A sneek peak

Just a little peek at next release from Blackbird, Anniversaries of the Heart #7 "Swan Lake". This release also features the first bonus piece. I just love this bonus piece, I will have to stitch this one. It should be out to the distributors in about a week, and then we will be able to get it in. It is stitched on a 30 count R & R fabric which we will also have.
Something I have in the works.....I fell in love with this paper at Paper Creations. Since I am in a box mode, I am stitching another pattern out of Blackbird's Honeysuckle Manor in this wonderful shade of teal blue. This will go on the top, and I will do something wonderful with the papers. I have stitched this design once before for a box top, and couldn't find a paper that I liked to go with it. I did this one backwards, I found the paper and then picked the thread. I found it easier that way. I will post when it is finished.

Another new Halloween model

I just finished framing this cute Lizzie Kate "ABC Halloween". I stitched it up, and it will be a shop model now, until I decide I can't live without it at my house. I stitched it in the colors supplied with the kit except for the addition of the purple spider button. I though he was a cute touch.

Kind of Creepy

If your really into Halloween, then you can't resist this set. It is "creepy Crawly" by Blue Ribbon Designs. Carolyn stitched this using a combination of linen fabrics and using ink to distress them. Remember our tip for painting your pin heads any color you like to match the piece you are using them on...that tip was used on these pins. Carolyn does an excellent job at finishing. She is always happy to teach a finishing class. Let us know, and if we get a few of you that would like to get together and work on your finishing we will get Carolyn to set up a time. Our model is even on display in its own crypt. Aren't they a scream....

A little bit French

I just love the line of French designs by JBW. I have stitched quite a few. I had to share this one. My new favorite overdyed color "Peonies" by Weeks Dye Works. I love the salmon and orange combo. Then in framing it I added the row of ribbon flowers. This would go anywhere...

We really have a bathroom

Thanks to my wonderful son Taylor, we really have a ladies bathroom now. Now our old bathroom served a purpose, it was mainly a storage room, and if you walked in sideways and turned just right, you could actually use it as a bathroom. It was dark, and I always tried to hurry as fast as I could. Now look at it! With the addition of the storage garage we were able to clean it out, paint and decorate. We have a cute cabinet for our lady things, a new light fixture, a garbage can with a lid and a beautiful paint color. Can you tell I am thrilled! Thanks Taylor, you worked really hard on it!

We like to change things up a bit

One thing you will find, no matter what needlework store you go to, is that we all like to get a little creative. It is always fun to see what changes people make to designs to give them a little twist. Many of you have loved our "witchy washy" clothesline. The pattern is by Raise the Roof. The pieces are stitched on perforated paper and really hung on a line with miniature close pins during framing. Which of course we do here at the store. We have done the same technique with a line of Santa clothes by Sue Hillis. Raise the Roof has a whole series of clothes line designs you can do this with!

We added quite a few buttons to "Halloween Night" by Imaginating. Nancy stitched this model up for us. Anytime we make changes to a design here at the shop, we will give you instructions to do yours the same way as ours if you like. With the purchase of the original designers pattern and supplies of course.

Redecorating for fall

I spent a very long hot Sunday at the store doing a little rearranging. Once you get going the time just flies by, and it really is fun. But moving one things leads to moving 20 others. It just snowballs, and before you know it, just about everything has to be moved, I try to keep models in some sort of order, according to designer or season, you know what I mean.
This great spooky tree is called "Spooky House" by X's & Oh's. No changes here. Can you see the tree in the silhouette of a lady with her arms our stretched. The windows form a scary face. The moon and window faces are stitched using 12 spools of glow in the dark #4 Kreinik braid and boy does it glow in the dark! LouAnn is letting us display this until she is ready to decorate for Halloween. Thank you LouAnn, your wonderful!

You should come by and see the great Halloween displays!

Something to crow about...

Aren't these fun? A crow needle cushion filled with crushed walnut shells. Each feather is stitched on with a black bead. They each have their own personality, perched upon their bed of leaves. I thought they would be a fun addition to our Halloween displays at the store. But I'm sure that they will fly away soon.....

Blackbird's Honeysuckle Manor

I have been stitching like crazy...I have finished 4 projects out of this book so far. I just love Blackbird designs. I decided this book was perfect for box designs. We are carrying paper mache boxes now in a variety of sizes. They are really fun to get creative with. Carolyn and Lynn have been playing with the boxes also. I will post some of their creations in a later post. I stitched this piece titled "Summer House Pincushion" using Herb Garden Belle Soie silk on a 11 x 11 inch cut of 36 count flax linen. I love the green color. I finished the box with beautiful scrapbook papers and the ribbon I found was perfect.

I hand stitched it in a gather about 1 inch apart and each gather is adorned with a row of tiny beads. I love detail!

It is almost that time....

Well I think this weekend, when the shop is quite I will go in and do a little rearranging. Time to move the Halloween and fall designs front and center. This is always quite a task. I really need a couple of days to recoup after that. I think I must go up and down the ladder 70 times when we do a remodel. Hope the kids are up to helping Mom. They are usually pretty good about it. These are a couple of Hinzeit designs. We carry the fun frames that go with their designs. Of course we also do custom framing at the shop.

A trip to Spokane

I recently took a little trip to Spokane to see family. Of coarse like any hardcore stitcher I looked in the phone book for a local needlework shop. I found a charming little shop called "Haberdashery". They had quite a few beautiful models and I love poking around a new shop. She sold a lot of the same type of thing that we carry. It is just always fun to see how other shops display there things. I thought I would show you a beautiful jar of pincushions that they had on display. I enjoyed my visit with the owner, and came home with a bag full of goodies!

So many pearls...

Carolyn has a great collection of many things. One thing she had many of was pearls, and you know Carolyn and jewelry! This bracelet is covered in natural colored pearls, except for the purple one, it has been dyed that color. Carolyn said that the color was just too fun not to add. The only problem with pearls is that they have very small holes for stringing. Carolyn had to drill a larger hole in every pearl in order for them to fit an eye pin, then thread and twist each one before attaching them to the bracelet. Such determination! It is gorgeous Carolyn!

Busy with buttons...

Carolyn's busy fingers worked this weekend and made a beautiful pincushion with her crocheted button trim. She used a french alphabet cross stitch, we found the cross stitch design free on this site: http://digilander.libero.it/assitpuntocroce/schemigratis.htm they have quite a few wonderful freebies. I think you'll love what you find there.

Thanks for the interest in the beautiful design that I last posted. Our wonderful customer Lisa came in to pick it up and I got a picture of the whole design for you. It is a Teresa Wentzler design. Just beautiful!