A friend of mine went along for fun, and after we hopped in a rented silver PT Cruiser (fun!), we headed for the Bed and Breakfast (Linden House...would highly recommend it.) We met up with our hosts and a few of the guests, went to a craft show where we picked up a few hand-made soaps, a lovely pansy (hand-stitched) doily, and notepads, then went to dinner. On the way back, we stopped at the first nail place we saw, and I had my first manicure. Turns out it's where Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks go get their $200 haircuts. The manicure was lovely, and only $25.
Saturday we were off to the needlework market for some literal elbow rubbing with other shop owners, designers and distributors. I'll highlight some of the new designs, along with comments about the designers, but there is more on the way. I chose not to bring it all back with me. It's more fun for me (and less work) if I don't have to put it all up at once. I've been doing a pretty good job of keeping up, though, so keep watching Theresa's Basket for new designs. There really were some fun releases this year.
Well, by the time I was able to squeeze myself into the Bent Creek room, it was late Saturday afternoon. Busy as usual, Bent Creek has come up with some more great ideas. I love their "Floss" design. See if you can catch the punch line on it. Luck is also very cute, and a must-have if you're collecting the alphabet series (Lighthouse, Flag '98, Hip Hop, Eek! etc.) They've also re-done their printing style a bit -- they look really nice. Oh, and Spring Row is out now, to join Winter and Autumn Rows.
Birds of a Feather had the big surprise for met at market. Their new chart, Le Printemps, is based on a French sailor's needlework. It's a big piece of kind of a sketchy girl amid flowers and swirls in pastel colors. I thought, hm, I don't know how that's going to do. It's kind of the big hit for them this spring! So much so, that my distributor is having trouble keepin up with demand for Daffodil Weeks Dye Works (for which it uses 4 or 5 skeins!) It's not a small piece, but the people who are buying it LOVE it. If you haven't seen their Happy Hearts Sampler that came out last month, take a peek. It's one of my favorite pieces so far this year.
I was pleased as punch (and that's pretty pleased, let me tell you) that Brightneedle was at market. What nice gals, and what lovely designs! I'm stitching their Birdneck Sampler right now, and it's beautiful (and really fun to stitch). Two of my favorite pieces from market were from Brightneedle: Orchard and Covered Bridge (computer scans from photos never do a piece justice -- these are gorgeous!) Remember, you don't have to stitch their designs over one, just because they do. A lot of you have started collecting their designs -- I expect Brightneedle to do some really great things this next year or two. A neat, fun and unique style all their own.
I'm going to lump the Chartmakers gals (Barrick Samplers, Goode Huswife and Elizabeth's Garden) together. It's easier, and they share a suite anyway. They have such unique ideas, and they're always fun to hang around with (some designers would be great fun to have a class with, and some you'd like to go out dancing with...the Chartmakers gals are the latter -- fun gals! My favorites are the Farmer's Wife, Westwinds and the Quaker Marriage Sampler. But the cats are ahead of the pack so far (they're also very cute.)
The new Chessie & Me designs will be here soon from my distributor. I do have the pack that is an exclusive from Chessie & Me: Door County Sampler II. This piece with a boat and kind of a patriotic theme would be great for a boy's room. Linda was busy designing a really cute piece for a class she's teaching soon. She said she often designs pieces for classes, and then releases them later. Garden Gathering was one of those (released last year). I saw that one in person, too -- a great design. Watch my basket for her other new designs (all a lot of fun.)
You could have knocked me over with a skein of DMC 3042 when the Drawn Thread things came in ahead of schedule. The Treasure Box has been the big seller, but I have to admit (as usual, I'm tres not chic) that I like the Winter Arbor. All three of the new designs come with silks. They're (of course) wonderful.
Ewe & Eye & Friends had some fun new things to look at, including this month's Kit of the Month (Whimsical Heart). I also really liked Nest and the new fob kits. Their sense of color is just great. They're also using a lot of Lakeside Linens colors, which I'm really happy about. Try them, if you haven't already. I also did pick up a Flower Sampler by Ewe & Eye for Kreinik. You get a nice divided box with lots of Milk Paints Silks and the design. The scan isn't very good, but the piece (which I saw at market) is great.
Nancy and Bill at The Gentle Art are so nice. And I adore their new Shaker Colors: Rhubarb, Melon Patch, Ohio Lemon Pie, Berry Cobbler, Picket Fence and Green Apple (hurry summer!) There are also four new Limited Editions, AND I came back with a bunch of packs of oopsies (10 skeins per pack) for $8 (almost half price Sampler Threads). While they're available, I'm selling them. Each skein is either a little short or has a knot in it somewhere. Perfectly good, labeled colors. What a steal.
Heart in Hand released a few designs prior to market, including their new 2002 Collector's Heart, with a really cute swirly silver charm. More pieces are on the way, since Cecelia was off to Europe after market. She has a new series of kits coming out that are really cute (the first one is a rabbit, if I remember correctly.) These should be here any day.
Maureen at The Heart's Content is such a dear heart. And what a great batch of designs she came up with for us. I loved Splendor IV -- a clever sampler with the alphabet hidden throughout. Stitch your initials in green to make them stand out. Eliza Bateman's (reproduction) sampler comes in a great French Toile Bag with an antique button, and the Ewe & Eye Needlebook is a great design and project. I also loved her Bunny Scissor Fob. it comes with scissors cast from Maureen's grandmother's scissors (you can also buy the scissors separately.) I teased Maureen about her "slip-shod work." "Everything with you is second-rate and slapped together, isn't it Maureen?" (This is funny if you know her -- she puts out some of the nicest, most organized kits anywhere, with some of the finest materials around.)
