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Cross Stitch Tips & News ~ May 10th 2008
Patterns Patch Cross Stitch Club:
Cross Stitch Tips & News
Saturday, May 10th 2008 |
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Subject: What's Popular with Cross Stitchers everywhere... Hi [firstname]
... is a question that I doubt anybody can answer with any great certainty; after all we stitchers are such a diverse lot. However, we'll show you what's definitely popular with our Patterns Patch members.
Once more, welcome to all our readers, we hope the past two weeks have again been kind to you and you enjoy reading this issue of your Cross Stitch Tips & News letter.
*~~*
Patterns Patch "Top 20"
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We get a growing number of requests each week asking us to list our most popular cross-stitch patterns.
Since we like to listen to you, it seemed an appropriate time to go public on our top downloads.
For a long time (for the first 12 months from our launch in October 2006) The Milkmaid was usually first with The Big 5 close behind.
What we also found interesting is that no single category seems any more popular than the rest. You can see that reflected in the top 20 listing we've given you here (together with thumbnail sketches of the first five cross stitch patterns) ... and so here they are:
1. Mountain Retreat
2. The Big 5 of the African Jungle
3. Fairies in a Cup
4. Moo Surrounded By Sunflowers
5. The Milkmaid.
6. Little Hope
7. Last Supper With 12 Disciples
8. Dolphin Sunset
9. Light of Peace
10. Running Wolves
11. Animal and Maiden
12. Bald Eagle on Stars & Stripes
13. Fantasy Kingdom
14. Airy Lovers
15. Mama's Boy
16. The Cherokee Child
17. Born Hunters 18. Heart and Soul 19. Dog's Eye View 20. Jesus Blessing the Children |
#~ The First Five ~#
#1. Mountain Retreat
#2. The Big 5 of the African Jungle
#3. Fairies in a Cup
#4. Moo Surrounded by Sunflowers
#5. The Milkmaid
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*~~*
From Launch an Aeroplane to Cat's in the Bag...
Several of you submitted scores (from the previous issue's competition) of how far you managed to launch that paper aeroplane. Evelynn Goldsmith launched it furthest and managed a huge 100.551 metres. Congratulations to Evelynn. In second place Mayflower639 launched her aeroplane 63.432 metres, while Fiona Withers gets an honorable mention for achieving 58.350 metres.
Our three winners will each receive one of our valuable reports:
"Cross-Stitch Equipment (Choosing What's Right for You)"
... and for those who are curious, the furthest launch we're aware of is 113.493 metres, performed by a gentleman from Scotland (unfortunately we cannot confirm the rumour that he performed this feat whilst wearing his kilt. Here's another 'knotty' little problem that shouldn't prove much of an obstacle to those who can count (read it carefully now):
- There are 7 girls on a bus
- Each girl has 7 backpacks
- In each backpack, there are 7 big cats
- For every big cat there are 7 little cats
- Question: How many legs are there in the bus?
- The number of legs is the password to unlock the Excel sheet, which you can get to through this l1nk: Cat's In The Bag
... and if you let me know what's the password, and how long it took you to find out...
There just might be a little something coming your way. (It took me more than 10 minutes to figure out, but then I've only got ten fingers and ten toes).
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: When a woman has been down on her knees scrubbing for a week, and washing for another week, a man, returning and finding his house in order, and vaguely conscious of a newer and fresher smell about it, talks quite tenderly of "a woman's touch". ~ May Sinclair.
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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:
*~* Carolyn Plourd *~*
"Well done Carolyn, 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!
Associate Membership
To overcome the problem of "spammers" accessing or new 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).
*~~*
Cross Stitch Services
We have an ever growng list of services our members and subscribers can use and enjoy (mostly for fr*e), including:
Make A Pattern For Me:
Yes, we'll create a cross-stitch pattern for you, for fr^e. But there are a couple of conditions that you need to know about ~ go read the details here.
Is there ANY aspect of cross stitch that's puzzling you? That you'd like a simple explanation or an opinion on? We are always interested in hearing your questions or comments.
Our policy is there are no silly questions. So don't be shy. Come forward and feel free to ask anything you like. Our friendly experts Beryl and Lizzie don't bite and will do their best to provide you with a full, easily understood answer.
Inspirations:OK! Not exactly a service, but if you need a good dose of motivation or simply picking up, this is the place to go for a diverse range of vidoes and presentations that will both inspire and amuse you. Go here to see the latest addition:
We regularly add to this department so make sure you pay a visit each time you read your Cross-Stitch Tips & News letter. |
Cross-Stitch Tip:
Help! I Need More Thread ...
... and I cannot find a matching dye lot
We all know how important it is to buy enough thread in the same dye lot to complete our project. Sadly, sometimes disaster strikes, and you need to buy more thread. If luck isn't on your side, you may have to buy thread from a different dye lot.
So how do you handle this color difference without ruining your cross stitch project? First, before you go to the craft store, decide what you will do if the dye lots don't match. Consider the folowing:
- Is the area you've stitched small? Often the best approach is to frog the stitches (remove them) and start over.
