REVENUE ENHANCEMENT AT THE FRAMER'S....

... which is a very good place to leave your money. It doesn't matter whether it is a professional framer or a soft finisher. They have your back. They make your work look like a million bucks!

We foster a lot of finishing jobs, particularly for needlepoint and we have seen some doozies, work by customers where we have offfered a free class so that we don't have to encounter repeat problems. Regardless, the piece comes back from the finisher and the flaws are drastically reduced. (We still push the customer to take a class since the flaws cannot be totally removed.)

My framer, Picture Yourself in Chelmsford center, has a beautiful array of moldings. I seem to be having a love affair with a particular one:

It's a bit rustic, but picked up a level by the rather distressed gold filet. Here is my current contribution to a local business that I love, "PARADISE LOST" by Plum Street Samplers, worked in silk on 40 count linen. My husband ran over on Saturday and picked it up for me. I'll have to call Bobbi and Ivana  and tell them how much their work means to me.
Here it is in its entirety:

I am just wild about the flora and faua represented. Click on these pictures and you can enlarge them. I do have to share a major oops that I made. I started in the bottom center and worked up and then away. As I went higher, I turned the piece upside down...and also my chart. I was busy inscribing the "What is this that thou hast done" and the surrounding solid blue ribbon. Upon completion, I turned my piece right side up, and the charts (this is a many paged piece) also. Then I worked on the giraffe and was appalled to discover that the head of the giraffe was out to the left of the blue ribbon. When I actually focused on the scripture, I discovered that the word  THIS  had been forgotten. Apparently when I turn things upside down, it all becomes abstract Greek to me. If I had colored in my chart, I wouldn't have been so flummoxed. Ignorance is not bliss. Substantial ripping occurred.

I think I was so comfortable with the molding, as I had lived with a narrower gauge of it AND a filet of the same material on another piece:

This is a much better representation of the character of the molding. I hate to describe it as a kind of a bad veneer matching, but that's how it looks...without the negative connotation.
Here is that piece, "Rainforest Revisited" by Needle Delights:

Be grateful that we have amazing framers and finishers and send them some love...or some more money! We need to keep them in business.

A NEW MONTH...

A NEW HOLIDAY:

Feel free to click!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

PUT A LITTLE HEAVEN AROUND YOUR NECK

PACA PAINTS in pairs for sufficient yardage to make a luxurious cowl. This is a Superfine grade alpaca in a DK weight (5.5 stitches per inch on a 6, 220 yards). That green/brown pair might need to go home with me...unless you get here first.

MARIQUITA is a 1/2 Baby Alpaca and 1/2 Tencel that feels like an angel's wing. Using a #3-4 needle will result in a 6.5 - 7 stitch per inch gauge. There are 400 luxurious yards in a hank.

ASTRAL is 30% Alpaca, 20% Merino and 50% Tencel and is a true worsted at 5 stitches to the inch using a #7. There are 197 yards per skein.

Felt like the size of a TABLECLOTH...

Completed, it was only 20.5 by 9 inches on 40 count linen. I thought I would never finish!
Now I can get back to some needlepoint and knitting!

FELTED GIFT ITEMS

We have an influx of darling felted bags. The size ranges from Knitting/Stitching bags to small notions holders. Each bag has a zipper closure and cotton lining.

Owls, kitties, sheep and monsters

Knitty-stitchy bag with gusseted base.

 Notions, or purse for little girl

Ipod or tablet bag

Price range from $31 to $8.00!

Welcome to the TWIS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS!

When a trunk show from BB Needlepoint  (http://bbneedlepointdesigns.com ) arrives, we receive a boatload of models, all of which are imaginatively stitched. It is a real education to stand here and study them. Being aware that we have readers who can't dash over and enjoy the show first hand, I'm presenting lots of photographs.

We also have a lot of new canvases from her for which there are no stitch guides...as yet. Please feel free to drop me a note at my email if you need a quote on a canvas. Don't forget to click on the images.

You can see that the plumb-bob husband didn't hang this show, so kindly just tip your head to the left five degrees, and ignore the one that is upside down. It looked really good close up, but it has even more character now, n'est pas?

Count on these being here until Nov. 1... and some of them for longer, if we get lucky!!

P & L Trunk Show in situ (clickable)

Trunk Show from PATT AND LEE

 Patt and Lee Designs pieces, formerly Pajamas and Chocolates, have a unique look. There is no confusing her designs with anyone else in the universe. She also deserves admiration for not following in the footsteps of other designers and not stealing ideas from others. 

This kitty, in a standard cat position when company visits, is just one example of the many dog breeds and kitties that we have available. 

She is very cognizant of the sight issues for many of us and there are frequently canvases in both 18 and 13 count.

The show will be here until the end of the month.

I have chosen to present my favorites here. Yes, I love cats!

JACK went to heaven this morning

CROCHET CLASS

This four session weekly class will teach you all the basic skills and techniques you need to explore the exciting and varied world of crochet.  

Crochet for Beginners  is designed for anyone who would like to learn how to crochet, even if you’ve never picked up a crochet hook and yarn before.  We’ll start with very simple steps, gradually adding new stitches and techniques as you build skill and confidence.  You’ll learn lots of tips, shortcuts, and special techniques that will save you from learning “the hard way,” and make your crocheting adventure much more enjoyable.

