Twenty Years!

(Our banner photo is "Elizabeth Young 1829" by Samplers Revisited.)
Hello, all! Last weekend we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Ellen's owning In Stitches. As with any good birthday/anniversary party, there was a cake:

Balloons! (Here's Ellen now, modeling her balloon hat. Isn't it marvelous?)

Food! Here's Ellen's son, Ben, cooking hot dogs for us (undaunted by the occasional downpour).

Here's the Jelly Bean Queen, making ingenious balloon designs. She takes requests. What do you do when someone requests "Minnie Mouse?"

You make Minnie Mouse--or, at least she does! (without wondering what the heck Minnie Mouse looks like. We all recognize Minnie Mouse, but do we really know exactly what she looks like enough to create her out of thin air and some stretchy latex tubes?)

I took this cutie home. She's still inflated.

This is Deborah Wilson, who will be offering a two-day class in beginning goldwork at the shop on October 31 and November 1. Please contact the shop (703-360-4600) for more information and to make a reservation.

Beautiful goldwork. So meticulously stitched and so shiny!

This pomegranate is the class piece.

The Alexa needlepoint trunk show is in the shop. Here are three lovely stockings. There are more! (And my favorite: trees with bling...)

We have some wonderful new shop models: With Thy Needle and Thread's "Grand Olde Flag."

Adorable "Halloween Parade" by Amy Bruecken.

"Stitch An Inch Fall," By the Bay Needleart

Our address is 8800 F Pear Tree Village, Alexandria, VA, and our phone # is 703-360-4600. Our hours are 10-5, Monday through Saturday, 12:30-4:30 the first Sunday of each month. Stitch Nights are from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
Happy Stitching, and we'll be back with some pretty cool Halloween stuff and some new designs this coming weekend--watch this space!

Raptors on the Lawn and some Archaeology

Greetings, all! How is it that we have already come to Labor Day Weekend? What happened to the Fourth of July? We have tons of new things in the shop, and I'll show you some of them here. (We are not open on Labor Day, however, so please call us on Tuesday if you see something you'd like.)

First off, something a little different: Long Dog Samplers "Merry-Go-Rounds." Take a close look at the medallions: they're composed of animals going round and round.

Barbara Ana delights with Witch's Inn in quick to stitch format.

We have "Quaker Quilts" from Carriage House Samplings.

"Red-Headed Bees" from Ink Circles.

An adorable reindeer ornament from Erica Michaels.

"Usefulness" by Notforgotten Farm.

"September" and "October" (not shown) by Cross Eyed Cricket.

By Sam Sarah, "Indivisible."

Heartstring Samplery's "Summertime Coverlet."

I need to buy these next two by With Thy Needle and Thread: "Grateful, Thankful and Blessed" and

"Bobbing For Pumpkins."

We have 3 wonderful trunk shows in the shop: Patty Yergey (Samplers Revisited's) "Elizabeth Young 1829," which I will be putting in my stitching lineup as soon as I finish Jane Clarkson, who's nearly done (see below).

Samplers Revisited: "First in a Series from the Great Pumpkin."

Queenstown Sampler Designs' "Martha Pettit 1804." (pssst. I'm stitching this one also.)

We have a third trunk show in the shop, during the month of September:  a great needlepoint show from Alexa with wonderful Christmas stockings (will show you photos next time).


I'm also stitching this ornament, by Blackberry Lane (Marie Driskill).  I'm using a lighter blue that does not have the polka dots.  I think I'll probably stitch it again on polka-dotted fabric (yes, the shop has the fabric).

I purchased this because of the raptor-looking critters on the lawn (plus it's a wonderful little reproduction that isn't going to take a year to stitch).

And on the Archaeology side of things, look what Ellen dug up! Out of print, by Hillside Samplings. There are only two: first come, first served!

Look at this wonderful finish by our lovely customer, Jan. I love the beadwork! Beads!

Speaking of something taking a year to stitch...or more (of course, it would help if I didn't keep starting other projects). Samplers Revisited:  "Jane Clarkson" is chugging along. Maybe this week for a finish? 

We are located at 8800 F Pear Tree Village Court in the Mt. Vernon area of Alexandria. For questions or to order, please call 703-360-4600. Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12:30-4:30 on the first Sunday of each month. Stitch Nights have resumed, with slightly different hours--5-8 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Please join us!

Happy Stitching!

Summer Stitching

Happy summer, all, and happy Sunday as well. The shop is open today (7/12 from 12:30-4:30), and here are some of the wonderful things you'll find. I stopped by about a week ago, and I purchased this sweet stitch from Scarlett House:

Because I have a particular location in mind for this, I changed the colors of the house and birds to Weeks Dye Works' Bluebell and Americana. Here's where I've left off--it's great fun to stitch.

"Seas the Day," by Hands On Design.

I would love to stitch this 4th of July themed needlepoint. I don't know about you, but I'm happy to stitch Halloween, Christmas and Fourth of July any time of year.

"Dreaming of Roses" by Rosewood Manor.  I love this series and hope there are more coming up (I'd love to see "Dreaming of Peonies.")  We also have "Dreaming of Tulips."

By Pineberry Lane, "Mrs. Maguire's Garden."

"Widow's Walk" by Carriage House Samplings.

"O Beautiful for Spacious Skies," by Heartstring Samplery.

From the "Serial Bowl Collection," Plum Street Sampler's "Make Use of Present Time."

Also by Plum Street: "Liberty Inn,"

and "Remember Me."

By Madame Chantilly--can't remember the name of the chart--likely "Summertime."

The very summery "Queen's Garden" pin pillow by Scarlett House.

Another fun Serial Bowl project:

"Land that I Love" by Country Cottage Needleworks.

"Pretty as a Peacock" by Little House Needleworks.

An adorable summery needlepoint project stitched by Candie, our shop lady/stitcher extraordinaire.  I love the sparkly fibers.

And how's this for Christmas? This is being stitched by Radonda (we do not currently have this chart in the shop, but we may be able to order one for you if it's still in print): "Be Good for Goodness Sake" by Heaven and Earth Designs.

Here's Radonda's progress. Isn't she doing an amazing job? It's completely clear. She counsels that the called for fabric, 25 Lugana, which we sell in the shop, stitched over one (not difficult on the 25 count) is the best fabric for clarity. Santa appears to be winking here; he knows it's Christmas in July in the shop.

Again, we'll be open Sunday, July 12, from 12:30-4:30. Our phone number for questions or to order is 703-360-4600. Our address is 8800F Pear Tree Village, Alexandria. Our normal hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 12:30-4:30 on the first Sunday of the month. The last stitch night of summer is this coming Wednesday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., July 15. After that date, our next stitch night will be in September, and be 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

Happy stitching and keep cool!