This blog could be considered as an Anniversary Blog, since it has been a year and seven days since I posted my very first Blog.  I didn’t think it would last this long.  But thanks to all of you and your faithfulness, I’m still here.  Also, I’d like to give a lot of... [More]

As it happens I have 2 daughter in laws who are quite entrepreneurial!  This week Kendal was invited to bring her Pampered Chef product to an event that had 50 attendees who also got to look at other wares that included aprons.  As it happens a local gal has begun a business making aprons,... [More]

AnnTheGran has placed these threads on sale!!  Check it out at Madeira. Dotted swiss was very p [More]

The subject matter this time is probably one of the “testiest” that I have approached.  We are nearing the end of making a quilt from start to finish.  Adding the bind is the best part, right up to stitching down the binding on the back.  The photos I am using were ma... [More]

If you are like me, you subscribe to more than one embroidery and quilting magazine and scour them all front to back when you finally get the chance. Sometimes I'm inspired by the projects in the magazines but many times I'm overwhelmed. And any time that I sit down to sew I'm likely... [More]

Here in San Diego, the summers are very mild.  There is little or modest humidity (30% would be [More]

I travel a lot and after a while people-watching gets old so I turn to reading.  I have been in [More]

Last time we met here, I left you with two photos that I said I would Identify when I came back from my little sojourn from the BLOG.  Here’s some answers for you.  Several months ago, my granddaughter told me that she planned to make her prom dress.  Since she was a senior... [More]

Computer repair can be costly, I don't just mean out of pocket cash .. but, cash that doesn't reach your pocket because your computer issues are halting business.  As you can probably tell, I have been MIA for the last 2-3 weeks.  Blame the computer .. I spent hours of my time tryi... [More]

Among the beautiful and creative hand embroidery work is a pattern called Hardanger.  When look [More]

Did you know that Flag Day is this Sunday?  It is nice to take a moment and remember how gratef [More]

Some people are surprised by our African tea cup designs... Why tea cups? What do tea cups and teapots have to do with Africa? Good question. What many people do not know is that South Africa used to be a British colony. For many years the British ruled South Africa and as a result many of the Briti... [More]

Every month is Start Your Own Business these days, but Brother has gotten serious about this concept.  Infact if you go to our website you can see a great financial opportunity that we have for you all.  You can actually save lots of money if you buy a PR-620 NOW!  Whether you are an ... [More]

Inspirational PlaceMy family is very fortunate that our home has been blessed with a beautiful garden in spite of having nary a green thumb in sight. When my wife and I first saw this property two-and-a-half years ago, it looked like something out of a magazine - the inside was pristine and the outs... [More]

You may remember that one of my earliest blogs discussed “Things I Wish I Knew When I Began Machine [More]

Did you hear me laughing this morning? I was reading an email from Quilter's World magazine and they were recommending that you re-purpose a wedding dress into a christening gown.  Not a bad idea, but for me that would never have worked because I had a mini-length wedding dress! I rem... [More]

You may remember my January 17 post "What is all this stuff and how did it get into my house?" Well, the situation has worsened. There is now 3 people's stuff in a house that was already overstuffed with 2 people's stuff. How in the world can this have happened? I was just beginnin... [More]

I just had one of those embroiderer and 'can't make up her mind' customer interactions. The antagonist of the story, played by the customer, is a great water color painter -- if you don't believe her, just ask her -- and, she brings in 3 water color paintings.  Well,... [More]

First, I must announce the new site that has been 18 months in the designing, redesigning and making [More]

Much to my delight, this is my first year anniversary.  Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you! [More]

Although I haven't posted in my blog for more than 10 weeks, you all have always been close to me in my thoughts and I've felt your warm collective hug. With the help of your prayers, warm thoughts, words of condolence and encouragement I've been able to somehow get through the dark days... [More]

