Back From Market ~ Not!

Nashville Market was held this past week end, and this was my first time not attending in 11 years! It was a bittersweet decision to make. Reina and I have such a great time going and we missed seeing everyone and everything. It just felt like I needed to take a "breather" this year, lower my stress levels and just plain "relax"!!!

So, in thinking what I could do for you since I haven't brought home a bunch of "goodies" to "oooh and aweeee" over, would be to offer a 10% discount on pattern orders only through the end of February. Discounts on brand new designs, that's just unheard of!!!

If you would like to go to http://www.hoffmandis.com/ and/or http://www.nordencrafts.com/ and view their Nashville "new" stuff, make your list, call or drop by with your order and we'll get them shipped in just for you!!! We do have LOTS of "NEW" things here in the shop already as some designers like Lizzie Kate ship their new designs to us before they leave for market. As always, our "after market" orders require prepayment so bring your credit card or check book along with you when placing your order in store. If you're ordering via e-mail, you can include your cc#, etc. in the e-mail or phone us with that information. Our e-mail is: mailto:msunflowerseed3@juno.com and phone # is: 785-228-0588.

I have 2 new designs released just in time for Nashville! "My Valentine" has been added to my other 7Ct. holiday designs. We also have St. Patty's, Happy Easter, Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence and Halloween. You can go to http://www.thesunflowerseed.com/ to see all the other holidays!

"My Valentine" by The Sunflower Seed

"Month by Month" (below) is a very fun design as each month is cheery and quick to stitch. Stitch them all together like our model or if you would like, 12 individual pieces would be very sweet too. We used 28 Ct. Natural Linen and DMC thread.

"Month by Month" by The Sunflower Seed

Below are just a few of the "new" designs by other designers that were exhibited at Nashville.

"Gathering Basket" by Blackbird Designs


"Wild Lilies" by Blackbird Designs

"Basket of Memories" by Blackbird Designs

Below are some lovely designs by a new designer; Kathy Schmitz. I wish I could have seen these in person!

"Bird Songs Pillow" by Kathy Schmitz


"Seasons" by Kathy Schmitz



I love these; they're sooooo cute!!!

"Kringle Keepers" by Kathy Schmitz

This design is appealing to me since I have 2 little granddaughters!!!

"Twinkle" by La D Da

Newest installment of Little House 2011 Ornament Series.

"Bringing Home the Tree " by Little House Needleworks

JBW has several new designs. I'll just show 2 of my favorites! "Scottie Dog" will have to be on my "to do" list since we had our beloved Scottie "Watson" for 14 years. He was one stupendous dog!!!

"Scottie Dog" by JBW Designs

"Teddy Bear" by JBW Designs

We're near the end of February! and I promised an "ornament finish" class in February so there's not much time left. Only 2 possibilities will fit into this time frame.

"ORNAMENT FINISH CLASS"

Saturday Feb. 26 ~~ 3:00 - 4:30

or

Sunday Feb. 27 ~~ 2:00 - 3:30

Please call: 785-228-0588

You must call to reserve a spot.

You can't just show up because if I get no calls the class will be cancelled.

You won't want to drive in and find that the shop is closed!

That's it for now! Think Spring and Happy Stitching! .......................Anita

JEEPERS ~~~ WHERE DOES THE TIME GO!!!!

I could have sworn that I did a December blog ~~~guess not!! Lots to show and lots to do so I'll just get on with it!!! Grab a cup of tea, glass of wine or whatever, this is a little on the long side!

First of all, I want to introduce you to the most lovable little 3 year old Beagle you have ever seen!!! Her name is Daisy and I adopted her from my son Harrison and his wife Jamie. With 6 month old Zoe, life at their house was just getting too crazy! I had her at home during my week off to see how we got along and she settled in perfectly. She's doing great at the shop and welcomes all the petting a person can give her!!! She and Betsy nap under my desk together so things are working out well.

Daisy loves basking in the sun at the shop front door!!!

Betsy is 14 years old now and the cold, cold winter we are having just screamed for her to have a new coat. She seems to like it very much so sometimes we just leave it on all day!!!

"Miss Betsy"

January brings on the "cleaning frenzy" as I call it, so, as soon as I got back to work I "dug" in. No more cob webs and lots of new displays. You're greeted at the door with our "January Snowman Display". Lots of fun little guys to stitch away these cold days and nights.

Come on in and pick out a few!!!

Valentines Day will be here before we know it so we better be stitch'in
our Special Valentine a little somethin'!!!

Valentine Display

Oh, I love St. Patty's Day!!! What a fun holiday!!! Got some great little projects to

"Get Your Irish On"!!!

St. Patty's Display

We've done a little re-arranging during the "frenzy"!!! Just needed to give the place a bit of a different look. Getting lots of good comments which are greatly appreciated, makes it worth my "crash and burn" recovery!!!

