INDEPENDENT NEEDLEWORK NEWS

San-Man Originals have some of the cutest designs around, but did you know they also have a SECRET Shop? Well, now you do.

I can’t tell you what’s available in the shop because that information is only for those of us who are already in the know. I will tell you that if you think San-Man Originals designs are cute, then you will absolutely LOVE what you’ll find in their Secret Shop.

But don’t worry; I won’t leave you flailing in the wind. I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to do to gain access to this wonderful underground organization and San-Man Originals’ Secret Shop. It’s actually quite easy, but oh so worthwhile. All you have to do is sign up for the San-Man Originals’ Newsletter. That’s it.

Now, not only will you be given the all-important magic word to allow you access to the Secret Shop, but you’ll also be kept informed by San-Man Originals of all their new releases!

Oh, one more thing … Pass it on!

Technorati Tags: San-Man, SanMan, Secret Shop, secret, cross stitch

Isn’t this purse one of the most gorgeous things you’ve ever seen? This beautiful encrusted crazy quilt purse was designed and created by Pamela Kellogg. You’ll probably recall that I referred you to her wonderful collection of freebie charts a couple of days ago; as you can see, she is at least as talented a stitcher as she is a cross stitch designer. Her blog regularly has beautiful things I wish I had the talent to make, and keeps giving me the encouragement to continue practicing toward perfection.

Technorati Tags: Pamela Kellogg, Pam Kellogg, Kitty and Me, crazy quilt, encrusted, cross stitch

I think that’s the way Dana Scully would have said it if she were a cross stitcher, don’t you? Okay, so I’m a fan of The X-Files, now on with the important stuff:

Although in French, this blog is a great resouce for finding free cross stitch charts. In the left column, you can also click to translate the blog into English or other languages. One of the best things about this freebie resource is that it is regularly updated; I recommend subscribing to this blog using Bloglines or another feed reader so you won’t miss any goodies.

Technorati Tags: freebie, free chart, cross stitch, Dana Scully, X-Files, Bloglines, feed reader

Did you know Pamela Kellogg of Kitty and Me Designs has lots of really nice freebie patterns available? She designed these primarily as motifs for crazy quilters, so these freebies are the perfect size for ornaments, cards, scissor fobs, and various small gifts.

To make sure you don’t miss any of these cute freebie patterns, use Bloglines or another feed reader to subscribe to Pamela Kellogg’s blog where she always notifies her readers of the new freebies — and plenty of other good stuff!

Technorati Tags: Pam Kellogg, Pamela Kellogg, Kitty and Me, cross stitch, crazy quilt, freebie, free chart, Bloglines, feed reader, blog

Did you know every three months is the Cross Stitch Expo? That’s right, the first two weeks of March, June, September, and December are, in Expo terminology, “the beginning of a new stitching season.”

One of the neat things about the Expo is that you can purchase items you’re interested in directly, rather than having to find a shop that carries them or convince a shop to order for you. Another nice element is that certain patterns from each designer are available to you at discounted prices.

Featured designers in the March 2007 Expo include:

Wiehler Gobelin,

Tanya Meehan Designs,

Tams Creations,

SzuLet Creations,

Stitch A Painting,

Stab and Stash,

Solaria Gallery,

Rhazz CS Design,

Oakhaven CS Designs,

Napa Needlepoint,

MistyDreamz,

Kizzie’s Creations,

Keslyn’s,

India Grace Designs,

Debbie Draper Designs,

Country Cross Stitch Kits,

Art of Stitching,

A Little Stitching,

Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks, and

Adventures in Stitching.

Get to know a designer or two that might be new to you, and don’t forget to participate in the Freebie Hunt and play Tombola!

But hurry, as this Expo is only open through March 14th. After that, you’ll have to wait until June!

Technorati Tags: Wiehler Gobelin, Tanya Meehan Designs, Tams Creations, SzuLet Creations, Stitch A Painting, Stab and Stash, Solaria Gallery, Rhazz CS Design, Oakhaven CS Designs, Napa Needlepoint, MistyDreamz, Kizzie’s Creations, Keslyn’s, India Grace Designs, Debbie Draper Designs, Country Cross Stitch Kits, Art of Stitching, A Little Stitching, Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks, Adventures in Stitching, Cross Stitch Expo, Tombola

Kirsten Edwards has announced the impending closure of The Free Cross Stitch Patterns Newsletter and website. The website will remain up through the first week of March, so hurry to make sure you don’t miss anything before it’s too late.

Kirsten will continue her very successful venture publishing The Gift of Stitching.

Technorati Tags: Kirsten Edwards, Gift of Stitching, online magazine, Free Cross Stitch Patterns Newsletter, cross stitch, freebie

I really enjoyed listening to this podcast, a lengthy CraftSanity interview with Heather Holland-Daly, who is the designer behind monsterbubbles. There is a monsterbubbles freebie design posted here, too!

Technorati Tags: CraftSanity, Heather Holland-Daly, monsterbubbles, cross stitch