This month's discussion topic is: "Tell us about your favorite places to buy stitching supplies." Sadly, there are no LNS stores within driving distance of where I live. The closest town (Toledo) has a Hobby Lobby, a Michaels and a Joanne's but I have never found them to be well stocked with stitching supplies (except may a healthy selection of DMC threads) - not worth the 40+ minute drive IMO. SO... I shop online! It has two major drawbacks:
When we lived overseas (1992-2002), needlework shops were few and far between so I got accustomed to searching online and ordering, sight unseen. I continued this habit after returning Stateside. Because of this, I have found a few places that will actually talk on the phone about potential fabric colors, counts and weaves, and some even custom cut fabrics to the needed size! Among these are The Silver Needle in Oklahoma (I have, sadly, never been to their shop in person but I did belong to a number of their monthly "clubs" before the 2008 "economic meltdown" when I felt I could no longer afford the monthly charges) and Needle in a Haystack in California (which I have had the pleasure of visiting, albeit sometime ago before they moved and remodeled). Whenever I plan on starting a special project, I call one or both of these stores for special orders of threads and fabrics. Mainly, however, I shop online and I have a few go-to shops:
And that is just scratching the surface of "shops". It doesn't begin to cover the designer specific sites like Michael Powell, or the designs in magazines like "Just Cross Stitch" or the British "World of Cross Stitch"! Let's be honest here. I probably have enough charts to last two lifetimes (many of which probably are no longer "my style") and probably enough floss and fabric for a heft percentage of them. Someone is going to have to shop my estate sale after I die because there are bound to be some hidden gems in there! ~~~~~WIPs~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" sampler. Started back in February of 2014! No progress since the last check-in. 2. A Lakeside Needlecraft SAL, "Kogin", designed by Elizabeth Almond. I began in February 2022, after four installments had been issued. No progress... probably should be downgraded to UFO. 3. Traveling Needlepoint "Butterfly on Scroll": Nothing since February 17-19. No trips scheduled until the fall. 4. Two pieces requiring beading: "Hope & Strength" by Glendon Place and "Christmas Banner" by Stitchonomy. I had decided to do all the beading at the same time but the beading languishes... 5. Fox & Rabbit's Patreon "Temperature Chart" for the year 2023. Stitching on 28 ct. "Star Sapphire" Gobelin (although it looks more pale green than "sapphire" to me) using DMC floss. I'm stitching the day's low on the left side of the hearts and the high on the right side. All temperatures are based on the recorded highs and lows from an online "past weather" temperature chart for near-by Bowling Green, Ohio (we don't have a reliable outdoor temperature thermometer for our home so I'm assuming same ZIP code, similar temperature, although that isn't totally accurate). I am pretty much keeping up with the days, waiting until I have roughly five days of temperatures charted to stitch each session. I spend the rest of the time on the border and the hangers. (the picture below shows temperatures through March 21):  6. Lakeside Needlecraft "Happiness is Handmade" SAL designed by Durene Jones. Installments one and two are now complete and part of installment three is started. Bands four and five are now issued.  The counting errors continue with the pink border under the young girl stitched one row low (so she acquired a longer neck and a larger stitched piece!). Also, there are two missed stitches in this - on the left in the pink and blue borders (I must have a thing about pink and blue borders!). 7. Fox & Rabbit Mystery SAL for 2023, called "Royal Gardens". Stitching on 32ct Lugana "pale green" using Threadworx Overdyed Floss 1048 Woodland Green throughout. I am pleased with the slight variation in the green so I've decided to not mess with additional colors. I am a little more than half of the way through the January installment (five flowers to go!) and have the February and March pattern installments (plus the borders) in hand... I would be faster if the frog didn't keep visiting!  There are still other projects in the queue, but whether or not they actually get started in 2023 is in question. They include:
~~~~~ That sums up my March stitchery progress. It was interfered with by:
I hope to do better in April! |
