Congratulations to the winners of the Sweetheart Sewing Tin!!

Helen & PJ

Sweetheart Sewing Tin

Please contact me with your email address so that we can communicate about your prize.  You can private message me on Facebook, or email me at the address listed in my profile.  If you do not claim the prize another entrant's name will be drawn.  

To those of you who did not win.  All is not lost .  Contact your local needlework shop or any of the online shops where you purchase supplies and ask them to order the kit.  Remember, I will only be taking orders for this kit until the end of October.  The kits will begin shipping to shops starting the first week in December.   After the first of the year they will no longer be available.

Thank-you for your nice comments about Milady's Needle Designs.

All the best,

Gloria

Sweetheart Sewing Tin Retirement & Give Away

Hello All,

I am announcing the retirement of the Sweetheart Sewing Tin Kit.  Those of you familiar with Milady's Needle know that I don't usually retire any of my patterns or kits.  Unfortunately, I will only be able to get the matching wooden needle cases till the end of the year.  So, I am sending a message to all shops who have purchased this kit in the past, so they can stock up before it is gone forever.

In case you don't know what this sweet sewing tin looks like I have attached a photo for you.

Sweet Heart Sewing Tin

The kit comes with the tin, 40 count linen fabric, floss, matching thread card and matching needle case. The pattern and finishing instructions are of course included too.

If you are interested in  purchasing this kit, please let your local needlework shop know.  If you don't have a local shop, email me and I will give you a list of shops who have carried this kit in the past.

Now for the give away...

Make a comment below and you will be entered to win this kit.  Two full kits will be given away in a random drawing.  To give people plenty of time to enter; the drawing will take place next week.

Also, if any of you have stitched this kit, I would love to see pictures of your finished sewing tin.

In the meantime...keep those needles busy!

Gloria

Attic Summer School Postscript

Hello Stitching Friends,

The Attic Needlework Shop held it's annual summer school the last full weekend of August this year.  We had a lot of fun and all the classes were really wonderful.  I am sure that a lot of you have already seen a lot of pictures of the class offerings as well as pictures of the attendees enjoying their time with the teachers and each other.  There seemed to be a lot of social media posts online about summer school.

A lot of great teacher's shared their expertise including Linda Danielson of Sampler's Remembered, Vickie & Meagan Jennett of NeedleWork Press, Tanya Brockmeyer of The Scarlet House, Linda Vinson of Needlemade Designs, and Nancy Mills of Five Times Blessed. 

We also had an attendee who is a wonderful needlework designer and teacher in her own right and that is Nicola Parkman from Hands Across The Sea.  She joined us at the teacher's table and we had a wonderful time looking at her work on her latest reproduction.

  From front around clockwise: 

Nicola, Gloria, Tanya, Linda D, Linda V (standing), 

Meagan, Vickie & Jean Lea.

My project was called  Sampler Memories Snippet Roll.  If you don't know what a snippet roll is...google "snippet rolls" or go to Pinterest and search there.  You will see many beautiful snippet rolls that many people have crafted in their own style.  I chose to cross stitch my design and it is more orderly than most.  That's just my slightly obsessive personality coming out in my art.  Anyway, below there are two pictures of the project.

The sampler reproduction from which this project came is one that has no name or date.  So I was unable to research anything about the maker.  It's a beautiful little piece which was stitched in 2 1/2 weeks by Robert Harris.  There is a second sampler which is definitely related to this one and both are in my collection.  I hope to have both ready for the Nashville Market in 2019.  The one below will definitely be released at the market.

May Health and Peace Attend Your Days

That's all the news for now.  I hope you like the project, which can be taught at your local guild or shop next year after the market.  Let your local shop or your guild workshop chairperson know you are interested in this project so they can contact me to schedule a class.

All the best,

Gloria

Nashville New Release & Milady's Needle Sabatical

Hello Sampler Friends,

Last year was a really busy, hectic year and so I decided at the end of the year that it was time to take a sabbatical.  During 2018 I will be taking a year to make some much needed personal and professional changes so that I can return next year with renewed enthusiasm for my work and renewed energy in my life.  It is a year to take stock and see which direction I want to go next in this life journey.  

