Quick News: We’ll be starting the Garden Swirl stitch-along this coming Monday, July 28th. My intention was to start tomorrow, but we had unavoidable delays in shipping the kits, so this will give more people more time to get their kits.

On to today’s topic:

A while ago, a kind reader wrote in with a recommendation for a light / magnifier combo unit that she uses and likes. Because I get a lot of questions about magnifiers, I thought Hmmmm… I should get one and try it out!

And so I did.

I don’t always use magnification when I stitch. In fact, I find it easier not to use it – and for most work, I’m ok without a magnifier.

In most circumstances, good lighting is the key to seeing well when stitching. When folks ask me about magnification because they’re struggling to see, my first question is generally, “What kind of light do you use?” Often, the answer is regular household light. Sometimes, it’s an Ott light. So usually, I recommend trying a high Kelvin (up to 6,500K) task light first. A good light will often (though not always) eliminate the perceived need for magnification, and it will help reduce eye strain while you’re stitching.

Good morning, and welcome to a Late Start on Tuesday!

Here in the studio we’ve been catching up on the kit and box launch for Garden Swirl (which happened this past Friday). We’ve been organizing and sorting and answering your emails, trying to make sure orders are combined as you want, that we’re holding orders for those who want them held, we’re shipping orders for those who want them shipped, and on and on. Oh, the Excitement of Launching a Kit! We love it – but it can get complicated. Thanks for your patience!

On the News Front:

We are restocking Garden Swirl kits as quickly as we can. Give us about two weeks. I’ll let you know when they’re available.

We are re-stocking boxes as quickly as we can. I’ll let you know when we have more available.

And now, on to other topics.

What do books and fish have in common? Why, I’ll tell you!

Today’s the day!

Today, we launch the materials kits for Garden Swirl, the upcoming stitch-along on Needle ‘n Thread.

Please read below to understand the details of kit and box availability!

We’ve taken a couple more tiny steps in expanding our curated needlework supplies – especially with some new embroidery thread collections and a new hoop.

I call these supplies “curated” because they’re the tools and threads that I specially select, that I think are worthwhile to have available, that I use for many projects on Needle ‘n Thread, and that people ask me about. You see, stocking certain threads helps answer the difficult question of “Where can I get this?! when I write about my projects. That is the One Question I answer the most frequently. If I stock the threads, you can easily find them. And that’s the goal.

It pretty much boils down to this: I use them, I love them, and so I carry them.

Today, I’ll introduce you to full sets of floche and to a whitework / cutwork sample thread pack, and I’ll show you a new hoop we’re carrying.

Let’s just start on the Big End of things, shall we?

Today, I want to highlight a new book by Tatiana Popova that’s recently been published by Search Press.

The book is Contrast in Crewel Embroidery: Modern Designs on Light and Dark, and the title clues us in on the unique angle that Tatiana has taken in putting the projects in this book together.

Now, if you’re not familiar with Tatiana and her books, you can read a little more about her through the following articles:

Interview with Ukrainian Designer Tatiana Popova – on Inspirations Studios

The Seasons in Silk Ribbon Embroidery – my review of her first book, which is on silk ribbon embroidery.

Tatiana also authored a book called Crewel Embroidery: 7 Enchanting Designs inspired by Fairytales, published by Search Press in 2020.

I had exactly 42 minutes to spare.

If Waze (my preferred map app) was correct, I could make a detour, spend 22 minutes at a side stop, pick up the road again, and arrive at my final destination in Kentucky right on time.

I approached the greater St. Louis area at 9:10 AM.

The traffic gods were working in my favor. I took the plunge and detoured.

At exactly 9:30 AM, I arrived at Sign of the Arrow, located at 9814 Clayton Road in St. Louis, Missouri, just as the shop opened.

The trick, of course, was going to be getting out of the shop in 22 minutes. (I’m not very good at getting out of needlework shops in 22 minutes.)