Nashville market preview

Leap Day, 2016

Well...

All our boxes are shipped

We're ready to go

They're waiting for us at the Nashville show

I hate to leave the shop and say goodbye

But the market's comin'

In just a few days

The shoppin's waiting

What fun is in store

Already I'm so excited

I could cry...

Dear Friends.

Yes, it is indeed Market time.  Yay!  We have been super busy getting ready for the show, and it is hard to believe that it is almost finally here.  Everyone at the shop is either a-buzz or a-wiped with kitting, packing and trying to find all of the things that Teri and I keep losing, so it is a good thing that it is finally here.  I think we all need some sleep.  I know that Teri and I do. How quickly it comes and just as quickly goes by and we will be back with our boxes again filled with wonderful treasures from friends around the world.  It is always exciting and exhausting but so worth it.  This has been an interesting year, as many designers have already posted their new pieces that they will be bringing to Nashville, so we thought that we would share them with you.  Of course I am still stitching on some of ours so you and I will both be surprised on Saturday to see what we actually have pulled together.  We have some sneak peaks below and first thing Saturday morning we will post all the photos of our new things for you to see.  Exciting!  But Teri has worked hard to get a lot of new things posted below, so have fun scrolling down to see what she has found.  Come Friday night, she will be flying around the hotel placing orders and picking up great things to bring back to the shop.  Watch our blog over the weekend as we will post some fun surprises at the end of the days.  Remember...if you want just to pick up something in particular or save one of these fabulous designs for you, just give us a call and we will be sure to get it for you.  Have fun perusing...  

Slate Snowman

Kit $30.00

Let Love Grow

10 count Kit $ 16.00

Spring Sheep  (sneak peek)

Kit 20.00

All Is Well  (sneak peak)

Leaflet $10.00

Alphabet Basket (sneak peek)

kit:  $40.00

Long May Ewe Wave 

Limited Kit $30.00

Bee Hive Buttons

$8.00 each

A pile of wool thread ready to be made into kits.  It finally arrived and the girls and Teri separated it for each kit.  

Busy Bees Tray (sneak peak)

Kit $24.00

New Bee Tray $23.00

Here are a few sneak peeks from our friends getting ready for the Nashville market. There are so many fun things.  Teri is really going to have to get her skates on.  Some of them I don't have prices for, but we will add them from the market.  Have fun virtual shopping!

Plum street's New patterns

Fabulous!!!

French Woolens

pattern:  $10.00

Sunflower House 

pattern:  $10.00

Liberty Welcome

pattern:  $1.00

Jeans and Weenies

pattern:  $

Summer in Nantucket

$

Betsy's Tart

pattern:

Chessie 'N Me

Delaware Stitch Book

pattern: $12.00

A Gathering Of  Sheep

Pattern: $ 12.00

Old Glory Stitch Book

pattern: $12.00

Grant House 1865

pattern: $12.00

American Stag 

kit: $ 30.00

Friendship Garden

pattern $12.00

New Lizzie Kate Kits

Selfie

 kit: $20.00

I Love Summer

Kit: $20.00

Red White and Blue

Kit: $22.00

New Squareology

 by Hands on and Just Another Button Company

Pattern:  

Stacy Nash

Limited Adam and Eve on the Farm 

Kit - including the tray:  $54.00

Simple Pleasures Sewing Pouch

Pattern: $12.00

Sarah Liddle Sampler Bag

pattern: $14.00

Jack's House Pin Keep

Pattern: $12.00

Halloween Pin Keep 

pattern: $6.00

Mary's Work Sampler Bag

pattern: $12.00

Wooly's Pinkeep

pattern: $6.00

With Thy Needle and Thread

Our Story

Liberty for All

Needle and Thread

Spring Frolic at Bunny Hill

Spring Delivery

Good Deeds

Gilmore House Sewing tray

The Weaver's Work

Live Simply

Land of Liberty

Where hearts Rest

Forget Me Not 

A Stitch In Time

Il mio Angolo di Paradiso (My Corner Of Paradise)

Nashville exclusive kit

Primative Hare

2 new charts 

Miss Mary Margaret

Miss Harriett Hare

She is bringing other fun new things as well

Michael Powell

Bookmark kits

Scissor Fob Kits

New Q snap clamps 

crazy fun

Watch for new updates and fun posts during the weekend.  We'll share a lot of the fun.  

fondly, Tina...and mostly Teri

Winter 2016

Winter, 2016

In the bleak Midwinter.....