So...what does this mean for Milady's Needle???  It simply means that I won't be producing any new designs this year.  I will be filling orders for shops as usual, so all my patterns will still be available at your local needlework shop.  I will be doing Summer School at the Attic Needlework Shop as that is a yearly event that I just can't miss.  So if you plan to attend that, I will see you there with  a new reproduction that is in the works.

All that said..I do have one sampler that was reproduced last year for a class and has not yet been released to the general public.  I have had several requests for this sampler and so the decision was made to release "Ann Emptage 1845" at the Nashville Needlework Market.  While I am not exhibiting this year; the pattern will be available at the market.  For shop owners...you will find this new release in Suite #504 with Needlework Press.  The antique sampler will be there as a model for you to view.  Feel free to re-post this picture on your website or blog to let your customers know about this new release.

Ann Emptage 1845

This sampler is a really beautiful work of art and it is reproduced on Vintage Buttercream Lakeside Linen using Needlepoint Silks.  The pattern includes some history regarding Ann and her family.  I do hope you will stop by the Suite #504 and visit Ann.  

For those of you who want to stitch this beauty be sure to let your local needlework shop know you wish to order this pattern so they can put it on their list.  Most shops bring lists to markets these days as there just isn't enough time to get to every booth.  

As I said...I won't be exhibiting in Nashville this year and I hadn't planned on attending.  I was thinking about how much I would miss being there this year and then something unexpected happened.  Two close friends purchased a needlework shop last year and they are attending their first market as new shop owners.  So, they asked if I would like to come and help them shop.  I of course said I would be delighted!!  So, I will see my colleagues after all and join in the excitement of the market in a different way this year.  I am looking forward to having fun with my friends too.

Until next time...keep those needles busy.

All the best,

Gloria

Halloween at Salty Yarns

Hello Sampler Friends,

I am a sampler lover first; and most of my designs are focused on samplers from my own collection of over 35 samplers.  However, occasionally I do design special pieces for a class at a shop or for a guild.  This next piece is a design for a class at Salty Yarns in Ocean City Maryland this next weekend (October 13-17).

This piece is a Halloween spool scissors keep and is based on a design given to me by my dear friends Barb and Sue from Prairie Moon.  They have retired and are currently pursuing other adventures.  I changed and added quite a few things on this in order for the design to fit on the spool, but I know they will recognize some of the design elements.  So...here is "Witches Harvest".

If you would like to take this class, come join us at Salty Yarns.   There are two other designers joining in the fun at the Ocean City Stitcher's Jamboree, including Sue Hillis and Deborah Merrick-Wilson.  Go to the Salty Yarn website at: www.saltyyarns.com for more information.

Again a big thank-you to Barb and Sue for their gracious offering of the design ideas included in this piece.  All the best to them in their future adventures.

Until next time...keep those needles busy!!

Gloria

Attic Summer School

Hello Sampler Friends and Shop Owners,

Time for an update on Milady's activities in the sampler world!!  At the end of August I taught at the Attic Summer School in Mesa Arizona.  Of course, I am so lucky to have the Attic just across town from me and I do enjoy time spent in Jean's shop!!  If you have not visited,  you need to put this shop on your bucket list.  It's a must see!!

The class I taught was a small sewing case and I must say it's one of my favorite pieces so far.  I enjoyed designing and stitching this piece.  Had to put on my thinking cap for the finishing.  I am learning a lot about finishing as I play with a piece to see what will work.  Below are pictures of "A Lady's Sewing Companion".  

This design is based on a sampler in my collection.  The sampler makers name is Ann Emptage and she stitched her sampler in 1845.  The verse reads:

There we shall meet again

When all our toils are o'er,

And Death, and grief and Pain

And Parting are no more:

We shall with all our brethren rise,

And grasp thee in the flaming skies.

All participants in the seminar received an advance copy of this lovely sampler.  It will be available to all of you sometime next year. 

If you want to take this class you might steer your guild or local needlework shop to my blog to ask for more information.  Love to hear your thoughts on this piece and stay tuned for news of my next class at Salty Yarns.

