Summer!

Tuesday is the last official day of spring even though we have had several weeks of summer temperatures.  When it is too hot to do anything else, I think it is the perfect time to find a shady (or air conditioned!) spot to stitch!  And, if you are planning to travel, every stitcher knows that the very first thing to pack is your stitching bag!  Don't forget extra needles and an extra project.  You never know when you might need an alternate plan!
Awhile ago I promised to show you the With Thy Needle Mystery Sampler once it was framed.  The name of the sampler is "Birds of a Feather" but we seem to keep calling it the Mystery Sampler!  That may change next week with the arrival of the new mystery sampler from Lizzie Kate!  Anyway, here is the completed sampler.  Once again my photography skillls are lacking but you can still get an idea of what it looks like.  If you haven't signed up for the new mystery sampler, now is the ideal time to do it!

I think I have mentioned that this is my 25th year at House of Stitches.  Recently, when I came back to work after a day off, Nancy and Joy had a suprprise for me.  They raided the picture drawer and made a display with pictures from the last two and a half decades.  It gave me a sweet little trip down memory lane.  When I purchased the shop it was located in a small space in a house on a side street.  Hence the name, House of Stitches.  After three years there, we outgrew the space and moved to our current spot on the main east/west street, Lincolnway.  After three more years our landlords wanted to add more shops in our little shopping center so we decided to increase our size before it was too late to add on without moving.  (The thought of moving makes me faint!)  It is amazing to look at the pictures and see how we have filled up the space!  And, the shop isn't the only thing that has changed.  When my daughter looked at the pictures, her comment was, "Nice hair, mom!" 
I will leave you with another picture from the shop.  We have an ongoing trunk show from C Street Samplerworks.  This shows just some of the samplers from the talented hands of Ruth Ann Russell.  You can see more in our catalog at www.houseofstitches.com.  And, watch for new releases in the near future.  I'm stitching a model for one of them now!

Until next time keep on stitching; some days it is the only thing that keeps us sane!
Happy stitching,
Linda