"The Sunflower Seed Stitching Area"

Now, on with some beautifully stitched models "new at the shop"! We now have 3 of the 4 Stoney Creek "In The Village" series on display. They are absolutely beautiful!!! Nancy VanDruff has stitched all 3 and is presently working on the 4th. I'm sure it'll be done soon, she's a super fast stitcher! Aren't they wonderful?

"Winter in the Village" by Stoney Creek

"Autumn in the Village" by Stoney Creek

"Summer in the Village" by Stoney Creek

Below are ornaments that I stitched and finished for Christmas gifts and for shop models. They were all so fun to stitch, quick, and so, so cute! I have been asked repeatedly to have a "finish class" just for this type of ornament. I will "get it together" hopefully sometime next month and post the date or dates on this blog. SOMEONE, keep reminding me, okay????? I get too busy sometimes, I forget!!!

"Christmas Tree 2010" by Rosewood Manor
from the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Magazine - Pg.19
I changed the colors to burgandy and green.

Granddaughter "Zoe's 1st Christmas Ornament"

Designed especially for my little sweetie!

"Nickademus" by Raise the Roof Designs
Also from 2010 Just Cross Stitch Magazine - Pg.83
Stitched for my nephew's son "Ryan's 1st Christmas"!

Below are several ornaments by Little House Needleworks. I just fell in love with them and what fun they were to stitch. I want to do all 12 but for now these will have to do.

"Peppermint Twist" by Little House Needleworks


"Joy to the World" by Little House Needleworks


"All is Calm" by Little House Needleworks
Stitched by Kathy


"Merry Skater" by Little House Needleworks

"Red House in Winter" by Little House Needleworks
Stitched by Nancy

Below are 2 wonderful pieces that I received as Christmas gifts from 2 of my "bestest" friends!!! They are both sitting on my mantle at home and I admire them every day!!! Thanks so much girls, you really outdid yourselves!!! I LOVE them so!!!

From "K"!

From "R"!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A LITTLE "SHOW AND TELL"

FROM SOME VERY CREATIVE CUSTOMERS!!!

Below is a patchwork piece that incorporated my "Kansas Xmas" designs into one!!! Corina did a great job putting this together and we really wanted to show it off to everyone! She added the year on each piece also which was a great idea!!! AWESOME job Corina!!! Thanks for letting us display it in the shop. Come by and catch a peek!!!

"Kansas Xmas" designs all-in-one!!!

Sue came in the other day with 2 amazing projects that she's been working on!!! OMG - this Prairie Schooler ABC design is SOOOOO AMAZING you just can't imagine how gorgeous it is turning out!!! She is stitching all these charts together on 25 ct. fabric ~ over 1 ~ !!! It is sooooo beautiful!!! I WANT ONE!!! She said she was doing 2 designs each month and so far it was going well and very do-able. Look how proud she is, and very well should be!

Sue with her AMAZING sampler!!!

A little closer look!!!

This is Sue's Prairie Schooler Santa Afghan! Finally finished and what an accomplishment!!! It's a beautiful piece!!! Thanks so much for sharing these amazing projects! You're an inspiration to us all!!!

"Prairie Schooler Afghan"

Well, I know this was a lot to get through but I just had to show off all these fun projects!!! Stitching is truly a passion for so many of us. What would our lives be without it??? We don't even want to go there, do we???!!!

January has been a very good and busy month. We've seen lots of friendly faces come through our door, despite the "frigid" weather!! If you haven't been in for a while, come on by.......

Daisy's wait'in to see ya!!!

Stay Warm and Happy Stitching!!!............Anita

Fall ~ It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!!!

In my book anyway!!! I got in the car early this morning and drove through the neighborhood enjoying some of the wonderful color that fall has to offer. The streets were still quiet so I could stop anytime I wanted and shoot through the windows! Sadly, some of the trees are bare already but there's still a lot of beauty to be seen. I hope you'll enjoy some of God's greatest work!

Burning Bush in my back yard. I loves these bushes. That red is so vibrant!
Almost like "Weeks" Garnet!!!

Some bittersweet down the road along a bridge. It's just covered with berries!!!

Beautiful Mums in the yard of a friend. Awesome!

I've recently released a couple new designs. "Igor McScott" was so fun to design and pretty quick to stitch. If you hurry you could get it done in time for Halloween!!! There is a story behind "Igor"; he's actually REAL. This little bat has lived under the backdoor eave of the Scott's home for several years. so they decided to give the little guy a name. He's no trouble at all and probably eats his weight in mosquito's and other unwanted bugs in their yard many times over. He's greeted daily by the family and the dogs don't mind his presence!!! "Hang" in there Igor, for many years to come!!!

"Igor McScott"

"Warm Christmas Wishes" is another quick stitch so you can have it ready for your Christmas decorating. It was stitched using The Gentle Arts "Simply Wool" fiber which stitches like a dream! You may use the same-named cotton threads if you prefer but you should at least try the wools. They're awesome. This is a great design to try them out since there are just a few colors required.

"Warm Christmas Wishes"

"Floral Scissor Keeper" was released early in the month. The chart includes both the front and back designs along with an upper case alphabet to personalize your very own scissor keeper. A very quick stitch and use some of your own antique buttons to embellish. I rushed (not sure of the correct spelling of this technique!)some pretty ribbon and stitched it on all around the edge then added a ribbon bow for some extra "fu-fu"!!! Finishing instructions and shape pattern are also included.

"Front View" of "Floral Scissor Keeper"




"Back View" of "Floral Scissor Keeper"

I have to take breaks after doing some designing so I stitch up some little pieces by other designers. I knew I had to stitch the "NEW" Blackbird "Waiting for the Harvest". I did change the color of both floss and linen. I used R&R "Witches Brew" and Gentle Arts "Wrought Iron". I'm stitching some other little Halloween items using these colors and wanted them all to coordinate. This photo depicts the fabric as beige but it is actually rather orange! How does this happen!!!

"Waiting for the Harvest" by Blackbird Designs

Below is a little piece I stitched last night. I needed a really quick project to get that "finally finished something" feeling!!! Again I used "Witches Brew" linen; still too light in the photo! This design is by Blue Ribbon Designs, "Afraid of the Dark". This chart has several "littles" pieces to make a pinkeep, scissor fob, needlebook and floss ring tag. I want to do them all but this will have to do for now!!! Love the bat designs these days!!!

"Afraid of the Dark" by Blue Ribbon Designs

Some evenings my eyes are just too tired to cross stitch so that's when I pick up a knitting project. I recently purchased this yummy yarn at "The Yarn Barn" in Lawrence. I've shopped there for years (since the mid 70's) and thoroughly enjoy each and every visit I make there!!! This yarn is a sport weight of 100% Alpaca Wool so it's sooooooo soft. Alpaca has become my favorite wool for items that wrap around my neck. No scratchy feeling! I hate scratchy!!! I chose a "Fern" pattern from my very old book of pattern designs. I used a size 9 needle so that it was a bit more airy and less dense. I like how it's coming out! I decided to make several narrow scarves to "liven" up a rather plain top for the winter. They will not only "jazz" up the wardrobe but also keep my neck warmer without much weight.

"Fern" patterned scarf ~ 100% Alpaca Yarn

Finished off the 2 Blackbird designs from a previous post. However, I didn't get a photo taken of the red version. Maybe next time!!! I sewed this together using some felted wool for the backing. Filled it with "lizard litter" for a really nice "squishy" feel! I then used a picot shell stitch to crochet around the edge adding a button in the picot as I went along. Turned out really cute! This "dresser pillow" was made for my aunt so hopefully I will get out to see her one of these days soon to deliver it!

"Dresser Pillow for my Aunt Rena"

I can't believe how much time it takes to do these blogs!!! Time just flies by. No wonder I don't do it more often!!! I really need to get something done around the house today, or not, so I will close with some extra special fall wishes to you all. Go outside, smell some mums in your neighbors yard and take a brisk walk and enjoy what's left of those gorgeous trees!

As I look out my dining room window this is what I see in the fall. The plumes of this gorgeous grass turn amber in the fall and it truly does "wave" in the wind. I don't get to see the "waving" wheat fields of my childhood much anymore, but this does just fine for me!!! It's beautiful!

Neighbor's "Amber Waves"

My front door is ready for the many "Candy Creepers" that will soon line our sidewalks!!! Can't wait to see my little girls dressed in their costumes!!! Chloe will be a "princess" and Zoe will be a "mermaid" this year!!!

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween to All !!!~~~~~~~~~~~~Anita

Heading Toward the Holidays!!!!!

Another month has come and gone! I can't say that I hate to see summer ending! We've been WAY too hot here and I'm ready to welcome some cooler weather and get some added stitching energy rolling. Today was rather exciting as our ever smiling, "Cutie-Pie UPS Guy" brought us a heavy, heavy box! Was trying to remember what I might have ordered that was so heavy but as I slit the tape on the box and saw it was magazines I almost squeeled with joy!!! IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE !!! ~~ the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Edition!!! For those of you that signed up at the shop to reserve a copy, rush right in, pick your copy up and get busy planning those ornament gifts for the holidays!!! There's some REALLY great designs in here, you won't want to miss this issue!!! We have extras too so don't worry if you hadn't reserved a copy. "The Sunflower Seed" design is photographed on page 40. This is the second of a "new" series of ornaments for this magazine!!! Look closely at the beaded outer trim. I have to say it's pretty awesome!!! You'll have to come in to see the actual ornament when it is returned to us, probably very soon!

