Not the best pictures, but I did manage to get a few of the Snowbirds flying over centretown in Ottawa, pre-Canada Day celebrations tomorrow. Photos taken from my balcony.

First flyby, coming from the south going north. Caught me by surprise as they usually come the other way.

Flying by to the right of me, over the Rideau Canal.

Flying in formation, to the right of me, beside Place Bell.

Zipping by east to west over top of centretown.

Another shot over centretown.

Please note: I copied this announcement from the International Quilt Festival’s Facebook fan page. I don’t know any additional information than what I’ve posted here. You can find the “official” info on their web site.

International Quilt Festival/Chicago plans to showcase Canadian quilts and their makers in a special exhibit, O Canada 2010. This exhibit will be one of the highlights of Festival, April 16-18, 2010, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. This exhibit is open to residents currently residing in Canada. You must reside in a Canadian province to be eligible for this exhibit.

We would like to invite you to participate in this exciting exhibit focusing on the Canadian quilter. You may submit a total of five quilts for our consideration. Quilts need not be made specifically for this exhibit. Traditional or art, all quilts made by residents of Canada will be considered. Please do not submit a quilt that was included in a previous edition of O Canada.

Click here for submission form.

Each quilt must have its own form completed and sent to us with visuals to be considered for the exhibit. You may complete the form online and return it to us by e-mail or regular mail. We will accept 35 mm slides or hi-resolution JPEG or TIFF digital images. PLEASE SEND YOUR DIGITAL IMAGES TO spexentries@quilts.com

Click here for visual instructions.

Completed submissions with visuals must be received in our office by January 20, 2010. You will be notified no later than Wednesday, February 12, 2010, regarding the quilts to be included in this exhibit, along with shipping instructions. If selected, the quilts will need to arrive in Houston no later than Friday, March 12, 2010, and will be returned to you no later than May 30, 2010, if they are not a part of the traveling exhibit. If you choose to permit your quilt to travel and it is accepted for exhibition, your quilt will be returned no later than November 30, 2010.

Again, I know nothing else about this and the information may change without my knowledge. Please visit the IQF site for more info.

It is Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada. To celebrate, I’ve gathered together some fabulous Canadian photos from family and friends to share with you. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Canada from coast to coast.

Thanksgiving Give-Away

Pink Panda Fabrics has offered to help me celebrate Thanksgiving by offering 2 half yard bundles of Denyse Schmidt’s Katie Jump Rope fabrics. Each winner will get 4 yards total (half yard of each of the following fabrics).

Pink Panda Fabrics is a Canadian-based online retailer of designer fabrics that are a little bit funky, sometimes cheeky, very cute and always modern. This is not your run of the mill fabric store!

You’ll find affordable fabrics by well known designers and manufacturers such as Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Heather Ross, Free Spirit, Lecien, Kokka, Echino by Etsuko Furuya and much, much more.

We are a family-run business and customer service is our #1 priority. We’re a very chatty bunch — so feel free to email us, join our Facebook Fan Page, our Flickr group, tweet with us on Twitter, read our blog or contact us. We’d love to connect with you!

To enter the contest:

Two winners will be selected to win a half yard bundle. To enter, leave a comment below answering, Besides the rotary cutter and mat, which quilting tool are you most “thankful” for? Contest closes: Tuesday, October 13 at 9:00am (eastern). Winners will be chosen randomly.

P.S. If you’re reading this on Facebook, please click through to the blog post to leave your comment.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention what my favourite tool is: the shape cutter ruler.

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congrats to #27 Linda Smith
#146 Deborah on winning the gorgeous fabric bundles.