Keeping You In Stitches,

Gloria

Rabbit Run and Garden Visit Errata

Hello Stitching Friends and Shop Owners,

As many of you know, I was able to find a much more reliable source for the spools enclosed in several of my designs.  Last year both the Rabbit Run and Garden Visit designs had spools from a company that could not give me consistent quality.  I was throwing out about 1/4 of the orders that I was receiving.  Because of this I had new spools custom made by another company who could guarantee that the holes would be in the middle, no large chips out of the wood, no glued together cracks and a consistent size from the top to the bottom of the spool. One thing that did change was the height of the spools.  The new spool is slightly taller than the older spools.

The finishing directions for the new releases at Nashville 2017 were adjusted to reflect the new height.  However, it appears that we missed adjusting the directions for the 2016 designs which include Rabbit Run and Garden Visit.  This will result in the nun's stitch fringe being slightly shorter and may not reach the top and bottom of the spool when mounting the final piece onto the spool.

Anyone purchasing these kits from their local needlework shops after the market in 2016 will not be affected by this change as the spools are from the old company.  But those shops who purchased and received these two designs at the 2017 Nashville Market; and customers who purchased their kits from their local needlework shop after this 2017 market will want to make the following change to their pattern.

On the first page of each of these designs is a section called Nun's Stitch.  On number 5 in these directions you will want to increase the number of threads that you leave for the fringe. The changes are reflected as underlined in red.

5. Once the stitching is complete, count out 5 threads away from the horizontal bottom stitches of the Nun’s Stitch.  Remove the 6th thread on all four sides.  Cut the linen in the channel where the thread has been removed.  Check to see that the linen fits between the top and bottom of the spool.  Trim if needed.   Make a fringe by pulling the threads on the outer side of the horizontal bottom stitches.  The Nun’s Stitch will act as a finished border and keep all the threads in place.

I am sure that all of you know how hard we try to make sure there are no mistakes in patterns before we publish them.  But...sometimes things do slip by our editors and myself.   I appreciate your understanding as we continue to strive to make designs that you will enjoy stitching.

Until next time, keep those needles busy.

Gloria

Nashville Needlework Market News

Hello Stitching Sisters,

As promised here is a news flash for the Nashville Needlework Market which opens this Friday. I have been hard at work coming up with new designs.  I hope you will like what you see.

This first new design will actually be released shortly after the Nashville Market.  However, it will be available for pre-order at the market.  It is a reproduction sampler entitled Milady's Manor. This piece was used as an inspiration for a project that I taught at the Attic Summer School last year.

This is probably the most challenging sampler that I have reproduced.  While fairly easy to stitch the actual charting was the challenge.  I charted both the reproduction for those who are purists and an adaptation for those who prefer primarily Cross Stitch.  Enlarged color charts will help you reproduce this quaint sampler.  There is no name or other information on the sampler, but based on the condition and the place of purchase (England) I would hazard a guess that the original was completed C1800's. Robert Harris stitched the model and informed me it was a fun and fast stitch.  I personally love the choice of motifs which include a country estate home, a family crest and a two figures dressed in their best finery, bringing flowers from their garden. It's lovely quaint piece of history and I am curious about the girl or woman who stitched this sampler!

The next release is a pin cushion spool which I showed you a couple of days ago.  The design is called A Stitcher's Pin Spool.

This design was worked on 40 count and the kit has all the supplies to make one pin cushion.  It is charted with both "Sampler Sisters" and "Stitching Sisters", so you have a choice on the wording.  The kit includes a chart for the design on 36 count (no fabric included), which will basically take off the top band.  The kit does include one spool and additional spools can be obtained from your local needlework shop. These spools are exclusively sold by Milady's Needle.  The pins in the pin cushion are also included in the kit and are made especially for this design by Kim Lewis of Kim's Needle Needfuls.

Two more kits with spool designs are also being released at the market.  Christmas decorations are popular all through the year, so these next designs will appeal to those who like to get an early start on their Christmas gifts for friends of for their own tree.

The first is entitled Quaker Christmas Spools. The kit comes with enough supplies to stitch both designs.  One spool is included and additional spools can be obtain from your local needlework shop.  The tops of the spools have buttons from Just Another Button Company which are used to aid in the finishing.

                                  The second is entitled Joyful Yuletide Spools.  Again the kit comes with enough supplies to stitch both designs.  One spool is included and additional spools can be obtained from your local needlework shop. Below see the entire design.