- Is the pattern so colorful that adding another color won't disrupt the design? If your design has many colors, consider just adding another one to the project.
- Can you change the design? If you are stitching a large area of one color, changing the dye lot may be noticeable. Examine your pattern and see if there is a way to alter the design so that you won't need additional thread.
- Can the new thread be merged with the existing thread?
Sometimes if the new dye lot is very close to the old one, you can merge the two. If you have been stitching with three strands, merge the colors by stitching first with two strands of the old thread and one strand of the new thread. Then switch to one strand of the old thread and two strands of the new thread. Finally, switch to all three strands of the new thread.
If you are stitching with two strands, stitch with one of each thread for a while and then switch to two strands of the new thread.
While it's never good to run out of thread, it needn't be a disaster! |
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Recent ArticlesThese articles are amongst those we've recently added to the cross stitch articles library:
Cross-Stitch Presents for Mother and Baby.
Having a baby is a busy and special time, and it is also a call for most cross-stitchers to get out their needle, floss, and fabric. Since most women announce their pregnancy months before the baby is born, it gives stitchers time to create and cross-stitch some beautiful projects. Most people recommend that any crafted items you give be useful to the mother and baby, however there are some gifts that can last a lifetime . . . keep reading
How to Find Fellow Cross Stitchers Locally
Are you interested in connecting with other people who enjoy cross stitch? Meeting with other cross stitchers can really be fun. You can swap ideas and techniques, share patterns, and generally have a terrific time . . . keep reading
Buying quality craft and cross stitch supplies
It is important to have the best quality tools to complete a job. This holds true no matter if the job you're doing is a highly skilled like woodworking, or more "artsy" like cross stitch. Having good quality craft and cross stitch supplies will completing your project easier. Carefully choose and look after your cross stitch supplies to maintain their quality and integrity . . . 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 PatternsWe know that many experienced stitchers prefer to stitch their counted cross-stitch patterns on 18 and 22 count fabrics. For the past month we've taken this into account and you'll find our latest patterns now have shopping lists for 14-, 18-, and 22-count fabrics.
Following a number of requests and suggestions from readers in the past, 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.
If you'd like to try and win a fr*e membership, reply to Membership for fr*e with the word 'halifax' in your email subject line (only one entry per reader please).
We'd like to run with this for the next two 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 (which unfortunately are proving slower to heal than we expected). We'll then decide how to continue with these bi-weekly patterns based upon YOUR feedback.
By that time we should also be introducing the first patterns chosen by our readers.
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We're giving EVERYONE who reads this letter a FREE Bonus cross stitch pattern.
Follow the download instructions carefully and Contact us 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 usually list at least one pattern with embellishments, such as: beads, knots, backstitching, and so on.
Here you can view The latest FREE downloads (for Standard members):
You'll find additional information and can also leave comments and rank (from 1 to 5) each download, if you so wish (this feature does work for members).
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 Standard 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.
| Making Your Own Frame? |
Posted by
Roguegal
Apr 27,2008
5:02 AM |
Have you ever tried making your own frames?
It really isn't that difficult to do. Go to either Lowe's or Home Depot and picked the frame wood you would like. Make sure you have the measurements that you want it to be and asked them to cut a miter cut for you. This is the angle cut in the corner of a frame where the wood comes together. Then ask where you can find the "frame" nails. They resemble an old-fashioned washboard - /\/\/\/\ and come in various lengths. Put glue in the corner seams and nail a bracket across the seam. Voilà, you now have a frame... |
Posted by
Green-Moo
May 01,2008
8:43 PM |
I started collecting up junk shop frames when I was looking for cheap gifts my boys could 'make' and give. We'd buy small photo frames and he'd decorate them with clay, shells, pasta, or even coins then we'd paint or varnish the result and add a photo of him for relatives.
The habit is still with me. I just can't leave a decent frame in a shop, you never know when you will have something nice to put in it!
Members! Read the rest of this and other threads here |
| A Word of Caution |
Posted by
XSaddict
Feb 20,2008
9:31 AM |
ALWAYS check the thread count of any fabric before stitching!
One of my recently completed projects, Spring Blossoms by Serendipty, was stitched on what was supposed to be 18 ct. Aida. The thread count was clearly printed on the label. By the time most of the top portion of the design was completed, it was obvious to me that there was a problem. At that point I measured and counted the threads and discovered that the fabric was actually 16 ct.!!!!!
What to do? Frogging was simply not an option because...
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Posted by
slckstitcher
Apr 20,2008
8:51 PM |
... Green, xsaddict is exactly right! I was working on a kit for 2 years and I contacted the manufacturer twice to get replacement floss and they were happy to send it at no cost to me at all! Give it a try and I'm sure you'll find it will be the same for you! Good Luck!
Members! Read the rest of this and other threads here
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... And Finally As always, you are encouraged to contact me with any questions or entries for future newsletters. You can do that here.
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 May 24th 2008.
Until next time, Missed an issue of our "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter? Find them all here:
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