Whan that Aprille ... |
Greetings, dear reader, and welcome to our April '23 newsletter!
In this month's newsletter we're featuring kits by Bothy Threads and by Heritage Crafts, and patterns by Bella Filipina and Mirabilia.
Kits
Bothy Threads has engaged a new artist - Lucy Pittaway - and she's designed some cute sheep and country designs which you can see in our online catalogue.
We have a few of our own favourites in stock.
Bothy's new needle minder based on one of those designs has been very popular.
Next month, Bothy are going to release some new designs especially for the Coronation of King Charles III - and a new needle minder to mark the occasion!
Heritage Crafts have another very stylish design by Elaine Serenum, two new houses by Karen Carter and two new Golden Years kits. You can see them in the Heritage 2023 catalogue.
They've also taken on a new designer - David Merry - who has produced a set of British birds in whole cross stitch and backstitch in outline only. We haven't had time to get any of these yet but let us know if there's any you like and we'll stock up specially.
Heritage Crafts has also released a new kit to commemorate the forthcoming coronation and we'll be stocking it (we like it better than the Bothy one!).
Patterns
The sea gods Pontus and Thalassa feature in the latest design by Bella Filipina. With the delay in getting our beads orders from the USA we're sorry that there will be a few weeks wait before we can make up more embellishment packs for this.
Mirabilia's latest design is Camille in Bloom. She's a little smaller than the usual ladies but, with the background and frame stitched, she's still a large project!
Patterns from the recent Nashville Fair are still coming in and there are some even for Halloween and Christmas to give us all plenty of time.
Stitching Retreat
Julie will be attending a stitching retreat in Cumbernauld near Glasgow in the middle of April and she's looking forward to meeting up with you if you're going to be there.
Europe
We've had a lot of trouble with deliveries to the EU following problems with Royal Mail and new EU Customs regulations. We hope we've now got through the worst of it and we've started sending orders to EU countries again. So far there have been few reports of delays but we're still cautious.
And Finally
Our title comes from Chaucer's 600 year old epic The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;" - Geoffrey Chaucer, English Poet, 1344-1400
April showers are now part of our common vocabulary and tradition and we all look forward to the rebirth that Spring brings (sorry, Australia and New Zealand!) and the blossoms 'engendered by the sweet liquor'!
We hope your enthusiasm for your craft remains strong and that you have a blossoming April. |
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 31 Mar 2023, 18:37 |
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Dear March - Come in |
A very warm welcome to our March newsletter!
This month we have kits from Bothy Threads, Anchor and Heritage Crafts; patterns from Nora Corbett and Drin at Bella Filipina.
There's also news for customers in the EU.
Kits
Bothy Threads` Winter 2023 collection is now available. We're featuring the new Wrendale Designs, Birds by Madeleine Floyd and Bees by Eleanor Teasdale as well as embroideries. The new look kits come in cardboard boxes and are complete with wooden hoops.
You can see the complete catalogue here.
Bothy have updated their Kings and Queens kit and have cleverly squeezed in King Charles III. They're running out of space now so we'll be interested to see what happens when William takes over the reins (or should that be reigns?)
Anchor have new four blackwork kits in two pairs, bee and moth, circles and triangles. These are all on 14 count Aida and two of them have French knots.
Winter Forest - cross stitch kit by Elaine Serenum
New introductions from Heritage Crafts are a lovely new Elegance lady by John Clayton and two exciting designs from the artwork of Elaine Serenum one of which is illustrated (we couldn't not have a Hare somewhere!).
Patterns
Nora Corbett has returned to flowers with her latest two patterns Orange Princess and Angelique Tulip. She also has added another Winter Greenhouse.
Some of her earliest Flower Fairy designs have been discontinued Poppy, Lilac and Rose so far. Hopefully that will be all for a while.
It took a few weeks but finally Nightingale and the Nightingale Embellishment pack are back in stock.
Drin of Bella Filipina's latest design is titled Phoenix Queen. We have all the required beads on order and hope to make up the bead pack when those come in. Unfortunately, Mill Hill are still very slow at despatching and their beads are still taking a month to arrive after ordering.
The Nashville Needlework Market is on from 3rd to 5th March, so there should be a flood of new designs available later this month and in April. Perhaps in next month's newsletter ...
New Book
It's been a while since we featured a proper hardback book so we're delighted to see they're still being produced!