This last items being released at the market are gift items.  I have a sampler in my collection that has a verse on it that is my favorite sampler verse ever.  I am going to reproduce the sampler at some point, but just now I am producing note cards and notebooks with a photo of the sampler with the verse visible.  The sampler was stitched by Mary Cubitt and probably finished in the year (1770) which is stitched on the sampler.

The verse reads:

Young Ladies Fair, whose Gentle minds incline:

To all that's Curious, Innocent and Fine;

With Admiration in your Works are Read,

The various Texturs, of the twined Thread,

Then let your Fingers, use Unriveled Skill,

Exalt the Nedle, grace the Noble Quill.

Mary Cubitt's  Note Cards and Notebooks are sold separately.  I hope you enjoy looking at this sampler and that each time you open the note book or send a card you will think of Mary doing needlework or writing notes to her friends so very long ago.

That's the market report for Nashville 2017.  If you like what you see, be sure to talk with your local needlework shop about ordering these designs.  Most needlework shops go to market with a list these days and they count on you to let them know what you want them to bring back with them.  They are busy compiling these as I type.

All the best and until next time...

Keep those needles busy.

Gloria

Just a Quick Note

Hello Friends In Stitches,

I thought I would take a moment away from my needlework market preparations for a quick note to give you the news from my little corner of the world.  Getting close to a year now since I last posted, but I guess a few things have happened for Milady's Needle since then.

Last July, I taught in La Crosse, Wisconsin for Crosse Stitchery and Main Street Framing owned by Sarah Hall.  This group of ladies were the first to have a chance to stitch a new design before it's release.  This new spool pin cushion design is going to the Nashville Needlework Market in just a week, so here is a picture of the design entitled "Sampler Sisters Pin Cushion".


The class afforded the opportunity for participants to learn the finishing techniques for this design and included making the pin cushion top and Bri-Waxing the spool.  We had a lovely day for the class and did our work on the spool outside.  I think that the class participants had a wonderful time; at least there seemed to be a lot of smiles and much laughter while working.  I know I had a delightful time with a great group of ladies as we shared our love of stitching.  I look forward to returning for another class someday.

I have updated this design for 2017 and included a chart with the words "Stitching Sisters Pin Cushion". Since there are some needleworkers out there who don't particularly like samplers; I thought I would make the design more inclusive of all who love to stitch.  Also included is a chart for doing the design on 36 count for those who don't like to work on 40 Count fabric.  I will post a picture of the other pin cushion with the rest of the Nashville Releases later this week.

In August I taught at the Attic Needlework Shop for Jean's Summer School.  Once again eight designers who live in the Phoenix area came together with a wonderful selection of projects for those stitchers who love samplers.  Each year the projects seem to get better and better.  I found a wonderful small sampler at the last Nashville Needlework Market and I used the motifs to develop a stitcher's sewing book.  I really challenged myself with the finishing part of this project, but in the end it was worth it!  The design is called "Milady's Manor Sewing Book".   The class participants were very patient with me as I explained the finishing process.  I was given some great ideas for future books like this from a few women who know their way around a sewing machine better than I do.  I can say without a doubt that I have a love hate relationship with my sewing machine and the details of my adventure provided a few laughs for the class.















                 Inside of Milady's Manor Sewing Book



From the feedback received, I think this project will be one that I can teach in other venues and it will be available for classes after August this year.  As part of the Summer School offerings in 2016, participants received a copy of the full sampler in addition to the project developed by each teacher. Unfortunately due to circumstances related to the health of a family member, my larger sampler for Summer School was not finished.  It is now in the process of editing and printing.  It will be ready to send out to those who participated in Summer School at The Attic as well as finding it's way to the Nashville Needlework Market next week.  So those of you who thought you might never see this sampler...never fear...it will soon be on it's way to you.  I have to be honest, the sampler has been a challenge to chart and I have had to invent some stitches in my charting program in order to complete the reproduction.  I do think you will be happy with the results though.  The chart will have a true reproduction using all the stitches used in the original as well as an adaptation using only Cross Stitch and Tent Stitch.  When I post the 2017 Nashville releases in a few days you will see the end result of a lot of hard work.

I will be back in a few days with the market new releases.

Until then...keep those needles busy.