"2010 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Issue"

Okay, I think I've calmed down enough to go on now!!! I've recently released a few designs to the distributors and they're now available through the shop. My 2 daughter-in-laws were the inspiration for "Mothers Are". Seeing these 2 young mothers with their adorable little daughters, assures me that they truly will be the "Sunshine" their daughters will need to grow into bright, happy, children!!!

"Mothers Are"

Frame: Frame Warehouse

With Fall right around the corner comes, Thanksgiving . "A Harvest of Blessings" was very fun to design! I LOVE fall and everything about it. The earthy colors, the sounds and smells; everything! With this design you can almost feel the sunshine warming a cool breeze and hear the crickets croaking in the corn fields. Fresh pumpkins, squash and apples are spread on the table for the upcoming feast. You know these will be made into pies, casseroles and spicy apple butter to be lavishly spread upon fresh cornbread.........OH MY!!!...what could be better!!! These foods absolutely warm the soul! I hope you will enjoy this design as much as I did creating it!

"A Harvest of Blessings"
Frame: Frame Warehouse

"Sunflower Snow Woman" makes her debut as a companion to last seasons "Sunflower Santa"! She's one "spiffy" little gal decked out in her warm sunflower-adorned hat and matching jacket! She looks pretty warm and extremely happy in her little sunflower heaven!!!

"Sunflower Snow Woman"

Frame: East Side Mouldings

"Deck the Halls" is quite festive! You can almost hear some "waltzy" kind of music playing as these young ladies and lads are decorating their parlor trees for the holidays. Some pointsettias and snowflakes add to the ambiance of the season. There's nothing more beautiful than snowflakes on Christmas Eve!!!

"Deck the Halls"
Frame: East Side Mouldings

Here's a couple of pieces I've stitched lately. The blue version was made for my extremely amazing "Aunt Rena's" birthday. This woman taught me so much, needlework, cooking, and some valuable life lessons. She's truly the most amazing woman I've ever known. She is absolutely THE BEST!!! Happy Birthday E ~ Erina, L ~ Lorenzi, R ~ Ryan! This Blackbird design stitched up so quickly and I loved it so much that I immediately started one for myself, in red; Cranberry Belle Soie, yum!!! I love them both! The blue version is Thread Gatherer Finnigan's Fog.

OHHHHHH MAN!!!!.................. I just lost the photo with the totally finished gift for my Aunt. I guess I will just have to show it on the next post. Maybe by then I will also have mine "finished". I just HATE when that happens!



I've been busy framing lots of pieces for people at the shop recently. I wanted to show some of my customers great work and their frame choices. Here's the framed "Always and Forever" from my previous post commemorating our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. Turned out great, I love it!!!

"Always and Forever" by Little House Needlworks

Frame: East Side Mouldings

This sweet little piece was stitched by Amanda, a very enthusiastic young stitcher. She's always excited about her stitching and is doing such a great job. She's a breath of fresh air confirming that there's some young women out there to continue on our love of stitching! Keep stitching Amanda, you're doing great!!!

"Sweet Land of Liberty" by Lizzie Kate

Frame: East Side Mouldings

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" was stitched by Nancy and we loved her choice of frame. This has been a really popular design here at our shop. The colors are soft and beautiful! Nancy has been stitching for many years and stitches very fast! Great job Nancy!

"Battle Hymn of The Republic" by Little House Needleworks

Frame: East Side Mouldings

Marcia stitched this beautiful La D Da design, "Bless This House". She stitched this on 40 Ct. linen and it's stunning! She stitches lots of 40 Ct. and is a pro at it!!! This photo (as most photos don't) does not do this piece justice. It's in a dark green frame and it's a luscious finished piece.

"Bless This House" by La D Da

Frame: East Side Mouldings

Last but not least is a little reminder that our Christmas stitching better be in the "works" by now!!! This little Santa is by Bent Creek. Kathy stitched it for a shop model on 7 ct. Sand Klostern. It's a quick stitch if you're needing a little "thank you" or "house warming" gift. Add a little rustic frame and you'll be a hit at the next Christmas dinner party!!!

"Littles ~ Santa" by Bent Creek

Frame: East Side Mouldings

That's it for this post! It's a lot, but it's all great!!! Thanks to all my wonderful friends and customers who stitch so beautifully! You'll be inspirational to all who read these blogs. You all inspire me! We're heading into a busy season of stitching so we need to get organized!!! Let us know if we can assist you with any of your stitching supplies; patterns, fabrics, fibers, frames, etc. Come by the shop any time or if you're not in our area, we do mail orders all over the country! Keep the stitch shops alive, support your local "brick and mortar" needlework shops.

Happy Fall and Happy Stitching............................Anita