This is one of my favorite Christmas carols, but oddly it always weaves its way through my mind more in January than in December.  Perhaps because this month is definitely bleak out here in Utah.  Skiers might not agree, but I look out my windows and all I see is snow on snow on snow.  Oh, sorry, sometimes I also see ice on ice on ice.  This has been a wintry winter for us--life in a snow globe.  I know, we need the water so it is all good, but it is also just a bit bleak.  Our garden is quite miserable right now.  Some of the herbs persevered valiantly until about Christmas, but now they have just given up to the unremitting cold.  Oh well, Spring will come...

Our great bright spot of the season is Sundance. It is always fun to anticipate, read up on the movies and then line up for our seats.  We saw some fabulous movies this year, each one very different from the other, but so interesting.  That is the thing about Indy films--whether we liked them or not-- they give us something to talk, argue, and rant about for days and days. 

One of my favorite movies we saw at Sundance last year and it has finally come to the theaters here---Brooklyn. If you are looking for a great film--just go and see it.  Quiet wonderful.

 Of course each evening involves getting to the theater early and waiting in line for an hour and then in our seats for another 40 minutes. I can be perfectly happy--in a cold and exhausting sort of way--to just stand there and veg out.  But Teri is only content if she has gotten to know each of the 10 strangers on either side of us...where they come from, what they had for dinner, what movies they have attended...Wow, how would that be to have that outgoing, friendly nature.  Nah....maybe not.  Plus...she has to be busy every second.  There is no chill-out for her.  She brought baskets of her hand-dyed ribbons with her and wound them for hours.  I think that her new friends on either side of us were a bit surprised to watch her.  She is very fast and never takes a pause.  To be fair she did get a lot of them done for the Nashville market especially when she enlisted the kind, unsuspecting woman next to her to help her out.  (And I don't mean me.)

Well, it has been a while since I wrote and I am not sure where the days--over 30 of them, actually--have gone since New Year's.  We have been busy at the shop stitching and getting ready for the upcoming market next month and meeting lots of wonderful travelers visiting the shop who are here for Sundance and skiing our super snow.  My Christian is working this winter for a ski rental/delivery business in Park City, so if you are planning a ski vacation up there and need to rent skis, I know a darling young man who will bring them right to your hotel and get you fitted and set up.

Shepherd's Retreat 2016

October 13-15

Here we go again..the retreat is well on its way.  Teri and I have been working hard in the planning stage of our next retreat and may I just say it is going to be fantastic!!!  The dates above are the actual dates of the retreat in Park City, but remember that we will also have an open house at Shepherd's Bush in Ogden on October 11 and 12th.  We have a wonderful group of teachers who will be coming, and we have lots of fun plans for our time together.  We will post the brochure--which will give you all the needful information--mid-to end of March, and by the end of this month, we will let you know the exact day and time.  Just be ready to get the registration form filled out and faxed back in.  You could always scan it and email it back to us as well.  Such fun.  I almost can't wait.  

2016 Fob and Engraved scissors

Fob Kit: $16.00

Engraved Scissors $46.00

Here are the new Gingher Scissors and 2016 Fob for this year.  I love these scissors.  Of course the fact that they are purple does help.  They are sweet and simple and a beautiful color.  The fob which is shown here as 2 pieces, is actually showing the front and back of the design.  It is stitched on a beautiful Lakeside Linen fabric with over dyed threads and Lady Dot's lovely hand dyed ric rac. Unfortunately the scissors are very limited, as Gingher doesn't make many of them.  So...don't wait too long if you are a collector or just an admirer.   

