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Cross Stitch Tips & News ~ March 29th 2008
Patterns Patch
Cross Stitch Club:
Cross Stitch Tips
& News
Saturday, March 29th 2008
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Subject: Patterns Patch is Branching
Out into ...
Hi
Once more, welcome to all
our readers, we hope
the
past
two weeks have been kind to you and you enjoy reading
this
issue of your Cross
Stitch Tips & News letter.
... for reasons we'll reveal below, we're diversifying. Now whether
this is temporary or permanent, only time (and you our readers) will
decide.
We're delighted to record there's been a surge in new
subscriber's this past two weeks, so we're running this next
item
again ... it's that important!
*~~*
If you do nothing else with this news letter...
**
MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS **
It will take you about 45 seconds and might well save yours or a loved
ones life some day (true!).
This lifesaving tip is in the number 1 position in
our Inspirations
department, which is available to ALL readers.
Take a little time
to do your family and friends a BIG favor
by passing this essential information on to them.
*~~*
Upcoming SAL...
Our second Cross Stitch SAL (Stitch-ALong) is imminent and
will once again be hosted by Sandye.
Unlike last time, the chat
room is working fine and now permanently
available
to all Standard and Associate members of Patterns Patch.
To be able to
chat, you need to first login and then click on Chat in the Community Forums
category (left-hand nav panel on the Members home page). To enter the
Chat Room you need only enter your Patterns Patch
login name. Sandye will be online at a time to be announced
along with the dates.
Why
do we need a Chat Room?
Actually, we dont! But in order to provide a more
enjoyable experience the chat room
allows stitchers to discuss: their progress, any
problems they might have, and
whatever else
they choose, while they stitch.
Photo Gallery
The
Photo gallery allows you to post before and after photos of the project
you're working on, and then comment on each others efforts.
I
hope you can see that the chat room and photo gallery used together can
make a SAL weekend both fun and productive, while you make new
like-minded friends at the same time ~ everyone comes out of it a winner!
Associate
Membership
As we mentioned last time,
to
overcome the problem of "spammers" accessing the chat room,
we've created an Associate
Membership,
which is fr*e, but limits access to just the chat rooms and
our community forums (the Cross Stitch forum and General forum).
Associate members will also qualify for a 20+% discount on some
of the patterns in our Cross Stitch Store.
(Note
that only patterns that have been in our Cross Stitch Library for three
months or more, will be offered for general sale in our
store).
If you want to join Patterns Patch
as an Associate member and enjoy access to the chat rooms and community
forums, please join here. The
subscription form is easy to use and only asks for: your name,
email address, login name and passw*rd (you choose these last two
yourself).
... and if you are interested in taking part in our
upcoming SAL, or just want to know what it's all
about, send me an email
with "Upcoming SAL" in the Subject line and you'll receive
full details, plus answers to any questions you might have.
We'll give Sandye the last word here, " ... These SAL
weekends really helped
me stay motivated
with my Kitties (a particularly large and difficult
project) and now they're done! ... they keep you going
on those tougher
projects, or even
the ones where you have deadlines to meet that just loom over you!"
*~~*
Poorly
Paws...
For
the past 15 or so months, Leni has been suffering
with compressed
nerves in her wrists and forearms ~ a particularly painful condition,
which I've read is akin to tooth-ache of the wrists.
The only cure for this condition, we've been told is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, is
surgery and so
Leni's first op was on March 7th, while the second is
scheduled for
April 4th.
The first 2 or 3 weeks after each op is extremely painful!
Thankfully, the prognosis for this type of operation is good and she
should eventually get full strength and mobility back in both
wrists.
Why am I
telling you all this?
Because I want you to understand it will affect
Leni's ability, in the
short term, to create the cross stitch patterns we upload into the
download library. As she said herself recently, "My poorly
paws will
make it difficult for me to work on the patterns for a while,
I hope our members will
understand and be patient.".
During her recovery period, we're going to
introduce some alternatives, which you can see in the "New Cross Stitch
Patterns" section below.
*~~*
Future
Cross Stitch Patterns ~ YOU Choose!
Since we introduced the service Make A Pattern For Me a
couple of months ago we've had several requests for patterns on
a range of specific themes, which set us thinking.
The result of this is we're now giving you the opportunity to
choose which patterns you'd like us to create for you.
Leni has a constantly growing folder with more than 300
illustrations from which she chooses the
majority of her future cross stitch patterns. We've randomly
selected 20 of these illustrations for you to choose from and
have added them to this photo gallery. If
you take a look at them and let us know which ones you prefer, we'll
create the patterns for you and add them to the Cross Stitch Library
in the near future.
You'll be helping shape the type of patterns your fellow stitchers will
be downloading in the future ... and we'll continue to add more
illustrations to the photo gallery every two weeks, thereby giving you
an ever larger selection from which to choose.