Yes, friends of Ann The Gran, Quilting and Machine Embroidery are great partners.  They can be used in ways other than making a quilt with machine embroidered blocks.  The two following photos are the first of a number of photos what will appear on LaRueSews-Quilts in the not too distant f... [More]

Sorry for taking the week off .. I really like to prep for Mother's Day .. after all, my Mom is THE Queen and I really like to dedicate the whole weekend to her .. cooking, cleaning, taking her shopping and and out to a nice dinner and maybe a movie (though there isn't much at the movies her... [More]

Celebrity GossipThe prevailing wisdom of our celebritized culture seems to tell us that, when everyone has an opinion about you, you know you've done something right. Facebook is a celebrity, a big star. It's a cultural phenomenon. Everyone has an opinion on Facebook. And just as the tabloid... [More]

May is my favorite month.  While I come from a small family, there are only 24 of us, but for s [More]

“Meesy, why don’t Grandma and Gigi have pictures of us at their houses like you do?” my eldest grand [More]

Spring has sprung in New Jersey.  Everyone is out and about walking and enjoying the beautiful trees as they bloom. That is here in New Jersey, apparently Mother Nature has a few things confused and my grandchildren in Colorado are still wearing their snow boots. Don’t forget though that ... [More]

We are nearing the time when you will be getting your quilt ready to quilt.  That means that you have to make some choices about batting. First of all, just what is batting.  Batting is the middle layer of the quilt that provides warmth and comfort that we all know as a quilt.  In wa... [More]

Q:  You hear stories of beautiful embroidery designs created from sketches on a bar napkin.  Is that true?A:  Though I may have had gotten ideas from sketches, the better the art, the better the embroidered design will be. Your software undoubtedly can import a wide array of art.&nbs... [More]

Q:  I heard that online businesses were a fad and that in time physical storefronts will emerge on top again.A:  Ask your local travel agent what they think of it being a fad !! Online stores are more popular than ever before, as a matter of fact, I was working on a deal with a large fran... [More]

Hi, from Texas! I'm James Raymer, Vice President of Dalco Home Sew. I am excited and honored to be part of your “Community Circle.” I can still remember when I first met Ann. Ann and I were invited to a retreat at Myrtle Beach. This being my first show I was in awe of meeting a real... [More]

There are a lot of good things about working for myself at home. I can come and go as I please. I can work in my pajamas. There’s no commute. There are some downsides. I work on the week-ends and in the middle of the night. The work is always there; I can’t walk away from it. But the big... [More]

Is this the most magnificent swan you have ever seen? Free Standing Lace (FSL) is a technique uniqu [More]

It’s interesting how you can have a great idea during a very busy day and then when you sit down to write….you draw a blank. I am hoping that I remember what that great idea was before I get to the end of this blog.  In the meanwhile today was one of those busy days at work that yo... [More]

The weather in New Jersey this week is snowy and really cold and to some folks that may not seem so wonderous but when we had an unexpected family gathering in New York last week it made one little girl happy.  My 16 year old niece was visiting from Ocala, Fl and she had never seen snow in her ... [More]

In beginning this blog, I realized that I need to back track and talk about something I left out some time ago. You really need to straighten the fabric before you begin any project.  That doesn’t include quilting alone.  It includes any kind of sewing.  Because of the nature of... [More]

Packing our bags...It's official, we booked our flights and made hotel reservations: we will be teaching / demoing at the upcoming AnnTheGran Community Circle event on March 27 and 28, 2009 in Orlando!And what a great coincidence it is that we will be at the AnnTheGran event, in the "roots&... [More]

We’re trying to pare down here at the old homestead. I have no idea where all this stuff came from but it’s gotta go! Okay, I know where it came from . . . . Live in the same house for 47 years and stuff piles up. Plus, Bill has a habit that I’ve heard that a lot of men have: Somet... [More]

Until now, I’ve talked about the things we use in our furniture such as the hardware, the sewing machine lift, and even the dowels and glue we use to put it all together.  But that comes after the cabinet comes off the drawing board and proceeds to construction.   Other than things... [More]

