Patterns Patch Cross Stitch Club: Cross Stitch Tips & News Saturday, March 28th 2009

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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 this issue you'll find a range of features below, including: Starting out on the cross stitch journey. God's Pharmacy in All its Glory Pearls of wisdom Here's what we need to avoid e-mail embarrassment... The latest patterns uploaded to the cross stitch library Recent cross stitch articles Your latest cross stitch tip (keeping your pets and projects apart). Look out for a change in our Patterns - starting with the next issue (probably *~~* Starting Out on the Cross Stitch Journey ...  Every cross stitcher, whether new to the craft or experienced, knows the most important tool needed is of course the counted cross stitch patterns.  Without them, there would be nothing to stitch.  You can find them individually in magazines, from websites on the Internet or in a cross stitch kit. The kits offer the advantage of having all the materials necessary to stitch that particular project, including the pattern. Just beginning your journey into this amazing craft?  Here's a quick tip for you; there are two basic kinds of cross stitch patterns. One type is printed charts usually found in pattern books called leaflets.  These patterns can be stitched on anything you want. You have total control with your project when using this kind of pattern.  The other type is the stamped designs which are preprinted on items for you.  These patterns are usually in blue, and can be found on several different items.  Some things that may have preprinted patterns on them are a baby bib or a pillowcase.  These items can be bought at most craft stores, and have the pattern already imprinted on the piece for you. Many newcomers to the world of cross stitch choose to begin with a stamped cross stitch item.  These can either have the entire pattern or just a portion of the design stamped onto the piece for you.  It is very easy to follow because you can see exactly where the stitches should go.  They even have some stamped cross stitch kits showing the preprinted designs in colors so you know exactly where the colors should be placed.  While these kits are great for beginners, eventually after mastering the basic cross stitch, many people choose to seek out a more challenging project. When trying to develop your stitching skills, a range of counted cross stitch patterns is the way to go. They create much more of a challenge than stamped cross stitch patterns do. Of course, there is a greater margin for error with these patterns.  Mistakes become evident usually after you've done several stitches and things don't line up the way they should.  Locating these errors, and then fixing them is often times a stressful problem.  However, as frustrating as re-stitching an area may be, it's a great learning experience.  You'll be able to create a system of checks-and-balances for yourself to avoid a lot of the easier mistakes made in your earlier pieces. Another creative benefit to counted cross stitch patterns is that you can create patterns that look exactly the way you want them to.  You can personalize projects this way.  Simply by changing some of the colors, or taking items from individual patterns and putting them together, you can make a whole new pattern.  This is useful when making gifts or trying to match the décor of the room the piece will be displayed in.  Modifying patterns is also useful in many other situations. Searching for just the right pattern can be both difficult and at the same time, exciting!  Go to your local discount store and see what's available in their craft section.  Visit your favorite craft store to find out what they have to offer as well.  Don't just look at the leaflets; be sure to check out the kits too.  If kits themselves don't excite you, often times you'll discover similar individual patterns that will be close to the cross stitch pattern you liked. The stores didn't have anything to strike up an interest?   You'd be surprised by the multitude of patterns you can find online.  Just by doing a general search for cross stitch patterns you're sure to find something that you just have to stitch right away!  You can even find patterns of great artworks by famous painters such as Monet, Van Gogh, and even Thomas Kinkade.  There are several artists who have had their talents converted into counted cross stitch pieces. Entering the magnificent world of cross stitch can be very exciting.  Don't get overwhelmed by the variety and amount of patterns you'll find online.  First, take time to decide what type of pattern you would like to stitch.  Then simply do a general Internet search for counted cross stitch patterns pertaining to the subject you chose.  You'll be glad you took this first step! *~~* God's Pharmacy In All its Glory! Our lord left us some great clues as to what foods help nourish which parts of our body!  Here's God's Pharmacy! Amazing!  A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.  A Tomato has four chambers and is red.. The heart has four chambers and is red. All o f the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.  Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.  A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.  Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.  Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body p ulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.  Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).  Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.  Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.  Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries. Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.  Onions look like the body's cells.. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.  *~~* Pearls of Wisdom... The next pearls of wisdom to emerge from the "University of Life" are: Be Ever Watchful! Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch you habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny Frank Outlaw *** Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off until you stop peddling. *~~* Here's What We Need to Avoid E-mail Embarrassment... Have you ever hit the Send button for an e-mail -- and then wished you hadn't? Bet you have. I've done it hundreds of times myself. As the window closes and the message zips on its merry way, an unfortunate phrase leaps out at you and burrows into your brain to keep you awake at nights... ... or you realise a vital "not" is missing... ... or you've dropped a letter from a harmless word ... and suddenly it's not so harmless... ... or -- I'm a pro at this -- you've failed to attach the vital file that the message so carefully explains. Here's a partial solution ... and it's provided by our good old friend - Google! Now you'll be interested in this because Google keeps tweaking Gmail (and we've all got Gmail accounts, haven't we?) with handy new features, and now it has added an Undo Send feature that gives you five seconds to cancel the send. If you're using Google Mail, you'll want to turn this on. Here's how to do so: Log on to Google Mail, and then click the Settings link at the top. Click the Labs tab and scroll down most of the way till you find Undo Send. Click the Enable option button. Scroll right down to the bottom and click Save Changes. You're all set. Now try sending yourself a message. The Undo link appears for a few seconds after you hit Send ... then it disappears. You need to be quick to catch it -- but this is pretty good as far as it goes. What we really need, though, is a tool that can reach right across the Internet and retrieve an ill-advised message right out of the person's inbox as their mouse pointer is reaching to open it ... or even after that. Imagine ... this message might disappear just as you're reading these words -- without you needing to press Delete! *~~* Membership For Fr^e If you'd like to win, three months full membership  to Patterns Patch for Fr.ee, 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 winners of our draw for Three-months membership to Patterns Patch for Free are: *~*  Delia Simpson  *~* "Well done Delia, 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! Silver (formerly Associate) Membership To overcome the problem of "spammers" accessing our new chat room,  we've created a SilverMembership, which is fr*e, but  limits access to just the chat rooms and our community forums (the Cross Stitch forum and Intros/General forum). Silver 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 a Silver 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). *~~* 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. Ask-the Expert: 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. Cross Stitch Survey: Your vote counts, so tell us your opinion on cross stitch matters. You'll find our Cross Stitch Poll (survey) on the Home page, down the left-hand column. Please take 30 seconds to give us your opinion by voting in our latest survey. Go to Cross Stitch Poll (opens in a new window), and scroll down a little and make your selection. 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: Inspirations 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 (by Julia): Keep Your Cross Stitch Projects and Your Pets Well Apart Many of us have pets in our homes that make stitching a challenge. Here are some tips on how to pet-proof your project. First, always protect your project. When you're done stitching, roll your fabric and put it in an air-tight container, such as a zippered plastic bag or a covered plastic box. Second, consider stitching in a part of the house where your pet doesn't roam. Although fur carries throughout a home, by picking an area where your pet doesn't go, you can reduce the chance that hair/fur will get caught in your stitching. If your pet has access to all areas of your home, then dust off your surroundings before you sit to cross stitch. Even if the area appears clean, fur can be lurking in sneaky hiding places. Finally, if you find fur in your project, remove it immediately using tweezers. Don't let it linger. Although we all love our pets, we don't want to immortalize their fur by including it in our beautiful cross stitch projects. *** In the previous issue of Cross Stitch Tips & News we discussed Basting & Gridding. During the week we received an email from member Kathy K. Here's Kathy's take on gridding, "I found your article on gridding very interesting. I grid all of my big projects. I have found that most commonly used threads tend to get pierced by the needle and hung up in the project. About six months ago, I discovered Easy Count Guideline. This stuff is great. It's a red nylon cord that has a consistency similar to fishing line but not as easily tangled. I use it exclusively now and absolutely love it.".   Thank you for sharing that tip Kathy. Judging by their sales blurb, AND Kathy's endorsement, I can forsee many of us visiting their site for more information - including where can we get some to try. *** If you've any personal tips on cross stitching that you're willing to share with your fellow stitchers,  send them to us here and we'll include them in a future issue of Cross Stitch Tips & News.

