Sunday, September 11, 2016
Stitching School???
When we last visited, our friends; Samual Satindor, Freddrick Froggin, Rhonda Rhodesclaw, and Petunia Pufflestitch were thinking of opening their very own enchanted stitching school... But what to teach??? Satindor wanted to teach creativity and daring stitching, Rhodesclaw felt it was essential that stitchers learned the foundations of stitching, Pufflestitch, wanted stitchers to try new things and have fun. Froggin felt that it was essential that stitchers learn to use only the finest of materials, and except only perfection. Satindor, Rhodesclaw, and Pufflestitch did not agree with Froggin. Enchanted stitching is about more than perfection and the quality of your materials. The four friends decided to compromise, as all wise stitchers would surely do. The school would offer classes in all of their areas. Stitchers wishing to join the school would need to be sorted some how in to groups.... But how to sort these stitchers? That was a new problem that the four friends must tackle now So we will leave our friends stitching by the fire. Each was now stitching what would become banners for the groups of stitchers that wished to follow the ways of Satindor, Froggin, Rhodesclaw, and Pufflestitch. Can they finish these banners before the school opens? Can they solve the puzzle of how to sort the students that would want to come to their school? We will have to check back soon to see what they have come up with!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Weekly Newsletter
Long ago....
There were four talented stitchers, who were fast friends, Samual Satindor, Freddrick Froggin, Rhonda Rhodesclaw, and Petunia Pufflestitch. One day the four friends were sitting around the parlor with their stitching when Satindor said, "You know we should start a school to teach young stitchers how to use their stitching powers." The other three thought this was a marvelous idea. But what should we teach these new stitchers?......
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| http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/from-the-postmaster-and-52463426 |
...... To be Continued.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Weekly Newsletter
Hello Everyone,
Today is the last day of the Stitchlympics! I hope everyone had a lot of fun with all of the events. We hope to have the medal's announced by the end of the week. We had several people complete this week's Challenge of getting a finish. So this week the weekly Challenge will be a game of Floss Bingo! No new SAL's this week, crazy I know but have no fear the crazy is coming back soon! We do have our regular hangout on Thursday Night.
Next week we have the Fantasy SAL on Thursday (Sept. 1) We also have a Paula Vaughn SAL coming on Sept. 6.
Now for a sneak peak at what is coming next year. For the next few weeks, we will be giving Hints for a big announcement that will be coming November 1st. So here is this weeks teaser!
Like a challenge? Have you liked the team events this summer? Want to play fun games while stitching and chatting with your friend? Keep reading the weekly newsletters for more hints and the big announcement!
Today is the last day of the Stitchlympics! I hope everyone had a lot of fun with all of the events. We hope to have the medal's announced by the end of the week. We had several people complete this week's Challenge of getting a finish. So this week the weekly Challenge will be a game of Floss Bingo! No new SAL's this week, crazy I know but have no fear the crazy is coming back soon! We do have our regular hangout on Thursday Night.
Next week we have the Fantasy SAL on Thursday (Sept. 1) We also have a Paula Vaughn SAL coming on Sept. 6.
Now for a sneak peak at what is coming next year. For the next few weeks, we will be giving Hints for a big announcement that will be coming November 1st. So here is this weeks teaser!
Like a challenge? Have you liked the team events this summer? Want to play fun games while stitching and chatting with your friend? Keep reading the weekly newsletters for more hints and the big announcement!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Good, Better, Best ~~Remembering my roots
Just the other day I was sitting among my stash and watching Flosstube. What? You don't do that? Anyway, like I said I was sitting among my stash, watching Flosstube. I was admiring how varied our community is.
It got me thinking about my first steps into the world of stitching, granted they were a long time ago but I made them none the less. I still to do this day remember the very first kit I ever stitched. It was the goose ornament. Any other early 1980's stitchers other there remember that one? What I am trying to get at with this is the needle this kit came with. I thought it was soooo coool that I had my very own needle and didn't have to borrow my mother's. I kept that needle for years; so long in fact most of the finish had been eaten away by the oils in my hands. It wasn't the best needle but it was a good needle; it got the job done.
Then came the day when I moved away from kits and started selecting pattern, fabric and threads as individual items. The lady at the LNS helped me with everything and even included a free pack of DMC needles as her gift to me. She advised me to start with a new needle. I did and wow just wow. I was blown away by how much those needles were better then what I had been using. I was proud of my little pack of needles. I abandoned my first needle and committed myself to only using DMC needles.
Fast forward a few years (more than that.....more than that.....ok stop), I had just broken my third needle in one day while working on my HAED. I turned to the message board to see what I could do. Someone ( I honestly can't remember who ) posted about needles and talked about different brands. I had never heard of these brands. So to Google I went. I was able to order a pack of Bohins from 123stitch. These needles rocked my world! I couldn't believe the quality of these needles. I was in love.