  Special Offer - This Week Only- Buy Catalog Xpress and Get Alphabet Xpress Free! Click Her [More]

I hope everyone had a really great Christmas/Chanukah/holiday season.  As well the happiest New Year since January 1, 2008. ;o) Before I began this blog, I checked with the folks at AnnTheGran to be sure you all want me to continue with my ramblings.  Since this is the first time for me in... [More]

Happy New Year!Can you imagine? A new year, again? It feels like it's only a few months ago since we all watched the fireworks going from New Zealand / Australia / Europe and finally USA to welcome the new Millennium! And now all of a sudden we're in 2009...Time is one of the things in life ... [More]

Quality Made Sylvia Sewing Furniture Our commitment to quality extends to, what some might consider, even the most mundane items.  I’m talking about the hardware we use in all of Sylvia’s sewing furniture.  In the past few blog posts, I’ve talked about how we assemble o... [More]

Long about New Year's Eve I was hearing a lot of mumbling and grumbling about 2008, talking heads saying that thank goodness 2008 is over. Well, yes, the economic messiness of the last couple of months of 2008 was bad thing and embarking on a brand spanking new 2009 is a good thing, even though ... [More]

I have been thinking about doing embroidery on lingerie for some time now.  I might be doing so [More]

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

I am sure that each of you are just like me and you are running around trying to get as much accomplished before the year ends as you can.  Whether it is trying to get the last-minute gifts made or find the perfect gift, they would often look better if they were personalized, wouldn’t the... [More]

Battenburg (Battenberg) lace has also been known as Renaissance lace.  Created by using loops o [More]

Greetings everyone! Can you believe it?  The end of the journey and all the gifts you're making are nearly complete, right?!?  Now I am quite sure there are some of you who actually DO have your gifts finished, neatly wrapped, and waiting under the tree for the lucky recipie... [More]

  Special Offer - For free shipping within the contiguous United States and Canada, click here to view these cabinets in our online store. In the early 1980’s I was approached by local sewing machine retailer about building a good quality sewing cabinet. At the time none w... [More]

       Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) fr [More]

  Special Offer - To get free shipping and handling on Pre-Design Studio, the software mentioned in this post, click here. Wow, my first blog at AnnTheGran.com This week I will try to solve a problem that will be familiar to many of you - well, at least I hope that I'm not the... [More]

  This is going to be a quick post, but I just was working with the Pashminas that I sell on Et [More]

Yes, I know the holiday season is a time for joy and counting your blessings but it is so much more enjoyable when everyone stays well.  In our family 2008 has been dubbed “the year of the tissue”.  As I walk in the door with my load of tissue boxes my husband just shakes his h... [More]

This week I am the host of my semi-annual Education Team meeting at my corporate headquarters  in New Jersey and I have to say that to be among so many talented and fun ladies who have managed to make a career out of doing something they like is really amazing.  I know that many of you mig... [More]

(Me singing) "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens; the smell of leather and warm woolen mitt [More]

  Trust me when I tell you that hankies are not a left-over relic from the fifties!  The handkerchief category continues to be a strong one for us especially around holidays and wedding season.  Personally, I love to take a hankie to weddings and I haven’t met a bride yet who h... [More]

  Special Offer - For free shipping within the contiguous United States and Canada, click here to view these cabinets in our online store. Furniture makers agree on this – spend the extra effort to do things right the first time and you won’t have to go back to fix or ... [More]

Almost everyone has reason to be excited about this coming weekend, not just because it's Thanksgiving in the United States but because, for retailers that sell in the U.S., it's the kick-off of the Christmas selling season. Pretty much anyone who shops is aware of that Friday is known as Bl... [More]

Can one paragraph be about current events, information, an embroidery project, a gift idea and a travel story?  Last week we in the US celebrated Veterans Day. Most holidays in the US fall on Mondays so as to provide long week-ends, but Veterans Day is always celebrated on November 11. So this ... [More]