Cross Stitch Club: Oops! ... Problems on the Home Front...
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"Cross Stitch Tips and News" Brought to you by Patterns Patch
Publishing December 4th 2007

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CONTENTS:

- Oops! ... Problems on the Home Front...
- A Top Tip for Cross Stitch Heaven... Gridding To Avoid Mistakes
- Recent articles posted at PatternsPatch.com
- Cross Stitch Patterns Uploaded Since The Last Issue
- Recent "Cross Stitch" Forum Posts

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Subject: Oops! ... Problems on the Home Front... 

Hi {!firstname_fix}

... I've mentioned before we're less than happy with the
performance of our Hosting company (problems with way too much down
time and a slow running website to boot).

So recently when we received an offer, from a company we know to be
reliable, to switch our Hosting to themselves, we leapt at the
chance to put some of our more irritating problems behind us... or
so we thought!

We received a friendly email from a guy called Kevin who said he'd
carry out the transfer this past weekend. He reassured us that
everything should go through smoothly and we'd experience the
minimum of inconvenience and disruption. Problem is, it didn't...

... go through smoothly that is. And the main cause of the problem
appears to be a difference in time zones. Odd! But entirely true.

Our Security Gateway (the bit that adds the 's' to http to make
financial transactions secure) is based in London, some eight hours
ahead of where Kevin is based.

It seems the last task he needed to carry out was to inform the
company in London of our new IP Address. Problem was, said company
in London had shut up shop for the day some 20 minutes earlier, and
apparently our guy doesn't 'do' Sundays. So we're praying that all
was resolved nice and early on Monday.

In the meantime yours truly was getting more than a tad concerned
about this issue of your Cross Stitch Tips & News. We've only just
moved to Tuesday and certainly didn't want to be delayed. So we
loaded the six latest patterns onto the website (or thought we did)
and created the links to the various articles and forum posts.

The "fun" (panic actually) started when we tried to test
everything, and found nothing worked: click on a link and there was
nothing at the other end; click on a download and we waited... and
waited... and... (by now you'll be getting the picture). One
frantic-phone-call-to-Kevin later and all we could do was wait.

Eventually he emailed us that he'd solved part of the problem but
something else was proving a little more elusive.

Basically, somewhere in the software program a "permission" was
incorrectly set and it could take a while to track it down. What
this means is that somewhere in the hundreds of thousands of lines
of code (perhaps even millions), a tiny little field that can only
be "0" (zero) or "1" (one) is showing the wrong number. Now this
just has to be the modern equivalent of searching for the proverbial
needle in a haystack. Thank goodness Kevin knows his stuff and
hopefully all will be well in a few hours.

It's now 8:30pm on Monday December 3rd and I have no idea what
state we'll be in when this news letter goes out tomorrow. So I
will give an update a few minutes before issuing this letter.

{some time later}

Well! Not only have a few hours passed, but a few days too. What we
can report is that while further problems have emerged, the
downloads and emails are both now working correctly, so we're
issuing the news letter right now.

Once again, please accept our utmost apologies for this unfortunate
delay.

I can tell you that thanks to one of our writers, we have a
delightful fr*e gift for all our readers that will land in your
mailbox sometime during the last few days of December.

Sorry to all our readers that there's nothing else in this
editorial. Fortunately the important Cross Stitch stuff is all in
place. So please read and enjoy!

        ~~XX~~

*~*  MEMBERSHIP FOR FR^E  *~*

If you'd like to win a "Three months membership to Patterns Patch
for Free", go here and take a look (it's really easy to enter):

http://www.patternspatch.com/public/231.cfm

Don't forget to search for the mystery word in this letter. When
you've found the word, just put it in the subject line and email
it to me john@patternspatch.com ~ Good Luck!

The latest winner of our draw for "Three-months membership to
Patterns Patch for Free" is:

*~*  Katarina Koeneke  *~*

Congratulations to Katarina and commiserations to those who didn't
win this week.

But hey, perseverance is a virtue; try again next week ~ it could
be YOU!

And for those of you who didn't enter, why not? Don't you want
this valuable gift?

You've got to be in it TO WIN IT!

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A TOP TIP FOR CROSS STITCH HEAVEN...
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   Gridding to Avoid Mistakes

If your pattern is complex and large, you may want to grid your
fabric to keep from getting lost as you work. Although this may
take some time, gridding can help you reduce errors and avoid
undoing stitches.
 
Gridding involves basting both a horizontal and a vertical marker
every ten or twenty lines so that your fabric resembles the chart.
Some stitchers actually baste a complete grid on the fabric using
thread that contrasts with the fabric color.