A customer requested A Cross Stitch Christmas which is a hardback book by Craftways and which is full of lovely Christmas designs. Although pricier than a typical pattern, it's good value as there are lots of projects inside.
We're sorry it's only available to our UK customers this is because it's so heavy and shipping overseas would be prohibitively expensive!
Needles
Our John James needle supplier has informed us that some sizes and types have been unavailable for months in particular tapestry size 24 which is the most popular for cross stitch. The problem seems to be with the packaging. Somewhere there must be a mountain of size 24 tapestry needles.
Prices
DMC floss wholesale prices are going up soon. We will hold our prices until April when unfortunately we will have to revise them.
Overseas shipping charges have been hiked several times recently (for the same reasons as your energy bill whatever those reasons might be) and that's why our prices have been going up.
EU Customers
Jim has been tearing his hair out for the past few months trying to find a solution to the problem of EU imports. We've seen all kinds of problems over the past year from our products being misclassified as dangerous goods by one EU country (!) to postal strikes to a collapse of Royal Mail's IT systems so we couldn't send overseas anyway.
We think we've now got over most of it and we'll be installing a new system for EU customers this weekend. Our shopping cart will calculate and collect tax at the time you purchase so you won't be charged extra when it gets to your country's Customs. We hope this will also speed the Customs clearance process. The tax our cart collects is sent to your own government and you should get an invoice/receipt by email.
One word of warning although we've tested it out its internals are hugely complicated and it could all go horribly wrong! We may have to withdraw it quickly if that happens. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
And Finally
Our title is from a poem of the same name by one of our favourites Emily Dickinson, the prolific American poet who lived from 1830 to 1886.
«Dear March - Come in
How glad I am
I hoped for you before
Put down your Hat
You must have walked
How out of Breath you are
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest
Did you leave Nature well
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me
I have so much to tell »
How ingenious to think of a month as a living person - and how pleasant it would have been to visit Emily and hear her stories.
Don't forget to visit someone you haven't seen for a while it's such a pick-me-up, especially for an older friend or relative.
In the meantime, enjoy your stitching and be happy as a March Hare.
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 03 Mar 2023, 19:38 |
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See a Pin |
Greetings and a Happy New Year!
Welcome to our February 2023 newsletter in which we have a few new kits from Heritage Crafts and Permin with more to come soon from Bothy Threads. Plus a re-release of some Nora Corbett designs.
We've also some news on the recent Royal Mail problems that have stopped us sending anything outside the UK.
Kits and Charts
First off, Heritage Crafts have taken to releasing a few kits at a time rather having than a few big splurges. First off the press this year are two tapestry kits of sunny landscapes by Karen Carter.
With the new year comes the new catalogues. Permin is the first of these with many new kits including Birds and Animals, Cushions for Kids, Birth Samplers and much more.
Bothy's new Collection will be released early in February. Bothy are especially popular in the United States and Japan so we hope the overseas shipping problems will be resolved in time for this release. All the new collection will be packaged in their new 'eco-friendly' cardboard packaging.
Because Mill Hill Magnifica glass beads continue to be unavailable, Bella Filipina have started suggesting substitutes in their patterns. Where possible we have changed the embellishment packs accordingly. We don't know if or when Magnifica will be back so maybe other designers will start to specify substitutes.
Mirabilia's most recent design Nightingale sold out very quickly we're very sorry if you were disappointed. We had hoped to have more in stock next week plus more of the embellishment packs in a few weeks but it looks like our suppliers are sold out themselves. Our guess is they're having to do another print run and so it will take a bit longer to replenish stocks.
Mirabilia's Fairy Holiday Collection was introduced in kit form between 2005 and 2007 but has now been reintroduced in pattern-only format.
There are six patterns which work stand-alone or together as a group.
Overseas Shipping Problems
As we're located in Britain, almost everywhere is overseas! The packages we send to North America, Australasia and Japan all go out via a Royal Mail depot at London Heathrow and there was a big IT problem there in the second week of January.
This meant that Royal Mail couldn't send any international parcels. They've been trying to recover ever since and some packages we despatched on the 9th and 10th of January seem to have been processed (but we think the 11th is still waiting in a warehouse). We're waiting until they tell us that the backlog is clear and we can re-start sending international parcels and we hope it won't be too much longer.
We're sorry if your order got caught up in this and we thank you for waiting patiently while Royal Mail have been sorting out this mess.