Now I know what you are saying, "hurry up get to the point already!". My point is this. There was nothing wrong with the needle I started with, in fact I still use kit needles from time to time. I was able to move up with my quality of needles in time and as funds allowed, but that didn't make me any less of a stitcher. We all start somewhere and we all start within whatever budget we have at the time.
It got me thinking about my first steps into the world of stitching, granted they were a long time ago but I made them none the less. I still to do this day remember the very first kit I ever stitched. It was the goose ornament. Any other early 1980's stitchers other there remember that one? What I am trying to get at with this is the needle this kit came with. I thought it was soooo coool that I had my very own needle and didn't have to borrow my mother's. I kept that needle for years; so long in fact most of the finish had been eaten away by the oils in my hands. It wasn't the best needle but it was a good needle; it got the job done.
Then came the day when I moved away from kits and started selecting pattern, fabric and threads as individual items. The lady at the LNS helped me with everything and even included a free pack of DMC needles as her gift to me. She advised me to start with a new needle. I did and wow just wow. I was blown away by how much those needles were better then what I had been using. I was proud of my little pack of needles. I abandoned my first needle and committed myself to only using DMC needles.
Fast forward a few years (more than that.....more than that.....ok stop), I had just broken my third needle in one day while working on my HAED. I turned to the message board to see what I could do. Someone ( I honestly can't remember who ) posted about needles and talked about different brands. I had never heard of these brands. So to Google I went. I was able to order a pack of Bohins from 123stitch. These needles rocked my world! I couldn't believe the quality of these needles. I was in love.
Now I know what you are saying, "hurry up get to the point already!". My point is this. There was nothing wrong with the needle I started with, in fact I still use kit needles from time to time. I was able to move up with my quality of needles in time and as funds allowed, but that didn't make me any less of a stitcher. We all start somewhere and we all start within whatever budget we have at the time.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Weekly Newsletter for the Week of August 14th - 20th
It is that time of year again. I will be returning to class for my last year. I will be preparing for student teaching this semester, thus I will largely be unavailable once again. Where did the summer go? This has been a busy month already for the Admin team, and we hope that things will settle back down to normal soon. We have some very big plans for next year that we are very excited about. we will be announcing them in the 4th quarter of this year.
Happening this week:
Stitchlympics will be wrapping up this week. With the final award Ceremony being published the following week. he Weekly Challenge is back, and this time we are going for a finish! We will also be having the Stitchy Hangout Thursday night.
Stitchylympic Medals so far!
Stitchylympics Medals For the 15 Minute Sprint
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Ares
3rd Place: Demeter
Stitchylympics Medals For the 3 hour Marathon
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Ares
3rd Place: Demeter
Stitchylympics Medals For the 30 Minute relay
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Demeter
3rd Place: Hera
Stitchylympics Medals For the Javelin Stitch
1st Place: Apollo
2nd Place: Aphrodite
3rd Place: Dionysus
Happening this week:
Stitchlympics will be wrapping up this week. With the final award Ceremony being published the following week. he Weekly Challenge is back, and this time we are going for a finish! We will also be having the Stitchy Hangout Thursday night.
Stitchylympic Medals so far!
Stitchylympics Medals For the 15 Minute Sprint
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Ares
3rd Place: Demeter
Stitchylympics Medals For the 3 hour Marathon
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Ares
3rd Place: Demeter
Stitchylympics Medals For the 30 Minute relay
1st Place: Aphrodite
2nd Place: Demeter
3rd Place: Hera
Stitchylympics Medals For the Javelin Stitch
1st Place: Apollo
2nd Place: Aphrodite
3rd Place: Dionysus
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
The Keys to the Universe!
Alright to most this isn't really the key to the universe but to stitchers everywhere it is damn near close. That ever elusive French Knot. No other stitch can send even some of the most seasoned stitchers running in fear. I have to admit that I only recently figured out this stitch (and I've been stitching for 30+ years).
When I was a new stitcher looking at the instructions that came with the new kit I was working on a french knot looked easy; I mean you just wrap the thread around the needle and pull, right?! I mean what is so hard about that? Then that darn little knot (if it even formed a knot) pulls right through to the back of the fabric..........(insert swear words here and getting the "look" from your mom). Due to that experience I avoided french knots for years; 28 to be exact. Meanwhile my sister had mastered the french knot, even the colonial knot (learning candlewicking will help you with that).
So now that you know a little of my history with the knot, let's get to those keys.
The first key is tension. You need to keep a firm tension on the thread, if you are starting a new strand you need to keep tension on the thread tail on the back as well. Also don't release the tension until right before the stitch is finished. And stop pulling on the thread the moment you feel the knot "pull back". Don't yank on your thread.
The second key is thread length. Don't work with too much of your thread. I only use a couple of inches near the fabric. You should use enough to get two to three wraps around your needle and have enough to easily insert the needle back into the fabric.
The third key is speed. You can't speed through this stitch. When pulling through to make the knot you need to pull with a steady even speed. Not to fast, not to slow, steady.