Love is In The Air: by Shepherd's Bush

Kit $12.00

Red Box $30.00

I know Valentine's Day is right around the corner, but this sweet little piece is so much more than a Valentine.  It works great in the little red box by Doodlin' Around or in a darling frame by Jill.  I think it would also make a nice little pincushion for the one you love.  

St. Patrick's Day Trifles: by Shepherd's Bush

Leaflet $8.00

Complete available

  Teri loves St Patrick's Day, but what is there not to like--cool accent, leprechauns, and pots of gold.    She always whips up a great batch of Irish soda bread, and she has been nursing her shamrock plant for a whole year--just for this photo.  It is the sweetest little plant, the leaves close up each afternoon and when we arrive each morning, they are all open waiting to greet us.  She keeps it out on the table in the front hall... I think she talks to it too. Have fun stitching this sweet group of pincushions.  They will be the perfect way to greet March.  

Supplies in the complete kit include the pattern, 3 lovely pieces of linen, 2 backing fabrics, 3 hand dyed ribbons, beads, hand dyed cotton threads, and a great set of buttons from Just Another Buttons Company.  Definitely time to get started.  

Ribbons ready to be packaged for St. Patrick's Day Trifles.  How fun!

Snow Display

When Teri was rearranging the shop after Christmas, Lynnette suggested she leave our branch tree and decorate it for winter.  So they scurried around and gathered up darling winter ornaments, and doesn't it looks great?  Will there be a Spring tree????

Valentine display

It always seems that on Christmas Eve someone comes in shopping for Valentine's Day.  So this year Teri was ready for it.  She started putting her heart collection together and has built on it ever since.  

We have so many fun heart pieces, perfect for Valentine stitching.  I know the time is short, but these pieces are always perfect.

A fun wall display

Because January is sort of a letdown after all the great end of year holidays, we chose to make a wall with some of your simply favorite pieces.  Anyone looking for a lovely winer project would find it hard to choose among these splendid pictures.

Top left:  The Token, top right:  Little Sheep Virtues, 

bottom left:  Vintage Stars, center:  Quaker Au Clefs, right:  Scarlett's Summer Sampler.

 Love Mini Quaker: by From the Heart

Pattern $8.00

This is a darling little piece is designed by Wendy at From the Heart.  We have tweaked the colors for spring, and I think it is so sweet.  It could be a wedding sampler...

Blessings Be Thine:  by With Thy Needle

Pattern $12.00

I just love this new design from Brenda Gervais.  It is so sweet and the colors are beautifully soft and muted.  Reeta has already stitched it, so I will try to add a photo if she brings it in tomorrow.  Honestly it took her almost no time at all. The colors are very soft and muted.  Lynnette is stitching hers in pinks and purples, so it will be fun to see them both.  

Garden Club: by Blackbird Designs

Each pattern $9.00

This is such a gorgeous new series from Alma and Barb.  We have had a great time waiting for each new installment to arrive. There will be 12 different garden themed samplers, and they will all be stitched together into a big sampler.  This is a picture of the first 3 leaflets--the top row of the sampler.  Nancy is stitching our samples, and she has loved stitching them.  If you would like to join our Garden Club, just give us a call.  We offer 32 and 36 count fabric, you can get the threads and fabrics--or whichever parts you would like.  Teri keeps track of the threads, so you don't get duplicates.  There is no timeframe for the other parts of this sampler--they will arrive when they arrive. We have an automatic with Blackbird, so we will send them to you as soon s we received them  

Here is part 4 of the Garden Club.  It will be stitched below part 1.  I just love this one and I kind of want to stitch it into a little pin cushion.  hmmm...good idea. 

Snow Story: by Lizzie Kate

Each pattern:  $5.50

complete kit $47.25

This fun little snow design has been such a lot of fun.  It comes in 3 parts and stitches up quite quickly.  We stitched ours on a wonderful 32 count hand dyed linen by Picture This Plus and added a few darling buttons.  I think it would be very fun stitched on a bigger 10 count fabric as well.  

Snapshots:  by Pine Mountain

Patterns $ 9.00

This is a great new series from Pine Mountain.  There are 12 of them--one for each month.  Here are two of them stitched by a darling customer.  

