A New Form of Stitch Dictionary

If you are tired of the usual stitch dictionaries but would still like a fun way to learn a few new stitches, you need to look at the playing cards Janet Zigler Casey sells on her website.  Each card has a stitch diagram!  These are perfect gifts for your guild or for that bridge game among your stitching group.  And they are just durn cute.
https://www.jzcdesigns.com/dealastitch.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Baby Baby

Pocket Full of Stitches is hosting a trunk show from Needle Deeva. Today they are showcasing baby samplers of various styles. Even if you are not in the market for a sampler for a very small person, some of these are quite interesting designs.  I really like the hand print idea, for example, and of course I'm a big fan of Noah's Ark patterns.  Hope you enjoy these, too.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2013/05/needle-deeva-trunk-show-easter-baby.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Real Deal

Kreinik's blog features their real metal paillettes, which have an anti-tarnish coating. They come in a variety of sizes and although they aren't as colorful as sequins, they are more durable.
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2013/05/pretty-paillettes-add-real-metal.html

Sometimes one wants flashy embellishments and sometimes you really need the classics.  Like these silver or gold paillettes, in a variety of sizes.
http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Paillettes/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Christmas Tree Skirt Evolved

The Needlepointer's daily e-flier shows off the evolution of a Christmas tree skirt series into two long banners for the stitcher's kids.   It is a very clever way to handle a set of small canvases when the original plan doesn't seem right any more.  If you have a pile of similar canvases in your stash awaiting inspiration, maybe this will work for you as well.
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2b1a4dafdf1ba6e29e773aa79&id=20bcbb10d0&e=73961ee0ea

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

RSS Reader Alert

Mary Corbet speaks for all bloggers whose readership keeps up with the news via RSS readers.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/05/needle-n-thread-technical-stuff-rss-readers.html

If the term "RSS reader" means absolutely nothing to you, then you can skip the article, but just so you know,  an RSS reader is a website that lists all the sites you follow in one place so you can log in there and read everything that's been updated.  Google has a site called Google Reader that a lot of people use but that Google (for their own mysterious reasons) has decided to remove Google Reader starting July 1st so folks are looking for alternatives.

Like Mary, I have switched from Google Reader to Feedly.  I've heard good things about Bloglovin but  I like Feedly better.  It seems more natural for me to navigate.  Like everything else, one size does not fit all, so use Mary's article to find a replacement that suits you.

I don't think the list of blogs I maintain at the bottom of this page will be effected as I was careful not to import my Google Reader feeds to create it.  I built it by hand, adding each link manually.  But not all blog lists were done this way so you may find your favorite blog's list of favorites impacted by Google's decision.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.