Each class session will consist of a combination of demonstration and practice, with individual attention paid to each student.  We’ll end each class by starting an assignment for a simple but interesting project for you to practice at home. 

NOTE:  Students are expected to spend at least one to two hours over the course of the week between class sessions working on the homework project, in order to practice and master the skills learned in class.  The homework assignments are designed to be small projects that will be satisfying to complete, and will make you proud to show off your growing skills!  (Stop by the shop to see the samples

Students who have taken this class will have mastered all the basic skills they need to move on to any intermediate projects that interest them.   We have a series of “Adventures in Crochet” workshops planned for NOVEMBER to give you a chance to continue learning new techniques and explore different types of stitches and projects.  If you have a particular interest, please let us know! 

This class is being taught by our resident Crochet Addict, Laura Chalifoux.  Laura has been haunting The World in Stitches for years now, and has never met a fiber she didn’t like.  Laura started crocheting very young (thanks, Grandma!), and has lately been spending absurd amounts of time exploring the vast universe available to anyone with a hook and some yarn.  Laura’s latest mission is to turn as many people as possible into Crochet Converts, so she has other people to play with.

IMPORTANT STUFF:

Dates & Times:                 Sundays, 1pm – 3:30pm
Sept. 29, Oct.6, maybe Oct 13 and Oct. 20  (If class chooses not to meet on Oct. 13, we will add Oct. 27)

Class Fee:                           $70.00

Materials:                            Approximately $30.00

 

REPORT FOR THE YARNIES!

 I should have taken the picture from a closer position. This is a yummy  cotton/rayon with a polyester low-key metallic. I see this as a drapey little shawlette or a scarf. I get the color on the right or maybe the one in the middle.

 This is an amazing little mohair lace yarn with a delicate sparkle. Buy some of these and we can add some more colors. 

I had to get close up and intimate with this so you could see the sparkle. Come in and give it a pet and a pat!

I met a really nice farm girl from Maryland, and this was the result: sock/shawl yarn of wool with bamboo.

 The zoo is now open. This is mink yarn, and it is the closest I will ever be to having a mink coat. If you want to take this across to the bathroom, take your shirt off and wrap this around your torso, believe me - we will understand!

PRINCESS AND ME TRUNK SHOW - Last day is Sept 18

We have 70 stitched models and nearly 400 canvases, each with a stitch guide, from which to choose...

and this means that there is a party here on Sunday afternoon from 1 - 3PM. LAST CHANCE PARTY!!!

CONTINUING SALUTE TO LOCAL HEROIC PERSONS

This time it is my husband. Yup! The big guy who comes in whenever I ask and does a yeoman's job. Examine the  two pictures. The first shows the canvases he hung and the one below shows what I did.

You will notice that mine are a little helter-skelter, some of them tipping left of center. His look as if he used a plumb bob and a t square. This is why he hangs all the pictures in our house and I stay out of the way!

This also explains why he took 3 hours to ship 7 parcels for me last week when I was in MN tending to my mother.

GENEROUS IN SPIRIT, TIME and SKILL

This is Susan and she personifies the title of this blog. She makes ENDLESS hats and shawls for a battered women's shelter. One of our customers moved away and in an effort to cull out her projects, left some of the squares for this baby blanket. Susan did more squares and joined them all and it is now on its way to a 2 month old baby. What a loving welcome to our world!

We will always accept yarn contributions, as we have many customers who love to do charity knitting. Please make certain that it is odor and pest free.

I have a new pet project and that is to promote counted cross stitch for children. Several women have started us off with the contribution of a lot of design books. Now we need fibers, fabric, hoops and q snaps to get the project off and running. Please go through your supplies and see if you don't have some things that you will never use and we will find good homes for them.

THANK YOU!

BE THE FIRST TO SEE THIS DUTCH CROSS STITCH DESIGNER'S WORKS

I met the charming Liezbeth Gottschall at the market at Columbus in June. Her very primitive cross stitch designs were so beguiling, and I was smitten with her quilted finishing on many of the pieces. I am just kicking myself for not thinking to ask permission to take a photo of her display, as it was very striking. I bought small quantities of these, so if you wish to have any, please call me at (978) 486-8330 and I will snatch from inventory the ones that you wish to have.

CH7314B - ALL SHEEP COUNT - $11.00
This packet contains a cross stitch sheep pattern, a punchneedle one, an embroidered one and a wool applique  pattern. Not done yet -- the layout for the quilting  to combine all the pieces into one is there also! 

Don't forget that you can click on the pictures to make them larger!

SNOWGLOBE ORNAMENT - A SHEEPY CHRISTMAS  - CH7313B, $7.00 
The pattern is for a cross stitch design that, on 35 count, will be 4.75 by 5 inches.  He would be fun to do in counted npt.

CORNELIA - CH7312B, $7.00
Honest - I bought more than sheep designs, but I just loved her with her stack of buttons for legs!

BIRDIES -  CH7311B, $7.00
It is a universal favorite, the cardinal.

There are more. I bought 8 designs in all, so please stop in soon to see them.