Pocket Histories of Bess and Mary

Gay Ann Rogers' husband is a retired history professor, which certainly came in handy when Gay Ann developed an interest in Queen Elizabeth I and her contemporaries and designed projects using that information.   He has written small booklets on Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick that stitchers interested in English history might want to purchase.
http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/2013/07/history-for-stitchers-small-booklets-on.html

I've read his supplemental material on Queen Elizabeth I which was part of Gay Ann's Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I class and found the articles interesting, scholarly and informative.  I have not seen these so I can't comment on their value.  There is a brief introduction to the booklets on Gay Ann's website plus links to purchase if you are so inclined.  I don't know how long these will be on sale so I suggest you act sooner rather than later if you are interested.
http://www.gayannrogers.com

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.

Hug Me

I recently stumbled across the website for Hug Me bags, those fabric tool bags useful for any needle worker who needs to carry their projects around with them or wants a nice portable place to keep the current piece.  Here are the bags they offer.  There re a lot useful for needlepointers, from a carrying bag for the System Four floor stand to bags that will accommodate lap stands to ort and tool boxes.  They even offer snap trays and everything is available in a huge variety of styles and fabrics.
http://www.hugmebags.com/styles.php

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.

Cross Stitch Your Smart Phone Case

This site allows you to choose a stitchable smart phone case. The types of phone cases are limited and so are the patterns available but it's a fun thing to do for that special someone whose smart phone is always in their hand.
http://3dpcase.sculpteo.com/en/cases/product/phone-cross-stitch-samsung_gs2

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.

Eyelet Tips and Book Recommendation

Every Sunday Needle Works posts a stitch of the week.   I don't usually post about them as I link to the site in the "Online Stitch Diagrams" section at the bottom of Blog but this week the stitch is an eyelet variation with some great tips for stitching any type of eyelet.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2013/06/share-a-stitch-june-31.html

Plus Colleen talks a bit about Jane Zimmerman's Canvas Embroidery, which is in two volumes currently.  I've heard nothing but good things about this series although I have not yet broken down and purchased the set.  I did just buy Jane's Background Stitches Volume One.
http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_Books_and_CDs.html

There isn't a Volume Two of Background Stitches yet but I am looking forward to that being published because I really like Background Stitches Volume One.  It's a small booklet with about 43 stitches diagrammed in black and white with a black and white photograph of each worked.  Some stitches have a variation also diagrammed.  The diagrams are small but easy to read.  All have the stitch sequence numbered although it is occasionally hard to read the numbers.  Each page talks about the stitch diagrammed and photographed there briefly with hints such as how easy or hard it is to compensate a certain stitch or recommends whether to use contrasting colors in executing a stitch.  My copy was autographed which is a nice touch since I bought it straight from Jane herself.  (One note:  she mails her books out via media mail so my copy took three weeks to arrive.  It'll be faster to get a copy from your local shop if they stock it.)  Of the stitches in the book, about a third were totally new to me.  Many are subtle variations of more familiar stitches.  All are great backgrounds for the right canvas.  If you have an extensive library of stitch dictionaries, this won't repeat what you already own.  If you are a beginning stitcher, or don't own a lot of stitch books, you might want to spend the money on a book with more content, but it is a very good source for those who are looking for something different.

You can peek inside of Background Stitches Volume One here.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2013/06/whats-new.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.

Five Tips for A Successful Needlepoint Project

When I ran across this posting from a new stitcher listing the five tips she learned from her first needlepoint project, it got me thinking. What are the five most important stitching tips I've learned Ifrom my decades of needlepointing?
http://seamstresserin.com/5-tips-for-successful-needlepoint-projects/

Here's my list:

1. Wash your hands before you start stitching and repeat this periodically during a long stitching session.
2. Discard your needles from the last project when you start a new project.
3. Pay careful attention to starting and ending threads.
4. Choose classic projects you will not tire of and stitch them with the best materials you can find.
5. Never stitch when you are really tired.

What are your tips?

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.