Spring Cleaning

No, I'm not spring cleaning, silly. I'm stitching, or I will be once I post this. The spring cleaning is being done by two online shops: Needles and Threads of Ruxton in Maryland and Old World Designs in California.

Both are favorite online destinations of mine and both have recently redone their websites slightly with new fun things you will enjoy (in case you need something to do besides cleaning out that closet and washing windows).

Needles and Threads of Ruxton is back with a revamped website. They still have the very nice stitch dictionary with lovely diagrams of some unusual and lovely stitches, but they've added Comments so you can interact with news stories. Sadly, most of the postings are spam right now, which is why the comments on my Blogspot blog are moderated and the comments on my Yahoo 360 blog are closed except to those with a Yahoo relationship of some kind. So ignore the comments until Needles and Threads has time to solve the spamming problem.

Instead, have a gander at these! They have thirteen pages of canvases to browse. I'm sure there is something there to catch your eye.

http://www.needlesandthreadsofruxton.com/f_product_display.php?s=4&id=4

Old World Designs has tweeked their website. They have added photos of the threads that they carry, especially helpful if you have no local shop and want to see before you mail order something. They have added one item you'll want to bookmark, or at least print out and put on your bulletin board--a chart of how many strands or plies you'll need on 13 count and 18 count canvas. They also are doing a Melissa Shirley Noah's Ark set as a monthly club with two canvases a month until September when you will have the ark to stitch together. By the way, don't miss the Terian Crafts section on their design list. Terian Crafts does lovely oriental rug and pillow patterns with wool from Chile on large count canvas. Their work is superb.

http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/

http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/ply.html

http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/artists/terian.html

Finally, Old World Designs is having a Julie Pischke trunk show. Julie has a shop in Key West and many of her designs reflect the laid-back lifestyle of the southern-most part of the continental United States. The canvas above is one of my favorites from her collection, "Island Gossip."

Yes, it's in my stash. Now put down that dust rag, shove the vacuum cleaner into the corner, put away the garden tools and sit down and choose a Julie canvas for yourself!

http://www.islandneedlepoint.com/


Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow