Market Jitters

Market Jitters,  2023

Hi Friends,

Teri and I are just leaving for the airport heading to market in Nashville.  Hopefully all our boxes will arrive and we will be frantically ready by tomorrow afternoon.  We won't blog again until I get home, but Teri will be doing very fun live posts throughout the weekend.  So keep an eye out for her.

We haven't had time to post our own new offerings for the market, so take a look below.  If you are interested in ordering any of these, please give us a call at the shop so that we can gather exactly what you would like.  801-399-4546

The Market Days at the shop will be March 

Here we go:

Sweet Land Sampler

kits:  $44

This sampler was such joy to stitch.  Very soft and muted reds, blues and cremes and a sweet and hopeful message.  This is worked on a hand dyed 32 count linen in soft browns and grays and worked with Weeks overdyed cotton floss.  It includes a few fun stitches as well as cross stitch.  Embellishments are included.

design size:  6 x 8

Where We Dwell

kit:  $30

This is a wonderful pin cushion worked on 32 count overdyed grey/blue fabric.  

It is worked with Weeks overdyed cotton floss and includes a little hand dyed button set.  Also included are a beautiful backing fabric as well as hand dyed Lady Dot chenille for the edging.  

design size: 4 x 4

Patriotic Pin Set

$12.50

The girls at Just Another Button Co. helped me create this darling pin set to perfectly match my design.

Liberty Bag

kit:  $24

Seriously, Teri's new little bag kit is the best!  Kit includes the pre-made zipper bag and Weeks overdyed cotton threads as well as a few perfect little buttons.  You can choose your favorite stitching accoutrements to fill it with when you are done.  

Red, White and Blue

kit:  $16

This adorable new little 10-count kit is fun and festive for the summer holiday.  I love 

Teri's stripes of posies and sheep on the flag.  Perfect for the new stitcher or the one who is looking for something quick and easy on the eyes.

Flowers For Ewe

kit:  $30

button only with pattern:  $10

This is Teri's newest addition to her Ewe series and it is right in time for Spring.  (Luckily 

Spring is a very long ways off in Utah, so we will have plenty of time to get it stitched.)This piece is stitched on 20 count Lambswool linen with a combination of overdyed cotton and wool threads. 

Dinah's delightful, hand crafted Coneflower buttons are perfect for this little piece. 

The kit includes everything you need to make this piece including backing fabric and dyed edging chenille-- thanks to Lady Dot.  It is sweet as a pin cushion for sure, but Jill's frame for it as also charming.

Gettin ready to make kits!

Spring Bag

booklet:  $8

also available in a kit

Spring Kit: not sure

Plaid Bag:  $15

Bunny zipper pull:  $8

This is our newest pattern in our bag series.  We stitched it with Perle cottons on a pink Mad For Plaid bag and it turned out perfectly.  There is a fantastic button kit available to go with it as well as a sweet bunny zipper pull.  The kit will come with the pattern, threads, buttons, and needle.  The bag and the zipper pull can also be ordered separately as well as the pastel polka dot scissors and the pink sheath. 

The picture below shows the tiny pin cushion and fob that can be made from the pattern.  We have kits with the supplies for these Littles as well.  Sorry, not sure about these prices.

The Littles

Scissors:  $12

Sheath:  $5

Littles Kit:  ?

Happy Place

Cookbook:  $12

Kit (minus pattern): not sure

Here is the pattern we designed for this year's Nashville Cookbook.  I think it turned out very sweet and was such a calming, fun piece to design and stitch.  The pattern will be in the cookbook which is such a popular thing at the market. We also have a recipe, but I cannot think what it is.  I'm sure is it absolutely delicious--well maybe not that delicious.  But that is always such a highlight for us to peruse the book and choose what we want to stitch and cook.  Lots of designers have fun patterns--I know Blackbird always has something lovely.  Recipes come from, many designers and shops.  It is very fun!

Thanks for stopping by to see what we have going on this week.  Don't hesitate to call us if you would like something.  We have tried to make lots of kits, but the supply chain is always so very tricky.  

