Now what?  I guess it’s really time to decide whether you want to hand piece or machine piece.  Most of what I have talked about so far can apply to either technique.   With a few exceptions,... [More]

Hello Everyone,             Now that the trip is over with, my bags have been unpacked, the laundry done, and things are settling back into the humdrum everyday life, I had to make some decisions about this next year and what I will be doing. First... [More]

  Everyone is busy on so many counts at this time of year.  Some of you are changing over the house to have that warmer cozy look, others are visiting family members and still others are involved in a wide variety of political activities.  Whatever it is, it is keeping everyone busy ... [More]

Today wraps up AnnTheGran.com’s 12th year “on the air.” With all the excitement about our new digital scrapbooking area, and all the time I was spending getting my own products ready for the store, I completely forgot until I looked at the date. It’s been a long journey and m... [More]

Everyone is interested in ‘being green’ these days.  Preparing for the Holidays, I plan to go g [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

As you can see, I found the gaggle of travel drives and software security devices that I THOUGHT I had inadvertently left at home when I flew to Kentucky last week. Of course, as soon as I get home, the first place I went was to the computer bag from which I had transferred my laptop for travel. I f... [More]

So are you hanging in there with me?  Together we can get these gifts done early!  Last ti [More]

Hi Everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the writings about thread, I do realize that it was a little intense. So I decided to keep it light this time and give you some fun things to ponder. I know some or most of you know that I was a bit "out of touch" these past days. I suddenly realized th... [More]

To begin this time, I want to relate a very “telling” experience.  This experience told me that you very well can become a really good quilter if only you practice, practice, practice.  My husband and I went to my daughter’s house last weekend to attend our grand daughter... [More]

With the Holiday Season right around the corner, everyone will be creating new and following old tra [More]

Not sure where the last two weeks have gone but it seems like it is time to check in with you all,  again.  I have recently been to Des Moines, Iowa for two reasons.  The first was so I could film a video for a new feature on www.allpeoplequilt.com (part of Better Homes and Gardens) a... [More]

Well, this is a first for me. I’ve frequently thought that if I didn’t get something finished before leaving on a trip I could do it in the airport or on the plane, but I’ve never actually done it. Until today.  As we were leaving for the airport I turned to Bill and said, &ld... [More]

    Hello Happy Stitcher's!   I am going to cut right to the chase here today, as I have been wading through 35 pages of information on thread!  Yes 35 pages!  I understand, Wow! So I am going to give you some things you will likely want to print out and ... [More]

As I start this out today, there are so many things Zinging around in my head, it’s hard to tell which way this edition of LaRueSews will go. I’ve heard writers say that sometimes they start out with just an idea and then just let it roll. I think I’ll tell you a bit about the qui... [More]

I have had it in my head for weeks what I wanted to do this week on the blog.  But, as many of you can probably relate, I backed myself into a corner with my schedule and wasn’t able to create the vision I had in my head.  I’m right in the middle of two of my busiest weeks of t... [More]

TALL , GRACEFUL AND ELEGANT- GIRAFFES The Giraffe, the tallest animal in Africa is both elegant and graceful. Its height allows it to keep in contact with other giraffes over large distances as well as spotting predators from afar. It is not uncommon to see other animals following a giraffe using i... [More]

Some words cause us to think Luxury, and Pashmina is one of them.  Pashmina is the Indian/Persi [More]

Hello there folks…. I am sitting here in my sewing room, yes I do have one and just so you feel better I can tell you that it is total disaster area at the moment.  I am actually sitting with my laptop on my ironing board and writing to you as my Quattro is humming along.  You migh... [More]

  HELLO HELLO WORLD ME’ers!!!!! Here it is…HOT OFF THE PRESS….drum roll please……AnnTheGran MAP – Level 1 In a nutshell I’ve heard from ME’ers from 39 US states, 1 territory and 16 foreign countries so far. THANKS again for your input!!!... [More]

We have found that by making our cross stitch designs the centerpiece of a quick-to-quilt piece, a lovely finished result is achieved. Many embroiderers also love to quilt, so combining the two “media” seemed like a natural! Cross Stitch designs, especially the small ones, can be use... [More]

Hello everyone! I’m Susan from AllAboutBlanks.com and we work with the folks here at AnnTheGran.com to offer you some of our best-selling embroidery blanks right here on Ann's website.  What a nice surprise it was to be asked to participate in the world of blogging here at AnnThe... [More]

  Here it is, the second day of Fall, and it’s already cold in the mornings here in Orlando. By “cold” I mean 68° (20° C) which, for me here in Florida, is sweater weather.  It doesn’t usually cool off until the middle of November, so this is quite a treat ... [More]

         Hello all of you Happy Stitcher's! Wow, can you believe it? This is the 5th edition of this blog! It is hard for me to imagine that I have written 5 already! It sure doesn't seem like it at all. I guess that must mean I enjoy what I do and sharing this ... [More]

Hi Everyone!  Sometimes I'll see a design and instantly 8 projects spring to mind that I w [More]

I love a product that shows ingenuity and innovation.  Consider the humble (grin) computer.&nb [More]