*~~*
It's
Competition Time With Cats & Puzzles
Here's a bit of fun for you,
{!firstname_fix}:
So, what have cats and puzzles got in
common? Not a lot, but then I like both of them! So here's a Flash
jigsaw puzzle for you to complete.
When you've successfully put all the
pieces together correctly, you'll be taken to a page where you can
download a rather neat gift - a controversial report, which might start
you thinking in a slightly different way.
So! What are you waiting for? Go and
waste some time here:
Cats
& Puzzles
... and the first three
readers to tell me what the report is called, will receive
a second mystery surprise.
Have fun!
*~~*
A
Woman's Work is Never Done
Next out from the wee book "A Woman's
Work is Never Done" by Rowan B. Murphy:
"Gardening men
wash their hands when
they come in. In the process of which they transfer the mud to the
basin, the soap, the flannel, and the towel. And leave it there
as evidence of the hard morning's work."
~ Pam Brown.
*~~*
Membership
For Fr^e
If you'd like to win, three
months full membership to Patterns Patch for Free,
why not take a
look, it's really easy to enter.
Don't forget to search for the mystery word in this letter
~ Good Luck!
The latest winner of our draw for Three-months membership to
Patterns Patch for Free is:
*~* Lucy Brannigan *~*
"Well
done Lucy, you're
nearly there! All you have to do is email us to
Accept and Activate your prize!"
The number of entries goes up each issue, so an
increasing number of you are building up credits and
enhancing your chances of being a future winner.
Commiserations
to those who entered and didn't win this
week. But hey, perseverance is a virtue; try again next time ~
it could be YOU!
And for those of you who didn't enter, why not? Don't
you want this valuable gift? (Please remember! Only one entry per
person, per issue.).
You've got to be in
it TO WIN IT!
*~~*
As always, you are encouraged to contact me with any
questions or entries for future newsletters. You
can do that here.
*~~*
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This Issue's Tip:
How To
Choose the Right Fabric For Your Next Project ~ Part 3 (of
3)
If you missed parts 1 and/or 2 of this series,
or wish to
read them again, you can do so here.
...
to recap briefly: you've chosen the pattern; you've decided
what
type of fabric you're going to use; you've also determined how much
fabric you need for this project. Now comes the hard
part!
For me, choosing the fabric color is the toughest and yet most fun part of starting
something new.
No
matter what type of fabric you choose, there will be several beautiful
color choices available. Most of the cross-stitch cloth
manufacturers offer a wide variety of ready-made
colors.
They understand that their customers get tired of stitching on plain
white or ecru material.
The colors
available are endless.
They have everything from pastel colors such as yellow, blue or pink
all the way to the darker jewel tone colors like maroon, evergreen, and
navy. Anything you choose to stitch will surely be enhanced
when
you use a colored fabric.
There are also hand-dyed fabrics
available from several Internet sellers. This expands the
color
choices to an unimaginable figure. Some of them blend a few
different colors together on the same piece of fabric. Some
use
just one color in varying shades.
There is even one company that makes background type fabrics,
such as ecru with paw prints all over it: perfect for stitching the
family dog or a wildlife design. Some even have animal print
fabrics. The choices are endless. With a simple
Internet
search, you'll find hundreds of fabric choices.
Determining what color to choose depends largely on personal
preference. This
decision can be reached in a few different ways.
You may want to just study the design to see what colors would
compliment it the best. You may want to gather the necessary
floss for that piece and see what color fabric would be best.
Maybe
a certain color will lessen the amount of stitching you'll have to
do. This last one comes in handy when you're pressed for
time. For instance, if you're doing an outdoor scene, a piece
of
hand-dyed fabric that looks like the sky would eliminate the need to
stitch that part of the design. You could just let the fabric
depict the sky for you.
No matter what color you choose, your
cross stitched piece will be colorful and vibrant. It will be
a
true conversation piece. You'll feel proud knowing
that you chose just the right pattern, and just the right fabric color
to make it look perfect.
Now go stitch the perfect
cross-stitch piece.
Starting
in the next issue we'll run a series of tips on recovering from the
most likely disasters that strike almost all stitchers from time to
time. Look for the first tip in the next issue of Cross Stitch
Tips & News on April 12th 2008.
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Recent Articles
These articles are amongst those we've recently added to the
cross stitch articles library:
How To
Free-up More Time For Cross Stitch
Do you love to cross stitch but
don't seem to have enough time in your day? Many stitchers find it
difficult, and sometimes frustrating, that they don't have time for
this fun activity. With our hectic lives and packed schedules, it
sometimes seems impossible to find time to do what we enjoy. However,
there are . . . keep
reading
Celtic
Wedding Cross Stitch
There are many different Celtic
wedding traditions, which date back to at least the middle ages. One of
the traditions is the use of many different combinations of the Celtic
knot whether it's in a handfasting or the couple's jewelry. Celtic
wedding cross stitch designs are a great way to incorporate the Celtic
tradition into gifts and keepsakes . . . keep
reading
Try Cross
Stitching on Paper, It's Different, But Still Fun!
