Happy Monday!

It’s hard to believe we are already into December and onto the third installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, a series of pre-Christmas give-aways here on Needle ‘n Thread.

When it comes to What Embroiderers Love Best, I think I can safely say that we love embroidery thread. The more I embroider, the more I love thread – all kinds of thread! When I see thread, I see possibilities. Don’t you?

Today’s give-away, courtesy of Colour Complements, involves a gorgeous collection of hand-dyed threads in a glorious four-season array of color.

Good morning, Happy Friday, and welcome to A Stitcher’s Christmas #2!

Today, I’m going to announce the five winners of Monday’s give-away, A Passion for Needlework, Factoria VII from Inspirations Studios.

Then I’ll introduce you to another gorgeous give-away, courtesy of The Crewel Work Company, and perfect for Christmas!

Ready?

Since we’ve kicked off A Stitcher’s Christmas, and since it’s not quite December yet (so there’s still time!), I figure today is a good day for a round-up of free Christmas embroidery designs here on Needle ‘n Thread, for those who want to do a little holiday stitching!

I always underestimate the time it will take to complete an embroidery project, but in fact, most of these projects I’m going to list here can be completed in a good bout of weekend binge-stitching. Some of them might take a little longer, but all of them are doable well before Christmas arrives!

It’s that glorious time of year! Time to spread some pre-Christmas cheer!

Today is the first installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2018 – a series of delectable pre-Christmas give-aways hosted here on Needle ‘n Thread, with prizes offered by small needlework businesses around the world.

The series runs intermittently from now until Christmas. On each give-away day, I’ll announce the prizes and then, in the future give-aways, I’ll announce the winners. It’s very simple to join – you just need to answer the question posed in the give-away article using the comment form on that article (I’ll link you straight to it, so there’s no guess work), and before you know it, you could find a beautiful needlework treat landing in your mailbox this holiday season!

Happy Friday after Thanksgiving!

Today’s the day I get to share with you my newest e-book, A Thousand Flowers, and, for the first time, a kit to go along with it!

Here’s the low-down: I’ll tell you what’s in the e-book, what’s in the kit, and where you can get them.

Good morning, my friends!

I know it’s a day early, but I’m popping in today to wish each and every person who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving on the morrow!

Even though tomorrow is a US holiday, Thanksgiving evokes a sentiment that’s universal – gratitude. So no matter where you are, it’s worth a little celebration!

I could list thousands of things for which I’m grateful, and high near the top of that list is you – each of you who makes up a part of our little Needle ‘n Thread community.

Your support, inspiration, encouragement, questions, suggestions, your participation and enthusiasm, your love of needlework… I’m so thankful that you are a regular part of my life! Thank you, from the depths of my innermost self, for being a vital part of Needle ‘n Thread.

If you spend much time in the needlework world part of social media, or you receive regular advertising from various needlework outlets, you probably already know that DMC has recently come out with a sparkly embroidery thread called Étoile (French for “star”).

I just now have the chance to take a look at the thread, thanks to the folks at DMC who recently sent some of it along to try.

If you haven’t seen it up close yet, I’m going to give you a close look at it, too. I have not yet stitched extensively with it, beyond a simple line of stem stitch. But I have plans to, shortly. In the meantime, we’ll look at it, talk a little about initial impressions, toy with some ideas for stitching with it, and open the conversation so we can share thoughts on the thread with the wider community.