Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Here's this year's tree: first place in the ornament contest went to Gayle Jacobson's beautiful church (a Dimensions Gold kit); second place to Mary Crichton's adorable Santa Kitty; third place to Marie Huntington's intricate (one over one) Joy (Just Nan); People's Choice went to Gayle Jacobson also. Thanks so much to all our entrants - they make our tree so beautiful, and give us all new ideas for future Christmases.

Sandy's off to Minnesota for a big family Christmas and her parent's 60th anniversary. (Flying through Denver!, say a prayer and wish them luck!) The shop will be OPEN Dec. 26, 27 and 28 from 11 AM to 3 PM, but then closed until Jan. 2 (landlord's decision). On those three days, take advantage of the post Christmas sale - 40% off all Christmas items and 25% off EVERYTHING (except of course pre-orders) ELSE ! Keep the shop "elves" busy, please! :-)

Even this late in the year there are new arrivals - wonderful fabric kits from Mill Hill, "Words for Life" using floss and beads and fitting a standard 5x7 frame; a new series of Dolly Mamas, knitters, crafters, quilters and more; Lizzie Kate Flip It Bits for 2007, darling monthly designs; Bitty Buttons from Victoria Sampler, such as a Sheep and a Fawn; and a fun series of "Snowballz" from a new Minnesota designer, Carolyn Manning, just to name a FEW. Do come in and check them out while taking advantage of great SALE PRICES!

Ornament Time!

There's only one week left to bring in your Christmas ornaments for this year's contest - don't let us down! :-) Remember, every entry receives a gift. Saturday after Thanksgiving is the deadline; Reta will be here until 3 PM that day (while Sandy is off playing with her grandkids).

Pictured are some of the QUICK ornaments Sandy stitched for the Women in Business tree for the Festival of Trees (December 1 & 2) - she used her flower photos mounted on perforated paper and stitched simple words - "Joy", "Peace", "Noel", "Love", "Hope" and "Faith" - in two simple cross stitch alphabets. Backed with Christmas wrap and a gold hanging cord, finished in no time! (Seriously, a couple of hours, start to finish.)

Christmas is coming! Think about what you might like to add to your stash - send in the family to shop! We also have gift certificates, but it's fun to have givers choose something for you to make for them. There are many new designs and designers - such as Kit & Bixby, wonderful sheep and samplers. Make a wish list! When January comes you'll be prepared to snuggle by the fire and stitch something new.

We also have new free patterns, and for those of you ambitious enough to get this far, Anchor will be 3 for $1 until Christmas (Dec. 23 actually) and remnants half off! We'll also give you a free book for each two you purchase at full price (excluding special orders)!

THIRD FRIDAY happens each month downtown - come check it out - "Downtown The Dalles Delivers Delights"! We're here until 5:30 - then we all wander to our neighbors for tastes and treats and live music.

And meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween!

We think it's a fun occasion, ushering in the cooler temps and showering us all with...chocolate! Here's DiAnne with one of our favorite designs, "Sweet Tooth" by Raise the Roof Designs.

It's also time for the fall online trade show - you're our guests! Just "tune in" to theneedleworkshow.com late on October 11, through October 15, see what's new, and place an order with us! Be sure to register for door prizes each day: Dinky -Dyes is again giving away an *entire line* of their fibers...either silk or cotton, your choice! Plus, there are many other doorprizes generously offered by the vendors. Sandy won several last spring, and has at nearly every show. You can win, too!

WHAT'S NEW? One of our favorites is a new set of Dolly Mamas - Go Braless, Burn the Candle, Sick Days, Bring Coffee, Rise & Whine and Mr. Right...irreverent, wildly dressed women - just like some of our friends and relatives. :-) Great for gifts, and there's plenty of time to get them done for this holiday season, as they're fairly quick and easy to stitch. The complete kits sell for only $9.99.

One of our favorite artists, Michael Powell, has finally released some of his 8x8 designs as patterns only, saving us a bundle; his kits, from England, sell for $57; the patterns are $20. If they sell well, he'll probably release some of his larger designs as well. They're delightful, whimsical buildings that are FUN to stitch. Come see them in person! Brand new to his website, there's a free monthly pattern, too: right now you can get the Spanish Church Icon, and try him out for FREE! http://www.michaelpowellart.co.uk/

Mill Hill's annual beaded and stitched pins, ornaments and 6x6 pictures are always fun - this year there's a whole village to stitch.

And that brings to mind our annual ORNAMENT CONTEST - have your entry here by Nov. 25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Everyone wins!!