And Finally
With a decidedly postal theme today we thought we'd take our inspiration from Terry Pratchet's book Going Postal which also features a post office full of undelivered mail.
"See a pin and pick it up and all day long you'll have a pin" - from Going Postal by Terry Pratchet, English author, humourist and satirist (1948 2015)
May we wish you a pleasant and productive February and a Happy Valentine's Day, whether you're frozen in the snows of Connecticut or roasted in the Canberra sun.
Until next time ... |
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 27 Jan 2023, 19:01 |
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I'm wishing at this Christmas time ... |
Greetings and a Christmas cheerful welcome to our December 2022 newsletter!
Everyone is now in the Christmas mood and busily preparing for the big day. We've bought even more decorations this year although we have far too many already. It's hard to resist, isn't it. If you're in Australia or New Zealand, you'll be buying charcoal for the barbie. OK, that's a guess as we've never been there but we know you'll have a great time.
All this Christmas activity means that this month sees very few new introductions except from the 'hardy annuals' Nora Corbett, Bella Filipina, Cottage Garden and Glorafilia.
We've got some news on UK postal strikes, our Christmas break and on deliveries to the European Union which have been a bit hit and miss over the past year and half.
Patterns
Portrait Queen is a lovely new lady by Mirabilia set in a frame with entwining red roses. As usual it's up to Nora's impeccable standard.
Bella Filipina's latest creation Magwayen is proving to be very popular and is currently sold out. We'll be re-ordering soon and should have the bead packs next week.
Cottage Garden Samplings have started a new series, this time of snowmen. The series starts with The Needleworker.
Kits
Glorafilia have added a tapestry kit titled Arts and Crafts White Peacocks. This is designed in the Arts and Crafts style with its emphasis on craftsmanship and is suitable for a picture or even a very stylish cushion.
Supplies
It seems that the Kreinik company is at last beginning to recover. They're now manufacturing most of their #4 (very fine) metallic braid - although it is taking a bit of time to filter through to us retailers. They mostly come in bigger reels now and are labelled in white. A pity as their old colour codes were helpful.
We have a lot of them to store and Anne found these sturdy storage boxes quite suitable.
Unfortunately Mill Hill Magnifica Beads are still not being manufactured. There's no word on what's happened unless you know different!
UK Postal Strikes
It won't be a surprise to our British readers but the UK postal workers are holding a series of strikes during December and this means the mail will be somewhat stop and start. We're listing the dates of the strikes in a calendar that you can visit for the latest information.
European Union
As mentioned above deliveries to EU countries have become unreliable. We believe this is because of new import rules introduced in the middle of last year and it has caused many of our customers and us a lot of headaches.
It seems that postal services have taken advantage of these new arrangements to slap on a massive fee for customs processing even for small packages. As a result we've temporarily suspended sales to the EU.
The good news is - we believe we've got the answer. We'll be introducing a new system in the new year that will avoid these ludicrous charges and also speed up Customs processing (we hope!). We really hope that we can all get back to where we were before all the nonsense started!
Christmas Holidays
Because of the mail strikes, the last posting date for Christmas mail to the UK is 16th December so we're going to make that our last day, too. We need a break and we also need to change our systems to handle all the new rules and regulations that have appeared over the past couple of years.
Bargain Basement
There's a variety of table linen in the Bargain Basement this month including hardanger, surface embroidery and counted cross stitch. Very keen prices as usual!
And Finally
Our title is drawn from the poem 'A Friend's Greeting' by an American poet Edgar Guest (1881-1959) who was hugely popular a century or so ago. This is the final stanza of the poem:
"I'm wishing at this Christmas time
that I could but repay
A portion of the gladness
that you've strewn along the way;
And could I have one wish this year,
this only would it be:
I'd like to be the sort of friend
that you have been to me."
Christmas is a time for family and friends and we dearly hope you will have plenty of both this year.
May we thank you for your custom, kindness and friendship through the past year and wish you a Very Merry Christmas.
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 02 Dec 2022, 19:10 |
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How well I know what I mean to do |
A fiery Welcome to our November newsletter!
This month we're catching up on releases from Lanarte, Nora Corbett and Cottage Garden Samplings. Bothy Threads have an affectionate tribute to our late, dearly-loved Queen Elizabeth.
Kits
Lanarte have added a new design in the culture collection of an Indian lady in traditional dress with sumptuous fabric decorated with beads and sequins.
