Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  Ready or not, it will be here this week.  Are your projects all finished and wrapped under the tree?  Mine aren’t, either but I’m getting closer to being ready.  December has been busier than usual because my mom spent nearly two weeks in the hospital which was about an hour’s drive from here.  With so much driving, I was grateful that our weather has not been snowy or icy…so far!  As you may have noticed, I did not send a newsletter for the December 9 update.  If you have not visited our website recently you will have two updates to peruse at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.

Fun new things have been arriving.  We have the latest from Lizzie Kate: Very Merry Santa, from Plum Street: Merry Two, Merry Brew and Merry Ewe and from Shepherd’s Bush: Merry Little Christmas, Santa Box, Christmas Sheep and Noel Sheep Sled.  Country Cottage Needleworks brings us Snowmen and the next ornament in the Gingerbread Village series-Gingerbread House 1.  Little House Needleworks brings us Snowy Winter and Hometown Holiday-The Tree Lot (number 10 in the series, not number 8 like it says on the chart).  Heart’s Content has two new kits: Cherry Recipe Box and Louis Lobster Needlebook.  Nora Corbet has two new designs in her Black Forest series: The Berry Collector and The Leaf Collector.    Poppy Kreations has a new chart for the golfer in your life-Wishin’ I was Golfin’.  If you like stitching portraits of ladies be sure to see John Clayton’s Rachel.  Trilogy brings us Giggly Wigglies Reindeer and Say Grace.

As the end of the year speeds toward us we are trying to avoid thinking about inventory.  Nancy said to tell you to please buy as much as possible so we will not have to count it.  Anything you can do to help will be appreciated!

Here are our holiday hours:

December 24   CLOSED

December 25   CLOSED

December 31   10:00-3:00 (Central time)

January 1           CLOSED

We hope you have special moments with family and friends.  Take time to reflect on the reason we celebrate and let the peace of the Christ Child fill your heart.

Thankful!

We have new things posted on our What’s New page at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm. There are two more months in the Cricket Collections series, all 3 parts of Lizzie Kate’s Snow Story series have arrived and Blackbird Designs Garden Club Series Part 2-Apple Orchard is here. If you are looking for a beautiful Christmas gift for a stitcher be sure to see the Blossom Scissors sets. Beautiful!

We have a number of things that arrived too late for us to put pictures on ...the website: Bent Creek’s Ice Skating Snow Globe, Santa Sheep and Little House of Ginger; Country Cottage’s Gingerbread Village Part 2 and Winter Seasonal Celebration; Little House Needlework’s Born in a Manger, Christmas Angel Ornament and Three Snowy Hills; Nora Corbett’s Leaf Collector and Berry Collector; Heart’s Content’s Cherry Recipe Box and Louis Lobster Needlebook. Stay tuned! We will have these pictured on the next update.

I hope all of our U.S. friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for. I felt blessed to spend the day cooking, eating, laughing and even washing dishes with family. Today it was back to work and the Christmas Countdown is on! If you want to have something framed for Christmas please try to get it here tomorrow. There is still time to stitch ornaments (the little sleds from Foxwood Crossings are very popular), towels, bookmarks and paper weights! Gift certificates make great gifts for your stitching friends.

I am thankful for your continued patronage!

Ready for a new project?

Our What’s New Page has been updated with wonderful new projects that will make your fingers itch to start stitching them! You can see the list here: http://www.houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  If you would like to see photos of all the designs at one time, go to our catalog http://www.houseofstitches.com/search.cfm and type nov15a in the keyword box.  The focus is shifting to more Christmas and holiday themed projects but there are still a few autumn designs if you are not ready to say good-by to the wonderful fall colors.  It is amazing how fast the year is coming to a close.  If you need gifts for stitching friends, take a look at the new Sweetheart Tree kits.  Linda Myers has two new Quilt Sampler charts.  Just Nan’s latest Gingerbread Mouse (Reindeer Mouse) is here as well as a biscornu and a needle slide to store your needles.  You will want to see the latest designs from Kathy Barrick, With Thy Needle and Thread, Plum Street Samplers and Shepherd’s Bush.

