Finally all my neat new purchases are arriving from the TNNA show in Long Beach. 

One of my brand new products is SOAK!  Just by the name you’ve probably already got a guess as to what it is–and it’s not a new thread.

Soak is a premium fiber care product which has proven popular with knitters and quilters.  Now you’re probably wondering why I’m caring it since I’m neither a knitting or quilting shop.

The bottom line is that Soak is suitable for all kinds of delicates.  I can’t tell you how often customers come into the shop wanting to know how to clean a piece of needlepoint, cross stitch or crewel.  I’ve tried to answer their questions based on everything I’ve been taught, but I’m always a little hesitant to recommend a specific product other than Orvis soap.  Even then the poor customer has had to run around hunting for the Orvis.

Now I’m really pleased to be able to have a product in my shop which I know is suitable for washing our precious needlework. 

Of course, this does not prevent the problem of colors bleeding if they are not colorfast so we need to keep that in mind before we even start stitching.  Colorfastness is a whole nother topic we can save for a different day.

Just to tell you a little more about Soak, it is manufactured in Canada.  It is biodegradable, phosphate-free, non-toxic, and dye-free.   Their whole packaging standards are also enviromentally friendly which I consider a real plus since I have 2 sons majoring in Environmental Science. 

What more can I say!  Well, there is one thing–Soak comes in 3 very mild fragrances which makes it pleasant to use while washing, but does not linger on the item after washing.

So that’s all about Soak!  Kind of makes me want to go home and wash something.

Actually I do have a Phillipa Turnbull crewel project to wash!

Thinking about Stitching!

Caroline

Hey Stitchers! We have finally started our second Itching for Stitching Club at our local elementary school, Gandy Elementary.

I have 7 girls this time, and they are quite a group!  Three girls were with me last semester and 4 are brand new to stitching. 

Our first class was primarily practice for the new girls and review for the returning students.  It was really neat to see how the *experienced* girls jumped in to help the newcomers.  I was really impressed how quickly the new girls caught on!

Like last time, our first project was a felt bookmark where they could quickly put to use their newly learned stitches.  I concentrated mostly on a running stitch and split, but since everyone was doing so well, I *tossed* in a Lazy Daisy stitch.

Our next session just happened to fall on Valentine’s Day so, of course, we had to do a project with a Valentine’s theme.

I had 2 projects planned depending on how quickly everyone moved along.  The first project was a Valentine’s card and the second was a heart shaped pillow.  Turned out our cards took up the full hour to stitch, so we’ll turn the heart pillow into a *Spring* heart by using by using *springy* colors and embellishments.

I got the idea for the Valentine card from the Fiber Arts Trading Card class I took at TNNA with Jen Funk-Weber.  Basically I cut out pieces of felt the size if an index card and an assortment of hearts in coordinating colors. 

The girls then had to attach the hearts in any pattern they chose using a running stitch, split stitch, or whip stitch.  They also got to embellish with buttons or stitch messages like *I luv U*!

As a final step, we glued a piece of cardboard to the back so they could write a Valentine message to the recipient of the card.  It was neat to hear them deciding who to give the card to.  I think Mom’s and GrandMom’s won out.

I think my favorite message was this one–*To Mom, Thanks for driving me here.*  This young girl had forgotten it was *Club Day* and took the school bus home by mistake.  When she realized she was missing her stitching she was so distraught that Mom hopped in the car and brought her back to school!

Tomorrow we start Huck Weaving and I’m anxious to see how that goes.  I’ve been agonizing over a project that won’t overwhelm them.  Finally last night I came up with a pattern for a 6″ x 6″ square that can be modified according to how easily they pick it up.

I’ve taught Huck to lots of adults, but this is my first time teaching it to 3rd and 4th graders.  If they like it we’ll move on to a more advanced project next week.

As always, Thinking of Stitching. . .

Caroline