Jenny's working hard for market

Jenny B. is working hard for market, which is in just over six weeks. I've included a little picture of a corner of her "Jenny Bean's Friendship Sampler," which will kick off the new "Jenny Bean & Friends" group. A number of designers are joining me (er, Jenny) in designing samplers for the fall market season. I'm especially excited about everyone's participation and can't wait to see all of the samplers by Jenny's friends.

The designers participating are: Chessie & Me, Heartstring Samplery, Little House Needleworks, Lizzie Kate, The Primitive Needle, R&R Reproductions, Raise the Roof Designs (Sue!), SamSarah Design Studio, and Shepherd's Bush. Each designer will release her own pattern, under her own label. The fabrics, subject matter, fibers will all be different. I wanted everyone to just have fun designing without size, color or subject restrictions. Heartstring Samplery has already released Poppy Maye Russell's sampler (you can find it as the Kit of the Month on my web site.)

And another thing I'm excited about is my new picture of Miss Jenny Bean. I commissioned an artist from Australia to draw her, and what you see here is a small portion of the logo for this line of designs. It's always nice to put a face with a name.

People are already asking me (daily) what I'll have new at market. This much I know for sure: Jenny Bean's Friendship Sampler and the Spanish Mystery Sampler reproduction (these are both well under way). The rest is still to be created/designed. I basically design, stitch, design, stitch up until the last couple days before market. Since I do all of my printing in-house now, it's easy for me to print things quickly. I do have other ideas, but it's just a matter of executing them. Would you believe some of us designers are still assembling charts the night before market opens? (It's not just this one who pushes it until the last minute.) That's what you get with us creative types -- we're a little flakey!