The first look...

You bloggers get the first sneak peak at two new Glendon Place designs that are on there way to the shop. Ghoul School and Witches Wheel. Of course Ghoul School has a fun Just Another Button Company button pack to go with it, so cute. And Witches Wheel is stitched in two colors and mostly done in beads, though they are hard to see in the picture. You will add beads in purple, magenta, orange, gold and citron, adding neat dimension and a touch of shimmer. Cheryl does a great job with her Halloween designs. We are excited for them to arrive, we anticipate the end of the week. The specialty dyed fabric is also on order, though sometimes that take a little bit longer to get here. Put in your special request if you want one from the first batch.

Beautiful beadwork....

The best thing about doing framing, is that we get to see beautiful designs all worked up. This piece is in for framing and the bead work is wonderful. I had to give you a look. It is a large piece, worked in a lot of metallic thread and beads. This customer is very talented. So cool!

To be released...

Carolyn has been working on a new needlework! It is a beautiful Christmas piece. This picture is just a small sampling of the entire design, it is just wonderful. The pattern will be released at the St. Charles market the end of September. But we wanted you to get a sneak peek to see the color and design style. We can't wait!

Button, button who's got the button...

How many of us have these hanging around....Buttons make a beautiful trim to your needlework! Carolyn has been working on crochet edgings to adorn your finished stitchery. She is planning all sorts of things to put it on. She is thinking pin cushions and tiny pillows. She is working up a few models for the shop and will be holding a class on making your own crochet button trims. Be sure to watch the newsletter for the class date!

Mirabilia Christmas design

The free Mirabilia Christmas design has been posted! You can download the pattern for free from their site: http://www.mirabilia.com/crossIndex2.html We have stitched a couple of the past free designs and they are just beautiful! They put a lot of design into their work, even the free stuff!

Something I did this weekend

I have had this piece stitched for a long time now. I sort of knew what I wanted to do with it, but you know how sometimes the idea just hits you.. This pattern is Blackbird Designs "Small Token: Threads of Merit Pincushion". I decided that it would be the perfect cover to a thread book! This is what I started with...

I love the bag storage idea for floss. It is our stores favorite. You can save all of the little ends that you can use to stitch a small space, no winding required and your thread stays nice and smooth because there is no friction getting it in and out of the box. We leave the whole thread line in a large photo box and only tote around the colors that we need for a project that we are currently working on. I used scrapbook paper for the covering, the bags are a type that have two holes "Bag-it" by Westex Company. I modge podged the paper covered chipboard to make it more durable. As you can see, it will hold a lot of thread, and I can put on bigger rings if I need to. I think it turned out really cute!

Can you believe this!

We had a customer in the shop today who needed size 70 cordenette. Now for those of you not familiar with this thread, it is thin! When she said that she made miniature wicker furniture out of it, I envisioned crocheted and stiffened. I had noooo idea..... These were about the size of a penny. You can tell how tiny they are compared to the small balls of thread next to them. She said they are quarter scale for miniature doll houses, and she sells them at miniature shows. Only the small chairs had the cushions on them, but she hadn't finished the other pieces yet. She said the bassinet has silk ribbons woven in it! What talent...I had to share this with you.

It's coming along!

We are almost done. I guess I should say ,"the guys are almost done". I make it sound like I have been working on the garage out in this heat. Not a chance....
Things get a little crazy in the parking lot some days with the work guys and the customers. But as you can see the stucco is almost done! Just a few things to finish up and a big door on special order. We will miss the guys when they finish though. It has been nice having them around and they were great to work with.