Other stitchers baste a small X every ten or twenty lines where the
vertical and horizontal threads meet. Still others only mark the
lines at the edge of the fabric to help them keep count.

Regardless of how you grid, you can use these markers to
double-check your location against the chart each time you begin
stitching.

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RECENT ARTICLES POSTED AT PATTERNS PATCH:
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1. Create a Balance With a Kneeling Santa Cross Stitch Pattern.

Holiday time is the perfect season to gift and showcase your cross
stitch pieces. A particularly popular pattern for Christmas is the
kneeling Santa cross stitch pattern. There are variations of the
design, but this pattern typically shows Santa kneeling beside baby
Jesus in the manger. Many practicing...

Read the full article by going here: <
http://www.patternspatch.com/public/340.cfm >

   ~X~

2. Celebrate Anniversaries and Special Occasions in Cross Stitch.

There is an endless variety of special occasions that briefly touch
upon our lives: anniversaries, graduations, congratulations or a
get well present for overcoming a battle with one's health, baptism,
bah mitzvah, becoming a grand parent, house warming present and 
many other special days.
 
These are all occasions we should recognise and celebrate since
life can be cruelly short and in today's busy world we tend not to
celebrate with our loved ones as often as we should...

Read the full article by going here: <
http://www.patternspatch.com/public/220.cfm  >

   ~X~

3. Cross stitching switch plate covers: who'd have thought it!

When a friend suggested to me cross stitching switch plate covers
to match my beautiful newly decorated living room I thought she had
gone mad. Who'd ever heard of switch plate patterns for cross
stitching,  but apparently many people have and there are numerous
places on the internet that supply patterns for such projects...

Read the full article by going here: <
http://www.patternspatch.com/public/154.cfm >

   ~X~

This is just a small sample of the more than 180 cross stitch
articles enjoyed by our members. If you'd like to read more, go
here to become a member <
https://www.patternspatch.com/public/5.cfm > joining is easy!

===============================================================
CROSS STITCH PATTERNS UPLOADED SINCE THE LAST ISSUE
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We're giving EVERYONE who reads this letter a FREE Bonus cross
stitch pattern ~ Follow the download instructions carefully and
email me john@patternspatch.com if you have any problems.

To view full-sized illustrations of this week's FREE downloads
(for members), go here <
http://www.PatternsPatch.com/public/343.cfm >

You'll find additional information and can also leave comments
and rank (from 1 to 5) each download, if you wish.

   ~X~

 ** Patterns For Members Only **

- "Who's A Tall Boy" by Riaan

- "A Bowl of Delicious Fruits"

- "A Solitary Lookout"

- "An Autumn Still Life"

- "There He Is"

 ** BONUS Download for ALL Readers **

- "Bells And Baubles"

The download page for your bonus pattern is here: <
http://www.PatternsPatch.com/public/262.cfm >

Please note that you have until the next issue of your "Cross
Stitch Tips & News" letter to download the BONUS pattern. After
then it will be available only to Members in the Cross Stitch
Library.

   ~X~

We're trying to introduce as wide a range as possible in the
cross stitch library to cater for all tastes. So if there's a
theme we've missed that you'd like to see patterns for, then
please drop me a quick email to the address towards the bottom of
this letter.

To view this week's gallery, here's the link again <
http://www.PatternsPatch.com/public/343.cfm >

==============================================================
RECENT "CROSS STITCH FORUM" POSTS
==============================================================
The Cross Stitch forum has continued to post many interesting
threads. If you haven't taken part yet, why not take a look and
maybe join in. Hey! You might even enjoy it.

   ~X~

1. WHAT'S THE TOUGHEST PROJECT YOU'VE EVER WORKED ON?

Member "slckstitcher" posted this query, which, so far has
attracted 24 replies.

"For me, it would have to be my Barnyard Kitties... I'm sure you
all could have guessed that one on your own though!! The dark
fabric makes it hard to see, and it's dark floss on dark fabric
which doesn't help... so that by far is my toughest so far!!"

 ------------------------------------

"I did a wedding sampler for my son and his wife...it looked really
simple but turned out to be much more involved than I realized!
Took me FOREVER!!!"

"... I think my toughtest is the dragon I started for my husband
when we were first married. It's packed away in a box, uncompleted,
and I've forgotten which one. That's what I get for starting on 28
count aida."

"... 28 ct aida?? I didn't even know such a thing existed! I have a
hard enough time with 22 ct aida. No wonder that poor dragon is
sitting in a dark cold box somewhere! LOL!!"

"I made a 11 x 14 picture with kids on it and hearts with the
grandkids names and birthdays for my mom and mother in law...so it
was rather hard having to do it double...the only thing different
were the kids names."