Heaven and Nature: by Kathy Barrick

Pattern $ 14.00

This was such a favorite new piece in the shop this Christmas.  Isn't it just gorgeous? We have such fun watching Reeta stitch this sampler and are very proud of her when she finished it this past week.  It really is just lovely.  There is a companion piece coming and she can't wait.  

French Advent Calendar 

pattern $ 15.00 (Includes  white buttons)

wooden buttons $ 11.20

When Teri and I were in Paris last year, we found some fun wooden buttons at a little needlework shop and were anxious to track them down for our shop.  Then a distributor here started to import them and we are thrilled.  You won't believe how darling they are.  Our friend Nathalie from Jardin Prive has designed a wonderful Advent Calendar for the set that you see above.  It is just fantastic and not super expensive.  

French Wooden buttons 

$4.40- $5.40

Here is a little assortment of some of these buttons.  Not all of them come with patterns, but any of them would be delightful worked into one of your pieces.  I know that Teri is busy working on a darling new design for some of them.  I don't know if she will have them ready for Nashville, but just keep your eyes out.  

More fun buttons and frames.  These pieces come with little patterns...so cool 

Ribbon Popsicles

 

We usually take hand dyed ribbon with us to Nashville, but our weather this year has been so foul that we have not had even one day warm enough to go outside to get this done.  So...we had to do it in a snowstorm and single digit cold.  I helped Teri hang and harvest them with my wool coat and mittens--but Teri was tougher and removed the frozen strands with bare hands.  She did say that the colors of the cold were the prettiest ever.  They truly are quite lovely.

So..this turned out to be rather long.  Sorry about that, but there was simply lots to tell you.  Next time we will have more info on the Retreat as well as some possible sneak peaks for Nashville.  Remember, if you see something out there that you would like us to bring back for you, just give us a call and we will be happy to do that.  In the meantime, stay warm and dry and just keep on stitching.  

ever fondly, Tina

Happy Christmas

Mid December thoughts...

 2015

Dear Friends,

It is definitely mid-December, and Christmas is coming at me so quickly.  Like many, I am always a bit fraught with conflicting emotions as the festive season approaches.  There is so much about the holidays to enjoy, and yet for me they seem to come with a fair bit of stress.  It started with a tire blowout on Christian's ancient car, followed by a tow to the garage and the happy news that the remaining 3 were in the same condition.  Oh, Yay!  Then when they serviced my car, they mentioned that my tires were shot.  Better and better.  And finally, Bob happened to let me know that his car was in desperate need of...new tires.  All I want for Christmas......Then we got snow and snow and more snow.  I know, snow is so Christmasy, and lovely, and cold, but it also wreaks havoc on roads and driving and getting absolutely anywhere in this city.  So yesterday, traveling at the approximate pace of a snail, I blew out 1 of my windshield wipers on my way to work.  I didn't even know that happened to wipers.  Then after begging Teri to help with a children's pageant at my church last night, we headed home in the continuing snow, and the other wiper went the way of the first.  Seriously??  And of course we couldn't even make it up my street because the plows hadn't been by all day and remember--my tires are worn out.  We ended up abandoning the car and walking home.  Then Bob woke me early this morning to tell me that a tree had fallen across the driveway.  I just love Winter!  So I went outside to investigate the damage and then crawled back into bed to sulk. 

And that is the great thing about an extra linger in bed--it adds perspective to any situation.  If my tires hadn't been poor, and we hadn't had to abandon it down the street, it would have been directly under the collapsed tree.  Trees can be cleared away, tires can be replaced, snow can be shoveled and a new day often seems a little less dire.  There is always Christmas bread waiting to be baked, a tree waiting to be decorated, and nativity sets waiting to be assembled.  So cheer up Tina--Christmas is coming.....

(Tonight I gathered together a few candles and charged my phone since I am pretty sure that the power will be going out shortly)

I am hoping to write again before the first of the year, but sometimes my best intentions get waylaid.  Remember that we will be having our New Year's Open House on January 1st from 1:00-3:00.  We always have a great time with sales, and yummy food, and a few new things.  Of course we will have our new Gingher Scissors and fob, and who knows what else may materialize.  You will just have to drop by and see.  