Bothy Threads Autumn Catalogue is now out and we have some of the new designs in stock. There's an affectionate tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, two more colourful shoes by Sally King. There are more Wrendale designs, Morris style tapestry cushions and cross stitch and a new range of Christmas cards. The catalogue has 42 new kits altogether and you can see all of them in our online catalogue of the Bothy Threads Autumn 2022 Collection. If there's something you see that's not in stock then we'll be happy to order it for you - Bothy are just down the road and we can stock up quickly.
Patterns
Nora Corbett has added another two fairies to her Rose Couture Collection. Gigantic French Rose and Malmedy Rose have a lot of materials in common. Malmedy Rose uses nearly the same beads as Gigantic French Rose - just one extra clamshell is needed - so you might consider buying just one embellishment pack to do both patterns.
There's also a new design called Conservatory from Nora's Winter Greenhouses series.
The twelfth and final pattern from the Year in the Woods series by Cottage Garden Samplings is The Reindeer.
Bargain Basement
There are cartoon animals in the Bargain Basement for the month of November.
And Finally
November 5th is bonfire night here in the UK when we celebrate a failed plot in 1605 to blow up Parliament and the King.
Our title is inspired by fire it's been at the heart of our civilisation since humans came into being. It stands for warmth, security and comfort - especially on cold winter nights.
«How well I know what I mean to do
When the long dark autumn-evenings come:
And where, my soul, is thy pleasant hue?
With the music of all thy voices, dumb
In life's November too!»
from By The Fire-Side by Robert Browning, English poet 1812-1889
As a stitcher you will be looking forward to quiet evening hours by the fireside and - like the poet - you know exactly what to do!
Until next month, enjoy your stitching and your home fire if you're lucky enough to have one. |
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| by Arts and Designs on Sat, 05 Nov 2022, 19:12 |
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Sing a song of seasons! |
A hearty welcome to our October newsletter.
This month we're featuring new designs by Jan Hicks and by Mirabilia (no surprise there!), new kits from Jim Shore, Bothy Threads and Permin. And new printed linen fabrics for interesting backgrounds.
Patterns
Jan Hicks Creates designs are new (to us) and we have selected some stylish patterns from her range.
We have the lovely new Lavender Mist by Mirabilia in stock. Although magnifica beads are still not generally available there is one in the bead pack for this design. So hopefully this is a sign that things are getting back to normal!
Kits
And talking of beads, we have five droll Christmas Gnomes by Jim Shore of Mill Hill worked on perforated paper with lots of beads. They're new for 2022 and you can make them up as a picture or as a hanging (backing not supplied). Good fun and quick to make!
Bothy Threads have a new embroidery collection of nine colourful designs. Each comes with printed fabric and a calico backing and detailed instructions on completing with threads, metallic floss and embellishments.
Permin have released their fourth 2022 collection with nursery designs, cushions, table covers and bookmarks. There are also several cow designs with appalling 'Moo' puns. It's one way to stop them hogging your bathroom. You can see and download this catalogue from our catalogues page.
Fabric
We've expanded our popular Fabric Flair linen range with Coffee Stain, Silver Ash, Orchid and Honeycomb, a tiny overall hexagonal pattern.
Bargain Basement
We have Helz Cuppleditch co-ordinating Christmas card papercraft in our Bargain Basement for the month of October. Well in time to make your own personal Christmas cards.
And Finally ...
Our title is taken from the poem Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer and Poet (1850-1894)
"...
Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!"
The poem is a celebration of what's good in every season, not just summer and we might take it as a metaphor for how to live : celebrate what is rather than dwelling on what has been or what might come.
Until next time, we wish you and your stitching a mellow and productive October.
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| by Arts and Designs on Sun, 02 Oct 2022, 15:12 |
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No spring nor summer beauty |
A very warm welcome to our September 2022 newsletter.
This month we have new patterns from Cottage Garden, Les Petite Croix de Lucie, Nora Corbett and new kits from maia, Luca-S and Satsuma Street
Bothy Threads also have a large new collection so let's get going!
Patterns
For those who are following the Year in the Woods series by Cottage Garden number nine is a woodpecker.
We finally have the last of Les Petite Croix de Lucie's Zodiacal Princesses. Pisces is the motif this time.
Nora Corbett has produced another two designs in the Fluttering Fashion series and another Winter Greenhouse.