Gloria

Chart Correction

Hello All,

As a designer I try very hard to put out a product that does not have any mistakes in the pattern. However, no matter how many times something is reviewed there can still be mistakes made. 

So my apologies to those who purchased the Mary Ann Lynn 1855 or by another name the Procrastination Sampler. It appears that the patterns went out with two pages exactly the same. Page 9 and 10 of the chart show the same part of the chart on them. So, I am asking that all those who purchased this chart to please email me and I will send you a PDF of the corrected page 10. Or if you prefer a hard copy, I can send it by snail mail.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you. You will find my email address on the front of the pattern.

Gloria

New Releases at the Nashville Needlework Market.

Hello Needlework Friends,

I am on the road to the Nashville Market and thought I would post about the upcoming new releases.  You still have time to contact your favorite shop to order these if you wish.  Shops now come to markets with lists of what their customers want.  You might want to contact them so they will have what you want on market day.  I have already seen quite a few new designs from many designers who will be at the show.  I am excited to see the models in person.  It looks like there a lot of wonderful new designs. 

I will be rooming next to Niky of Niky's Creations who is such a sweet person.  We always have a lot of fun along with Candy and Mary of Workbasket whose suite is on the other side of mine.  I am looking forward to seeing all of them again as they are all very special ladies.  Niky has been posting about her new releases so be sure to go to her blog.  I guess Mary and Candy will be surprising all of us with their new releases as I haven't yet seen pictures of their new things.  I like surprises too.  I always have to bring something home from both of these designers as I really like their designs. 

As for designs from Milady's Needle...I have been working hard to come up with some new designs that I hope will tempt you.  I have five new releases for Nashville.

The first new release is a reproduction sampler called Mary Ann Lynn 1855.  The border is unique and the verse "Procrastination" is also unique.  It's one that I can relate to a lot. How about you?  I haven't seen either verse or border on an antique sampler before.  I am sure there is an sampler out there that might have used one of them, but I just haven't seen it yet.  If you know where to direct me for a sampler that has either the verse or the border, I would love to see it.      

                                                                Mary Ann Lynn 1855

The second new release is a small original sampler in memory of two friends who live in another state.  I miss seeing them, but we do stay in touch and go to a retreat together every May.  I designed the sampler so that you can add your friend's names by simply adding or subtracting the number of flowers in the border. 

 

To Friends Far Away

 

The third new release is a small pin cushion stitched in some of my favorite colors.  The spelling of pins as "Pyns" is from the archaic English spelling of the past.  I like old fashioned. 

 

 

Spring Pyn Pillow

 

The 4th and 5th new releases are something I have been working on for awhile.  Then a few weeks ago another friend posted her finishing of an ornament that is similar to these two designs.  It always seems to happen that way.  As the saying goes...."There is nothing new under the sun".  Both of these come as kits and are a Nashville Needlework Show Special.  The kits come with the linen, Needle point Inc Silks ( 10 or 11 colors), one 3" tall wooden spool, coordinating fabric and either a scissors fob or two butterfly pins.  Both the scissors fob and the butterfly pins are made by Kim Lewis of Kim's Needle Needfuls.  The kits are packaged in a reusable vinyl pouch.  I have used the pouches for carrying small kits, needlework tools or fibers.

 

        Rabbit Run Pin Cushion                                                  Garden Visit Scissors Keep

 

I hope you are excited about the new releases.  Let me know what you think.  I am looking forward to seeing how these go at the market. 

 

We will be in Nashville tomorrow night and it will be wonderful to see old friends.  Sadly we will miss those who have come in the past, but are no longer with us.  Each new market seems to bring news of another of our needlework friends gone too soon.  I think they will be with us in spirit.

 

That's about all for now.  Support your favorite needlework shop and attend their market days after they return from Nashville.  I know you are going to love all the new things that needlework designers have been working hard on for the last few months.

 

See you after Nashville.

 

Gloria

                                                       

A New Sampler Book, Market and Teaching

Hello Sampler Friends,

Looks like I wrote this a few weeks ago and never posted it.  So...I will post it now and follow it up with another post about the market releases. 

