Last night before hitting the sack, I snapped a couple photos of the miniature stitching project I’m working on (and that I just spoke about two days ago…) I promise I won’t be updating you every single day between now and next Wednesday (when I intend to have this embroidery project finished), but the fact is, I wasn’t actually convinced that I’d finish by next Wednesday, until I took these photos last night. There’s not that much left to go – and I’m pretty excited to see the end so close at hand!

Did you go through life being told not to judge books by their covers? This expression, of course, has a metaphorical meaning in the human relations field: it’s not the outside that matters – it’s what’s inside that counts. And I’m all for that! This lesson is reinforced daily when teaching youth, that’s for sure.

But when it comes to needlework books, I often judge them by their covers. Tsk, tsk! And I’ve been seduced by book covers before, only to regret my choice when I’ve found the content a bit lacking.

Here are a few upcoming books in the needlework field, and though they aren’t published yet, I’ve pre-ordered them. I base my decision to pre-order needlework books on a few factors that I’ll discuss below, and there are two reasons why I pre-order books, rather than waiting to order when they’ve already hit the stores: 1. they get here faster – usually before their release, which gives me a head-start on reading them so I can review them for you; 2. Pre-orders are always guaranteed the lowest price: if the price goes lower before the book is shipped, you get the lower price, but if it goes higher, you don’t pay more than the pre-order price. This point has served me well in the past, so I figure it’s a no-risk situation.

A couple weeks ago when I posted my last miniature stitching update, I naively asserted that I wanted to have this Cluny tapestry piece finished that week. Oh boy. I always under-estimate the amount the time it takes to put stitches in, no matter how furiously fast I try to get along on a piece.

Still, little by little, I’m getting a lot – a LOT – closer to the finish! All the major elements are in, and now it’s just a matter of stitching a bit more foliage and some background.

Good morning, everyone! Have you ever noticed that Monday tends to show up – fast and sudden – every week?! Fridays never sneak up on me like Mondays do. Why is that?

Well, whatever the case, it is Monday, and it’s time to announce the winner of the Talliaferro Crewel Design kit!

Lately, I’ve been working behind the scenes to accomplish a few minor updates here on Needle ‘n Thread – things that have been hanging over my head for a looooong time! Though minor updates, for some reason, it took me forever to get to them.