What projects have you been enjoying? I am continuing to have fun with quick to stitch projects. I just finished a Little House Needleworks ornament, Ding Dong Merrily on High and before that I stitched Birdz & Bugz (a fold up stitching case) from Lizzie Kate.  My current project is also from Lizzie Kate: Jingle All the Way.  I think it will be finished in plenty of time to display THIS Christmas!  Did I mention I am having a good time with fast projects?

A few things arrived too late to get in this edition of our update but you can order them by putting a note in the customer comment section of your order form.  We have November and December from Cricket Collection and the newest Lizzie Kate designs.  As always, we look forward to providing you with all of the things your stitching heart desires!

More projects!

Wow!  I just scrolled through our What’s New Page, http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm, and we have 62 (!!) new items to tempt you!  In addition to all of the charts, there are cute needle magnets and scissor fobs to make your stitching even more fun.  We have new Mill Hill Santa and snowman ornaments (designed by Jim Shore), a cute design from Bent Creek called Hoot and Twin Mermaids from Mirabilia.  Blackbird Designs is starting a new series called Garden Club and the new series from Country Cottage Needleworks is Gingerbread Village.  I need more hours to stitch!

I am running out of time today so I think I will close and let you get on to the new things.  Have a great weekend; I hope you can find quality stitching time.

Fall & Christmas stitching

Have you been decorating for fall?  I started getting things out last week and I fell in love with the beautiful colors of autumn all over again.  My mom and I went bittersweet picking and we found lots of the bright orange harbinger of autumn along country roads.  Our What’s New page (http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm) has several great new seasonal designs: Autumn Trifles by Shepherd’s Bush, Fall Squared by Little House Needleworks, Pumpkin, Pumpkin from Scarlett House and Simply Autumn by Drawn Thread.

If you are thinking ahead to Christmas stitching be sure to see these: Up on the Housetop from JBW, Christmas Calories Don’t Count from Abby Rose, Christmas Memories from Blackberry Lane, Countdown to Christmas from Country Cottage Needleworks and Traveling Santa from Sue Hillis (The last in the series of 12 Santas.) Sue Hillis also has 4 new charts for those who love stitching, Stitches for the Needleworker-Volumes 1-4.

The Online Needlework Show is going on from October 15-20, 2015.  There are over 40 designers that are showcasing their designs!  If you are interested, just go to www.needleworkshow.com and click on the General Viewing link.  If there are things that you would like us, just let us know the name of the design and the designer and we will let you know the cost and order it for you.

I hope you have been finding time to stitch.  I have been doing small (I call them fast and furious!) projects lately.  I think last time I told you about the Lizzie Kate kit, Halloweenie that I had just finished.  I went right into another Lizzie Kate kit called Falalalala: http://www.houseofstitches.com/detail.cfm?ID=27806. It was quickly stitched and is residing in a tuckable pillow.  It was fun, quick and cute!  What have you been stitching?

Autumn stitching

Can you believe that it is October already?!  There was a definite chill in the air this morning and it underscored the fact that it is no longer summer. We have an abundance of new fall, winter and holiday projects.  You can see the latest at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  I just finished stitching the new Lizzie Kate Halloweenie (http://www.houseofstitches.com/detail.cfm?ID=34804) and it is really cute!  The colors are so vibrant and the kit includes great finishing fabric and trim.  It is fun to stitch and finish something quickly, especially after stitching a large project.  In this update we have the final installments in two series: A Year in Chalk by Hands on Design and Little Mystery Sampler by Lizzie Kate.  There are too many great designs to talk about all of them so I will let you click on over to the What’s New page and have a look for yourself.  Your continued interest and business are much appreciated!

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine

It is good to be at the computer writing to you again!  I spent an unexpected 5 days in the hospital so I feel like I have been out of touch with the world, especially our world of stitching.  I am feeling much better now, so let’s look at the new things together! You can see them at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm. If you are a bird lover, be sure to see Birds of Wisdom from Stoney Creek.  Bobbie G. has a cute Halloween design called Let’s Go Trick or Treating.  We have a number of new Christmas charts.  Elegant Christmas Tree from Annie’s is not a one night stitch but will be a wonderful addition to your holiday decorating year after year.  Snowmen collectors will want to stitch Peace Snowfriends Banner from Stoney Creek.  The snowmen can be stitched individually, too!

I just realized that I didn't give our website person a copy of the 2015 Just Cross Stitch Ornament to put on our website!  If you would like a copy, just let us know.  For online orders, just put a note in the customer comments area.  It is $9.99.

I hope all of your projects are going well!  I made good progress on Sarah’s House by Blackbird Designs while I was being held captive at the hospital.  Just a little more mortar between the bricks and it will be finished! 

 

Autumn Stitching

Even though we are having very summer like temperatures this week; a look at our What’s New page (http://www.houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm) will let you know that autumn is fast approaching (at least in the northern hemisphere).  Here in the U.S. we are observing the Labor Day holiday this weekend with an extra day off work and school to stitch.  I have my projects lined up; do you?

Our new page includes charts from Country Cottage Needleworks, Jardin Prive, Little House Needleworks, Imaginating, Just Nan and With Thy Needle and Thread.  If you missed getting Just Nan’s Witchy Mouse last year; she is available again while supplies last as well as Witchy’s Sister Mouse!  If you are in the mood for something a little different, be sure to see Carre (Square) and Spirale from Jardin Prive.  Heart in Hand continues the new Double Up series with Thanksgiving.  Click on the link above to see everything for yourself.

We are making final preparations for our Stitchers’ Day Out on September 12.  It is so much fun planning the special treats that are in store for the participants.  We have one space open if you would like to join us. (For more information go to http://www.houseofstitches.com/events.html and scroll down a little.)  Lori Markovic from La-D-Da Designs will be our teacher.  A trunk show of her designs should be arriving on Friday, September 4. (If the USPS cooperates!)  It will be exciting to see so many stitched pieces in person!

Have a great holiday weekend.  (If your country does not give you an extra day off, double your stitching time on Sunday!)  We appreciate your continued patronage!

 

New "Stash" on our website!

We want to thank all of you who came to the Midwest Stash Exchange last Saturday!  The weather was hot, hot, hot and so were the deals.  Many needlework supplies found new homes and many needleworkers made new friends and renewed old friendships.  The scissor sharpener extended the lives of many pairs of scissors and then donated all of his proceeds to Riley Children's Hospital Foundation!  Thank you Jay!  And thanks to all who participated, there will be a nice check going to the Riley Hospital Children’s Foundation. Watch for pictures coming soon on the Events Page of our website.

We have 105 new items on our website for you!  Many are from the Norden Needlework Show as well as our usual new arrivals.  Due to technical difficulties, we do not have a What’s New page to share with you but you can still see all of the new things in our catalog.  Just go to our catalog or click here: http://houseofstitches.com/search.cfm and type aug15b in the Keyword box.  When you get to the bottom of the page, be sure to click on the second page, too!  Are you thinking about Christmas stitching?  The annual Santa charts from several designers are making their appearance.  There are three new charts for the little sled ornaments that are so popular. (The sleds are finally back in stock!)  Halloween and autumn designs make up a large part of our newest items.  Many are of the quick to stitch variety so you have a chance of getting them ready for display this year! Sampler lovers will want to see the four new charts from C Street Samplerworks.  If the summer heat is getting oppressive, perhaps stitching Spring Snow from Ink Circles will refresh you!

Stash Exchange

Once again it is time to show you new designs!  Just visit our What’s New page at http://www.houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm  and choose your favorites.    Madame Chantilly is a designer that we have recently started to carry.  She has a series of seasonal snow globe designs that are really cute!  Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland are also new from Madame Chantilly.  Little House Needleworks is continuing their ornament series with Sampler Tree- Potted Poinsettias and Hometown Holiday- Pet Store.   Hardanger lovers will want to be sure to see the three new charts from Satin Stitches.   The next two Year in Chalk designs (September and October) are here!   And we have five more new designs from Jardin Prive!

Norden Crafts is having an Online Needlework Show next week.  You can see what they will be featuring by visiting their website: http://www.nordencrafts.com/C-1418/Norden-Fall-Show-2015.aspx.  Click on Kits, Designs or Notions and let us know what ones you would like us to order for you.  We will not be able to order until August 10 so please try to have your requests to us by Sunday evening, August 9.

I hope you are making plans to visit us on August 15 for the Midwest Stash Exchange!  We can still use volunteers to man our booth.  You only have to commit to an hour and that will give you time to really look over the things in the booth!  As a BONUS that day there will be a professional scissor sharpener here!  He will do embroidery scissors, sewing shears and pinking shears!  (He will do knives and all kinds of scissors including hairdresser scissors!)