Be safe and well out there in the world, and stitch for joy.  

fondly, Tina...and Teri

 

Wow! 2023

In the bleak midwinter, 2023

Dear Friends,

Remember me?  I know it has been a while, but it has also been quite a year!  If I were a resolution girl, I would make it a goal to write more often.  But I am definitely not.  And...I still am going to be better this year.  I find it hard to believe that we are a month into 2023--nearly 3 years after our world turned upside down.  I want to think that we are back to normal, but I know that isn't true.  We may never be back to that state again, but maybe we are finding a new and healthy equilibrium.  I hope, at least.  For me, last year was my time and space to soothe my heart and soul.  After 2 long years of worry and angst, I think I just needed a season of healing and looking ahead. I felt a bit battered and weary, and needed a moment to convince myself that everything was going to be ok, and the world was going to persevere just like we were.  Honestly, I did a lot of stitching and a lot of reading, and that was so restoring for me.

The shop was busy and fun as we frantically prepared for the Retreat that had been postponed for 2 years.  You would think that with all that extra time, we would have been ready, and in some ways we were.  But it is always a total sprint to the finish line.  I am such a solitary person--who became even more solitary during the past couple of years--that I panicked more than a bit at the thoughts of being out there again with lots of people...and people...and people.  Teri had to do quite a lot of cheering me on with her:  "It's going to be so much fun, I can't wait!"  (I know you can just hear her)  But in the end, it was such a wonderful time:  so many kind and lovely people, the best teachers with their beautiful, heart-felt samplers. and the joy of being together and sharing art, and stories, and life.  Honestly, it was a heart nourishing week for me, and I have to thank all of you out there as well as those in my immediate world for that. 

So, I am excited to see what this year brings for all of us.  I just know it is going to be great.

It certainly started off well as Teri and I did our Jane Austen January.  We both have a lot of stitching to do, so we decided to return to all of our favorite Austen movies.  Ok, that was good for the soul for sure, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.  

And, of course, the shop has so many amazing new things, that it is hard not to be excited and want to share all of them.  So...here goes.     

Winter Bag 

by Shepherd's Bush 

pattern: $8.00

Bag kit: $ 42.70

Blueberry plaid bag: $15.00

Teri loves stitching these bags.  You can purchase just the pattern, or we have a kit that includes the pattern, the perl cottons and the etoile thread, the buttons,  a needle, and the snowflake zipper pull. The perfect thing to do while the snow flies outside the window.  

Winter Bag smalls 

kit: $13.55        

pincushion and fob supplies only, pattern not included

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The Fold Scissor Fob 

by Lady Dot

$14.00

 Lois, from Lady Dot, has created this adorable scissor fob just for us.  

The scissors and scissor case are sold separately 

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New joys for Happy Heart Month

Here are a few great new patterns we have stitched for Valentine's Day

Love  

by Cross Eyed Cricket

chart: $8.00

We have stitched this on a soft pink linen, tweaked the colors and added a few buttons. I love how Jill and Amber framed this gorgeous piece.  

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2023 Collector Heart 

by Heart in Hand

Kit $32.00

Cecila's new yearly heart is so adorable.  The kit comes with the 32 count linen, a lovely skein of Cottage Garden thread, and a wonderful button.  The perfect gift for red girls.  

*******

Love and Joy Come to You 

by Heartstrings Samplery

chart: $10.00

                              Beth brought this to the retreat, and Teri loved it--such a sweet stitch.  

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Cardinal Kin 

by Plumstreet Samplers

chart $10.00

Paulette brought this fabulous piece to our retreat, and we just had to have it stitched.  We have not sent it  off to Jill yet, sinceTeri won't let it  go.  

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Valentine Villa 

by Threadmilk Designs

chart: $15.00

This is so charming!  The chart comes with a small notebook and a tiny pencil so you can leave love notes.  The instructions are in the chart to make a pocket on the back of one of the pillows. So fun. 

Thanks, Lori for such a darling series.

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Easter Thread minders 

$20.00

Lori and Chris have made 2 adorable sets of minders.   Whichever one you choose, you will fall in love.  

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Popsicle scissors 

$9.00 

Crazy new scissors.

We have had a similar--beloved--scissor we called jelly scissors, but they have almost disappeared over COVID. These are back again but with a cool strap.  They are very sharp and plastic, so they are light weight.  

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Spring sundries 

from My Big Toe

Needle Minders $8.00

Thread Keeps $13.00

Spring Scissor Fobs:  $13

Valentine/ Heart Fobs: $13

Spring Fobs

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Stitching notebooks 

$4.00

These sweet notebooks are great for making or leaving a note. 

Sisters would like them, too.

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Bags by Ginger

Large $45.00  (10" x 14")

Small accessory bag $20  (7" x 7")

plus a few little rectangles.

