Tonight's the Night!

  Have you got all your candy?

 Found your tall pointy hat?

Cut holes in your sheets?

Fed your familiar?

Let the bats out of the belfry?

Lit up the jack-o-lantern?

Then you're definitely ready....

 Hope you have a fun-filled Halloween!

Is Your House Decorated for Halloween?

Time to gather the pumpkins....

Decorate your entry....

Stock up on your favorite candy..... and get ready for the spookiest holiday of the year!

Pssst:  That's my HARVEST MOON HOUSE, stitched last year and still a favorite with counted canvas stitchers!

Bargello & Butterfly Stitchers!

Hey, all you BARGELLO AND BUTTERFLY Stitchers!  I just want to alert you to a boo-boo in the Butterfly Graph....  The DMC numbers are reversed on the teal and blue symbols, so here's how they SHOULD be:

In other words, the BLUE thread - DMC 791 - should be the LOZENGE symbol; and the TEAL thread - DMC 991 - should be the FLOWER symbol.  And you can see where the teal stitches are if you look at the butterfly photo at the top of this post. 

And if you purchased one of the first patterns, you might not have DMC #5 791 listed on your back Materials Page.  You can stitch with DMC 791.... or if you have DMC 792 or 797 in your stash they also match the royal blue metallic ribbon that is used on most of the butterfly wing -- any one of those blues is equally electric!

So very sorry for the charting mistake and hope this doesn't cause you too much of a stitching inconvenience.....

This Month's Trunk Show

 
Well, this month my trunk show is up in the California Gold Country -- at Kelsey's Needle Krafts in Placerville, California (530-622-6205).  

I've sent my newest models - including the new HALLOWEEN BARGELLO piece - and lots & lots of patterns.

So if you happen to be driving through the Gold Country this month to see the glorious fall colors up there, please stop by and say "Howdy" to Sue and the other nice ladies who run the store. They are a super-friendly bunch of stitchers and are always ready to make you feel at home!

Love Those Ribbons!

It's been ages since I've created a ribbon project, so I thought it was time to introduce a new cyber class that has a few fun ribbons in it.  Oooh La La!  I'm calling it "Ribbons & Monogram" and it looks like this:

It's a small project, 7" x 8.5", done on the old-fashioned brown mono canvas, just to give it an antique look.
There are just three ribbons, but each one is different and equally fun to stitch.  I've also designed a special alphabet that is a little bit Victorian, a little bit French, n'est pas?

And because I couldn't narrow it down to just one colorway, I thought I'd offer the stitcher several color options (each one equally yummy):

The cyber class registration runs from now until the end of November, and the class will start in January 2014, after the hectic holiday season winds down.  So if you're looking for a special treat for yourself, or a fun project to kick off  the new year, why not visit my website and see more of the particulars regarding this new "Ribbons & Monogram" cyber class -- including the specific Watercolours threads and #5 pearl cottons used in each of the colorways.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

HEADS UP, STITCHERS!
I finished a new design last week, and was able to get the patterns shipped out to my distributors on Friday -- which means I can share it with you now.  And I think you're really gonna love this one...

So, are you feeling a little BATTY?

Yearning for a bright smiling face?

Starting to crave some purple and orange??

Well then, this is the next canvaswork project for YOU:

It's my new HALLOWEEN BARGELLO design -- just in time for the upcoming Halloween season!

I've stitched this 10.5" x 10.5" piece on brown 18 ct. canvas, but you can also do it on the lighter sandstone color as well. (But I think the darker canvas really makes the oranges and purples POP!) 

I've stitched the model in the Purple & Orange version - which uses Watercolours 231 - "Ethiopia" - but I also give thread options for a Green & Orange version (if you prefer more traditional fall colors) that uses Watercolours 285 -"Sherwood Forest" and a handful of green threads instead of purple ones.  And it uses a bunch of different types of metallic threads, which you can't ever see in photos, but trust me, this piece shimmers with metallics, including the pumpkin face which is stitched with a black metallic ribbon with confetti flecks of gold/green/red, so it looks very happy and sparkly!

Go fly over to my website and check out the details on this new HALLOWEEN BARGELLO design.  You'll have a great time whipping up this fun four-way bargello design!

Southwest Style

 If any of you stitchers happen to be in the Scottsdale, Arizona area, please mosey over to OLD TOWN NEEDLEWORK (www.oldtownneedlework.com, 480-990-2270) and visit my trunk show, which will be there through the month of September. 

I've sent a bunch of my latest models, as well as oodles of all types of patterns.  If you're in the mood for something Southwesty... or just want to look for a new counted canvas design, please stop by and view all the delicious goodies at Old Town Needlework.  And please say "Hi" to Janice for me!

P.S.:  The boot pattern on top is called "FANCY BOOTS" and the second design can be found in my Impressionist Collection, titled "TURQUOISE TRAIL."