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!

Stitch Night Treats

Greetings, all! I have some treats for you.

I've been wanting to post this, but I temporarily lost track of my photo. From Ellen, here's a photo of Jan, one of our lovely customers, with her finish of Nora Corbett's "Wherefore Art Thou" three-part mystery. Jan looks serious here, but she has the best sense of humor and no one can power through an enormous project like she can.

Here's a close-up. Gorgeous. And look at all the beads, especially the really large one in the center!

Recently in the shop, some beautiful items from Sajou, perfect for gift-giving. I had a chance to look through the boxes, and the tools and notions are just as perfect as the beautiful containers they come in. The linen in the kits is substantial. We even have French linen tea towels, not shown here.

"Sticks" by Mill Hill, adorable small Christmas ornaments.

New, from Northern Expressions Needlework: "Shades of Turquoise."

By Heart in Hand, "It Was Always You."

"Nativity Berry" by Erica Michaels.

"Merry Fur" by Kit and Bixby.

"Gather Friends," a collaboration by Plum Street Samplers and Jeannette Douglas Designs.

Here's a fun little Burnett and Bradley needlepoint pumpkin that I've purchased for myself. I love the colors, and the Silk and Ivory fibers are luxuriously soft.

"Humble Gatherings" pillow tuck by Scattered Seeds Samplers.

"Emmuelle" by La D Da.

Are you getting your fruits and vegetables? I would love to stitch these needlepoint projects:

We have the Winnetka Stitchery needlepoint trunk show in the shop. Here's one of their designs. Thinking of needlepoint? You can do this!

Barbara Ana's new design, "The Fall," has arrived in the shop, and I have snapped up my copy, along with the Anchor Threads and a nice piece of Legacy Linen in 34 count café au lait. I'm looking forward to this project!

Last, but not least, is a little clutch of Halloween designs by JBW. So cute and so quick!

To order or for questions, please call us at 703-360-4600. We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village, Alexandria, Virginia. Our hours are 10-5 Monday through Saturday and 12:30-4:30 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month. Stitch Nights are the first and third Wednesdays of the month, from 5-8 p.m., EXCEPT for the first Wednesday in November (Nov. 2), where we will be setting up for a special event.

Happy Stitching!

Needle Delights

Hi, All! Ellen has returned from the Dallas needlepoint show with lots of goodies for the needlepointers among us. I wanted to show you this canvas, although it wasn't part of the show. I think it's absolutely amazing and would love to see it stitched up. It's a bit beyond my own abilities right now, but it's this kind of thing that keeps me ticking.  There's just so much here in the shop--how am I going to get it all stitched?!?  Going to do my best, but you're going to have to help me by stitching along with me.

A most wonderful Washington, DC Christmas stocking design.

One of our lovely customers was stitching this the other night. This is not available in the shop, but it's adorable.

I am feeling decidedly Christmasy lately.  Can you tell?  This is some kind of delightful work by Shop Lady Candie.  It is "A Churchyard Christmas" by Praiseworthy Stitches.  Isn't it wonderful? 

See the sparkly fibers in the roof?

Here's mine! I kitted it up immediately. I am using Lakeside Linen Winter Sky and all the recommended Sampler Threads and Weeks floss, Kreinik blending filament and Mill Hill Petit Glass Beads. We can kit this up for you--just give us a call.

Here's a sampling of some of the new charts: By With Thy Needle and Thread, "One for the Crow."

And "Rest Thy Needle."

New from Plum Street Samplers: "Penny Autumn,"

"White Pumpkin Farm,"

"Earthly Treasures,"

and "Mermaid Fraktur."

Myrtle Grace Motifs:

New from Pippin, back from Dallas: this is the stitch guide for the individual trees.  Such small and satisfying projects, for Christmas or otherwise.

"Nine Polar Bears." Unbearably cute.

And stitched by Shop Lady Lois, one of Pippin's fish, stitched with fun fibers. If you don't already do needlepoint, you can do this!

To order, or for questions, please call us at 703-360-4600. We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village in the Mt. Vernon section of Alexandria. Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 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. Come join us--we'd love to stitch with you!

Happy Stitching!