Monday, March 26, 2012

Nancy's recent finish


I thought you might like to see a project that Nancy recently finished.  She used a design by Brenda Gervais of With thy Needle & Thread. It's called "Be My Valentine" and you can see it here: http://houseofstitches.com/detail.cfm?ID=29627. I helped out with the buttons and lace but she did the real work!  The scissors are the Primitive Storklettes http://houseofstitches.com/detail.cfm?ID=28183 from Kelmscott.  They add a nice antique look and can be removed to use by untying the ribbon.

We are planning an exciting event for the fall!  Mark your calendar for the first weekend in October and I will get you details as soon as we have things "nailed down".  I can tell you it involves an internationally renowned teacher and a wonderful new project!  Stay tuned.

 I hope you have had a nice weekend with plenty of time to stitch. After paying bills I was doing some stitching on the "Fresh From the Garden" kit from Little House Needleworks. 

All stitching stopped when we realized that our refrigerator was not cooling properly.  Luckily we have a back-up in the basement so we had to transfer the things that could be salvaged.  This good old refrigerator has a rounded top and was most likely purchased during the Eisenhower administration!  It doesn't have an energy star rating but it is still working.  Somehow I don't think we will find a new model that will last as long.  I am afraid it will be a few days before I get back to stitching that tomato! 

Happy stitching,
Linda

Friday, March 9, 2012

Back home in Indiana

When we returned from market last week our life got a little complicated.  While we were gone I developed a swollen, painful knee.  The eight hour drive home didn't help so I spent the week with ice packs, elevating it and doctor visits.  By the weekend it had improved greatly.  Then, on Sunday morning my husband awoke with serious abdominal pain.  By early afternoon he was in surgery for an appendectomy!  He came home yesterday and I am slowly starting to get back to a "normal" routine.  That is why I have been so long in getting a post market report to you.  All the time spent at the hospital gave me longer blocks of stitching time than I usually have!  I finished the With Thy Needle and Thread Mystery Sampler that I showed you a couple of posts back.  I'll get a photo for you when we  have it all framed.  I have to say that even my worst stitches are prettier than the doctor's!

It was a very encouraging time in Nashville.  Everyone seemed to have a positive attitude and outlook.  As usual I found all kinds of wonderful things to bring back to the shop.  Our "What's New" page at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm  will show you most of them!  Barb and Sue from Prairie Moon have generously loaned us many models to display in the shop.  We made a wall of their Crypt Club models as well as several other designs.  The photo on the left gives you an idea of what it looks like.  (I say an idea because once again my photography skills are less than the best!  I'll work on it!)  The picture on the right was taken in Cherrywood Design's room at Nashville.  They are planning a series of Halloween designs to be released between now and Halloween.  "Peace, Love and Candy Corn" is available now and the others will follow.

If you are a fan of Just Nan designs, the latest releases arrived today.  We saw them at market and they are stunning, as usual!  They aren't on our site yet but you can see them at www.justnan.com.  The latest from Cricket Collection also came in this week.  They are shown at www.cecricket.com .  They are a real breath of spring!  We should have all of them in our online catalog next week!

That's it for now.  I hope the new designs are as exciting to you as they are to me!  All that stitching time at the hospital makes me want to stitch MORE, just not in that setting!

Happy stitching,
Linda