BAD WEATHER

It's finally December and I can't believe how much it has snowed this year.  Been a long while since it's been so cold and snowy in 'early' December.  Maybe this year we will have a white Christmas.  If we do, hope it won't interfere with everyone's plans.

Now's the time I need to tell everyone that I'm a fair-weather person.  I'm not so afraid of driving on the roads (it's the other guy I'm afraid of) but I am terrified of falling.  With my replaced knees, I need to be really careful.  So I err on the side of caution during bad weather.  IF YOU ARE COMING TO THE SHOP AND THE WEATHER IS QUESTIONABLE, PLEASE CALL AHEAD AND MAKE SURE I'M HERE!  215.513.9373.  

Concerning the last post about the Travel Guide.  I wanted to put up a pic of the front cover but when I went to scan it, I couldn't.  So over the weekend I was thinking and the light bulb went on (finally)!  Came in this AM and scanned the cover and here it is.  Limited number are available and would make a great Christmas present.

Quick Ornaments and Have Book will Travel

Need a quick 'gift'?  Here's the perfect solution.....a sled ornament stitched on perforated paper.  Stitch the design, cut it out and attach to the sled and you are done!  Makes a great gift topper or even a nice hostess gift for the upcoming holidays.  Here's some patterns available for the sleds and we have everything you will need to complete them.

TRAVELING???

Will you be traveling this year?  Then you need the 2014 edition of the Needle Travel Fiber & Fabric Mania travel guide.  Just $9.95 will get you info to cross stitch shops along with  quilting, yarn, needlepoint, weaving and spinning shops across the United States.  Listed by state, you will see a state map with fiber shops listed.  Pick your city and state and go shopping.....

New With Thy Needle and Thread patterns

 Three new patterns have arrived from With Thy Needle and Thread.....above is Jingle Bells and below are Cozy in the Pines and Needleworker's Sampler.

More New Titles

More new charts are coming in but we are now changing seasons and going into Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But first, here's a pic of the fifth 2013 Blackbird Design's  Loose Feathers series, Bluebird of Happiness. Our charts and fabric should be arriving shortly.

For the holiday season, here's some cute nautical Christmas ornaments...Seaside Christmas by Designs by Lisa.  Both quick and cute!

Like Primitive decor and designs....here's 3 from Notforgotten Farms:  the first is Christmas Donkey.  I have to laugh  when I look at this...imagine a donkey 'dashing' for anything, except if he's hungry.  Next is Woodland Christmas, a bag to hang and decorate with greens for the holidays or store Christmas cards. And finally, Mary Snow.

Summer House Stitche Workes brings us Hark, Hark, Hark! Very seasonal in design.

For Thanksgiving, we don't always have a lot of charts to choose from.  Plum Street Needleworks brings us Thankful for Thee and His and Hers.  We don't associate stockings with Thanksgiving, but why not?  And you can always leave off the His and Hers or fill in a border type design. But I think they are cute and different as is.

And last but not least, Blackbird Designs Give Thanks, chart number 2 in their Sewing Box series.  Remember number 1 was the Halloween design Midnight Ride, a crow wearing a witch's hat.

Well, that's some of the new charts coming in next week.  Stop by and see them in person and check out the charts from the Primitive Hare, an Italian, primitive designer.

New Name...Same Product

Just wanted to let you know if you see a 'new' overdyed floss called for in your charts, it isn't a brand new and different product.  Crescent Colours 6 strand overdyed floss and Crescent Colours Belle Soie silks have a NEW name.  They will be known as Classic Colorworks.   The company has been purchased by the son of the designer of  Little House Needleworks and the  brother of the designer of  Country Cottage Needleworks.  Randy  has become the new owner of Crescent Colours.  The name has changed but the colors and quality will remain the same.

Miss Me?

I know, it's been a while, but I've been busy pulling my hair out.  Computer just got too bad and I had to get another one.  It's so up to date, I had to learn a new operating system...ugh!!!  It's a good thing I asked how to turn it on and off and get to go where I needed to, cause I'd probably still be flogging around....no kidding.

Then a day after the new computer, I tried to print something from the internet, and, you guessed it, my printer wouldn't print.  Then they told me that Dell doesn't support that printer anymore, so there were no updates to make it work with my new laptop.  So, off I go to buy a new printer.  And so on a Saturday morning, I'm installing the printer and the disc that came with it, wouldn't install it.  That meant I had to 'talk' with a tech, somewhere out there.  Got it working, but......it made horrible colored copies.  Talked to Staples and the tech, there, said I had a faulty printer. So I exchanged my printer for a new one.  Came back, unwrapped it and tore off all those pieces of blue tape, again, plugged it in.....and it wouldn't print!
I assumed (and there was MY mistake) that I could swap printers without doing anything else.  Boy was I wrong.  Another phone call to a tech out there somewhere and 5 minutes later I had a working printer making very nice colored copies....YEA!

