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Patterns Patch Cross Stitch Club: Cross Stitch Tips & NewsSaturday, July 5th 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Hi 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. In the next few days you'll finally see a new department in our store. Our Books & Reports department will initially feature a series of in-depth cross stitch reports followed by a couple of cross-stitch books unique to Patterns Patch. Subjects we'll cover in our unique reports include: Beginning Your Project, Blackwork For Beginners, Cross Stitch Equipment, Finishing The Project, Threads & Fabrics, and Making Money from Cross Stitch. We'll tell you more about these in our next issue. Our first two books are "Cross Stitch Made Easy - Get It Right First Time, Every Time", which is ideal for both beginners and intermediate stitchers. "American History Through the Eye Of A Needle" concentrates on the influence the different needlework crafts have had upon the development of the USA. Historians will love it, as will those crafters fascinated by all things American. *~~*
Church Bulletins...They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters and keyboards.It really doesn't matter whether you're religious or not, these are worth reading right here. *~~*
Patterns Patch "Top 20"
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A Woman's Work is Never Done...The next pearl of wisdom to emerge from the wee book "A Woman's Work is Never Done" by Rowan B. Murphy is: "Men never drip before getting out of a shower. They saturate themselves and then plunge headlong into a towel - leaving the bathroom as thought its been through a hard time in the North Sea.." - Pam Brown*~~*
Membership For Fr^eIf 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. *~* Adawn26 *~*
"Well done Adawn26, 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 MembershipTo overcome the problem of "spammers" accessing our 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). *~~*
ServicesWe have an ever growng list of services our members and subscribers can use and enjoy (mostly for fr*e), including: 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. 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 additions: 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:How to Thread Your Needle so You Stitch with the Grain of the FlossThis tip was provided by Martha Beth Lewis:A lot of stitchers don't know this but floss does have a grain. Some stitchers can tell by pulling a strand (ply) between thumb and index finger; if you are "with" the straight of the grain, the floss feels smoother. Other stitchers run the strand between their lips, saying this skin is more sensitive than the fingertips. Still others can tell just by looking at the way the strand is twisted. More power to them! I have to rely on the "blossoming end" method. So! What's the blossoming end method Beth? I hear you say. If you'd like to try and win a fr*e membership, reply to Membership for fr*e with the word 'uranus' in your email subject line (only one entry per reader please). Well, I'll tell you. First make a "U" with your length of floss and hold the two cut ends between thumb and forefinger with about 1/2 to 3/4" sticking out. Now this is where it gets interesting. By gently "tapping" on the cut ends, one of them will "blossom" more than the other. Put this blossoming end into the eye of the needle, and you will be stitching with the grain of the floss. This blossoming technique works on as few as 2 strands. Oh! And finally, when preparing your thread by stripping and moistening it, lay out the prepared strands with the blossoming ends at the same end. I like to lay my thread to dry over the arm of the couch, and place the blossoming end toward me with the non-blossoming ends pointing toward the floor. Give it a try, it works. Martha Beth Lewis www.marthabeth.com | ||||||||||||||
Recent ArticlesThese articles are amongst those we've recently added to the cross stitch articles library:Be Flexible: How to Personalize a Cross Stitch Chart Have you ever found a great cross-stitch pattern only to be discouraged by the fact it was the wrong color scheme? Or maybe you want a pattern that fits a certain ethnic group? How about a pattern of a specific size? Do not be discouraged. There are ways to adapt your cross-stitch chart so that you can meet your own particular needs . . . keep reading Create Your Own Cross Stitch Sampler -- Part One: History and Design In the early days of cross stitch, circa 1500, this descendant of embroidery was often found in the closets of lords, ladies, kings, queens, and all sorts of noble men. Cross stitched clothing was a way to pronounce your station in life as well as to mark clothing to be returned to its rightful owners after cleaning or in case of theft. Those who performed the necessary task of cross stitching articles of clothing, in addition to house hold decorations, were considered to have a highly prized skill . . . keep reading Use Your Imagination To Create a Beautiful and Unique Pattern. | ||||||||||||||
New Cross Stitch PatternsWe'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 sometimes list 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 (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. | ||||||||||||||
... And FinallyAs 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 July 19th 2008. Until next time, Missed an issue of our "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter? Find them all here: | ||||||||||||||