*~~* Recent Articles: These articles are amongst those we've recently added to the cross stitch articles library: What is The Great Attraction of Cross Stitch? Roshan comes home after a hard day's work and doesn't want to sleep before dinner. No, she prefers to do something relaxing and de-stressing, but also something that she enjoys. So, why not do cross stitch, she reasons? A love for the stitch that she inherited during childhood from her mother, another avid cross stitcher, today she is known for her art. And of course that's what it really is . . . keep reading Discover Cross Stitch Through The Eyes of a Child It's never too early to introduce a child to the wonderful world of cross stitch. Not only does it encourage creativity, build confidence and self-esteem, develop fine motor skills and celebrate personal expression, but think of the lovely memories you'll have of sharing special moments together . . . keep reading How Cross Stitch Got Me Through A Traumatic Time in My Life When I first started cross stitching, I was very young. My great grandmother taught me to cross stitch when I was about eight years old. It was right around the time when my parents were going through a bitter divorce. I found a strange comfort in cross stitch. It was calming and I was doing something I was good at. These are important thing for a young girl to experience. I grew older and in middle school and high school I had better things to do with my . . . keep reading This is just a small sample of the 200 or so cross stitch articles enjoyed by our members. If you'd like to read more, you can join here right now.

*~~* New Cross Stitch Patterns 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 sometimes  list at least one pattern with embellishments, such as: beads, knots, backstitching, and so on. If you'd like to try and win a fr*e membership, reply to Membership for fr*e with the word 'watford' in your email subject line (only one entry per reader please). 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.    Patterns For Standard Members #~ Purity Itself ~# #~ Howling Wolves ~# #~ Woodland Walk ~#   #~ Gift of Love ~#  BONUS Pattern for ALL Readers #~ Two Happy Pixies ~# Here is the download page for Your BONUS pattern. 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 for Standard members.

*~~* ... 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 April 11th 2009. Until next time... Missed an issue of our "Cross Stitch Tips & News" letter?  Find them all here: