INDEPENDENT NEEDLEWORK NEWS

You still have time to sign up for this year’s Needle Arts Mystery Retreat, Canvas Country, put on by talented designers Patricia Hartman and Mary Knapp, both of Creative Reflections, Jackie Murawski of Sam-Cloth Designs, Linda Reinmiller, and Debbie Rowley of DebBee’s Designs.

This year’s Needle Arts Mystery Retreat is being held in Nashville, Tennessee from July 19th through July 22nd, so the registration deadline is June 15th, which is fast approaching!

A couple more teasers to whet your appetite are included in this post.

Also, take another look at this previous post and then this one, too.

Now hurry up — there’s no time to waste!

Technorati Tags: Jackie Murawski, Mary Knapp, Patricia Hartman, Linda Reinmiller, Debbie Rowley, Needle Arts Mystery Retreat, Canvas Country, Creative Reflections, Sam-Cloth Designs, DebBee’s Designs, needlepoint, charted needlework, canvaswork, canvas work

At One Star’s Light Needlework Supplies, Jenna has put all but one of the collaboration packages between Crescent Colours and Little House Needleworks on sale for just $10 each … through May 31st. What a great time to stock up!

And Jenna’s even got her store’s front page nicely organized so you can quickly pick out which of these you are missing, dash in for a super fast stash enhancement experience, refill the bowl of potato salad on your way out the door, and rejoin the picnic in your back yard with no one the wiser!

Technorati Tags: Little House Needleworks, collaboration, Crescent Colors, Crescent Colours, One Star’s Light Needlework Supplies, Jenna Magee

It’s the beginning of a lovely three-day weekend here in the US. Monday is Memorial Day, of course, and my flag will be flying proudly, just as it does everyday.

For me, Memorial Day is not just a time to remember the dead, or to honor the sacrifices of our military. It is also a day which holds more personal meaning. I’ll take some time out of the day specifically to reflect on my small place in life and in the world, and I’ll most likely do so while stitching. I find focusing on one small x in a sea of stitches helps me stay mindful of my contemplative purpose on Memorial Day. I may be just one person, tiny in the scheme of things, but the whole would not be the same without me. I do have a purpose, even if I am not quite sure what it is or how well I am doing with it.

Memorial Day falls at a time which reminds me of endings … and their corresponding beginnings — the transition of spring or the end of a school year leading into a relaxing but rejuvenating summer, or perhaps a graduation and a commencement. There is a cycle, and I am part of it and somewhere within it. Eventually, I will cease taking up physical space here — just like everyone else. What will I leave behind? What do I have yet to do? These are the kinds of thoughts that run through my mind on Memorial Day.

Some of these thoughts are rather morose by nature. However, as stitchers, we have a heritage showing that people — or at least women — have been occupied by such thoughts for more years than we can count. We have been left messages in thread, written with care by women who may well have had to struggle along with only one or two needles over a period of several years, about what life was like for them, about what they dreamed of and hoped for, about what made them cry — about who and what mattered to them.

In general, what stitchers of yesteryear cared about are the same things I think most of us would say really matter to us today — the people and animals we love, the comfort of home, and so on. We still use our stitching to deal with mortality, including our own, though I think our tendency to do so with more humor than in the past is a freedom granted by the improved technology, better health, and more comfortable living conditions of our modern age.

Yet, I wonder … Are the messages we are writing in thread saying what we would wish to say to future stitchers who will someday look back at the stitches we have made with such care and enjoyment? Are we really leaving messages in the same way anymore? Has needlework evolved from a skill of necessity in which a stitcher would sometimes express her thoughts most precious into something much different?

It is so easy — and relatively inexpensive — to write down certain thoughts, print those to paper, and even have them bound into a book, that the types of messages recorded in thread by today’s stitcher can look very different from what would have been created by a stitcher in the past … Certainly it is much easier for a woman today to express herself publicly than it was for most of the “Patty Polk-alikes” who came before us (women have come a long way, baby, and I’m glad — but not yet content!).

