Whew!! After the busiest bazaar season, and really year, that I've had in a long time, I'm happy to announce that we finally have the parts together for a semester long beginning sewing class for home school students! The sewing room is coming together, I just need to get a few more supplies and paint the chairs I found lots of fun colors. 
   For more information or to register, please see our Classes page or click on the photo. They start in about three weeks! 

We've had a bit of excitement in Alaska this weekend with a big earthquake in Anchorage! Many people felt it here, I slept through it.... We're praying for everyone who was affected, and thankful that so far there have been no reports of major injuries!

I've also been busy for weeks with bazaar season, and still have three to go:
Naughty and Ice at West Valley Dec 8, 10-4
Tanana Valley Farmer's Market at the Carlson Center, Dec 9, 10-4? not sure...
Goldstream Valley at the Ken Kunkle Center, Dec 15, 10-4

So, I've been sewing like crazy, but I still managed to finally get this pattern done for two of my most popular designs! It's a fairly easy one too, with lots of ways to add your own touch. It's called Winter Trees, group one, because I'm working on another set as well :-) I'm hoping to be able to start a page of photos if people send them in! Email them to me at beret@onthetrailcreations.com or post in the On the Trail Creations VIP Facebook group.  

Of course, we have to have a sale for this month too, so here it is:
Every purchase of $24 or more will get a free printed copy of the new pattern! It's a $10 value, which is already a deal since our one card patterns are $8, and this is two for $10. Click either photo to order. I was pretty excited about the little boreal chickadee photobomb :-) No code or anything, it will just be included in your order. I hope everyone is having a joyful and not stressful Christmas season! 
Beret

Yep, the snow has started (barely though...) and bazaar season starts Saturday, for me at least! (see list below, Saturday only for me this year at the first one) I've had lots of visitors and other delays in getting started on card making this year, which was all really fun, but making for a busy few weeks! It looks like I'm going to hit my goal of 250 cards still though! (For this bazaar, then I hope to make another 150 by the end of bazaar season. I will also have kits and patterns, and quite a few finished wall hangings, mostly from panels. That way I get to use other people's artwork, like Teresa Ascone and other Alaskan artists! :-) I will have some of her panels for sale also, including NEXT year's exclusive design!
For local AND non local people, we are still doing a daily deal on the website, a different product and discount each day. Those are announced in the On the Trail Creations VIP group,  and on Instagram, so follow us on one of those if you want to get in on the deals! The facebook group is still where I tend to post the most about what is going on. www.facebook.com/groups/614962188849895/
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And I'm not the only one getting ready for bazaars at my house... My husband has caught the bug and is cranking out wooden spoons. Here is a sneak peek photo. He won't be at the one Saturday, but probably the rest after that. Here is my schedule:
November 3, UAF Women's, Pioneer Park, 10-4
Nov 17, Quota Club, Pioneer Park, 10-4
Dec 8, Naughty and Ice, West Valley, 10-4?
Dec 9, Farmer's Market, still waiting to see
Dec 15, Goldstream Valley, Ken Kunkle Community Center, 10-4

I hope to see you there! And sorry, both photos are purposefully sneak peeks only :-) This is the cards with their binding strips waiting to go on! 

To see all of our kits and patterns, click the photo! 

If you are in our VIP group or follow me on Instagram, (which I recommend so you get our daily deals!), you will have seen that I skipped sewing yesterday to go hiking in the mountains while my family hunted caribou. I knew it would cost me a day of sewing, but it was so worth it! I neglected to factor in, however, how sore I would be today 😭😭😂😂. Ten days until the first bazaar and I have 9 cards all the way done, still aiming for an ambitious 200-250! I do have quite a few in progress, but that's still going to take some doing! Stay tuned... 😂😂

​Three things! One for everyone, one for Anchorage area, one for Fairbanks.
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​One, we have decided to start doing a "Daily Deal" sale on the website! We have an app with a wheel to spin for the item and the discount amount. We will probably do it around 10 pm Alaska time, so for most of you it will start first thing in the morning. (The time zone messes us up a lot!) I will only post it in the On the Trail Creations VIP group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/614962188849895/) and on Instagram (also On the Trail Creations) for now, so make sure you are in one of those!
Scroll down to see today's, which is open to everyone, not just those two groups! Since it's getting a late start, we will leave this one up through Sunday.

​Two, I have been invited by the Chugach Mountain Quilter's Guild to come to Eagle River next weekend for two days of classes and a trunk show! I'm very excited to be able to share with this group of quilters! The trunk show is open to the public, and is Friday, Oct. 5, 7:00 pm, at the Skyline Family Fellowship.

And three, our first official Colorplay night is this Tuesday, Oct. 2, 6:30-8:30 pm at my shop. (748 Gaffney, Suite 206) We will be working with Inktense pencils and now I have the blocks too! I will show you how to do the iris design, but you can do whatever you want, and however many cards you have time for. Cost is $10, ages 12-adult, everything is provided! And you will get a punch card for a free one after four. I hope to see you there!