Kits
There are two new Maia kits from the artwork of the late Terry Harrison. Both are of small coastal towns. Maia are high quality art kits that don't disappoint.
We have some newly released kits from Luca-S birds, country and Christmas scenes and a playful kitten. The kits are colourful and well designed and the birds have been very popular.
Bothy Threads have released their latest collection with more Wrendale, cushions, stylised shoes, Christmas and lots more. See the catalogue and the kits we have picked initially.
In mid-September Bothy will be releasing a collection of embroidery kits - colour printed designs which use a variety of creative stitches. We think they will be a kind of surface embroidery but we'll get the details nearer the time.
Following a customer request, we ordered some Satsuma Street perforated paper kits. In Jody Rice's colourful style there a set of four for Christmas and another set of four for Halloween.
Magnifica and Kreinik
The manufacture of Magnifica beads hasn't resumed so many of the bead packs for Mirabilia, Nora Corbett and Bella Filipina are not available.
Deliveries of Kreinik #4 braid are still erratic - sometimes we get some, sometimes none!
Postal Strikes
As our British readers will know, our postal service is having a few strikes over the next couple of weeks.
We don't have to tell you that this means disruption to the postal service and packages will be delayed, hopefully not by more than a few days.
European Union
We are still having problems with delivery in some EU countries mainly those in the west of the bloc. It looks like new and arbitrary rules are being applied by some Customs agencies to imports from the United Kingdom. This has meant delay and disappointment to a few of our customers so we're reviewing the situation.
Bargain Basement
There are Anchor and Royal Paris kits in our Bargain Basement for the month of September.
And Finally ...
Our title is from an elegy by John Donne, whose work was ignored for several centuries before making a recent comeback.
"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face." - Elegy IX: The Autumnal by John Donne, English write and cleric, 1572-1631
Autumn is a time to look forward. In Donne's time winter was a much more daunting prospect than it is now (although with energy bills skyrocketing the daunt is definitely increasing!). His religion was banned in protestant England at that time so he had much to fear. Despite this he wrote much beautiful poetry.
We have been lucky that we don't have to face the privations that our ancestors had to cope with. So let's count our blessings and make the most of our stitching time!
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 26 Aug 2022, 19:01 |
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Thought Makes Man Wise |
Greetings and a sunny welcome to our August newsletter!
In this issue we have new patterns from Nora Corbett and Mirabilia, Blackbird Designs and Bella Filipina. There are new kits from Heritage and Riolis, and charms by Birdhouse Enterprise. So let's get going ...
Patterns
The popular Deck the Halls by Blackbird Designs has been reprinted. It contains six strawberry patterns for Christmas and has many other ideas for decorations.
Two of the latest Nora Corbett designs are from the Rose Couture Collection and the other two are more unusual. Floral Dream and Moon Glow have (tasteful) naked ladies in outline with colourful blankets.
Tea, two ladies at a garden party by Mirabilia is now in stock (unfortunately sold out at the time of writing!) The previous design Rosamund is back in stock but since magnifica glass beads are still unavailable we can't get hold of the bead packs! Why not think of a substitute and make a personalised piece.
Aquila, Queen of the Skies is the latest design by Bella Filipina. We are also awaiting beads to make up the bead packs for those.
Kits
Tea in the garden seems popular at the moment. Heritage have a new John Clayton design called Ladies who Lunch of Edwardian ladies on the lawn. They have also released two new Golden Years designs of Norman and Betty exercising.
A new cross stitch kit the Garden at Giverny by Riolis is a reproduction of one of Monet's many paintings of his garden at Giverny. As with all Riolis kits, it's good value for money and a must for fans of French Impressionism.
Treasures
We have a few stitching related Birdhouse Enterprise charms to get your creative juices flowing.
Bargains
With only some of July remaining we have Summer Flowers in the Bargain Basement which will continue for the whole of August. Why not have a browse and find something you like for a perfect summer project.
And Finally
As we're on the subject of Tea, our title today comes from the Teahouse of the August Moon, originally a novel by Vernon J Schneider (US writer, 1916-1981) which was made into a play and a movie.
The play version opens with a snippet of oriental wisdom: «Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.» In the modern age we certainly don't think nearly enough and so we put our trust in others to do it for us.
We didn't issue a July newsletter as we were on holiday in the deep south of England where the sun shines a lot more than it does at home. We had plenty of time to think but I'm not sure if we became wiser as a consequence!