But is the message really all that different?

I think it is. The difference I see in most needlework done today is about joy. We stitch today not because we have to, but because we want to … Needlework is our luxury. Perhaps because of that, we are able to create a picture that looks brighter overall.

Do you think that message will fade and fray along with thread and fabric during the passage of time?

Technorati Tags: Memorial Day, stitch, needlework, joy, message, heritage, feminist, feminism, women, Patty Polk

… which means yesterday was Friday, and you know by now that THAT means it’s time to check out Hoffman Distributing’s new releases for the week.

My first must-have from this week’s new releases is Lynne Nicoletti’s Fairy Tale Fortune Teller. First of all, who knew Lynne Nicoletti’s fortune tellers were going to be a series? (And shame on you for not sharing it here with the rest of us, LOL.) Yippee! And how can you go wrong with one that has a mermaid on it?

I am also adoring Twisted Oaks Designs‘ Coq Au Pins, and I’m not even sure exactly why. But, hey, it’s a needlework small, and it made me laugh out loud, too, so I’m sharing it with you.

Also, don’t forget to read the Friday Feature, which is on Stephanie Hedgepath of Pegasus Originals, this week.

Technorati Tags: cross stitch, Twisted Oaks Designs, Coq Au Pins, needlework small, Hoffman Distributing, Friday Feature, new releases, Lynne Nicoletti, Fairy Tale Fortune Teller, fortune teller, mermaid, Pegasus Originals, Stephanie Hedgepath

CRAFT magazine is teaming up with The National NeedleArts Association to hold a Stitch N’ Pitch design contest.

If you love baseball, which has to be the theme of the design, this is your chance! Designs may be in crochet, cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, or needlepoint.

The deadline for this contest is May 31st, so if you’re interested, hurry over here to check out the rules and the details.

Technorati Tags: contest, cross stitch, design, stitch n’ pitch, craft magazine, embroidery, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, TNNA, National NeedleArts Association

Even though Marc Saastad has yet to make a pattern of the flower heather, which will be on my personal must-have list, he still designs the most amazing and realistic cross stitch patterns of flowers available. If you’ve been wanting any of his patterns, I have some wonderful news for you.

From now through June 4th, The Silver Lining is having a HUGE inventory reduction sale. However, the sale is BY EMAILED ORDER ONLY. Only orders sent through email are eligible for this significant discount. You can also use this email address for your order. Visa, MasterCard, and checks will be accepted as payment for items bought on sale.

Please tell Marc you learned about the sale through Independent Needlework News; maybe it will help convince him to make a pattern of heather sometime soon.

Here is a list of the patterns in this very special inventory reduction sale:

#SL 01. “SMILING FACES” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 02. “MIDAS TOUCH” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 03. “FANCY PANSY” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 04. “HONOR” Retail $6.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 05. “CLASS ACT” Retail $5.50. Sale $1.00

#SL 06. “SWEET MEMORIES” Retail $5.50. Sale $1.00

#SL 07. “KEEPSAKE” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 08. “INGRID” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 09. “GLORIA” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 10. “LAURA” Retail $7.50. Sale $2.00

#SL 11. “SYMPHONY” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 12. “DUET” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 13. “HARMONY” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 14. “JONATHAN” Retail $6.50. Sale $3.00

#SL 15. “SEASCAPE” Retail $8.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 16. “OSLO HARBOR LIGHT” Retail $7.50. Sale $2.00

#SL 17. “FAITH” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 18. “THUNDER OF 59” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 21. “WANDA” Retail $7.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 25. “AUDRY” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 27. “HOPE” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 28. “PASTEL PANSIES” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 30. “RAMBLING ROSE” Retail $9.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 32. “SUMMERTIME BLUES” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 33. “SWEET 16” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 35. “BANDON LIGHT HOUSE” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 38. “GAY PARASOL” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 39. “SAPPHIRE HILLS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 42. “LYNDI’S FAVORITE” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 43. “BABY ROSES” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 44. “IT’S A GIRL” Retail $7.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 45. “IT’S A BOY” Retail $7.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 46. “IT’S TWINS” Retail $7.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 47. “RING OF ROSES” Retail $10.00. Sale $5.00

#SL 49. “MY VALENTINE” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 50. “PINK TULIPS” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 52. “PINK ICE” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 54. “RED PANSIES” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 59. “RUBY PANSIES” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 60. “BLUE STACCATO” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 62. “MODERN CLASSIC” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 63. “MOMENTO” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 66. “SWEET PEAS” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 68. “CHRISTMAS CACTUS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 69. “VALENTINE 2000” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 70. “PINK PERFECTION” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 72. “DAFFODILS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 73. “PORTLAND BREAKWATER LIGHT” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 74. “MAGNOLIAS” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 75. “ALEXANDER MAGNOLIAS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 76. “SAUCER MAGNOLIAS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 77. “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 78. “NORDIC NEEDLE ROSE” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 83. “THE LITTLE MERMAID” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 84. “YOU BETTER WATCH OUT” Retail $10.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 91. “SUNBURST” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 92. “DEBBIE’S ROSE” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 93. “NEW MILLENNIUM ROSE” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 94. “SUNSET” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 95. “JACKIE’S PURPLE IRIS” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 97. “FORMAL ROSES” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 98. “PINK GRANDIFLORA ROSE” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 99. “AYMAR’S AMBER ROSE” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 101. “LADY LORRAINE” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 102. “CAMILLA’S ROSE” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 103. “SPRING” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 104. “VARIEGATED AZALEA” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 105. “AMBER PANSIES” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 106. “THE UGLY DUCKLING” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 108. “PURPLE TULIPS” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 109. “THE GOSSIPS” Retail $8.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 111. “ROYAL GOLD” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 112. “MEMORIES” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 113. “ROYAL VELVET” Retail $8.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 114. “ROYAL AFFAIR” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 116. “ROYAL VALENTINE” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 124. “SUNSPRITE” Retail $5.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 126. “EPIPHYLLUM 1” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 127. “SPRING POINT LIGHT” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 131. “CENTER STAGE” Retail $8.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 133. “ORANGE GLOW” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 134. “SMILES OF GOLD” Retail $8.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 136. “QUEEN OF ROSES” Retail $10.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 137. “JEAN’S ROSE” Retail $6.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 143. “ORCHIDS FOR COLE” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 144. “1-2-3 ORCHID” Retail $10.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 145. “SWEET SURRENDER” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 146. “THE MOST WONDERFUL REDS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 147. “SUMMER SIZZLE” Retail $8.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 148. “PINK CONFETTI” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 149. “THE STEPSISTERS” Retail $8.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 151. “BEGONIAS” Retail $7.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 152. “BLUE ICE” Retail $7.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 153. “TOUR DES MARQUES” Retail $11.00. Sale $5.00

#SL 154. “MELODY ROSE” Retail $10.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 157. “BEST BUDS” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 158. “YAQUINA HEAD” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 160. “POPPY LOVE” Retail $6.00. Sale $1.00

#SL 161. “ALYSSA’S AZALEAS” Retail $9.00. Sale $4.00

#SL 162. “WINTER” Retail $7.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 164. “SPRING” Retail $7.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 166. “SUMMER” Retail $7.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 167. “PAPHIOPEDILUM” Retail $10.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 168. “FALL” Retail $7.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 170. “CABANA” Retail $10.00. Sale $4.00

#SL 171. “VILLA BORGHESE DRAGONS” Retail $9.00. Sale $2.00

#SL 172. “EPIPHYLLUM # 2” Retail $10.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 174. “AFRICAN VIOLETS # 2” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 175. “GINGER’S PEACH NOUVEAU” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 176. “PORCELAIN BERRIES” Retail $9.00. Sale $3.00

#SL 178. “BLUE FRANCE ROSE” Retail $10.00. Sale $3.00

Technorati Tags: Silver Lining, cross stitch, Marc Saastad, Marc I. Saastad, flower, flowers

I missed Friday altogether last week. In fact, I think I missed last week. I see I made posts, but time is not registering normally anymore. It’s whooshing by so fast I’m breathless. Everyone should love their jobs this much; then the world would be a much better place.

Anyway, if you were counting on me to remind you last week and missed Hoffman Distributing’s new releases last week also, I apologize … and you can go to their current May listings to catch up on whatever you may have missed.

Their Friday Feature last week was focused on Belinda Karls-Nace, the designer behind Blue Ribbon Designs.

My favorite from this week’s new releases is Plum Street Samplers‘ A Swiss Proverb:

And last but not least, check out this week’s Friday Feature, which is on Michelle Lash of Brittercup Designs!

Technorati Tags: Hoffman Distributing, new releases, cross stitch, Plum Street Samplers, Swiss Proverb, Belinda Karls-Nace, Blue Ribbon Designs, Friday Feature, Michelle Lash, Brittercup Designs

While browsing through my library a few days ago, I was lucky enough to run across Abbie in Stitches written by Cynthia Cotten and lovingly illustrated by Beth Peck laying on a table in the children’s section of the library. This book is intended for readers aged 4 through 8, so it was a very quick read for me — but what a delightful one!

It is the story of young Abbie, who would much prefer to read than to learn needlework, but her mother explains she needs to know how to, ” … sew household linens and clothes … ” for the family she’ll have someday. Abbie also needs to learn how to make what Abbie calls “fancy stitches” in order to show she is, ” … an accomplished young woman.” These answers don’t satisfy Abbie, who complains to her older sister — an already quite excellent stitcher — that when she is grown she’ll, ” … have books instead of needles and thread, and read as much as [she likes].” Her sister reminds her, “Books are for boys … Needlework is for girls.”

I’ll let you find out for yourself how Abbie manages to deal with her dislike of needlework, and how the people around her handle her approach.

Cynthia Cotten states in her Afterword that Abbie in Stitches was inspired by the story of Patty Polk, whom I wrote about recently in a similar vein, and whom she first read about in a 1921 book by Ethel Stanwood Bolton and Eva Johnston Coe called American Samplers which, ” … mentioned a sampler stitched around 1800 that said, ‘Patty Polk did this and she hated every stitch she did in it. She loves to read much more.’” Cynthia, too, was, ” … intrigued by this girl’s outspokenness at a time when most samplers dealt seriously, and often depressingly, with duty and death.”

Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, Cynthia also says, “Nobody I contacted knew the whereabouts of this sampler. Today, many people doubt its existence, saying it might just be a needlework legend.” I choose to believe in certain fairy tales, and if this is one of them, then so be it.

But I have a challenge for you … Help me locate Patty Polk’s sampler. If it ever existed, then it is out there somewhere in some lucky collector’s hands. Let’s find it! Post anything you know about her sampler here!

Technorati Tags: Patty Polk, Abbie in Stitches, Cynthia Cotten, Beth Peck, Ethel Stanwood Bolton, Ethel Bolton, Eva Johnston Coe, Eva Coe, American Samplers, hated every stitch, loves to read, needlework legend, feminist, feminism

But that’s okay, as Hoffman Distributing’s new releases for the week will be up until this coming Friday. Check them out and see what sparks your fancy.

My favorite for the week is Cherished Stitches’ Blueberry Etui (which I ordered during the online Needlework Show :P):

Also, don’t forget to read Hoffman Distributing’s Friday Feature from last week, which focused on Kathy Tedeschi of Kit & Bixby Designs.

Technorati Tags: Hoffman Distributing, new releases, cross stitch, Kathy Tedeschi, Kit & Bixby, Cherished Stitches, Blueberry Etui

The French Needle is offering free shipping on all US orders for any and all charts as a special treat in honor of Mother’s Day. Lisa asks that you place your order as you normally would, and she will deduct the shipping on her end. This offer expires May 14, 2007, so don’t wait too long!

Technorati Tags: french needle, free shipping, sale, Mother’s Day