Nordic Needle's newsletter has been giving us weekly stitching tips, sent in by their stitchers around the world. There are lots of great ideas:
http://www.nordicneedle.com/tips/stitching_tips.shtml

SALE! SALE! SALE! SALE!
The month of October, mention the Blog and help yourself to some treats! REMNANTS 1/2 off! MAGAZINE BACK ISSUES, 1/2 off! ANCHOR FLOSS 3 FOR $1!! Get stitching on those holiday projects!

MORE TREATS - FREE PATTERNS
Birds and Butterflies:
http://www.vsccs.com/charts/FreeCharts.html

HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?

OK, that's very cliched - but it IS really hot here just now! Just Another Button Co. even created this design for the day of commemoration, July 23 - it was fun to stitch, which Sandy did before it got hot! It's one of several FREE patterns she's done recently - check them out in our front window, and come get your copy. Next up is "Sneak Zucchini Night" - Aug. 8 - sneak your extras onto your neighbor's porch!

Speaking of free patterns, there are several from a new design company in Kennewick WA, Ink Circles: http://www.inkcircles.com/html/free_charts.html . We have some of their designs, including a Norwegian Rosemaling (in cross stitch) pattern and a cute cowboy.

Other new designs are some cute Christmas ornaments from Leisure Arts, Mill Hill's Santa's Closet ornaments with beads and treasures, Mirabilia's White Christmas...feel cool yet? :-)

Lizzie Kate has many sweet new patterns, including A Brother, Winter Wishes, Just Be Claus, Think Summer and Autumn Things. We have several of Passione Ricamo's fairies; the newest Britty Kitties is here, #V from Brittercup Designs; Heart in Hand's latest, Birds of a Feather and Gardening Medley; and Stoney Creek's Happy Everything, to name a few. You can always check for what's coming out at http://hoffmandis.com; they now post them every Friday! Please let us know what you'd like!

If you missed the Zweigart tree skirt sale - less than half price! - we have some extras - take advantage of this special offer. Even unstitched they will look terrific under anyone's tree this year.

We found some wonderful stitching tips at this website - http://www.scarletquince.com/tips.php - everything from stitching supplies to methods to cleaning...

Stop in, get cool, find a new project, ask for your 10% DISCOUNT FOR AUGUST...And keep on stitching!

It's Our 15th Anniversary!

The photo on the right is of one of our free patterns, from Monsterbubbles, stitched by Pam Shelquist, finished by Corliss Marsh - on Baroque hand dyed fabric from Picture This Plus. The other photo is Sandy's niece, who took the advice to heart! :-)

Mill Hill is early this year - with their fall kits and now even their Christmas kits are ready! The beaded and buttoned series is a village - there's a church, toy shop, train depot, tree farm, post office and Victorian house, just darling! And there's their usual cute Christmas pins - we love them all - teddy, carolers, holly wreath, train, kitty and gingerbread boy. You can see them on www.wichelt.com - and here in the shop, of course! Soon they'll have a new Santa ornament series ready, which have always been wonderful in the past.

Many of our favorite designers have great new designs, too - we especially love the cute patterns from Count Your Blessings, Forever in My Heart, Prairie Schooler and the new Daydreams from Dimensions. Janlynn has followed their Dolly Mamas with Chicklets - the daughters! - "Motor Mouth", "Miss Understood", "Miss Know-it-all", "Smarty Pants", "Princess Drama" and "Miss Behave" - what a hoot! And Hob Nobb's new buttons and patterns are terrific!, a wonderful baby sampler, Limited Edition Spring and Christmas, new Doodles, just so cute!

Please remember, you can always look up patterns for us to order for you, by subject, keyword or designer at http://hoffmandis.com

We also have Stitcher's Journals from Yarn Tree; each has graph paper as well as journal pages, so you can design and record your materials, thoughts and ideas, all in one beautiful book. They'd make a great gift for any stitcher.

Peter Rabbit has made his appearance - in the baby sampler Sandy stitched for her newest grandson, Mitch. It's not framed yet, so no photo - but you can see it at the shop. Pretty darned sweet!

"All Purpose Recipe for Cleaning your Needlework

The Valentine museum has a wonderful needlework collection. This recipe comes from one of the curators at the Valentine, Grace Wells, via needlework teacher Marion Scoular. Mix 1 T Ivory Flakes (or grated bars Ivory soap) and 2 T Snowy Bleach. Dissolve this in 1 gallon of hot water and let it COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. Put your needlework in this solution and soak until the stain is gone, up to three weeks. Rinse very well. The "up to 3 weeks" part of the directions implies that the solution is not changed, but I'd check water level for evaporation, as above. And when I add water, I'd give things a gentle swish."