I recently received my copy of a new book called "Threads of Useful Learning" by Mary Uhl Brooks.  I have already read several chapters and I really like the writing style.  Easy to read and keeps you engaged.  The photos are excellent and show samplers, globes and a few sewing smalls up close.  It's an enjoyable read.  You might want to check this book out on the Westtown School website.

On another note...the Nashville Market is approaching in about 5 weeks and I am sure that all of you are really anxious to see what all of your favorite designers are releasing at market.  Several shops already have pictures of the new releases on their websites or in their newsletters.  My new releases will be pictured  here in a few weeks.

 

Looks like my last post was in May of 2015.  So...I could probably catch you up on what I have been doing. 

               Home Spun Pin Drum

I taught at the Attic Summer School in August last year and the project was well-received.  This piece is a reproduction of an antique pin drum in my collection of needlework tools.  I gave a short educational talk on the history of pin cushions and then taught a few specialty stitches and the assembly of the pin drum and mat.  I made up the poem to reflect some of the historical names for pin cushions.  I am available to teach this class after August 2016.  I do have openings for classes this year and next year.  I have heard from a few guilds already, so I hope to have an idea of my schedule in the near future.


I also taught in Buffalo at the Examplary Needle Guild in September.  I had a wonderful time with all those lovely women in New York. They were excellent hostesses and put up with a few hiccups as this was my first out of town teaching engagement.

I followed that up in November with teaching in Dallas / Fort Worth at the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild.  This is a guild that I helped to start in 2000, so I knew a lot of the women who came to the class.  It was fun to see familiar faces that I hadn't see in a very long time.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had a wonderful time with old friends.

This is a very busy time of year, so I best be off to continue with work for the upcoming market. 

Keep those needles busy,

Gloria

New Release Now at Needlework Shops // Winner of the Sweetheart Tin!!

Hello All,

The market this year was fantastic!!  We had many orders for the Sweetheart Tin and I have been working on kitting for what seems like weeks.  I got sick when I returned from the market and it dragged me down for a month.  Before I  knew it April had arrived.  I was finally done shipping all the orders by the middle of April.  I have just been taking it easy and getting other tasks done not related to business.


Out to shops by the end of April was the newest release "My Spirit's Lift Whenever I Stitch".  This is exactly how I feel when I pick up a needle and thread.  The tray is also available from Retromantic at your local needlework shop.  I am using mine for a small scissors, needle book and various other stitching tools.  Hope you will enjoy stitching this one up.



Thanks so much for all your feedback about blogs vs. Facebook.  For now I guess I will stick with both since the consensus seemed to be that you use both for keeping up with different types of news. 

The winner of the Sweetheart Tin is Nancy Stevens.  Nancy...send me an email with your address and I can send you your gift.  Again thanks all for your comments.  I do enjoy hearing what you think so please continue to post comments on my blog.

Keep your needles flying!

Gloria

Nashville 2015

Hello Stitching Friends,

Oh yes, it has been a while!!  I don't know about all of you, but at times I have trouble making decisions so sometimes I just don't do anything.  I was trying to decide whether to change over to Facebook or maintain a blog and that's where the indecision came in.  So I seem to have decided not to keep up with either.  Which do you prefer?  Would you rather see brief posts on Facebook or longer posts on a blog.  Of course you can expect that keeping up with Facebook would by it's very nature be more frequent and not always related to stitching, but then again blogging for me seems to be a medium in which the posting is not as frequent and one needs to have something to say other than "I am now here or I am now doing this...."  So in short I am posting tonight because I am again on my way to the Nashville Needlework Market and want all of you to see what is new and available at the market this weekend.

I arrived in Nashville late this evening and after driving through a bit of snow and sleet arrived at the Embassy Suites safe and sound.  We set up tomorrow and open for business on Friday night.  The new designs are shown below:

Mary Ann Carrington 1834

Reproduction Sampler on 40 count Examplar from Lakeside Linens using AVAS 100/3 silks and Tudor Silks.

Elisabeth Wott 1816

Reproduction Sampler on 35 count Beige Linen from Weeks Dye Works using Needlepoint Silks.

The Earth Is A Feast

Original design on 40 count sand linen from Picture This Plus using Gentle Arts, Weeks Dye Works and Colorworks threads.