Wow, busy week coming up! Happy sewing! Beret

I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the blessings from our quick two day trip to Anchorage! Amazing weather, stopped in FIVE quilt shops, and met lots of people, including my fabric angel! She loaded my car to the gills... This isn't even everything. The pile of fabric in front of the tubs is some of what I bought, mostly for card kits, but the pile is 10 yards, so that means the tubs contain probably hundreds.... wow... And a 'teeny' bit of card stock too! I might be busy for awhile....
And I'm willing to share, I'm still planning an open house next Tuesday, the 18th, 6:30-8:30 pm, for the Colorplay craft nights I'd like to start! I will have samples and a sign up sheet for the first few sessions. Age 12- adult to start with, we'll see how it goes. Stop in and bring friends!
​If you are in Alaska, these are the 5 shops I stopped at: Twisted Sisters Quilty Pleasures and Quilt Cache in Eagle River, (I'm doing two days of classes and a trunk show there next month!), Seams Like Home and Quilt Tree in Anchorage, and Two Friends in Wasilla. Three of those were new to me, so fun!
​Now I'm in the mad rush for bazaar season, but boy do I have fabric to play with...
Remember, these fall Polychrome table runners are only available this month or while they last! Click the 'shop online' tab.

God's plan is always better than our plan, right? I have had a dream for years to have a cute classroom with matching sewing machines. (Photo below is NOT mine, stole online... And the 'matching' is not just for looks, more in a bit...) MY plan was to do a fundraiser involving the table runner kits shown here, starting today. But yesterday was my birthday, and my mom surprised me by funding 6 machines, which is how many I wanted! Oh my! I'm a bit of a sewing machine snob, because I want sewing to be pleasant and not frustrating for beginners, and the new brand called EverSewn is connected to Bernina somehow, but in a much lower price range, perfect for classroom machines! Matching machines don't just look nice; I would like to be able to say, "turn this knob", and everyone has the knob, especially for kids. Eventually I will have them use their own if they have them, but it would be less frustrating for everyone this way. I still plan to do most adult classes at the quilt shops, but may do some here too. Also, people who don't have machines can try them without the investment. Soooo exciting!

So, these fun table runners will still be a limited time offer, because I don't really plan to get large amounts of the leaf fabric. They will be up soon... $48, which is about 20% less than our other table runners, and will probably still go at least in part to other classroom expenses. Available through September only, or until we run out, whichever comes first! And, I finally managed to do a kit that has NO applique or free motion required, all straight stitching. I did free motion quilting on one sample, but you don't have to. Stay tuned for pics of MY new classroom, woohoo!

Local people, especially home schoolers, let me know what good times for classes might be. Everyone else, which table runner do you like best, teal (need better pic) or orange?

Well, we went from hot to rainy pretty quickly! But it was right on schedule, since our local fair is this week, and it's traditionally rainy then! I hope it holds off during the Little River Band outdoor concert we are planning to go to! We have family visiting this week, so a trip to Denali Park is in the plans too.
I didn't get anything made for the fair this year... I almost finished an art quilt but ran out of time. I did get a quilt done for the Quilt Alaska show though, and then forgot to post it here! It was a fun one to do, since I'm obsessed with Inktense pencils lately. That's how I made the flower. The background was just improv pieced, I kept adding pieces until it was close to the right size, then squared them up. For someone who doesn't mind math and measurements, I sure have a lot of tricks to avoid them! The quilt is a single fireweed blossom, and the quilt is called Beauty From Ashes, since fireweed is one of the first things to come back after a fire.
Also, did you know that most of our patterns are available in downloadable form? This is great for anyone outside of the US, because it's economical and instant, or anyone, like me, who can't wait to get started! A few are not available this way for various reasons, but most are. Here are a few of them! Happy sewing, Beret

It's been a hot week here this week, I've been very thankful for the AC in my studio! I even stayed over one night, I'm not a fan of the heat... It's cooling off now, and starting to get a bit dark during the night, so fall is coming!
We to do our first (and maybe last!) 'buy one, get one' sale on kits. Buy any kit (not all pictured) and get any other kit of equal or lesser value free! And free shipping in the US too. If there isn't a comment box when you order, either send an email to me at beret@onthetrailcreations.com, or a message with the 'contact us' page here with which kit you would like. Then I hope you will also join our On the Trail Creations VIP group on facebook, and share photos of your creations!

I'm kind of double booked for tonight, but I will make it work! First Friday at That Old Sew and Sew quilt shop, and opening night of the Quilt Alaska quilt show at the Bear Gallery! Local people, I hope you will be at one or both :-) I will probably just pop in to the Bear Gallery at the beginning, and be at the quilt shop the rest of the time...
I took a couple of days off this week and we had a nice 4th of July with friends over. My dog Tundra got to see her brother for the first time since we got her 18 or so months ago! He's much bigger than she is! Now it's back to work... I just finished this batch of cards, quite a bit different from my normal ones. I made the quilt part smaller, so I could do some embossing on the card stock... The flower was done with the sewing machine, I think I will need a video for that one! And a separate post...
​If you haven't joined our On the Trail Creations VIP facebook group yet, I hope you will! That is the place I post the most about special offers, and the first place to see new designs for patterns and kits. I have several swirling around in my head right now!