Find loads of free designs here:

http://www.cross-stitch-art.com/crossstitch2/Enewsarchive.htm

And some great ideas for gifts:

http://www.cross-stitch-art.com/crossstitch2/Thingstomake.htm

And even animated instructions!

http://www.cross-stitch-art.com/crossstitch2/AnimatedXS.htm

Addressing those pesky fabric creases again, this advice is from Marla Hunt in the Nordic Needle's newsletter: "take a mixture of white vinegar and water and dab it on the crease...then put a damp dishcloth on it and lightly steam it dry until it disappear(s). It work(s) beautifully."

SPRING...IS SPRINGING!

It's beautiful here, sunny morning walks start out cool and end up WARM! It's hard to sit still and stitch, but since Sandy's held captive here at the shop, she does usually find some time...Hope you do, too!

Here's a picture of Alice, who spends her lunch hours working on her Hardanger - she began this piece in 2004! Persistence - and a small investment of time each day - and we can all accomplish wonders. Consider joining us for our Wednesday morning stitch group, from 10 AM to noon - you CAN finish something! :-) (Hardanger, second and fourth Tuesdays, 7-9 PM, 10% discount on Hardanger purchases.)

Consider the philosophy of "just one stitch is better than no stitch at all". If you sit down to stitch just one stitch you could easily look up 1/2 hour later, find that more than one stitch has been done and you're a little bit farther along on the project. It works!!

Another great tip: When stitching a large area of one color, stitch only half stitches when you are able to use the chart and carefully count. Then when you want to stitch quickly or carry a project along to the doctor's office or kid's sports or play practice or music lesson, you will only need your fabric, needle and thread and you can cross those stitches without having to count or refer to a chart!

We have lots of new projects in the shop, many of them quick and easy - honest! Come check out the fun! Becky completed a darling Dimensions straw bag - embellished with a needlepoint initial, though it could also be cross stitched; see it before she gives it to her daughter. Reta's completed fairies, the Passione Ricamo Autumn Fairy and Mirabilia's Christmas Fairy, are here for just a couple more weeks - just darling! They'll be off to the Hood River Blossom Festival at the Odell fairgrounds April 15, 16, Easter weekend. And one of our favorite new things - Chocolate from Hob Nobb - makes you hanker for a piece, and we have one for you! Leisure Arts has a series of cross stitch books combining simple stitching with stamping and water color painting - great for kids, too. We also have a few very cute Dimensions kits for Russian punch needle - now THAT's quick and easy!

FRIENDSHIP TAPESTRY - It's made its USA debut, at Nordic Needle in Fargo, ND - see their wonderful pictures on the website - and "Rags" is still adding pieces, so yours can still be included. www.internet.is/friendshiptapestry.

UNFINISHED PROJECTS - If you have pieces that you just can't bear to look at any longer, consider donating them to Corliss's team's Relay for Life Unfinished Project Sale - which will also be a great place to shop when the time comes! We'll keep you posted! Meanwhile, start sorting. :-)

CONVERSION CHARTS - Reta shared this fabulous website with us today; you can even find REAL thread numbers for kits in some cases! Just about every kind of conversion you can think of has a resource listed here: aion-needlecrafts.co.uk/info/conversions.htm - do check it out!

A REMINDER - We are here because of YOU, and we thank you so much for these 15 years of your support. Please consider ordering your stitching pleasures from US rather than online or from a catalog. Instant gratification is more expensive - you pay that shipping - and in the end, if we can't provide it for you now, we can't be here in the long run for you, either. We really try hard to satisfy all your stitching needs. Please call, or email, before you indulge that whim. Each book you buy from US is marked on your book card; the thirteenth, up to a $10 value, is FREE!

Here's A Useful Idea

Sandy forgot to include this yesterday; she read it in the Nordic Needle newsletter and has used it on the Peter Rabbit Sampler she's stitching for her newest grandson, Mitch. It has a single stitch border all the way around.

When you have a distance like that to cover, or any distance of some length, rather than counting and re-counting, as you go across with the first half cross, simply cross every tenth stitch! She re-counted each group of ten, but then just carried on across the width of 224 stitches, no problem! What a concept!

Back From Nashville!

Where to start?! We saw so much, it's still almost a blur. Of course, the off and on snow kept up the blur, too - schools were closed! There was not much snow sticking, but we were told the hidden ice was the culprit - and the drivers don't slow down, so there are lots of accidents.