Sweetheart Sewing Tin

Show Exclusive Kit Includes: 40 count Heritage Linen from Picture This Plus; Gentle Arts, Weeks Dye Works and Colorworks Threads; and a matching design floss keep and needlecase.







I have one more design that can be pre-ordered at the show, but I don't yet have a picture of it so I can't show you that one yet.  It is a small stitching tray with the verse "My Spirits Lift Whenever I Stitch".  I think you will like it.

So, first let me know what you think about the new releases.  If you like the new designs please let your local needlework shop know and I know they will bring back patterns for you from the market.  I believe most of them check their emails on a regular basis even when at the market because most shops now bring lists to market of what their customers are asking for from designers.  Don't miss out!  Email them and let them know so they can add your favorites to their list.

Second, let me know what you think about shutting down the blog and switching to Facebook to keep you updated on Milady's Needle news.  Where do you go to get your news from designers?  Most of us need to get some things done in our lives so we can't go all over the web to find our news.  What is your preference?

Post a comment with your thoughts and after the market I will have a drawing for a give away for one of the Sweetheart Tins.

Thanks go out to all you loyal followers for continuing to stop by to see if I have posted anything new.

Till Next Time...Keep Those Needles Busy!

Gloria

To Market, to Market, to Market we go.....

Hello Stitching Friends,

Yes indeed, it's that time again.  I usually don't put out pictures of new products before the needlework markets, but my local needlework shop owner suggested that customers like to see what's coming out so they can let the LNS know what they are interested in purchasing.  This way shops can bring a list to market and know just what to buy.  So, for the first time I am releasing pictures before the market starts this weekend.  If anything strikes your fancy, be sure to let your LNS know so the shop owner will be sure to bring the item home with them from the market. 

The first three new releases are Christmas ornaments.  Two are from my long neglected Buttoned Christmas Series.  I didn't realize that I haven't added to that series since 2006.  So I have released two new patterns for those of you who like that series.

The first is Hark The Herald Angels Sing.  The model is stitched on 30 Count Weeks Dye Works Tin Roof Linen using Weeks Dye Works Floss.

 

The Second new ornament is called A Merry Little Christmas.  The model is stitched on 40 count Vintage Cedar Plank by Lakeside Linens using Weeks Dye Works and Gentle arts floss.

 

 

The last new ornament was originally designed for the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild in 2010 by Kim Lewis with additional input from Milady's Needle.  We changed a couple of things and decided to release Christmas Every Day to the general public.The model is stitched on 36 count Vintage Lentil by Lakeside Linens using Weeks Dye works and Gentle Arts floss,

 

Now, for the book lover who doesn't want to lose his or her place, the next design is the perfect quick gift yourself or a friend.  The design for Elegant Corner Bookmarks is an idea from Kim Lewis and designed by Milady's Needle.  The models are stitched on a 32 count linen called "Paper Linen" from Vikki Clayton Hand-Dyed Fibers.  The linen is very stiff and two pieces come in the kit along with Gloriana silk threads in two different colors.  I have included the finishing instructions with pictures so that you will easily be able to finish these by yourself.  

 

 

The last design is my personal favorite.  Since my trip to Scotland this past April was so wonderful, I wanted to design something to commemorate my first trip overseas.  The design is entitled Thistle Patch Sewing Box and is stitched on 40 Count Legacy Linen from Picture This Plus using Gloriana Silks.  The color names are most appropriately named Thistle Patch, Thistle Green and Thistle Orange.  I have included extensive finishing instructions with color photos to help you complete the project yourself.  I hope you like this design as much as I do. 

 

I am still working on Mary Carrington who I hope will be ready before the end of the year.  That was the plan anyway.  Below is a  full picture of the antique.

 

 

 

Milady's Needle has a new product line that we are introducing at the St. Charles Needlework market.  Kim Lewis is the designer and we are distributing these cute needlework accessories.  These really are a surprise for those who attend market so I will post pictures as soon as possible after the market.   

Well, I hope you like my new offerings and that you will find something you like.  Please let your LNS know of your interest so that they are sure to stop by to see us at the St. Charles Market this weekend.  They want more guidance as to what you want to stitch.  Often it's a real dilemma what to bring home to you, so give them your feedback.

Please let me know what you think.

Until Next Time...Keep Those Needles Busy!

Gloria