If you want to try something a
little different, why not try cross stitching on paper? I can assure
you it's fun, easy, and opens up a whole new world of creativity. Part
of what makes this activity so much fun is that cross stitching on
paper is different from stitching on cloth or plastic. You can try many
unique designs when working with paper . . . keep
reading
This is just a small sample of the
more than 200 cross stitch articles enjoyed by our
members. If you'd like
to read more, you can
join here right now.
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New Cross Stitch Patterns
Following a number of requests and suggestions from
readers over the past few months, we've decided to add one
each of
the more popular knitting
and crochet
patterns from our PatternsPatch
eBay store. You'll find the first knitting and crochet
patterns listed below.
We'd
like to run with this for the next four issues of Cross Stitch Tips
& News to give you time to let us know whether you like these
alternative patterns, and partly because of Leni's wrists
(mentioned above). We'll then decide how to continue with these
bi-weekly patterns based upon YOUR feedback.
If you'd like to try
and win
a fr*e membership, reply to Membership for fr*e
with the word 'lightning' in your email subject line (only one entry
per
reader please).
By that time we should also
be introducing the first patterns chosen by our readers.
*~~*
We're
giving EVERYONE who reads this letter a FREE Bonus cross
stitch pattern.
Follow the download instructions carefully
and Contact me if
you have any problems.
Some of our more experienced members have asked us to consider
providing the occasional design that's a little more
"challenging". We've listened and will be listing at least
one pattern with embellishments, such as: beads, knots,
backstitching, and so on.
Here you can view The
latest FREE downloads (for
members):
You'll find additional information and can also leave comments and rank
(from 1 to 5) each download, if you so wish.
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.
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 a quick email to Contact us.
To view this week's gallery, here's the link again
to view the
latest FREE downloads.
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Cross
Stitch Forum Posts
The Cross Stitch forum has continued to post many
interesting threads. Samples of the most recent are shown below:
If you haven't taken part yet, why not take a look
and maybe join in. Hey! You might even enjoy it.
| Pattern
Search |
Posted by
Roguegal
Mar 23,2008
10:01 PM |
I am looking for a special pattern for my
pseudo-granddaughter (best friend's granddaughter). She wants me to do
a pegacorn for her.
If you don't know what that is, it is also called an Alacorn. For an
even better description, it is a Pegasus with a horn.
So far, I have not been able to find one. I can find unicorns and I can
find Pegasi. But not a combination of the two.
Can anybody point me in the right direction?
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Posted by
HelenMG
Mar 26,2008
1:21 PM |
There are 5 patterns on this site (Patterns
Patch) that have Unicorns. Here's a list of them: My Little Magic Pony,
Unicorn Baby and Mother, Unicorns by the Magic Waterfall, Tender
Moments, and Uniicorn Lovers. I was thinking you might like to look at
the patterns to see how the horn is stitched. Yikes!
This is alot I know, but hopefully you will find something you can
use...
Members!
Read the rest of this and other
threads here
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| Looking
for a Pattern... |
Posted by
Foxy
Mar 20,2008
8:49 AM |
I'm looking for a pattern for
a picture called Guilty Parties which you can view in the Members Photo
Gallery.If any one know where I can find it,I would greatly appreciate
it.
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Posted by
HelenMG
Mar 26,2008
3:06 PM |
Hi Foxy,
"Guilty Parties" can be found at: http://www.darklilac.com/currentchartlist.jsp
I was just there, it's newly posted.
It's a little more than half way down the list. They change patterns
often, so it would be good to look at it as soon as you can. Have a
great day!!
Members!
Read the rest of this and other
threads here
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... And Finally
When the membership of Patterns
Patch
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 to encourage your stitching friends to join Patterns Patch.
Forward this email newsletter to them so that they can subscribe to (www.patternspatch.com)
and receive future copies directly to their own mailbox.
Please do
not reply to this email.
It was sent to you by our computer, which is splendid at sending emails
but absolutely useless at reading them! To get in touch with us, please
send a short email to Contact
us.
Do
please take the time to let us know what you like or dislike about "Cross Stitch Tips &
News". We value all your emails and rely on them to move
us forward as we strive for cross stitch perfection.
... and finally, if you have children, give them a hug and a kiss, and
tell them you love them.
Sincerely,
PS If you're not already a member, why not? You're missing out on
so much! Why
not join now
Joining is easy!
Your next "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter will appear on SATURDAY April 12th
2008.
Until next time,
Missed an issue of
our "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter? Find
them all here:
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Cross Stitch Library