2015 Prairie Schooler Santa

I know you want to stay up to date on the latest arrivals!  We have recently received some very tempting designs! You can see them at http://www.houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm. I have my eye on several but it is going to be very hard to resist Sacre Coeur from Long Dog Samplers. (That translates to Sacred Heart).  I guess that confirms that I am still in a one color phase!  But, like everyone, I just need to find more time to stitch.  In the meantime I will be building my collection!

We have received the 2015 Santa from Prairie Schooler as well as a small Halloween design and three full size charts.  With them came the sad news that the designers at Prairie Schooler are retiring.  After 32 years of bringing us wonderful projects, they have surely earned a rest.  But! There is no question that we will miss them!

I hope you can join us on August 15 for the Midwest Stash Exchange!  There is more information here: http://www.houseofstitches.com/events.html and remember-there is no admission fee to come and shop.  Some of the people who have reserved booth space have told me about really great stuff that they are bringing: floor stands, complete kits, books, magazines and more! We have lovely weather ordered but don’t forget your sunscreen!  We can still use more volunteers for our booth of donated items.  Call (800-455-8517) or email (mail@houseofstitches.com) soon to get the time slot you desire.

Thanks for your continued interest!  Keep on stitching!   We rely on you to stay in business.

Lizzie Kate Little Mystery Sampler

The first installment if the Lizzie Kate "A Little Mystery Sampler Club" is here! Let us know if you would like to be a part of the club. (mail@houseofstitches.com or 1-800-455-8517)

Our Midwest Stash Exchange is fast approaching!  There is still space if you would like to have a booth.   (For complete information go to http://houseofstitches.com/events.html .  We will also have a booth of donated items that will be benefitting Riley Children’s Foundation with 100% of its sales.  We are looking for volunteers to man the booth.  You may sign up for as little as one hour to help a very worthwhile cause.  Just email or phone us (info. above) and we will put you on our schedule.  The sooner you sign up; the more choices you will have for your time slot.  We hope to see you there!

Wow!  We have a ton of new charts and kits for you!  Some of you have already placed your orders; thank you very much!  We enjoy seeing what you like and want to make part of your stash.  If you want to see all of the great new things for yourself just go to: http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  There are plenty of spring and summer things to stitch but we were surprised to receive the Mill Hill CHRISTMAS kits.  Yikes!  I thought I was used to year-round Christmas stitching but this really caught me by surprise.  I know many of you are working on Christmas gifts so this will give you a few more options.  For the first time in a long time, we have new charts from Leisure Arts!  And, at least five designers (Cherry Hill, Country Cottage Needleworks, Little House Needleworks, Plum Street Samplers and With Thy Needle) have patriotic offerings!  I love to stitch designs that are in season even if they will not be finished for this year.  (I am not the fastest stitcher in the world!)  If you like Juliet, the Bride Mouse from Just Nan, be sure to get yours soon.  It is a limited edition and we never know just how long they will be available.

Remember to reserve you space for the Stash Exchange on August 12 and sign up for our class with Lori Markovic on September 12.  For details see our Events Page at http://houseofstitches.com/events.html.

More new designs!

Once again we have an updated What’s New page with many new things to tempt you!  You can see them at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  There are a couple of patriotic designs that will make great summer projects.  Blackbird Designs has finished their Abecedarian Loose Feathers series with design number twelve: Garden Borders.  We have the Sweet Summer 2015 Summer Limited Edition Kit from Lizzie Kate.  If you missed the summer kit from last year; you are in luck!  We still have a few left!  Nora Corbett (aka Mirabilia Designs) has a new leaflet with six teacups.  Each has a different floral design and can be stitched individually or together.  After a slight delay we have Serial Bowl Collection-2 from Plum Street Sampler.  We have two more new charts from Drawn Thread.  One was here in time for the last update; be sure to see all three!

Be sure to go to our events page to get more information about our August 15 Stash Exchange and September 12 class with Lori Markovic of La-D-Da Designs.  We hope to see you at both events!

Thank you for your ongoing support!  We appreciate you!