May we wish you a happy and thoughtful summer with lots of stitching time and good company. |
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 29 Jul 2022, 18:34 |
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Six Impossible Things before Breakfast |
Greetings, and welcome to our slightly delayed June Newsletter. We have been on holiday for a few days as our postal services have stopped for the Queen's Jubilee celebrations so this newsletter is going out one day later than usual. It's a good excuse anyway!
In this month's issue we're looking at new patterns from Bella Filipina and Mirabilia, new fabrics from Fabric Flair, new kits from Lanarte, Dimensions, Permin and (in a week or two) Bothy Threads.
But first, the lovely Rosamund by Mirabilia arrived and sold out in less than a day. More arrived, promptly sold out and we're awaiting our third batch which we expect next week.
There's currently a problem with the manufacture of Mill Hill Magnifica glass beads. At the moment we can't get hold of any but hopefully this a temporary situation. Unfortunately Rosamund uses three Magnifica beads and so the Rosamund embellishment packs are currently unavailable. We know that several customers have been waiting for them.
We also happy to have the most recent Bella Filipina designs in stock now. We are continuing to collect beads and treasures to make embellishment packs for all the charts.
New Fabrics
By way of fabrics, we now have a small selection of printed fabrics by Fabric Flair some on 28 count and 32 count linen and some on 28 count and 32 count cotton evenweave. These fabrics are designed for cross stitching backgrounds and are especially suited to Bella Filipina and Nora Corbett mermaid designs. Of course, they're good for any pattern that requires a printed background to help you produce a unique result.
Kits and Collections
Lanarte have released their fourth 2022 collection and you can see them in our online catalogue section. Some are re-released designs and there are also attractive new works by Marjolein Bastin.
Dimensions also have a new collection and we have picked a selection of them.
True to the saying that Christmas gets earlier every year, Permin have released their Christmas Collection. It might be a good time to take on a large project like a tree skirt or advent calendar so as to get it ready in time.
Bothy Threads have a new collection coming out on the 14th June to look out for. Watch this space!
Bargains
The Bargain Basement for the month of June features a gardens theme and as usual everything is at half the previous low price.
And Finally
We in the UK are celebrating 70 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. She has been a shining example of dignity and diplomacy to everyone here and overseas and we wish her well for the remainder of her reign.
Our title this month is from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll, English writer, deacon and mathematician, 1832-1898:
«Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."»
The previous longest reigning monarch was Victoria who lasted 63 years and 7 months and died in 1901. Queen Victoria enjoyed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so much that she requested a first edition of Carroll's next book. Carroll duly sent her a copy of the next book he published a mathematical work entitled An Elementary Treatise on Determinants.
So until next month's newsletter (which may be even later than this one!), have a great June and be careful what you ask for. |
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| by Arts and Designs on Sat, 04 Jun 2022, 19:08 |
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When May was young; ah, pleasant May! |
Hello and a warm welcome to the May '22 newsletter!
In this month's issue there are new kits from Permin, Anchor and Heritage Crafts, and various creatures from Nora Corbett and Cottage Garden Samplings.
We also have some news for our long-neglected EU customers and there's hardanger in the Bargain Basement.
Kits
Permin have released a second collection for 2022 with cushions, hardanger, landscapes and cute ostrich and giraffe. We have chosen two winter scenes, a bee cushion and the ostrich so far. Let us know if you are interested in any of the new kits.
Anchor have a new collection the Birds by Ashley Hutchinson. The designs are elegant and stylish and there are three so far: Nuthatch, Goldfinches (illustrated) and Blue Tits. All of them have a lot of backstitch detail superimposed on the cross stitch.
Heritage Crafts have new designs and we have chosen Hedgehogs in Spring by Nigel Artingstall and the Pessimist by the wonderful Peter Underhill. Their other new designs for 2022 can be seen in their online catalogue.
Patterns
Nora Corbett's June Bug and Luna Moth have alighted.
The latest design in the Year in the Woods series, the Ferret by Cottage Garden has also arrived.
Bargains
There's hardanger in the Bargain Basement this month and as usual it's at half the previous low price. Hardanger is hard so why not try it out while it's at a bargain price!