But, let's return to shop talk.....THE PRIMITIVE HARE IS HERE!  Her charts have arrived and she's very popular.

Very popular, is her Spooky Countdown.  A definite on my stitch list, but I don't know if I want to create individual 'pillows' or stitch it all on once piece....decisions, decisions, decisions.......

This may be familiar to some of you.  The Town of Halloween appeared 2 years ago in the Just Cross Stitch Halloween edition.  It was quite popular and I was glad to see she charted it.

Small Valentines is really cute and I really like the 'postcard' idea...it's different.

Old Salem Broom Co....what more can I say..... Another definite for my stitch list and I better live long enough to do my entire list.

Witch Hour - Witch Queen....very halloweeny.  Got a feeling going on here?  Isobel's very good at primitive Halloween designs.

Oh, a change of seasons.  She's done several for the Christmas holiday and The First Snowflake is so delicate.  Done on a 30 count fabric the finished size will be about 6.5x6.5.  But just imagine it finished and sitting on an easel on a tabletop or bookshelf with some greens around it....impressive.

The last part of Lizzie Kate's Holly and Hearts Mystery Sampler has arrived and I must go call the participants  in that stitch group.  Due out shortly, will be Frosty Forest from Country Cottage Needleworks.  Here's a pic of what it is going to look like...of course, vital parts are hidden so it will be a small mystery.

Well, that's all for right now.  Gotta get back to work.  Take care and keep stitching.

NEW DESIGNER COMING

If you like The Primitive Hare's designs, make a wish list and add your order to our order!  Deadline is Saturday October 19th.  A  50% deposit will be required.  Check out her designs at
http://theprimitivehare.blogspot.com

Give us a call today and order some fun!

Whoooo!!!! New...FROSTY FOREST

This picture is very appropriate this week :)   Monday I worked a little around the house; Tuesday, went to Delaware with a friend to the Christmas Tree Shop and had lunch...a full day and I was tired when I got home around 7PM; Wednesday through Friday, I worked at the shop, grocery shopped, prepped and cooked for our Halloween Party tonight.  This is the last meeting of the Black Hat Society 2013...tonight is our party so I prepared food, purchased party plates and decor  and stuffed goody bags.  I'm just about done.  A friend is coming at 3 to help set up for tonight, thank goodness.  And of course, it's been warm all week and I've not been sleeping...I'm tired.  And to boot, this is the Sunday I'm open, so, rest will begin Sunday at 2PM when we close the shop doors.  Oh, I forgot, I even had ' time'  to make an emergency visit to the dentist!!!

Well, just got news that Country Cottage Needleworks is starting a new series in November and running for 9 months.....Frosty Forest and it looks real cute. Each design will be about 4 inches square and can be stitched as ornaments or together on one piece of fabric.  I understand the designer is stitching them 3 across and 3 down.   I have a sneak peek and I can give you the titles and you can  just imagine.....Raccoon Cabin, Snowy Deer, Snowman's Cottage, Snowy Friends, Bluebird Cabin, Snowy Foxes, Snowgirl's Cottage, Snowy Reindeer and Frosty Forest.  Feel the snow falling in the forest?

Call today and add your name to the list to reserve your copies.   Just think how appropriate to be stitching this snowy series when the snow could actually be falling outside.

Lancaster Co Mennonite Repro Sampler and more....

Samplers Revisited has created a reproduction sampler...Fianna Grube 1849, a classic Mennonite sampler from  West Hempfield Twp., Lancaster Co., PA.  The stitch count is 323 x 323, yielding a finished design of 18" on a 36 count linen. Absolutely on my 'to do' list as I just love German motif samplers.


New from I Stitch Designs are Sew a Quaker Pinwheel, which would make cute pincushions and  Sew The Sampler Guild.

FREE MYSTERY SAMPLER

Paulette Stewart from Plum Street Samplers is starting a Mystery Sampler and it's F R E E.  All you need is an internet connection and a printer.  Starting this Sunday, September 29, the first section of Mary's Sampler  will be revealed.   Additional sections will be added each Sunday and will stay on her blog.  There will be 2 versions.  Version 2 is what she calls a 'much fuller' version.  Both versions will finish at the same size, 99x95 stitches.  You can stitch it in all DMC colors or in the Gentle Art Overdyed fibers.  She's using a tan based fabric, but if you want to do it on black, she offers alternate colors on her blog.  The sampler is a Christmas sampler and, according to Paulette, it follows the Christmas events as recorded in Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 2:1-32.  Here's 2 pics from her blog:

If you don't have the ability to print out the chart, we will have copies here at the shop that you can pick up.  We have fabric and flosses needed for the piece.  Start your Mystery Sampler this Sunday.  See Paulette's blog at http://www.plumstreetsamplers.typepad.com/

ORNAMENT CUTS

Hey, AIDA stitchers.....we now have a limited number of Ornament Cut Scrap Bags available.  We cleaned out the odd cuts area and bagged up ornament cuts of Aida into 1/2, 3/4 and 1 pound bags!  The fabric scraps are from approximately  4x4 to 6x6..... mixed colors and mixed counts of 10, 14, 16, 18 and 22.