New Arrivals & Upcoming Events

We have an updated What’s New page for you: http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.   It is filled with charts, kits and new scissors!  The Heart’s Content has 5 new kits, Dinky Dyes brings us 3 new scissors and Crossed Wing Collection’s 2015 Hummingbird is here! (And, the hand-dyed fabric is on the way.)  Patriot’s Row and Americana Sampling are the latest from Little House Needleworks.  Just Nan has a new ball called Perpetual Pentagon and both Little House Needleworks and Country Cottage Needleworks have new ornaments in their continuing series.  Heritage Stitchcraft brings us two sweet designs of children enjoying summer at the beach and a girl in a field of poppies.

I recently received an email from a designer that included the following information.  It seems to be getting harder and harder for designers to continue their business.  They get very discouraged when they find charts for their designs on Pinterest, being shared in stitching groups, among friends and in online sharing sites.   I hate it when I hear about designers who can no longer afford to pursue the needlework creativity that they love.  It also hurts needlework retailers whether brick and mortar or online shops. Please do your part to help support the needlework industry that we all love.

Support Designers...

 

We are continuing to register students for our Stitchers’ Day Out on September 12.  If you would like more information, just go to our website www.houseofstitches.com and click on the Events link.  (If it does not come up; try refreshing your screen.)

The date has been set for our 2015 Midwest Stash Exchange!  It will be August 15 from 10:00-2:00.  This is your chance to shop, swap and sell your needlework related stash.  There is no admission fee if you want to come and shop.  For sellers, the booth rental is $20.00 for an approximately 10” x 10” space.  Not only can you divest yourself of your old stash; you can acquire new stash and meet other stitchers who share your love of needlework.  We are predicting lovely weather, not too hot, not too cold!  More information can be found on the events page at our website.

Do you have your summer projects planned?  I cannot imagine taking a trip without at least three projects in my bag!  I like to have a simple one on an easy to see fabric, one that takes more concentration and a bonus project in case the other two hit a snag.  Remember extra needles and a threader!  If you are flying, there are several options for cutting your threads without losing your scissors to airport security.  To see our newest option from the Bohin company; type thread cutter pendant in the search box after you click on Catalog.

I hope you find inspiration in our new offerings!  As always, we look forward to seeing which ones you choose to make your own.  Your continued support is the key to our future!

Happy stitching,
Linda

Mark Your Calendar!

We have updated our What’s New page for you at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm. If you are stitching the Year in Chalk series; we now have May and June.  For some reason, (Am I just too lazy to rethread my needle with a new color?) I seem to be stitching one color designs this year.  The latest from Summer House Stitche Workes fills the bill nicely with three one color projects.  Colonial Band Sampler from Sampler House is a newly released design that was formerly a class project.  Sampler lovers will also want to see the two newest designs from Rosewood Manor.  Mill Hill is continuing to prepare us for fall with the Hocus Pocus Trilogy of cute little witches on perforated paper.  These little kits make great traveling projects!

The fall Stitchers’ Day Out is officially on the calendar: September 12, 2015!  We have a teacher: Lori Markovic from La-D-Da, a project: Havana Needlebook, a place: Blue Heron Inn, LaPorte, Indiana and a cost: $115.00.  That price includes your class kit, instruction by Lori, lunch from the Blue Heron chefs and a day of fun and surprises!  You can see the project and print the registration form here: http://houseofstitches.com/events.html.  The photo really doesn’t show the beautiful shades of the Havana Brown Gloriana Silk.  You will just have to come to the class and see for yourself!  The class size is limited by the space that we have in the classroom so sign up soon!
We are also planning our Midwest Stash Exchange on August 15, 2015!  This is a day when you can rent a booth to sell, trade or even give away your unwanted stitching stash.  All of the proceeds from the booth rental fees will go to Riley Children’s Hospital Foundation.  Stay tuned for further details and put in your request for a beautiful 75 degree day!

Designs for all Seasons!