Happy Christmas to All

free pattern from us to you

Complete kit $14.00

includes 30 count linen, threads, buttons, instructions and a photo

White frame $30.00

Please note:  the stitch count is incorrect on this graph it should be 50 x 80 stitches. 

 The cut size of fabric 9" x 11"  is correct.  

As this Christmas season is so quickly upon us, Teri and I would like to say thanks for a very fun year.  You are all the best, and we so appreciate your friendship and support throughout this past year.    You are the ones that make it fun for us to go to work each day, and we love to visit with you whether it is on the phone or here at the shop.  So we designed this little pattern just for you this holiday season.  You just need to go to the homepage of our website and near the bottom you will find the link to take you to the pattern.  I hope that you will print it off and find a little quiet time during the craziness to stitch on it. 

Happy Christmas to all of you.  

I know that this is a very busy time of year, but I just wanted to take a few minutes to share some special new things which have arrived in the shop this December.  Everyone at the shop has been having a blast choosing fabrics and threads and comparing with each other what they have found.  So..if you are in need of a new project to see you through the rest of the month--just give us a call.  Teri has gathered fabulous linens for each of these projects, and of course we have the perfect threads ready and waiting.  We even have a few of the tins for the Sweet Shop pin cushion. 

Merry Two

limited kit by Plumstreet Samplers

$20.00

Merry Ewe

by Plumstreet Samplers

pattern:  

tins available for $3.50

Merry Brew

by Plumstreet Samplers

pattern:

Very Merry Santa

by Lizzie Kate

partial kit:

French Country Santa

by JBW 

pattern:  $8.00

So it is late, and I guess it is time to truly wish you a very Merry Christmas.  My hope is for all of us to set aside our stress and take a few moments to enjoy the lights, the music, and the love of friends and family.  Eat a cookie, light a candle, sing a carol, and watch a movie.   Close your eyes in the dark and try to capture the anticipation and true joy we felt as children.  

Hugs and love from Utah to you.  fondly, Tina and Teri

Happy Holidays

Christmas Open House

November 28th, 2015

11:00-4:00

Dear Friends,

Here we are on the day after Thanksgiving.  Seriously!  How did that happen?  Thanksgiving in Ogden, was blown in on a blizzard and a plummet in temperature.  Oh Yay.  I guess it just wanted to remind us that Winter is definitely on its way, and it is time to swap out the flip-flops for boots.  Ugh. Teri and I had a great day, and I truly hope that you did as well.  We went to Bob's family in Park City and had a sort of low key, non-traditional Thanksgiving filled with yummy food, games, and laughter until I thought we would burst.  I love a day in the middle of the week that makes us sit back and take a break from life as usual.  And as we drove home late last night through 60 mile an hour winds, I had a quiet hour to contemplate blessings:  warm cars, family, 1 boy home and 1 boy that I could talk to off and on all day while he cooked his first turkey, a warm home and a tail wagging dog waiting for me at the end of the journey... and a project to stitch when I got there. And I am thankful for all of you.  Friends that I know and that I don't know who have become such a part of our lives through Shepherd's Bush.  So thanks so much for reading this blog, stitching our pieces, and touching my heart in so many ways.  

Oh, I am also thankful that Teri finally got her computer fixed and then figured out the new operating system so that we could blog again.  It has been a long month in isolation and incommunicado.  But now we're back.

As you can see, Teri has been busy decorating the outside of the shop with fabulous garlands.  Sadly they blew down last night and we had to drag the ladder back out and she braved the buffeting winds to re-attatch them.  So now they look beautiful.  This was evidently her brave day because she went to get a tree in the unbelievably cold wind and came back with a gorgeous one.  Everybody at work helped us to decorate it this afternoon, and as you can see, it is so pretty and ready for our big day tomorrow.   If you are nearby, plan to drop by.  We have lots of darling holiday projects as well as super delicious, festive treats.  I can't wait to get the eggnog stirred up.  We are doing a very fun and quick needle case in the back room if you want to join us.  I hope that we will see you there ready to kick off the holiday season with all of us at Shepherd's Bush.