$5.00 for 1/2 pound bag.....$8.00 for 3/4 pound bag.....$10.00 for 1 pound bag.

Start turning out those ornaments for the fast approaching holidays!  GRAB THEM WHILE THEY'RE HOT!

CHRISTMAS IN RED

Christmas in Red is a new chart from Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks.  Six holiday designs are stitched, of course, in red but there is absolutely no reason you can't change the color of floss.  I decided to do one of the designs, in red (I used an overdyed floss), on 32ct white opalescent linen....there is a metallic fiber woven into the fabric giving the opalescent  sparkle.  It doesn't scan very well so you'll have to stop in to check it out.  This fabric gives a little extra to all holiday pieces.  I'm going to mount the stitched piece on foam core; try to maintain the shape of the ornament and add red cording.  I think it should turn out nicely.  Here are pics of the chart and the stitched piece before finishing.  Why not try a piece of this fabric for your next holiday ornament?  It comes in 32ct, 28ct and 14ct.

INSIDE BLACKBIRD DESIGNS' SISTERS

I've been waiting, anxiously, for this chart to arrive.  Been seeing and hearing 'gossip' about the charts included and, with some investigation, I've finally found pics of  the 3 other charts in  Sisters. Here they are!

Well, all 3 are being added to my TO-DO  LIST and they are being pushed to the top of the pile.  I love them all!

BLACKBIRD DESIGNS NEW RELEASES

Sisters, Away We Ride and Midnight Ride are new releases from the girls at Blackbird Designs and will be released this weekend at market.  I won't be there to pick them up but I will be getting them in as soon as my distributor gets them and ships them to me.  They are already ordered.  You can preorder by just giving me a call or shoot me an email.  Here are some pics:

Sisters contains two reproduction samplers, stitched by sisters, in England.  Some of the design motifs are similar, but colors are quite different.

Away We Ride....a Halloween pattern, features a witch's house full of windows and a tree of poison apples.  I know, I said I shouldn't buy any more Halloween charts, but.....I like this and just, absolutely, love the next one.

Midnight Ride fits a 6 inch sewing box.  Barb and Alma have decided to use this box as a basis for a seasonal series.  This one, of course, starts out with Halloween.  A Thanksgiving one is stitched and should go to the printers, shortly.

MORE NEW CHARTS...

Every time I see new charts, there are more Halloween charts.  It is becoming a very popular holiday.
Next weekend we have a small trade show, so there will probably be a small amount of charts coming out this week.  But here are 5 new ones:

Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks brings us another Christmas 'ornament' with Happy Holidays.  Stitched on a colored fabric with a winter white and silver braid accents, the stitch count is 122w x 173h.  Why not try this design using just an overdyed thread on more of a neutral background?

The Scarlett House is becoming a favorite designer of mine.  I stitched her Coverlet House piece and now I want to stitch this one...and I love the verse.  If you can't make it out, it says: "Inch by inch, Row by row, X's make my sampler grow".  Stitch count is 119w x 64h.  It's stitched on 40ct  for the small pin cushion but there's no reason you couldn't stitch it on a larger count and frame the piece.  Be aware that this piece must be stitched on a linen or evenweave fabric as there are some petite stitches and a Rice stitch, which is not difficult at all.

We have two more by Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks.  Halloween Hat is 237 x 236 and Halloween Atmosphere is 262wx 189h.  Both are using  DMC floss.

Last, but not least, comes Pumpkin Brew from Country Stitches - With thy Needle & Thread...a witch with her broom and cat and blooming cauldrons.  The design is 188w x 135h and calls for a 35ct fabric, but can be done on a larger count.  It uses Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts Sampler threads.

Stop by and check out these and other new charts in the shop.  There's always another project to add to the pile.


Just Cross Stitch Annual Christmas Issue should be arriving shortly.  After all, Labor Day and September are just 2 weeks away.  So I guess that means that the kids will be going back to school in about a week. Where did the summer go?

Speaking of Labor Day, WE WILL BE OPEN ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 1 FROM 11-2.  Stop by and make sure you have the supplies you need to finish that project you're starting when the kids go back to school.

BEGGAR'S NIGHT

Hot off the Press!  Just printed and now available is Threadwork Primitives new piece Beggar's Night.  The design is stitched on 35ct Abecedarian linen from R&R using DMC flosses.  Finished stitched design size is 4.25x6.25.  Stitched on a 28 ct fabric, the design would finish at 5.5x7.5...still a nice size for a pillow or frame.