We are feeling more spring-like here in northern Indiana and it is a welcome change.  However, our latest What’s New page http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm  has designs for all FOUR seasons plus Christmas!   We were surprised to receive the Mill Hill kits for fall just as we were getting used to spring weather!  The designs are very cute and if we start now; we can have them ready by fall.  We have received new designs in several ongoing series.  Elizabeth’s Designs has completed her ABC Series and Lizzie Kate has 2 more leaflets in the 3 Little Words series.  Little House Needleworks has two more ornament designs, one in the Hometown Holiday series and one in the Sampler Tree series.  One of my favorite new charts is from Milady’s Needle.  It says My Spirits Lift Whenever I Stitch.  If you need to stitch for a new baby be sure to see the two new charts from Cherry Hill.  Remember that you can see pictures of all of the new things at one time if you go to our catalog http://houseofstitches.com/search.cfm and type apr15a in the key word box.

Some of you may be familiar with the Online Needlework Show but I have not brought it to your attention before.  The show is for retailers (shop owners) but anyone can visit and see all of the things being offered.  You can visit at www.needleworkshow.com from April 16-21 and see designs from many designers and countries. Some of the prices are in euros or British pounds so you need to keep the exchange rate in mind as you browse.  Also, be aware that not all of the things pictured are cross stitch; some are crewel or beading. If you see something that you must have; please let us know no later than April 21.  Merchandise may take a bit longer than usual to arrive if it has to go through customs to get here.

Last week was spring break for our schools so we took a short trip with our kids and grandkids.  We had a great time relaxing, shopping, eating and being entertained.  We all spent an evening at Medieval Times and the girls had lunch at American Girl. We made lots of good memories!  I even found a few minutes to stitch!

Happy spring!

Happy spring and Happy Easter!

It is time for a fresh new project!  We have a few suggestions on our What’s New page: http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  Nora Corbett fans will not want to miss the latest Flower Fairy and Mermaid.  The two new designs from Foxwood Crossings would be fun for your favorite stitching friend…or yourself!  Just let us know which projects are next on your list and we will help you gather your supplies!

We had a wonderful Weekend of Stitches with Betsy Morgan and I hope to finish our project someday!  LOL  I know some of the class participants are well on the way to completing the “Can’t See the Forest” project.  I hope you have your calendar marked for our next class on September 12.  Lori Markovich from La-D-Da designs will be our teacher.  I will have more details soon!

We are also planning another Stash Exchange in August but we are still negotiating the date.  We are also looking for volunteers/event planners to give us a hand.  The money that we raise will again be going to the Riley Children’s Hospital. Hope you can help; it is a wonderful cause!

More new arrivals!

We continue to receive new things almost every day!  Some are items that were backordered at the Nashville Needlework Market; others are new things from designer’s automatics.  Pine Mountain has new pillow kits; Mill Hill has six new kits that feature Laurel Burch cats and the latest from Mirabilia is Moonflower.  One of my favorite new things is the Thread Cutter Pendant from Bohin. It comes in four different color combinations and is a handy, discreet way to cut your threads. 

SAVE THE DATE! On Saturday, September 12, 2015, Lori Markovic of La-D-Da is coming to teach a one day class!  More information will be coming but I want to give you plenty of time to arrange your work and family schedules. Make plans to join us!

 

Have fun looking over the latest arrivals and let us know what needs to become a part of your stitching collection.

 

 

Nashville Market News

We have returned from the Nashville Needlework Market with so many wonderful things that I don't know where to begin to tell you about them.  The best thing would be to have you visit our website and look at them for yourself.  Go to www.houseofstitches.com, click on catalog and type nash15 as the key word.  You can click on each photo for a larger picture more information.  The designers really did a wonderful job showcasing their designs.  I only took time (mostly while waiting in line to place orders) to take a couple of pictures.  This is a photo of part of the display at With Thy Needle & Thread (Brenda Gervais).

Chessie & Me (Linda Lautenschlager) was just a few doors away with this display.

It was exciting to see so many designers exhibiting!  There was a positive energy that permeated the whole weekend.  As you look at the new designs I think you will see the reason.  We are standing by to take your orders; we have already had to reorder some charts and kits!