European Union
We have had a lot of trouble recently with deliveries to the EU and so we decided to suspend them a while ago. The postal services were quick to introduce hefty 'handling charges' which means you have to pay a substantial fee just to get your item through Customs one word might be 'extortion'. We do plan to reintroduce deliveries but we have to have a new condition: if you refuse an item at Customs because you don't want to pay the handling fee, then we will deduct the postage cost from the original payment before refunding. This applies to all items including those with free postage. We think this is fair but what do you think?
And Finally
This month's title is from May by Christina Rosetti (who we meet often in these pages!) a 19th Century English poet.
«I cannot tell you how it was,
But this I know: it came to pass
Upon a bright and sunny day
When May was young; ah, pleasant May!
As yet the poppies were not born
Between the blades of tender corn;
The last egg had not hatched as yet,
Nor any bird foregone its mate.
I cannot tell you what it was,
But this I know: it did but pass.
It passed away with sunny May,
Like all sweet things it passed away,
And left me old, and cold, and gray.»
May '22. We have decided that as the century is 22 years old, we can now miss out the leading digits of the year! If you were around at the turn of the century, you might remember the apocalyptic predictions of things like the millennium bug and how they turned out to be the dampest of squibs.
We hope that the many other dire predictions of our present times will turn out the same way and we hope your May '22 is warm, sunny and long-lasting.
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| by Arts and Designs on Fri, 29 Apr 2022, 20:03 |
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Earlier Stitchcraft News ... |
| April golden, April cloudy ... A warm welcome to our April 2022 newsletter! |
| Have some wine ... Greetings and welcome |
| By Which You May Know ... Hello again and welcome, dear reader, to February's newsletter. |
| May each day bring thee something fair ... A Happy New Year to you and yours and welcome to the January 2022 newsletter! |
| December's smile ... A warm Christmas pudding welcome to our Christmas newsletter. |
| Fall, leaves, fall ... Hello and |
| When the witches go riding ... Greetings and welcome to our October edition in which you will find ... |
| Thirty days hath September ... Hello dear stitcher and welcome to our September newsletter. |
| One day you discover you are alive ... A summery welcome to our August newsletter |
| Three Things ... A hearty welcome to this midsummer (or midwinter if you're in Oz, NZ or Antarctica) edition of our needlecraft newsletter.
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| My heart is like a singing bird ... A summery welcome to our latest newsletter in which you will find news about
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| Oh the cheerful Budding-time! ... Hello and welcome to our May 2021 newsletter with a jaunty air and a spring in our step! |
| Like a Burnish'd Throne ... Hello wonderful person and welcome to April's newsletter! |
| the Hope of what will be ... Hello and welcome to our March 2021 newsletter. |
| Thorough bush, thorough brier ... Hello and a very warm welcome to February's newsletter. |
| So let us melt, and make no noise ... Hello and welcome to our January newsletter. |
| A Thousand Christmas Trees ... Hello and a hot chestnuts roasting on an open fire welcome to our December newsletter! |
| To bring man nearer unto man ... Hello and welcome to November's newsletter. |
| Your corn is ripe today ... A big howdy-do to our October 2020 newsletter! |
| Learn little Maid, each useful Art ... Hello and and a warm welcome to September's newsletter. |
| Hope is the Thing with Feathers ... ... Welcome to our August newsletter. |
| We'll talk of Sunshine and of Song ... Welcome to our July 2020 newsletter! |
| Afoot and light-hearted ... Greetings and welcome to our June newsletter. |
| Reasons to be Cheerful ... A stir-crazy welcome to May's Newsletter.
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| Seeking refuge with needle and thread ... Welcome to our April Newsletter! |
| Summer in the Light ... Hello and a windy welcome to March's newsletter! |
| What a Tangled Web ... A wet and windy welcome to our February newsletter! |
| A Guid New Year to Ane an' A' ...
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| Awhile no cares encumber ... Welcome to our December 2019 Newsletter
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| Treasure your legacy of skills ... Welcome to our November Newsletter! |
| Here's to October ... A warm welcome to our October Newsletter! |
| All in the golden afternoon ... Hello again and welcome to our September newsletter. |
| In the blue and glowing days ... A sunny welcome to our August newsletter! |
| Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs ... A hot and sticky welcome to our July '19 newsletter! |
| We shall get there some day ... A warm welcome to our June newsletter |
| Dance upon the mountains like a flame ... Welcome to our May 2019 edition! |
| The First of April ... Hello and a warm welcome to our April 2019 newsletter. |
| Many are our Joys in Youth ... Greetings and welcome to our March 2019 Newsletter ... |
| Winter is the Better Season ... Welcome to freezing February - or feverish February - depending on where you live.