We brought back new designs (and ordered more) from Hob Nobb (the CHOCOLATE is Sandy's favorite), Landmark Designs (English), Lizzie Kate, Imaginating, My Mark, Blue Ribbon Designs, 4 My Boys, Janlynn (Chiklets!), Lilybet Designs, Kitty Kats Original, Sue Hillis Designs, Forever in My Heart (check out the Clipboards!, too cute), Water's Edge, Art-Stitch Designs, The Marking Samplar, Whimsey & Wit, Erica Michaels, X's & Oh's, Brittercup Designs, Sisters & Best Friends, La-D-Da, Ladybug Lane, Designs From Pamela, Elizabeth's Needlework Designs, Prairie Moon, The Stitchworks, Monsterbubbles, ewe & eye & friends, Twisted Threads, JBW Designs, Hands to Work, Val's Stuff, Bizzi Creations...and MORE.

There are also new hand dyed fabrics (including Aida!) from Pictue This Plus - colorfast, too; new overdyed threads from both The Gentle Art (Sampler Threads) and Weeks Dye Works; lots of frames and Serendipity kits and patterns; buttons from Just Another Button Co.; there's lots more, plus tons of free patterns to share with all of you. Come check out the new stash!

When you do, mention the Blog for a free gift from Nashville and a "coupon" specially tailored just for YOUR purchase!

Happy New Year! Here's to the Winners!

We hope you had a great Christmas! Ours was shared with our children and grandchildren, so it was very special; those grandkids are sooo much fun!

It was also shared by our wonderful stitchers, eight of whom brought their beautiful Christmas ornament creations for the month of December - our tree was lovely - and Sandy forgot to take a picture!!

Winners were: First place, $15 gift certificate, Marie Huntington, Partridge in a Pear Tree; Second place, $10 gift certificate, Reta Holland, Ladybug Diamond; Third place, $5 gift certificate, Ada Marie Haake, Roly Poly Santa; and People's Choice, two Christmas leaflets from Knotted Tree NeedleArt, Reta's Ladybug again. (She says ladybugs are Christmas good luck in Germany.) Congratulations, and thanks to all who entered - each entrant got a Christmas ornament pattern with a Sampler thread and fabric to make it.

To begin the new year, we drew three winners from 2005's filled book cards; winners are Mary Beth Thouvenel, Sandy Hoyt and Pam Shelquist, each of whom got to choose a large cross stitch collection book, such as 365 Alphabets, a $21.95 value. Congratulations! It's fun for us to collect the cards during the year as they are turned in for a free book up to a $10 value - your thirteenth is free - and then to give away more yet. Free is Sandy's favorite thing!

STITCH GROUPS

We're still hosting two groups, Wednesday mornings from 10 to noon, and a Hardanger group on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings, 7 - 9 pm. Come join us! The Hardanger group earns a 10% discount on Hardanger materials those evenings, so come down, stitch, visit and shop!

NASHVILLE SHOW COMING UP

We'll be off to the Cash and Carry trade show Feb. 10-13; the shop will be open, 11 - 3, and there are already lots of new things in stock - on the 14th there will be lots more! Mill Hill's new spring pins will be here soon, really cute as always - there's a Fishing Frog!, and Antique Daisy, and four more cuties; Lizzie Kate's Flip Its for 2006 are twelve darling Christmas "littles" with no-sew finishing - Sandy bought a new wreath to hang them on, but they also offer a cute Feather Tree - it actually has feathers! If you're interested, come look - or check their website - so we can pick one up for you in Nashville.

Another exhibitor whom we have not seen there in many years (she can't keep up!), Hob Nobb Designs, will be showing new designs; if you've done any of their quick designs with their really darling intricate button embellishments, you'll want to come in for those; we still have a few from the last order, which also included some new ones.

Picture This Plus will be showing new hand dyed fabric colors; theirs are also available in Aida, a real bonus. They're colorfast, not too expensive, and really fun to stitch on. The photo is one of the two Cancer pillows Sandy did for Christmas, on their Cherub Cashel, for her two sisters-in-law who are celebrating 5 years cancer-free. She's pleased to report that they were tickled by them. (They use Just Another Button Co. buttons, on their own free pattern.)

SPEAKING OF FREE...

We always have lots of free patterns to give away; Just Another Button Co. has one every month, using their buttons, of course - Wichelt sends us one - Lizzie Kate and many others have theirs online. We'll bring back LOTS from the Nashville Show. We love to sell books, our bread and butter, so to speak, but we use the freebies often, too. They're great for new ideas and inspiration, and we love to share. All you have to do is stop in!