Market Preview

Here we are enduring yet another winter storm! School has already been delayed for tomorrow and I can hear the snowplows trying to keep the streets clear.  I can almost always get to the shop because I live nearby.  I am grateful for phone orders, website orders and email orders!  It is great weather for stitching so I want to be sure that you have the supplies that you need.  New treasures are waiting for your discovery at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  The Nashville Needlework Market is only a week away and the designers are preparing many wonderful new things to tempt us!  It promises to be an exciting market with more than twice as many exhibitors as last year!  It will be a race to see all of the designers and buy their latest creations.  Many designers have been giving sneak peeks through their social media outlets.  If there are things that you know you want, please let us know and we will do our very best to get them for you.  With so many designers to see, that will help me decide which ones should be top priority.  There will also be many “market exclusive” and “limited edition” designs/kits.  Please realize that when an item is limited, it often has a price tag that is a little higher.  When making your requests, keep in mind that if we get an item for you we expect you to purchase it.  With so much merchandise available, we will have to spend our dollars wisely.   (We are also handicapped with the weather hindering our sales this winter!  Hurry spring!)  Here are links to the new things from just a few of the designers.  As you find things you would like whether here or elsewhere, be sure to give us the name of the design as well as the designer’s name.  Otherwise it becomes like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack!

https://www.facebook.com/lizziekatecrossstitch/

http://www.plumstreetsamplers.typepad.com/

http://www.samplersrevisited.com/news/

http://www.queenstown-sampler-designs.com/News.htm

http://niky-nikyscreations.blogspot.it/

http://www.puntiantichi.com/

http://www.blackberrylanedesigns.com/

New projects beat the blahs!

It is time for more new charts to brighten the last days of January and keep you stitching through the short month of February!  This link will take you to our What’s New page: http://www.houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm  There are a number of charts that would make lovely Valentine gifts including the 2015 Collector’s Heart from Heart in Hand.  If your sweetheart is in the military we have charts of the Seals of all the military branches.   (For some reason only three are shown, but we have them for all the branches.)  Hands On Design has started a new series called A Year in Chalk.  These are a quick stitch with each one only using two colors on dark grey fabric.  If hardanger is your thing, don’t miss the four new charts from Satin Stitches.  January is the month for resolutions and every stitcher needs the Stitcher’s Resolution from Heartstring Samplery.  There are many more charts for you to consider adding to your library; just let us know which ones to send you!

I hope you are finding time to stitch!  I have been trying to set aside at least a few minutes each day to spend with a needle in my hand.  I am sure you know how much it contributes to a good sense of well-being.

Remember to get your registration in soon for our Weekend of Stitches!  The information and registration form are here: http://www.houseofstitches.com/events.html.  It promises to be a great time with our teacher, Betsy Morgan.  You do not want to be left out!

New projects!

New things have been arriving almost every day!  If winter is getting you down; be sure to see the new Mill Hill kits.  They are very spring-y!  The new spring lines include a butterfly, ladybug, floral eggs and six cute little owlets beaded ornaments.  They are in bright, happy colors that are sure to make you forget grey winter days.  We also have the final installment of the Lizzie Kate Things Unseen Mystery Sampler!  The chart has a photo of the complete sampler.  So, if you were waiting to see the whole design before ordering; this is your chance!  Blackbird Designs has re-released Yellow Submarine…with permission this time!  Brookes Books has started a new Alice in Wonderland series and we have the October Quaker Band of the Month from Workbasket. You can see them at http://houseofstitches.com/whatsnew.cfm.  Hands On Design is launching a new series called A Year in Chalk.  We received the January and February Designs too late for this update but we will have the pictures for you next time.  They are stitched with Gentle Art Chalk floss (and one other color each month) on 30 count Gunmetal from Weeks Dye Works.  If you would like to receive these automatically, just let us know!

In 2015 we plan to feature a different designer each month.  We are going to highlight some designers that seem to get overlooked. The January designer is By the Bay Needleart.  The Funky Birds, Funky Flowers and Nantucket Village series are just a few of their many designs.  Go to our catalog and click on By the Bay Needleart (use the Manufacturer drop down) to see them.  Buy one, get on half off.  (We will make the adjustment on your online invoices.)

Are you looking ahead to next Christmas?  We have heard from a number of people who are already working on Christmas ornaments!  We are planning a summer ornament finishing workshop (or two!) so let us know if you would like to be included.  We will teach you how to make professional looking ornaments.

We are really getting excited about our March Weekend of Stitches!  For more information go to http://www.houseofstitches.com/events.html.  We will spend the weekend stitching with Betsy Morgan at Blue Heron Inn on the East Shore of Pine Lake.  We would love to have you join us!  Sign up soon!