Christmas is coming!

Still, we have three weeks to finish our projects!, so don't lose heart. Sandy's still working on her grandkids' ornaments, and just started a small picture for her dad - three weeks, plenty of time!

ORNAMENT CONTEST WINNERS - First place, Mary Crichton, $15 gift certificate; second place, Reta Holland, $10 gift certificate; third place, Linda Berry, $5 gift certificate. Each entrant also received a special gift for entering - start now for next year! :-) Come see them, vote on your favorite, and check out our wonderful tree full of handmade ornaments, with lots of easy ideas for finishing.

BOOKMARK CHALLENGE - We didn't have many to turn in this time, but we have another chance come spring - Sandy's happy to give you remnants and free patterns if you'd like to participate - you could win a $100 gift certificate from Nordic Needle! The bookmarks are given to kids all over the country to encourage them to read - a doubly good reason to stitch!

Don't forget our after Christmas sale, stating at 11 AM Dec. 26!

[Photo is a quick cancer survivor design from Count Your Blessings, with Sandy's friend and survivor, Ceecee.]

This is a brief post because there's much stitching to be done - but we have lots of quick to finish designs here, and even some pre-Christmas half price Mill Hill ornament kits from past years! Stop in!

Computer Crashed!

"This wasn't supposed to happen to me!" The Geekster (a local computer repair service) echoed my exact words - it's what everyone says. BUT I had everything backed up - BUT it's not there! I still don't understand it, but have been in the process of fixing and re-entering everything I can find - which does not include a lot of email and snail mail addresses for all of YOU! Please send us an email when you read this so you can also be resurrected - sandystitch@gorge.net - THANKS!!

Meanwhile, life goes on, and merchandise continues to arrive - stop by to see what's new! Fabrics, books - Halloween and fall designs, Thanksgiving and Christmas - there are lots of beautiful new things to stitch! And some of us are doing baby samplers, again! Sandy's expecting grandchild #5 just before Thanksgiving, is doing the "high chair baby" from Imaginating's Gift From God leaflet - because the baby looks so much like all of her grandkids, so adorable, of course! :-) (You can see it on Hoffman.)

Also, watch for our new website at www.sandys-stitch-niche.com - right now it looks like graph paper - not bad, but it's a pretty blank chart! :-) (The address works with or without the dashes - please add it to your favorites, and we'll let you know here [or by email if we have your address] when it's functional.)

Summer's Flying By!

It's been such a busy summer, and soon we'll be gone to Minnesota for a family wedding and some reunion time. (My brother sent photos of the collapsed bridge, from the top of a 23 story building he manages right next to the bridge, wow, so horrific. No one we know was on it, PTL!) Then some vacation, looking forward to the traveling. WHILE SANDY'S GONE HOURS WILL BE 11 - 3 Tues. through Sat.

So, from Aug. 17 until Sept. 18, minus a couple of days, Sandy will be gone, but DO COME SHOP! Pam, Linda H., Ty, Sue, Linda S. and Julie will be here, eager to help you! Please, help them "earn their keep" and keep Sandy out of that red ink hole! :-) There will actually be new things arriving, and Becky will be checking it in, calling you about your special orders, and putting out the new merchandise.

The photo above shows Jamie Beam's (The Knotted Tree) Spring, Summer and Fall Floral Samplers - each uses different fun fibers and linen (or your own fabric choice - Linda H. hand dyed her own Aida! - she'll be here on Aug. 21, 24, 30, and Sept. 14 if you'd like to ask her how she did it). Jamie's working on Winter - poinsettias and holly and a red cardinal - we know we'll love it just as much as the other seasons.

So, what else is new? All the Mill Hill beaded pins and ornament kits are here, as well as the fall and Christmas beaded and buttoned kits (six more village buildings!). There are new Prairie Schoolers and Heart in Hand designs, Lizzie Kate and Bent Creek (the Red Thread Snapper series continues, just a delight); new designers (at least to us) The Primitive Needle (Kindred Spirits), A. Fox Original (Let it Snow - sounds good right now!), Midsummer Night Designs (Forget Me Not); and oldies Donna Kooler (Great Cross Stitch Gifts), Passione Ricamo (The Queen of the Fairies!, gorgeous!) Mirabilia (Crystal Symphony is her latest) Nora Corbett (her new Pixie Couture Collection is just darling), just to name a few. Sandy continues to stitch the months of Crabby All Year by Raise the Roof Designs - it's hilarious, and has been so much fun to stitch! It uses lots of buttons from Just Another Button Co., too, such a great touch; the fried eggs are truly clever.

Another local designer is back in business, hurrah! Maureen (Doherty) Jaimes, Doherty Designs, has re-released her local patterns, including Mt. Hood and Lost Lake, Multnomah Falls, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Bachelor, Haystack Rock and Crater Lake, lucky us!! Sandy saved her stitched Timberline Lodge, so you can see that one "live", but long ago donated Multnomah Falls to a local charity auction, and Lost Lake left with the framer. They are all fun and easy to stitch, however, and the finished pieces are terrific.

Maureen also has a design of the Sydney Opera House and bridge, which Sandy has her eye on since she'll be visiting there in September!; she enjoys stitching her own souvenirs - don't you? :-)

Watch for our new website in the fall, http://sandysstitchniche.com! We don't know what will appear yet (what would YOU like?), but it will be good learning experience. :-)

Until later...we're off to the wilds of Minnesota.

