http://home.gci.net/~dnvmiller/Vacation/StitchingRetreat.htm

I had such a pleasant group -- we watched movies (Kate & Leopold, Catch Me if You Can, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Bridget Jones' Diary), ate way too much food, stitched and stitched, and had such a nice time. My July retreat is full, but if you'd like to attend retreat number nine or ten next summer, keep updated by reading my newsletter and watching my web site.

"Buy new charts, but keep the old..."

Keep your eyes open. There are so many great needlework designs out there, old and new. And while we all outgrow charts we bought a while back (there were a lot of these at the retreat chart swap...), some old charts actually IMPROVE with age. I've been looking around the past few months, updating my catalog, adding designers, and looking for golden oldies to add to my own collection.

I find at the retreats that stitchers bring a variety of projects, and it's so much fun to see them in action. "Oh, this I picked up a while back at some little shop while I was on vacation," or "I inherited this one from a friend." Sometimes the front of a chart can be misleading: the colors might be off, or the photograph fuzzy, or the lighting bad, or the piece crowded with lots of "props."

But when someone orders a chart, and has me kit it up with fibers and fabric, I get excited about it. Pretty skeins full and soft, all in a row, a gentle fold of fabric, and maybe some sparkling beads.

It's fun to keep up with new designs, but go on Hoffman Distributing's web site (http://www.hoffmandis.com) and look up your favorite designer and really look at past designs. Or type in a keyword in their search function (like Cow or Star) and find oodles of fun things in all different styles and colors. Run around on other needlework web sites to see what's around. Visit the designers' personal web sites to see extensive catalogs of their work. Some 10-year-old designs look just as fresh today as they did back then. (You'll also find, generally, that older charts, when still available, are less expensive than newer ones.)

I recently completed Santa '98 by Twisted Threads (bought this at the first retreat I attended way back then...why hadn't I started this sooner?) He's adorable, and stitched up so quickly. And I'm working on a row of Curtis Boehringer's wildflowers (there are 12 in all). This old series is so pretty. Why did this project wait?

And who knows, in another ten years, we may all be wishing we kept those charts of early-80's geese sporting country blue colored ribbons around their necks. Hey, it could happen! Hope you're having a great summer...

Shakespeare's Peddler will be closed July 4th, but I'll be open on the 5th. Stop by and see me if you can.

© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com