The fourth key is placement. I know, I know the instructions tell you to go back down into the same hole you came up in. Well they lied to you! My best knots have happened when I went down just a little bit away from where I came up. On Evenweave this is just the next hole over, on Aida you may have to split the threads.
The fifth and final key is practice. I'm serious. Practice. Grab that scrap piece of fabric, thread a needle and get started.
I hope these keys will help you master this stitch.
Happy stitches and keep those needles moving!
When I was a new stitcher looking at the instructions that came with the new kit I was working on a french knot looked easy; I mean you just wrap the thread around the needle and pull, right?! I mean what is so hard about that? Then that darn little knot (if it even formed a knot) pulls right through to the back of the fabric..........(insert swear words here and getting the "look" from your mom). Due to that experience I avoided french knots for years; 28 to be exact. Meanwhile my sister had mastered the french knot, even the colonial knot (learning candlewicking will help you with that).
So now that you know a little of my history with the knot, let's get to those keys.
The first key is tension. You need to keep a firm tension on the thread, if you are starting a new strand you need to keep tension on the thread tail on the back as well. Also don't release the tension until right before the stitch is finished. And stop pulling on the thread the moment you feel the knot "pull back". Don't yank on your thread.
The second key is thread length. Don't work with too much of your thread. I only use a couple of inches near the fabric. You should use enough to get two to three wraps around your needle and have enough to easily insert the needle back into the fabric.
The third key is speed. You can't speed through this stitch. When pulling through to make the knot you need to pull with a steady even speed. Not to fast, not to slow, steady.
The fourth key is placement. I know, I know the instructions tell you to go back down into the same hole you came up in. Well they lied to you! My best knots have happened when I went down just a little bit away from where I came up. On Evenweave this is just the next hole over, on Aida you may have to split the threads.
The fifth and final key is practice. I'm serious. Practice. Grab that scrap piece of fabric, thread a needle and get started.
I hope these keys will help you master this stitch.
Happy stitches and keep those needles moving!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Tour de Stitches wrap up
First I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who joined us in this event. In total, we had 66 stitchers who participated on the 8 teams. I would also like to thank the Team Captains for all of their help! The goal of this years event was not only to count stitches but also to make new friends. I hope that everyone enjoyed the event and from the looks of it everyone got a lot of stitching done! Now the counts are in and have been tallied!
Team scores:
1st Place : Team Aphrodite with 206,442 stitches.
2nd Place: Team Apollo with 166,769 stitches.
3rd Place: Team Demeter with 130,573 stitches
4th Place: Team Zeus with 120,728 stitches
5th Place: Team Ares with 105,613 stitches
6th Place: Team Dionysus with 89,143 stitches
7th Place: Team Hephaestus with 84,284 stitches
8th Place: Team Hera with 75,547 stitches
Individual scores:
1st Place : Susanna Rosencrantz with 89,773 stitches
2nd Place: Fatema Yahya with 74,633 stitches
3rd Place: Cori Jodoin with 65,285 stitches
4th Place: Christine Hennesey with 38,073 stitches
5th Place: Carol Eckert Strawn with 33,221 stitches
6th Place: Virpi Rantakangas with 30,920 stitches
7th Place: Amy Lafferty with 29,318 stitches
8th Place: Mary Perry with 28,832 stitches
9th Place: Tiffany Peterson with 28,764 stitches
10th Place: Charity Mannix 22,692 stitches
Over the entire event, 979,099 stitches were stitched! That is approximately 815 skeins of floss! That is almost 3.7 miles of stitches! Togeather we stitched enough stitches for complete 11 mini HAEDs or 2 full size HAEDs!
Team scores:
1st Place : Team Aphrodite with 206,442 stitches.
2nd Place: Team Apollo with 166,769 stitches.
3rd Place: Team Demeter with 130,573 stitches
4th Place: Team Zeus with 120,728 stitches
5th Place: Team Ares with 105,613 stitches
6th Place: Team Dionysus with 89,143 stitches
7th Place: Team Hephaestus with 84,284 stitches
8th Place: Team Hera with 75,547 stitches
Individual scores:
1st Place : Susanna Rosencrantz with 89,773 stitches
2nd Place: Fatema Yahya with 74,633 stitches
3rd Place: Cori Jodoin with 65,285 stitches
4th Place: Christine Hennesey with 38,073 stitches
5th Place: Carol Eckert Strawn with 33,221 stitches
6th Place: Virpi Rantakangas with 30,920 stitches
7th Place: Amy Lafferty with 29,318 stitches
8th Place: Mary Perry with 28,832 stitches
9th Place: Tiffany Peterson with 28,764 stitches
10th Place: Charity Mannix 22,692 stitches
Over the entire event, 979,099 stitches were stitched! That is approximately 815 skeins of floss! That is almost 3.7 miles of stitches! Togeather we stitched enough stitches for complete 11 mini HAEDs or 2 full size HAEDs!
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