Our friend, Ginger, is making these bags for us.  They are so fantastic!  I promise that you will love them. We hand pick our favorite cotton fabrics and she magically turns them into these lovely, padded project bags with a coordinating lining fabric on the inside.  I received a darling retro holly print bag for Christmas, but I am going to be using it all year.  Oh....I could just buy another one, and save my holly for the holidays.  Which print shall I choose:  William Morris, Teresa Kogut, Blackbird, French General, or Lori Holt?

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Atomic Ranch fabric of the month

We are embarking on a year of a different fabrics every month from the Atomic Ranch Company.

This is January's offering.  Frieze is the fabric for January, it is a very mottled grayish tan color (not blue) and would be perfect for a reproduction sampler or a spooky Halloween piece.  We have ordered these linens in 40, 36, 32 count and Aida in 14 and 16 count. All are Zweigert base fabrics.   If you would like to be part of this, we could send you the count of your choice, in 1/8 (13" x 18"), or 1/4 yard (18" x 26").  Just let us know.  

Sorry...Frieze is sold out of 40 count.

Speaking of linens, we have received so many other beautiful hand dyed linens from a variety of companies:  Picture this Plus, Seraphim, Fibers on a whim, Fox and Rabbit, R & R, Weeks, Lakeside Linens.  If you are looking for a lovely fabric, stop by or give us a call.

As you can see by Teri's photos above, December and January have been very COLD and snowy here in Utah.  We have had lots of lovely blizzards and lots of not so lovely shoveling opportunities.  (Where are those boys?)  But we are happy for the water here in the West, so hopefully there will be more coming.  I think we are having 6 more weeks of winter.  I mentioned that I had done lots of reading this past year,  so here are a couple of books that I loved!  Just in case you need a suggestion.  The Maid by Nita Prose and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.  These are both great reads that you won't want to put down.  Plus...if you listen to them, you can stitch and read at the same time.  So be well and safe out there in your corner of the world. Stitch, and read, and cook something for the soul. Teri's coming up with a recipe for the next blog, so get ready.

hugs...Tina...and Teri

 

Happy Summer

Early Summer,  2022

Dear Friends,

I have decided that this will be my Season of Gratitude!  

I think of myself as a pretty happy person--low key, peaceful, and quiet.  But after these past 2 years, I have noticed a weed sprouting up in my psyche--Crankiness.  No, really, I am not kidding...The world is making me crabby! The tragic part of that is that it is full blown Summer and the heat always raises my irritability index.  Bob is trying to save the environment, so we are not going to fix our air conditioning.  Yay!  But then, technically it isn't even summer yet. Last month, I decided that the news was not helping my naturally chill personality, so I just gave it up.  I used to be an avid news reader first thing in the morning, but that started the day on such a depressing note, that I switched to evening.  Well...that might have been worse.  So I am done with it.  Somehow during the day, I seem to find out about the big things, and everything else just has to avoid me.  Sadly, there are a few other things which gnaw at me such as constant road construction,  green motorized scooters, bad drivers, and ranunculi thiefs--to name just a few.  Even though I am not dwelling on them, I remind myself. 

Which brings me to my Season of gratefulness.  I am focussing on little blessings and simple pleasures, which should be so easy since there is an abundance around me to make my soul joyful.  We have had a beautiful Spring filled with cool air and plenty of rain, and the mountains behind my home are a color pallet of greens.  I have spent many hours stitching and even working on an embroidery project trying to catch up with my friends.  I'm not...but it doesn't matter because I am having a great time. And...I have read a plethora of lovely books which have lured me to the 1960s, to a posh hotel in NYC, to Shakespeare's England, and a re-visit to the Isle of Guernsey. I'm not keeping a gratitude journal since that would most likely make me crazy, but I am cataloguing them in my brain to return to as needed.  Sadly, there are those in my life who--even as I am writing this--have cast aspersions on my pleasantness. 

 But I am able to ignore them because of my joy in writing to you. 

So please read on and I hope your hearts are filled with gladness.  T 

Hector's  Stocking 

by Shepherd's Bush

pattern:  $10

Kits also available

This has been the longest birth of a stocking ever.  I had it designed and stitched late last summer and early fall, and...

But finally, if all the stars in the evening sky are aligned, we will have it in hand next week.  I wanted to do a quintessential Christmas Santa, so here he is bringing home the Yule tree on his little sled amidst a lovely snowstorm.  We have the linen, the backing fabric, the charm set, and all of the threads, so we are ready if you are.  

This is how we set our pictures up for the stockings.  We decided to photograph in the front hall at the shop as it was still cold, rainy and sometimes snowy when we photographed this.  

So here is the process.  

This the front hall as it always is.  

We are trying to decide just the perfect place to set everything up, the drawer was an option....

Then we decided to bring in a chair, packages, and a few pictures.

We start stacking fun props that might work, books, blocks, puzzles, a cricket ball.  

Teri starts the slow process of creating the right mood, everything has to be just right.  She tweaks tiny details up until the last second.  I fill the stocking with sweets and toys and tie on ribbons to hang it.  

Robert, the photographer takes many pictures, and Teri checks them. Then she moves the blocks, then the greens, then the tops.  I just have to go to the back room and hope for the best.

Finally it is ready for the stocking.  This is the completed shot and we both loved the look.  YAY!!!!! 

Now to tweak color and crop.

This is the finished shot that will be on the front of the pattern.  

Quilt Bag 

by Shepherd's Bush

chart:  $8 

Bluebell bag: $15

Kit includes pattern, #5 perl cotton, buttons, a needle $34.10  (bag not included)

Spool zipper pull $8.00

Here is Teri's newest pattern for the darling vinyl bags.  Bluebell is one of 3 new colors.  I think that Quilt turned out so sweet.  It is very clever and fun and perfect for all those lovely quilters in our lives.

Quilt Bag Littles  

fob and pincushion

Complete kit with floss threads, linen, backing, chenille edging.

The small pieces are so much fun to stitch, The pincushion is stitched just like the bag, and the fob design is also included on the chart. 

New Plaid bag colors

Bluebell- blue ( Quilt Bag)

Misty (teal )- the design for this is coming and it is fantastic!

Peony - Pink ( still dreaming of something fabulous))

We also have the original colors, red, gray, and green.   They are a so much fun to stitch, and they work up so quickly.  

Look for the Beauty 

by Bent Creek 

Chart:  $12.00

our button set : $9.20

This is a new pattern from Bent Creek.  We just love the sweet saying and the darling design.  We have added a great set of buttons

4th Block Party

by Hands On

chart:  $12

Kathy from Hands On shows this as a wonderful pincushion, but we wanted to try it as a long framed piece.  We used a neutral linen, added buttons,  and it is a favorite new patriotic piece.  

Fall on the Farm

 by Little House Needleworks

each chart (or square ): $7.00

We just love Diane's series like this.  We have stitched so many--Little Sheep Virtues, ABC houses, Farmhouse Christmas, Jack Frost's Tree Farm, Early Americans. ( you can see all of these on our website.)

 Her latest series is Fall on the Farm  It is adorable and is looking more fun each month.  Every month we get a new block, and there will be 9 squares in all.  We are adding buttons to each block, wait until you see the great button for this month.  It is new and different.  Give us a call if you would like to join our automatic, or if you would like to get a whole set when it is finished in August.   

New Patriotic things from Thread Milk 

Liberty Lodge chart $15.00

Patriotic Thread Drops 

assortment 1 and assortment 2

$20.00 

New wooden thread minders from Under the Garden Moon 

$8.00

These wooden minders are just adorable. 

Wool needle cases 

by Under the Garden Moon

Pattern $10 - for all 4  designs

wool supply sets:

beehive:$10

Bunny: $10

Sheep: $10

Bird: $10

For those of you who are waiting for Halloween...It is coming...

Happy Halloween 

 by Primrose Cottage

chart:  $6.50

We just love this new pillow from Primrose Cottage.  It is stitched on 10 count fabric and we added buttons and a great spooky fabric to finish it off.  

Acorns 

by Prairie Schooler 

chart:  $12

Another great Autumn pillow.  Stitched on 7 count fabric with #3 perl cotton.  We even have the finishing fabrics to make this charming harvest pillow.  

Garden is growing and since our water is severely rationed, we will see how it grows this year.  Cucumbers are up and the tomatoes are growing.  Broccoli is just starting, but peas are coming on a treat.  

This year will put drought gardening to the test.  

Flowers to bring the bees

This "fun" friend visits Teri's bird feeders every night.  He does not even look up when she tells him to go away.  She rubs the bird feeder pole with crisco to keep him from climbing up to the feeders.  He is very determined, or very hungry.  

Happy Summer!