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| As sleeps the patient rose ... Happy New Year and a Hearty Welcome to our January 2019 Newsletter! |
| Ring every day the chimes ... A very warm welcome to our December 2018 newsletter! |
| November comes And November goes ... Welcome to the November 2018 newsletter! |
| Summer has two Beginnings ... A Windy Welcome to the October 2018 Newsletter! |
| September days are here ... Welcome to our September newsletter ... |
| Remember to be Gentle ... A warm welcome to our sultry August newsletter ... |
| Answer July ... In this month's Issue ... |
| Knee-deep in June ... Welcome to June's Newsletter! |
| In the Cherry Blossom's shade ... ... In the Cherry Blossom's shade
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| See the land, her Easter keeping ... ... Welcome to our Easter 2018 newsletter |
| The winds of March were wild and drear ... ... A warm (especially if you live in Britain) welcome to our March newsletter. |
| Fair Maid of February ... A very warm welcome to February's newsletter! |
| The New Years Come, The Old Years Go ... ... Welcome to our last newsletter of 2017 (and first of 2018). |
| I heard the bells on Christmas Day ... A warm, festive welcome to our December newsletter! |
| The Black Cat and The Philosopher ... Hello and welcome to our Halloween newsletter ... |
| O wad some Power ... ... A warm welcome to our Autumnal newsletter. |
| Faith is the Bird that feels the light ... Welcome to September's Newsletter! |
| If ever any beauty I did see ... ... ... |
| She sights a Bird ... Welcome to our July 2017 newsletter
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| There are Moments ... ... "There are Moments, above all on spring evenings, when the lakes that hold our moons are sucked into the earth and nothing is left but wine and the touch of a hand." |
| Ne'er cast a cloot 'till May be oot ... A warm Spring welcome to the May 2017 newsletter! |
| Paint the Meadows with Delight ... A warm welcome to our April 2017 issue ... |
| Each minute sweeter than before ... A warm welcome to our March 2017 newsletter! |
| I wonder if the sap is stirring yet ... ... A warm welcome to our February 2017 newsletter! |
| One Little Person ... «One little person, giving all of her time to peace, makes news. |
| Warlocks and witches in a dance ... « Warlocks and witches in a dance;
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| Let Love Take Root ... ... ... |
| No Man Needs a Vacation ... ... ... |
| A Fur Coat in Texas in August ... Hello and welcome to our August newsletter! |
| If there is a limit to all things ... Welcome to the July newsletter! |
| Lux Tua Via Mea: Your Light's My Way ... Greetings and a warm welcome to our June newsletter. |
| Love, whose month is ever May, ... ... Welcome to May's Newsletter
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| Shamrocks, Walls and a Touch of the Blarney ... Welcome to your April 2016 newsletter! |
| Zen and the Art of Stitching ... A warm welcome to our March Newsletter. |
| Year of the Monkey ... We hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year celebrations. |
| It's Raining Cats and Dogs ... Happy New Year |
| The stockings were hung by the chimney with care ... ... ... |
| Treacle Scones ... Welcome to our November newsletter ...
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| Drawing the Impossible ... A warm welcome to our October newsletter.
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| On a bank of flowers, in a summer day ... Perhaps summers were better when Burns wrote the poem whose first line forms our title this month. |
| Imagination Rules the World ... We were inspired by the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th June 1815 and so this month's title is a quotation attributed to |
| When pleasant sights salute the eyes ... «It is the month of June,
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| Ne'er cast a cloot ... ... Ne'er cast a cloot ... |
| Happy Easter! ... In this month's newsletter ... |
| We are Stardust ... ... «We are stardust
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| Kings may be blest ... As the birth of our national bard, |
| Ring in the New ... Welcome to 2015! |
| 'Tis the season to be jolly! ... As the cold nights draw in, it seems a good idea to raise our spirits and Christmas is the ideal way to do it. |
| Peace, Prosperity and Pleasure ... To Keats it's the "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" and to Bryant [it's] "the year's last, loveliest smile". |
| No spring nor summer's beauty hath such grace ... ... Welcome to our October newsletter - it's a little longer than usual as there's lots to tell you. |
| Rest is not idleness ... «... |
