Tidbits

Do you love Brenda Stofft designs?  Bristly Thistle is having a trunk show of her work this month, with 20% deals.  There's a slide show of selected designs and a link to the Bristly Thistle's website with more canvases shown there.
http://bristlythistle.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/new-needlepoint-designs-from-brenda-stofft/

Are you a counted canvaswork person?  Then you'll love visiting Needle Delights' blog where you can see works-in-progress and provide Kathy feedback to help her hone her next charts.
http://needledelightsoriginals.blogspot.com/2011/05/heartsand-more.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

A New Partnership

Chinese New Year Dragon

A new partnership has been announced between Leigh Designs and Colonial Needle.  As you know Colonial owns the Lee's Needle Arts line of canvases and leather goods.  Leigh Designs is going to sell Lee leather goods and Colonial is going to be the distributor for the Fash Inserts Leigh canvases already designed that fit the purses and tote bags.  As I understand it, Leigh will create new Fash Inserts that shops will be able to order from Leigh Designs and even more that will be available from Colonial.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/

Hidden Tiger

The current Fash Inserts are a blue mermaid, a Chinese New Year's dragon, a tiger, a magnolia blossom, and poppies.  These your shop can order from Colonial when they order Lee purses and totes.  I have photos of them that I've posted here.  Some photos I had already, the others I borrowed from Knit One, Needlepoint Two.
http://www.knit1needlepoint2.com/cart/core.cgi?product=np&keywords=&next=2132

Blue Mermaid

The new Leigh Fash Inserts available from both companies will be announced at the Columbus show in June.  But any shop can order a Lee purse from Leigh's along with any of the new June Fash Inserts.

Poppies

It's one stop shopping for our beloved stores.  Call in an order for purses or totes or any other Lee leather item at either Colonial or Leigh Designs, then pick up Fash Inserts to fit at the same time.  The only difference is that Colonial and Leigh will have different Fash Inserts.

This isn't the first time Leigh Designs has partnered with another company.  You probably remember the wonderful stitch guide/thread kits that ThreadworX sells for Leigh's Floozies series.  A shop could order the canvas and the stitch guide with threads kit from either Leigh's or from ThreadworX.  It's easier for the shops, and I think this means things will get to us stitchers sooner.
http://www.threadworx.com/floozies

If you are a shop with questions, read through the announcement (first link) on the Leigh Designs website.  Then talk to the Leigh staff or the fine folks at Colonial/Lee to ask more questions and place orders.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com