Here's the little needle case project that you can make in the back.  Do come join us.

I am really excited to show you some of our brand new holiday offerings which we have been busy finishing up.  We will have them ready for the open house tomorrow, so if you can't come in,  just give us a quick call and we will be happy to send any of them off to you for fun December stitching.  

Christmas Sheep

kit:  $20.00

This little sheep is the 3rd in a series of seasonal sheep and is perfect for the upcoming Advent season.  It is stitched on 32 count linen with overdyed silk and cotton threads. 

Santa Box

kit:  $12.00

box:  $30.00

frame:  by Jill 

Another adorable little box kit by Teri.  This little santa is very sweet and will work up very quickly.  Easy to get done before the big day.  Then all you have to do is grab a new red box by Retromantic or give Jill a quick call.  Either way the finishing will be a snap.  

Merry Little Christmas Tray

kit:  $24.00

red holly tray:  $23.00

I hope you love our new little stitching tray piece.  It was such fun to work up and finished up easily and beautifully in a new tray by Retromantic.  They had send us a tray a couple of weeks ago, but we just received the rest of the trays today, so Teri needs to re-photograph it so you can see the beautiful holly etched into the 2 sides.  You will just love it.  This little piece is stitched on 32 count overdyed linen with Weeks overdyed threads.  A perfect and easily do-able gift for Christmas.  

Noel Sheep Tag/Sled

kit:  $8.00

sled:  (sold separately)  $4.50

This very sweet little kit is such fun.  The kit comes complete with the perforated paper and threads as well as cute paper tag on which to mount it.  It is also designed to fit on the little wooden sled ornaments (by Foxwood Crossings) if you want to add one of those.  

                                                
When the Halloween displays come down, Teri has to change most of the pictures on all the walls in the shop.  Now we are decorated and ready for Christmas, and the spooky tree, has changed into a Christmas ornament "tree".

       

This is a close up of the Ornament tree.  

                                                                                           

Snow Story

 by Lizzie Kate

set of three charts: $16.50

complete kit also available

Linda at Lizzie Kate has released a darling new snow series, and the really great thing is that all three charts are available now.  Teri has ordered in the most gorgeous hand dyed fabric and we have tweaked the colors just a bit.  I know that she will add buttons when we get it back from our stitcher.   What a fun winter project.  Complete kits are available right now, so you can have something fun and seasonal to stitch all through December.    

Merry Noel 

by Brenda Gervais

pattern: $12.00

complete kit also available

Lynnette is stitching this wonderful new piece by With thy Needle and Thread.  We are so excited to see it and are having fun seeing her progress.   

Garden Club 

by Blackbird Designs

patterns $9.00

This is such a brilliant idea.  Barb and Alma have come up with a fabulous new series.  It will come out periodically and each piece can be stitched separately or stitched together.  Nancy has stitched the first two parts and is anxiously waiting for the third.  Here is how it works... you can sign up for just the patterns, or the whole kits, or any of the parts.  We offer the lovely linens in 32 or 36 count fabrics, and we would be happy to catch you up.  Just give us a call.  

Serial Bowl Lesson 4

 by Plum Street Samplers

 kit  $20.00

No fabric included

                                      

We only have a few of these darling kits left.  Once they are gone, they will be gone until next year.  We have the perfect fabric for this piece.  Reeta whipped it up in a weekend...

And here is the last lingering remnant of our garden.  A couple of weeks ago, we were forced to bring the last few branches of tomatoes inside before they froze.  So now they are ripening beautifully out in the sunny front window where they are quite surprising to our customers.  We just were so sad to see the end of the garden, and we hardly know what to eat any more.  I guess it is time to think about winter food.  Oh well, we have a couple of more meals almost ready below and then the long wait for summer.  

So now that the computer is up and going again, we will try to write a bit more often.  Be sure to watch in the next week or two, as I am stitching a little Christmas design that we will share either on the blog or the website.  I guess I will go work on it and try to get it ready for you next week.  Until then, be safe and warm and almost as they say on the Great British Baking Show:  STITCH!