Stitch With Me

I can’t believe it has been nearly a month since I last wrote!

So much has happened.  We’ve traveled more this summer than we have in the last five years.

I am so excited to tell everyone that my husband and I have become the wholesale distributor for Squiggee Designs and GCHendrix!!  This was an exciting opportunity which we could not pass up when it presented itself.  As I’m sure everyone knows, I *LOVE* Squiggee Designs and Gail’s designs so this seemed like a perfect fit.  Now I can stitch any Squiggee Designs, or GCHendrix designs I want.  I simply walk into our office and pull out the one I want.

Our web site, Crane Cottage, is a work in progress.  The fabulous TrenaB, who did the design for this blog, is also putting together the web page for us.  Keep checking back for the pictures.

I’ve created a Facebook page.  I’ve posted pictures of the newest designs there.  GG Gator is absolutely fabulous and you most go see her.  Go friend us!

If you see anything you want, have your local needlework store, contact us since we only sell to shops.

I think this is going to be a wonderful adventure!  Join me.

My Columbus Market Reports will continue.

We took Jacob to Six Flags for the weekend for his eighth birthday.  Being away from home for two weekends in a row has kicked my rear.  So, I still have lots to tell you about.  But it may take me a day or two more to recover.

While at Columbus Market I also looked at the wide variety of items Stirling has available.

Stirling has a wide variety of leather items.  They have openings designed for stitched needlepoint canvas.  I’ve never seem more than one or more pieces at a time.  It was a treat to see all the items available.

They have leather luggage tags, key rings, checkbook covers, folios (small makeup sized bag) purses, round boxes, shoulder bags, totes, purses.   And they all come in a variety of colors.

Dana Hurt is the very charming owner of Stirling.

They have two new colors that will go with EVERYTHING:  Bronze and Pewter.

Their new item introduced at Market is this perfect sized purse.

In January Dana says they are bringing out Kindle, Nook and Ipad covers with about a six inch opening for stitched needlepoint.

Another reason for me to get a Kindle!  I can just see a needlepoint canvas with books on the cover in my future.

Another designer whose designs I’ve loved and admired is Barbara Bergsten.  Barbara has a lot of stitch painted designs that are convenient to use to teach particular stitches.  She has a huge gallery of stitch diagrams on her web pages and stitch guides for her pieces.

Barbara is a beautiful woman with beautiful designs.

I got to see all the really cute penguines in her line.

It made me want a Penguins tree with stitched penguines!

Barbara and Carolyn Fuller from Simply Needlepoint showed me what they had planned with this cute little stocking and some beautiful River Silks Ribbon.

And there is a companion piece that would look equally beautiful done up in a number of threads.

I loved this Christmas Ribbons piece.

I just love Bargara’s designs.  They are all stitch painted and have delightful colors and designs.

And thank you for the candy, Barbara.

The absolutely fabulous SharonG was at the Needlears Market with her beautiful, beautiful line.

One of the first painted canvas I ever worked was a SharonG design.  I don’t think I took picture of it because it was before the days of the digital cameras.  I stitched one of her perfume bottles entirely in basketweave. This was when I first started stitching in basketweave many years ago.

I’ve “known” SharonG for a number of years through the internet but we’d never met in person before.  When I saw her at her booth, I sort of squealed to myself,  ”oh that’s her!”   I sidled up next to her and asked “can I take a picture?” She  looked at me kind of warily and said, “of what?”   I said, “of you!”  And this was the result:

It was lovely to meet SharonG in real life after having known her in cyberspace ll these years.

SharonG was as friendly and gracious in real life as I expected her to be.

I saw the  horses in real life.

They are beautifully stitched.  And the background (backgrounds are ALWAYS hard for me) was absolutely perfect.

The new triptych “Fly Lily Fly”  was there.

I don’t know what stitches SharonG has planned for this but it was stunning in person.

The great “11th Hour Triptych” Jane from The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure was talking about the other day was there.

SharonG had the Cat and Fish Triptych displayed as painted canvas and as stitched canvas.

I thought it was a great way to illustrate the possibilities of a canvas.

I loved the whimsy of this Dancing Tucan.

And finally, I took some pictures of some of SharonG’s finishing ideas.

Finishing is something else that’s always hard for me and I loved seeing what SharonG had in mind for her canvases when they were painted.