BREAKING NEWS: Marilyn Levitt-Imblum Has Died

I heard the sad news this morning that the Cross Stitch World has lost a great designer. Marilyn Levitt-Imblum has died.  I only know her business manager announced her death on the Yahoo Group for her Told in a Garden fans and that she'd been ill for some time.  She also sold her charts under the Lavender and Lace and Butternut Road names and had a limited series of colors of floss under the NeedlePaints name (very pretty, too!).   I have never stitched any of her large, intricate designs but it is always fun to see them stitched at Woodlawn.  Here is her website to browse and enjoy her work.
http://www.tiag.com

Marilyn helped everyone stitching faces with her recommended DMC colors for various ethnic groups so that stitchers could change the look of the people they were stitching.  Here is the link to her Alternative Skin Choices,
http://www.tiag.com/background/altcolor.html

...followed by the link to her free Christmas designs, which have always been popular.
http://www.tiag.com/otherproducts/xmasangels.html

UPDATE:  Sandy said goodbye very well.
http://stitchinginsunnycal.blogspot.com/2012/08/so-sad-tiaglavender-lacebutternut-road.html

And so did Jeanne.
http://juststring.blogspot.com/2012/08/farewell-marilyn.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JustString+%28Just+String%29

And Janet.
http://janetgranger.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/the-legacy-of-marilyn-leavitt-imblum/

Not to mention DMC!
http://dmc-threads.com/farewell-marilyn-leavittimblum/

Unfortunately, her obituary gives no clue how important a designer and influence in the cross stitch world she was.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fltimes/obituary.aspx?pid=159212118#fbLoggedOut

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

Disaster Prep in Florida and Elsewhere

One thing that is always in the back of my mind here in Chilly Hollow is being prepared for snow and ice storms, power outages and floods. We've had them all in the twenty years we've lived here and since we are quite rural, we have to be ready. There are very few services here (heck, cell phones don't even work here and TV is only available via satellite) so we are on our own when something happens like the 3 day power outage last month that hit during a heat wave, the freak before Halloween snow last October that knocked down dozens and dozens of trees, blocking both our driveway and the gravel road that leads to the main road, etc.  So I've been pestering Mary Agnes to talk about her Hurricane prep down in Florida.  She gives great advice for all of us in this season of extreme weather, even if we don't have to worry about a business with stock to protect.  The motto is Be Prepared.  I know we all have enough stash to tide us over but there are a lot of other things you should think about ahead of time.

My two best tips are to use LED lanterns that are bright enough to read by at night and to always have an old style phone that plugs into the wall since cordless portables don't work when the power is out and cell phone systems may be unavailable except for text messaging.

Many thanks, MA.  I do appreciate all the advice!   Staying safe is the first priority in a disaster.

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

Interesting Techniques from Japan Etc.

Most needlepointers aren't exclusively stitching with tapestry needles on NP canvas. Most of us know how to embroidery, occasionally do a bit of crewel, are studying Japanese embroidery, know how to knit, etc.   Even if we don't know much about other forms of needlework, we appreciate it and like to know more about how it is done. After all, lots of knitting yarns, stumpwork techniques, etc. have made their way from other types of needle work into the World of Needlepoint.  In the spirit of such curiosity, here is a story about an online eBook about icon embroidery, which involves the fascinating use of split stitch to create faces.  You can read the review and see if there's anything interesting to you and then follow the links to see more.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2012/07/icon-embroidery-book-free-online.html

Not everyone loves DMC colors in just the same way.  Are you familiar with Stephen Beal and his DMC inspired poems?  He does lovely embroidery as well but the only image I found online is the second piece in the second link below, from the Wall Street Journal.
http://dmc-threads.com/interview-stephen-beal/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120293280493666095.html#slide/1

Are you intrigued by Japanese Embroidery?  Then this brief description of a trip to a embroidery studio in Japan is right up your alley.
http://enbrouderie.com/2011/02/08/kyoto-adventure-japanese-embroidery/

Ever heard of kumihimo braiding?  This is a Japanese technique for making braids.  Recently Bedecked and Beadazzaled had a class about kumihimo.  There's even a video here if you are curious about the Top Right Down/Bottom Left Up/Turn technique Ruth describes.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2012/07/what-to-do-on-gray-saturday.html

I'm not sure this is actually a technique, but you will enjoy the special finishing that Quail Run arranged for this Nativity set.
http://sonorandesertstitching.blogspot.com/2012/08/finishing-for-you.html

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