Hillside Samplings. Hand-painted Folk Art Needlebox. Need I say more? Sold out -- am ordering more. I have last year's that I bought myself at another shop, but picked up the heart-shaped box that comes with a kit for a needlecase. It is too cute, and makes a wonderful project and keepsake.
Homespun Elegance has released Delivering Winter (I know a lot of you have been waiting for this one.) It's really so cute -- a pair of snowmen being pulled by a reindeer. The series is now complete, and it's a cute one (of course Delivering Spring, Summer nad Autumn are still available.) Frames for these pieces are just $28 each, and really set off the pieces nicely (you could buy one frame, and just change the pieces as the seasons change.)
Just Nan -- I love these guys (they're always so nice to me.) Her new Common Ground chart is a stunner. The chart comes with embellishments and some of the silks. You can buy the rest of the silk pack from me for $87.50 (I'm matching other Internet shop prices -- full retail on the silks is over $100). This is one of those pieces you will be able to look at for a very long time and not tire of. A first-rate design -- good work Nan!
Linda at Lizzie Kate is such a dear heart. And her husband is just as sweet. I popped in for a more leisurely chat on Sunday, when things had died down at market. They said they had spent pretty much the whole weekend in the hotel, and were sorry to have missed some of our adventures in the PT Cruiser. Linda's new Flip-It charts are one of the big sellers of the year so far. Each chart comes with its own charm, and stitches up quickly (great weekend projects, and also great for round robins.) I have to admit, though, that I'm partial to Liberty Sam. He comes in the cutest little patriotic bag, and can hang out beside Linda's rabbits, her with and two snow people in the stand-up series.
I have long-admired Moss Creek Designs' work, and was happy to be able to chat with Rae Iverson for a while on Sunday. She's a really neat lady with wonderful kits and designs. One of my favorites from market was an older one of hers: Winter Garden Gate. Lovely colors and a very nice design. Her Shaker Needleroll is also very cute. I'd highly recommend these thorough kits with nice instructions if you're looking for something fun and new to try.
I'm never let down one little bit when the box comes marked "Prairie Schooler." While Prairie Schooler doesn't attend (usually) this market, the four charts that came out in early February were "ooh"-inspiring. ABC and DEF promise to be (I hope) part of a long and cute series of alphabet-inspired samplers. I don't know which of these six designs I like best so far (there are three designs per chart.) All You Can Eat has been extremely popular -- I love the sampler with the saying: Better a Small Fish than an Empty Dish. So true! And Patriotic Strawberries have been popular with everyone, including some of my Japanese customers.
By the time I got to the Sheepish Designs room, I was feeling weighed down with stash enhancements for all of you, so I asked them to mail me my automatic. I nice group of designs this time, including the very cute Uncle Sam Wabbit, and In Their Meadow (which I really liked.) They're in, and ready to go out to your nimble fingers.
Shepherd's Bush has a number of new designs/kits. The Skating and Skiing Samplers can be embellished with Olympic charms. Patriotic Snowman is very cute, but people are snapping up the Snow Treat Bag and Love Scissor Fob. They were sweet enough to send me a pin they had made for the Olympics down there in Utah with a cross-stitched bee skep on it. I think you may be able to buy these directly from them (their website is at http://www.shepherdsbush.net).
Konetta and Amy at Sisters & Best Friends are sweet, sweet gals. They always put up such a nice display, too. They were just going to send my automatic for me (rather than have me haul it back over on the airplane.) It came yesterday, and I was surprised all over again (I had forgotten what was coming.) A friend of mine has already stitched their Lady Liberty -- yes, my friend is nuts! She said it's a really cute piece and fun to stitch. I like the Robin's Egg Pin Cushion which comes with a nest and really cool pearl-topped stick pins.
The Thread Gatherer, coincidentally for me, has new Silk N Colors named for areas of London (where I visited last year.) I plan on doing something fun with some of them, as a remembrance. They're on their way, and I'll put them up when they arrive. Check out CeCe's new website at http://www.threadgatherer.com. She has up color scans of her skeins of silk that are nice, clear and accurate.
Nancy at Threads Through Time is such a machine, I swear. I don't know how she consistently puts out such nice designs. All of her silk gauze designs are now available as kits (with silk gauze and floss) or charts alone. She had some really nice new ones, my favorites of which were the Historic House I and II, Sheep in the Hills, and The President's Home. There's nothing quite like the look of silk gauze, and it's not as hard as you'd think.
The Trilogy released two teasers: Glory and Round Robin before market. Their market piece will be coming soon. The Trilogy trio was off to Europe in February after Nashville, so they said they'd ship sometime late February (watch, it'll show up tomorrow, after I've sent my newsletter out!)
My Twisted Threads shipment just came tonight. Good Night, God Bless made me go, "ooohhhh!" (Sweet sentiment.) Snow Boy is a lot of fun (not many snowmen can boast a pencil-thin neck.) And Tin Pin Carrot would be a fun decoration to wear at Easter.
Weeks Dye Works also has three new colors: Honeysuckle, Morris Blue and Liberty. (I don't know why Morris is blue...does someone want to send him some flowers or give him a call?) Weeks Dye Works has just discontinued 19 of their colors (these were some that weren't ever really used.)
I won't bore you with the rest of the details about market, although I will say that we had a lot of fun, which included: the worst massage I've ever had (so bad, that it now makes a really great story -- worth every penny), raspberry martinis, vanilla cream waffles with whipped cream and bananas for breakfast, and an older Scottish gentleman dancing around with a bra in our room at the B&B -- really very innocent, and one of the best laughs I've had in a long time!
© 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
