Needle Delights Originals

I've been taking a break from designing to give my creative juices some rest and work in other areas of my life. It's very strange to not have anything on the stretcher bars but it's an interesting exercise to not design for a few months. I've not done this since I started designing. I decided to take this "sabbatical" to see what happens. Of course, the ideas never really stop so the idea notebook is still growing. I am getting a big cross stitch project done and have been able to spend a lot of time in my sewing room working on some fun quilts. This past weekend I taught a pilot class for my new design, "Serenity". This group of ladies from my "local" Chapter (70 miles away!) did a great job and here they are after two days of stitching! It was so fun to see the different colorways emerge on their canvases!   This weekend I'm headed to Orlando for the Sun Region Seminar.  I'm taking advantage of Studio Time and hav...

To celebrate St Patrick's Day, I share one of my best selling Color Delights - Shamrock! It was one of the first Color Delights designs I did and just made me think "Kelly Green" which took me to "Irish" to "St Patty's Day" and voila, "Shamrock" because all of my Color Delights titles are one word for the color name.  And here's what Gretchen from Threads Inc did with it - you can contact her if you're interested in it. There are several colorways and I think she did a fantastic job with my humble little design, adding and multiplying the patterns and choosing alternative colorways on top of it all!  I'm mailing the last of the Mystery kits for my ongoing class today and then moving on to some seriously needed "spring cleaning"! We had 80 degree weather yesterday so I think our Winter is finally gone...I'm happy to see it go and holding on to the hope that we actually have a Spring and not jump ...

is the third and final release for Nashville. I've shared the progress of this and here is the final version - it ended up 10x10, mostly because I was out of canvas! As it was, I had to sew muslin around the edges in order to frame it! When I originally started stitching, I actually thought I was going to do a small design but it just kept growing and growing! After each round, it could have been complete but I just envisioned more in my head! I seriously considered stopping after the third round - at that point the finished size was a little over 5 inches and would have looked fabulous in a black lacquered box. However, I kept going and ended up with this! It's all overdyed Vineyard Silk from ThreadworX - if you know me at all, you know I just love stitching with this thread! Of course, you could do whatever you like...even change the order of the squares, colors, or types of thread!  Check with your local shop to see if they are attending Nashville - they can bring patt...

I'll be releasing Color Delights - Sky at the Nashville show. This was a fun piece to stitch and I hope you like it! It's #39 in the series - at 4x4 finished, they're quick to stitch and great travel projects. Next on the agenda is Eggplant - it got the most votes a few weeks ago. Seafoam is already done as I had threads pulled but it won't be released for a few months. Here's a tiny peek as it's mostly covered by the threads I was using! Tomorrow I'll post the last of my releases for Nashville!  Kathy

Due to popular demand, registration for Starstruck, my Mystery class has reopened. Now that people are stitching the first lesson and posting photos, you can see a little more of it. With class being six months (ending in July), there is still plenty of time for latecomers to fully participate in the class. If you've decided you must join the fun, you may sign up until February 19th - we'd love to have you. If you need more info, here's  where I originally talked about it. Many of you know I'll be attending Needlework Tradeshow (wholesale only; not open to the public) in Nashville at the end of the month. There's a lot of buzz about the show - it's sold out and lots of shops have registered to come. I'll be releasing three new patterns and here's the first - I'll be showing them to you over the next few days so stay tuned...  Roseto (Italian for Rose Garden) was inspired by the Gloriana thread "Flowers of Italy" - I used the silk floss ...

If you're taking my Mystery class through Shining Needle, it's supposed to start Sunday, February 1st. HOWEVER, I just posted the fist lesson. Go check your email and thread your needles!! Until later,  Kathy

from kitting and mailing Mystery kits. I'm still waiting on a few backordered threads - they always seem to cause delays no matter how far in advance I plan or order...They'll get here soon I hope! I've managed to get in a little stitching this month - that's the good news. Here's a frustrating moment I'll share with you. I completely finished stitching a new design last night (name to be determined...suggestions welcome even though you're only seeing a little!). Notice the canvas threads in the bottom left corner of the overdye border...yes, I ran out and don't have more. I used this thread for a major motif and didn't like it so ripped it out. Of course, I emptied my little ort basket the night before I finished this and didn't think it wise to pick through the coffee grounds to try and find a little piece. I'll be making a call to Gloriana tomorrow to beg for a piece to be mailed asap! The good news is I'll be releasing this at the t...