Holiday Hours at the Shop

Hi, All! We will be open at 8 a.m. tomorrow (Monday, December 26) for a special sale. Come in your pajamas from 8 to 10 a.m. for a little something extra. We will be open the rest of the week, normal hours through Friday. Saturday and Sunday, December 31 and January 1, we will be closed.

I wanted to show you something that I saw one of our wonderful shop ladies, Rosalie, working on. It's a beautiful needlepoint stocking. I love the little animals, and Rosalie is doing a masterful job. We can order this for you. Although I'm primarily a counted cross stitcher, I dabble in needlepoint and knitting. The yarns, knitting patterns, needlepoint canvases and fibers have convinced me to get a little more serious about both "sports." I really want to stitch this stocking!



Here's a closer look.


As always, we have lots of new items in the shop. Disappointed because Santa forgot to leave that piece of Lakeside linen, that new chart, the pile of silks and the tiny pair of scissors you were hoping for? We can help! I'll be roaming around with the camera tomorrow at 8 a.m. to tempt you, but nothing is better than spinning the racks yourself: it's both calming and stimulating. Better than coffee, and even better than a big hot chocolate with a marshmallow. Hope to see you at the shop!

For questions or to order, call 703-360-4600.

Happy stitching!

There's Still Time

Good evening, everyone! Have you finished your Christmas shopping? We can make it easy for you if there's a stitcher you're buying for (you're on your own for the guy in your life who's longing for a big flat screen or season tickets to something). We have had some wonderful new charts and items arrive in the shop this week--in fact, too many to show you. And remember that you're not too late to purchase a gift certificate. Call us (703-360-4600) and we'll be happy to email it to you right away.

First of all, we have a Bygone Stitches trunk show in the shop. "A Quaker Christmas."


"Quaker Christmas II"


"One Nation."


The much talked-about Christmas Garden from Blackbird Designs has arrived. It takes only four colors of variegated cotton thread (Crescent Colours and Gentle Art Threads).


Along with the chart for the tree stocking:


The Scarlett House's new design has arrived: Hannah Tingey 1823.


Ann Dale 1827: Big and Beautiful (I like to think of her as a plus-size model) is in the shop. We carry both the full size and the smaller version of this jaw-dropping design. The large design is a whopping 402 by 531 stitches. (Psst: Glenna's New Year start.)


How about something the size of a deck of cards? In fact, how about a deck of cards? They're "normal" cards on one side, and they have the numbers and the suits, but also little diagrams of stitches.



A Dessin small Quaker pillow:


A tiny JBW kit. There's a tiny bell on the reindeer's halter.


Shepherd's Bush's Fa La La comes packed in a tiny stocking decked with "rusty" bells:


Another Shepherd's Bush design, to be stitched on the gorgeous fabric at the top right:


And Le Temps Qui Passe from Dessin:


Please call us if you would like to order (even last-minute items) or have questions: 703-360-4600. Our normal hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on the first Sunday of the month from 12:30 to 4:30, but around Christmas and New Year's we'll have special hours, so be sure to call before you come if you do not subscribe to our newsletter.

Happy stitching!

Christmas Crunch Time

Put your hand up if you have never stayed up past midnight, bleary-eyed, stitching madly to put the finishing touches on a stitched gift. Some of us thrive on the pressure, and some of us fold (for those of us who fold under that pressure, we'll have a post soon of thoughtful stitcher gifts that don't involve stitching at all).

Here are a few projects you might want to start before Christmas (shhhh--we're exactly two weeks out today), even if you don't finish until after the big day. From the Cricket Collection, "Sugar Cookies."

I've started it, and it's a blast. It makes you hungry to contemplate all these sugar cookies.


Lower calorie: "C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S"


Shop models, big and little of this Blackbird Designs chart. Bet you could start and finish it in the next two weeks.


Definitely you could finish this little pillow by next week and have time for a second one!


How about "Christmas Adam & Eve?" Come on, they're small!


This might take a little longer, but it's well worth it. By With Thy Needle & Thread.


Small and cute: sheep, cardinals and snow, all in the same little design: C Street Samplerworks' "He Giveth Snow, a Little Winter Sampler."


Homespun Elegance's "Jingle Jingle" ornament.


Are you a fast knitter? Knit one of these gifts now, promise the others for later. Or knit them all if your fingers fly.


Two beauties by Plum Street Samplers: not Christmas, but bright and cheery, and we love the red bird.



Just Cross Stitch Magazine with lots of projects and suggestions to take you beyond the Christmas season. We have to smile at the cover project: "Seasonal Snowflake Wreath."


For questions or to order, please call us at 703-360-4600. Our hours are 10-5 Monday-Saturday and the first Sunday of the month from 12:30-4:30. Please go to our website and sign up for the newsletter to read about special events and hours. (www.institchesneedlework.com)

Happy stitching!