Stitch Away, All

I think the most fun time of year to be a stitcher has to be Christmas. So much to see and stitch!

We had our shop Christmas party with our wonderful customers. Everyone brought food and showed off some of their stitched ornaments. Here are a bunch of super cute ornaments stitched by Helen:

I think she stitched this also; my apologies if it belongs to someone else.

A lovely display of Pippin needlepoint trees, large and small, some green scissors, a project bag, and a nice large Christmas tree needle minder at the top.

Shop Lady Radonda, a fabulous needlepointer, received this pear from our finisher. Amazing.

Radonda is also working on this.

On Sunday all the Shop Ladies gathered at Ellen's house to stitch and exchange gifts. My photo doesn't do this justice. Patricia stitched the design and inserted it into a Lone Elm box with a sliding lid. Love the blue box with the inset.

While we do not sell the supplies for this kind of project, I had to share it with you. All our shop ladies are multi-talented, multi-dimensional craftspersons. Linda learned to weave Nantucket baskets, and this is her creation. The fur liner is a hat she inherited from her mom. Absolute perfection and a reminder to me that there are not enough hours in the day or days in the year to accomplish all of the things I would like to do, and that sometimes, it has to be enough to appreciate the art and accomplishments of others.

Sharon needlepointed this Santa (out of print, unfortunately).

Lois stitched this wonderful deer.

I don't remember who stitched this, but it's such fun.

Nor do I remember who stitched this charming glow-in-the-dark Pippin bat.

Ellen stitched this adorable cardinal and inserted it into the little case.

I do not remember who stitched this Shepherd's Bush piece and inserted it into the small tray, but we all loved it.

Elllen's house is decked out with a huge variety of needlework, from elegant to whimsical. Here are some Prairie Schooler santas.

I couldn't get all the Santas in one shot.

A very Christmassy small sampler (unfortunately out of print).

Here's a shot of many--but not all--of these wonderful needleworks.

I think the guy on the right looks shifty.

Now to some things for you to stitch: Three of Erica Michaels' wonderful 12 Days of Christmas strawberries.

"Wise Men," also by Erica Michaels.

"Noel" by Lizzie Kate. This is the shop model. The kit includes the Santa needle nanny shown.

One of my favorite shop models, by, I believe, Erica Michaels.

"Come Let Us Adore Him" by Lizzie Kate.

"Holiday Ornaments" by Laura J. Perin.

A re-issued Prairie Schooler set of designs.

A Mill Hill Angel.

Also by Mill Hill, two more winter/Christmas designs.

To order or for questions, please call us at 703-360-4600.

We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village in the Mount Vernon section of Alexandria.

Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30-4:30 on the first Sunday of the month. Stitch Nights are the first and third Wednesdays of the month, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Our special hours for the month of December are: Saturday, December 24, 10 a.m.-noon; December 25 and 26 closed; Tuesday, December 27 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. (watch the newsletter for special notes); Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, December 31, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Sunday, January 1, closed.

Happy stitching!

Cross Stitch and Needlepoint

Happy Sunday evening!

I have a few photos from the shop to tempt you with. First up is this delightful pin pillow, complete with adorable pins. The cover artwork is a little light, but it's a snow scene called "Christmas Time Pinkeep."

Here's a closeup of the pins. Aren't they great? They are included with the chart.

"Christmas Tea" by With Thy Needle and Thread."

"The Milkmaid" by The Scarlet Letter. Not a quick stitch certainly, but oh, the satisfaction...

By Hands Across the Sea Samples, "Elizabeth Beaven 1835." Look closely at the birds in the border. Aren't they wonderful?

A cute cross stitch project from Needle Bling Designs: "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

I can't get this photo to run horizontally, but you get the idea. A beautiful "Merry Noel" from With Thy Needle and Thread.

Imaginating "Christmas" redwork.

We have tons of Christmas canvases--and canvases for every other occasion--in the shop. This is my recent purchase, a Raymond Crawford star Christmas ornament. I'm using some beautiful blue Vineyard Silk and sparkly gold Neon Rays. I used to exclusively cross stitch, but I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying needlepoint. Really, it's not hard, and we can get you started with a design that won't frustrate you if you're a beginner.

Two lovely Christmas needlepoint canvases.

Speaking of needlepoint, we have new fibers in the shop: Pepper Pot, Bella Lusso and Poppies. So many gorgeous colors.

Our wall, bright with non-Christmas canvases.

To order or for questions, please call us at 703-360-4600.

We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village in the Mount Vernon section of Alexandria.

Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30-4:30 on the first Sunday of the month. Stitch Nights are the first and third Wednesdays of the month, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Our special hours for the month of December are: Saturday, December 24, 10 a.m.-noon; December 25 and 26 closed; Tuesday, December 27 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. (watch the newsletter for special notes); Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, December 31, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Sunday, January 1, closed.

Happy stitching!

Small Business Saturday

Happy Small Business Saturday, All!

We hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and restful and full of great food. The fact that Thanksgiving is already in our rear view mirror means we're coming up on Christmas fast, so here are some ideas for quicker stitches, and some holiday delights.

Cute small design from JBW, "O Christmas Tree." Finish it any way you wish--wrap up a nice pillow with some fabric and ribbon stash you have on hand.

"Just Cross Stitch"--December 2016 issue. And we have a few years of the special Christmas ornament issue on hand for a quick ornament stitch.

Sadly, this is the last issue of "Cross Stitch and Needlework." This final issue includes some wonderful, large project from years past:

The three-part Amish life project.

And the much sought-after "Santa's List."

Not really Christmas, but I couldn't resist these two, and I know they'll be much-appreciated little gifts. By Stacy Nash, "Redbud Cottage Pinkeep" and...

..."House on Pumpkin Hill Pinkeep." We have lots of fun JABCO pins in the shop. Stitch up one of this little pillows and gift it to a friend with pins. Or attach an In Stitches Gift Card to a little pocket you sew on the back.

"Merry Christmas Pillow" by Little House Needleworks.

Six adorable Christmas ornaments from Cuore e Batticuore.

A little larger, but still not huge: a wonderful graphic "Christmas Ornament 2016" by Alessandra Adelaide

"Piney Woods" Tray and Pinkeep by Chessie & Me. The tray insert is quite petite: stitch count is 64x92.

"Wood and Flax" by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread.

Three by Madame Chantilly: "Gloria,"

"Christmas Scooter,"

and "Christmas in the Forest."

And last but not least, an adorable Christmas ornament/pin pillow by Little House Needleworks, "LMN," part of the ABC Samplers series.  Would you like to stitch a little sampler that doesn't take months?  Here it is!

To order or for questions, please call us at 703-360-4600.

We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village in the Mount Vernon Section of Alexandria.

Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30-4:30 on the first Sunday of the month. Stitch Nights are the first and third Wednesdays of the month, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Our special hours for the month of December are: Saturday, December 24, 10 a.m.-noon; December 25 and 26 closed; Tuesday, December 27 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. (watch the newsletter for special notes); Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, December 31, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Sunday, January 1, closed.

Happy stitching!