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!