"Did you find yourself getting concerned over getting every stitch
just right so that the pictures matched perfectly?"

"No! In fact I had to do them different because my mom has more
grandkids than my mother in law so I had to change my moms a
little... the rest of the project was the same though since I
followed a pattern for the most part:)"

If you'd like to try and win a fr*e membership, reply to
john@patternspatch.com with the word 'creator' in your email
subject line.

"My toughest project so far would have to be my Biscornu. Putting
that baby together is giving me a real headache! My problem is not
leaving enough fabric around the design so joining the chainstitch
is putting too much stress on the fabric. I'm afraid it will end in
disaster! Fray Check has been applied but even that doesn't seem to
be working. :-("

"Oh well, if that happens the little designs can be appliqued to
another project and I'll just start another one."

"The biscornu is such a lovely project, hope it works well for
you... be sure to share it with us when you finish!"

"... I haven't given up yet! As I said in a previous post, the
stitching isn't wasted because if the biscornu doesn't come together
I'll simply attach the design to a sachet. I'm sure that would make 
a nice gift for a friend."

"The biscornu still isn't together but after some thought I might
have a solution. I'm going to run it by a friend who has made them
first but hopefully it will be possible to apply an iron-on
stabilizer to the backs to prevent the fraying."

"It would have to be the pair of tropical birds I did on 18ct Black
Aida...it took forever and I believe caused me to have to get the
eyeglass prescription changed twice ;)-"

"A close second would be the sampler I did on 32ct Linen... very
small holes and the Linen was uneven... had to us a magnifyer for
that one."

"I only used 32 count ONE time. Loved the finished piece, but found
it totally TOO tedious!!!"

Read the full discussion here:
http://www.patternspatch.com/snip/161.htm  

    ~X~  

2. HAVE YOU EVER CROSS STITCHED AN ENTIRE TABLE RUNNER AND PLACE
MATS FOR A HOLIDAY?

Member "mamab" posted this query, which, so far has
attracted 18 replies.

"I've been thinking about doing something like that for my
mother-in-law because she likes to decorate. It would be personal,
and something she could use. How hard would it be?"

------------------------------------

"I have embroidered a dresser scarf but have never done anything
like that in cross stitch. I worked on it when we took a trip to
Colorado one year (long trip) and it took all the travel time to get
it done. I also crocheted an edging for it... hopefully it will be
something to pass down to my family someday."

... Ah! You just reminded me of another project that needs to be
done. My son's mother-in-law recently moved into a new home and has
new china with a nice Southwestern design. She would LOVE matching
placemats and napkins. The chart for that is in progress - just
need to pay her a visit to double check the colors..."

"Last year I completed a Hardanger table runner and gave it to a
friend for Christmas and have stitched several sets of placemats as
gifts. Too bad those were given away before I got my digital
camera. :-( "

"... Well, I hope that you'll share pictures when you get them
done. It sounds like they will be nice. And, since you're sharing
the pictures here, at least you'll have something for a keepsake."

"What kind of pattern would be good, do you think? I've seen some
nice patterns on bread cloths, would that be a good place to start?."

"That sounds like an ideal place to start...you could work in one
corner or dialgonal corners or all four corners... Lots of
choices!!! lol ..."

"If it was me, I would decide on a theme first. Do you want to do
Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc..."

"Then I would do an online search for cross stitch patterns. If you
type in table runner, cross stitch or something like that, you
should be able to find links to leaflets, patterns, etc."

"Breadcloths are fine too... I would start with an internet search
for Tablerunner patterns, napkin patterns, etc. They would generally
be easier for you... less math and figuring."

"There are dozens of table runners using Hardanger and since many
of them have no theme, that would be an excellent way to get more
mileage out of a gift. The other plus is that Hardanger almost
always requires less stitching time."

Read the full discussion here:
http://www.patternspatch.com/snip/160.htm

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When our membership grows to a certain level we'll be able to
approach major suppliers and manufacturers and negotiate
discounts for our members. So please make sure your stitching
friends know about Patterns Patch.

Forward this email newsletter to them so that they can subscribe
(www.patternspatch.com) and receive future copies directly to
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Please do not reply to this email. It was sent to you by our
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short email to john@patternspatch.com.

... and finally, if you have children, give them a hug and a
kiss, and tell them you love them.

Sincerely,

John Wigham

PS If you're not already a member, why not? You're missing out on
so much! go here to join now:

< https://www.patternspatch.com/public/5.cfm > joining is easy!

Your next "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter will appear on
TUESDAY December 18th 2007.
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Missed an issue of our Cross Stitch Tips & News letter?  Find
them all at: <
http://www.patternspatch.com/public/department27.cfm >
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