It's been too long - Sandy's been stitching too much! You all know what it's like - there's never enough time to stitch, so less "important" things are set aside, including updating the blog. :-)

Meanwhile it seems that summer has hit, the garden is overflowing, the grandkids are having birthdays - and the older two have asked to learn how to stitch!, so this grandma's had a ball teaching them. Their enthusiasm is so exciting! Paige (pictured here with red 6 count Herta), just turned four, told her mom, "I'm going to stitch just like Grandma when I grow up, all the time and everywhere." Love it! :-)

There are so many new things in the shop, beginning with Mill Hill kits; the spring set can be described as "Your Favorite Vacation" - Lakeside Retreat, wine tasting (red or white?) Tropical Hideaway, Seaside Sampler, On the Range...fall's set has a Midnight Farm, Autumn Wreath, Apple Adventure, Be Thankful, Lavender Fields and Country Welcome - really love them all, and they've chosen designs that work so well for our area! The pins are great, too!

Daylight has a new battery-operated (or plug-in) clip on light that might prove as good as or better than our Flex Lights from Mighty Brite, plus it has an optional magnifier and a shade which hides the light from the driver (you DO stitch in the car, don't you?!) or prevents glare on the TV, and has the natural daylight spectrum which is so much easier on the eye. Darn, there's always something new, isn't there??

From Vintage Bliss, apple and pear stand ups; Brooke's Books' Spirit of Quilting, Cross Stitch and Knitting angels; Kit & Bixby's Glimpse of Heaven and Haunted Wool; Lisa Cowell's "My Grandma's Attic" series; Mirabilia's Lady of the Mist and Mermaid of Atlantis, and under her other name, Nora Corbett, Ivy and Fern; new from England, The Stitching Shed, sweet-bright-and-easy baby samplers - the style reminds us of The Bold Sheep; tons of new florals from Ellen Maurer-Stroh; Bent Creek's Red Thread series; Lizzie Kate's Summer Crazy and new designs for weddings and babies; Humble Home from the Workbasket; and the ultimate, Inspiration from Rosewood Manor. ALL of these Sandy would be thrilled to stitch - the challenge will be - how many can she stitch before the NEXT round of new things??

A reminder to check Hoffman's Friday update, new books every week! Just let us know what you'd like! (You can see the new patterns mentioned above there or at Norden Crafts or Wichelt.)

Leisure Arts has a new online feature, their Library - where you can purchase single out-of-print patterns, as well as some that were never previously released, such as some Disney designs (the license has expired, so no new books will be published at this time). Check it out!

We have several boxes of books for half price - lots of treasure has been plucked from them, but there's plenty more - the racks were just too stuffed, so something's got to go! (Sandy bought them all thinking she'd of course stitch them if no one else did!:-) Please do come down and take advantage of her over-enthusiasm!

We hope you'll take some time from the flurry of spring/summer activities to relax and stitch a bit - there are so many good reasons, graduations, holidays, and always babies and weddings. Come stitch with us Wednesday mornings and every second and fourth Tuesday evening.

Nashville News

Nashville was sooo much fun this year – so many great designers attended, we brought back way too much stuff! Lots flew out the door last week, but we promise there’s plenty more, and we’re still ordering and receiving orders, too. New patterns, gadgets, buttons, fabrics, threads – come see what’s new from The Workbasket, Val’s Stuff, Rainbow Gallery, Indigo Rose, Ladybug Lane, Bent Creek, Adam Originals, Crescent Colours, Kit & Bixby, Raise the Roof (remember Sweet Tooth? – would you believe Brace Face? :-), Heinzeit, Angel Stitchin’, Hog River Frames, Stitchworks, Sue Hillis, Imaginating, Primitive Traditions, Britstitch, X’s & Oh’s, M Designs, Poppy Creations, SamSarah, Hands to Work, Stitching Pretty, Sunflower Seed, Bizzi Creations, Whimsy & Wit, Hob Nobb, Water’s Edge, Stitcher’s Hands, JAR Designs, Glendon Place, Monsterbubbles, Lizzie Kate, Sampler Threads, Carrie’s Creation (overdyed threads from the Tri-Cities!) – to name a FEW!!

One of Sandy’s favorite new patterns is “Crabby All Year” from Raise the Roof – the first three months are in the current leaflet, with three more leaflets to follow. The photo shows how much they’ve designed so far – LOVE the fried eggs on the sidewalk!, could be seen here any August day!

We had time to have a little fun in Nashville for a change as we went a day early – toured the landmark Ryman Auditorium (of Grand Ol’ Opry fame) and visited the famous Bluebird Café to hear some wonderful singer songwriters (one from Spokane!) – where many have been "discovered" and the walls are covered with photos of famous musicians who've performed there. Food was good, too. :-)

Mostly, though, trade shows are a lot of work, albeit fun and exciting work – just tiring. We’re still sorting through the paperwork but finally have everything unpacked and sorted out, ready to show off, hurray! Sandy has her next few (?!) projects planned, but first MUST finish Princess Belle for her granddaughter’s birthday, a really sweet piece. (If YOUR daughter or granddaughter is a princess, too, we have one princess pillow kit left!) There are only a couple of Disney Princess books in stock - Leisure Arts' license has expired, so when these books are gone you'll probably have to go to Disney theme parks (or possibly stores) to find (expensive) kits only.

SPECIAL BONUS for those who've read this far - it's been quite awhile since we've offered Anchor at 3 for $1 - so until March 17, just mention the blog when you come in, stock up!

Enjoy the spring weather, but remember to pick up your stitching to relax those sore mucles after gardening! :-)