I just got back from the Atlantic City Trade show and I noticed some very interesting trends.  Diversification is moving ahead full force.  Companies that only offered 1 decorating type have now branched out into many different areas.  After all, you can only sell the same embellishme... [More]

Most of you know that one of my goals in 2009 was to use up as much of my fabric stash as possible a [More]

It is my belief that any art form, such as embroidery is difficult to pin down as to who, when and w [More]

Girls, girls and more girls.  Although I have five brothers we have not followed that tradition.  We have two girls, two granddaughters and now another on the way.  Personally, I think this is great!  After growing up with all those little brothers I have always loved little girl... [More]

It’s time again for LaRueSews to tell all of you a bit more about Quilting.  For the past few months, we have been doing a Block of the Month.  This time, it will be little more challenging.  The block will be the Arrowhead block, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Right now... [More]

This information may help you if you are using IE 7 or IE 8 The following tips can be used for both Windows XP and Vista.Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support. I don't know anyone who thinks that their Internet connection is as fast as they wou... [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

If you open any decorating magazine, regardless of age, you are going to find some awesome ideas for [More]

Last year, my age-old hot water bottle gave out with a fatal leak. All my life I have used a hot wat [More]

While I love teaching the techniques to complete a African Folklore Embroidery, I get even more pleasure in seeing how each person takes their design to a whole new creative level. Chain stitch is the dominant stitch, and any color can be used to stitch on the pre-drawn black fabric, however wh... [More]

One of the most interesting, IMHO, studies of the human condition is body language.   Posed or casual, many of us can see the indications that are coming from the way a body presents or does not present itself. Taking that one step further, if we really look at photographs, we can often o... [More]

Leaping In with a Mac part 2 It turns out that a lot of you here at AnnTheGran are Mac users or, dare I say, “Mac curious?” You have seen the ads and heard the talk, but your embroidery stuff runs on Windows, and the kid down the street (nephew, son in law) can keep your system running.... [More]

Our daughter's car broke down in the snow this week.  Michael was not available so she called m [More]

A biscornu is an elegant, eight sided ‘pincushion' whose origins have been lost over the centuries.& [More]

Hello everybody, welcome back to Scott's Corner.   I recently had a conversation with one of my customers regarding a big customer of his that was very demanding.  This customer had great volume but a low profit margin.  My customer was considering telling the customer that h... [More]

 Anyone who reads the supermarket tabloids has been seeing all kinds of advice about the easy way to lose weight. I and a group of friends decided to follow one of the more popular diets.  We formed teams, printed out the diet plan, communicated every day and were positive that we would lo... [More]

With the new digital cameras on the market, photo taking can and does take on a new reality.  You can take 100 photos and discard 99 of them without the expense of processing.  That is only one of the benefits.  There are so many features, most of them universal, they are too numerous... [More]

Hi there, EveryBuddy.  This Blog is a milestone.  Ya know, sometimes when you count things, (anything noteworthy) the numbers that end in Zero are important.  That goes especially in Birthdays, like 20, 40, etc.  Some of ‘em, are BIG ones.  Well, my friends, this Blo... [More]

I was so excited by the number and diversity of entries and the positive response from over 20,000 people that viewed the African Folklore Embroidery Exhibition at the Road to California Quilt Show. While the rules of African Folklore Embroidery are simple,  (‘Whatever color you choose to... [More]

--> It’s time for some fun. I was recently asked about doing a Facebook application. You know, Facebook, one of the social sites on the internet. Where people who haven’t seen each other can chit chat and generally make a nuisance of themselves. It’s a good way to keep ... [More]

I can remember my mother mending piles of clothes.  She mended the mends, and she even darned t [More]

Getting the right design into your machine is a most important part of enjoying your embroidery experience.  I have been using an embroidery machine for so long that lots of things have become second nature and I just do them without thinking.  Like viewing designs using the Brother PED-Ba... [More]

It sure has been a busy month....On December 10, I took the plunge and had toe surgery....I had two hammertoes that required a bit of slicing and dicing.  That meant I hobbled around with "the big boot" for a few weeks and then I got to don the "little boot." I had to chuckl... [More]

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista - Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support.   Perhaps the term Rogue Security Software is new to you, it is a form of computer malware that deceives or misleads users into paying for the fake or si... [More]

  I have been dog sitting a five month old puppy for the last 2 weeks.  Sage is pretty good, but she is definitely all puppy.  And Big! Ok, I admit I am used to small dogs - Papillons, which are usually 7-10 pounds.  So, when this pretty Brittany Spaniel jumped in my lap right b... [More]

Hello everyone,   I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and had a wonderful bringing in of the New Year. I am looking forward to all the information we have to share with you in 2010.  It is going to be an exciting year.  We will be looking at Microsoft Outlook more closely and expl... [More]

Just to clarify, the rumors that I fell off the face of the Earth are patently false. While it’s true that I was skipping about all over the face of the Earth, at no time did I actually tumble into the stratosphere. So, where have I been? First I went up to Kentucky for two weeks with my daugh... [More]

My quilt guild, called Memory Makers Guild was just a little over the top today.  The guild is a small group, but what it lacks in numbers, it makes up for in talent.  I’ve known most of these ladies for at least a year, and some of them, as much as three years.  We have grown c... [More]