Doug Kreinik EGA Talk

By Doug Kreinik

On Thursday night, June 24th, I had the honor and opportunity to speak to the EGA gathering in Charleston,WV. I would love if all travel were so easy. It was a mere 70-mile ride down the interstate where I was greeted by 145 EGA members at their annual meeting- Gathering Pearls.

I enjoy getting out from behind my desk to meet the people who use and love my product. Consumers, designers, teachers and shop owners always make me think harder to create new products and concepts plus it is a great forum for me to show off ideas..

I guess the biggest question was, what is new? Holographics are definitely the new thing for us. I showed off holographic temari balls, pillows, purses and more. Along with this were the very popular Tree Jewels in the three styles and three color ways. These were a real hit at the convention store set up by “Cross My Heart” of Columbus, Ohio. We were all very surprised by the amount of holographic blending filament that sold. I have seen more needlepointers using the blending filament buried in with their stitches. That, to me, is a very imaginative approach to working with the blending filament giving a more textured and 3-D effect to one’s work.

I stayed around during the morning hours on Friday to answer any questions about product plus to sign a few books, “Metallic Embroidery”. Stitchers were also asking me to autograph Monica Ferris’s book Crewel Yule. If you remember, I was the first murder suspect in the book. My kids have never forgotten that. Of course, I didn’t do it.

Maybe I will see some of you on the road in the future. I enjoy entertaining and giving my talks. I believe that humor and fun grows ideas. I guess that is why my daughter went into show business - only it was the real one not the trade show business.

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Buying local

By Dena Lenham

There’s a little store on a corner that could easily blend into the other retailers along the street – except for the line coming out the front and curving around two blocks, giving an hour wait time just to get in the door. Obviously, in Columbus, Ohio, it is The Place To Be. There is a line every day, all hours, all ages, all nationalities, all dress types. It’s Jeni’s ice cream shop, and blissfully it is a mere hop, skip and a jump from the convention center where the TNNA needle arts trade show was held earlier this month.

So Cathe Ray of the Alameda California store Needle In a Haystack merely had to mention ice cream and sorbet to get the Kreinik crew to stand in line at 10 o’clock on an 80-degree night after working the trade show booth all day. “What could possibly be so special about this ice cream??” I wondered as we stood in this incredibly long line. A few signs later, peering in the window, I started to get the picture: “Grass grazed Ohio cream”, “Locally made peanut butter”, “Home-made whipped cream”, “Freshly made waffle cones…” Oh yeah, this was a local-goodness, community-centered, expert-in-the-field kind of place, and everyone in that long line knew it.

Today, a week after the show closed, I wish I lived in Columbus so I could get that Dark Chocolate Vanilla Honey Pure Minted Bliss ice cream again (or whatever flavor it was, I just know it was so heavenly I was afraid someone would pick-pocket me as I walked, lost in that freshly-made waffle cone). But it makes me happy knowing that a community and its visitors support an independent establishment that specializes in something that spans generations, offering amazing things you can’t find in a chain store, using the best quality they can get for their customers who deserve the best - kind of like a needlework store. If you are lucky enough to have a specialty needlework shop in your town or within driving distance, support it. If you don’t have one, there are plenty of them that sell online. You won’t regret it.

Find a list of fabulous needlework retailers in the Store Locator on www.kreinik.com.

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Chili Hamburgers

Time to change gears and talk about something fun. We have some great recipes to share enjoy this for your next cookout! This recipe comes from the book “Once-A-Month Cooking” by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. Dena Lenham used this book during her days of commuting 1 1/2 hours each way to work.

Have you heard of this technique: cooking all day, once a month, assembling and freezing meals that will last you all month? Sounds daunting, sounds like women that are way too organized. Sounds good, actually.

This book is subtitled, “A proven system for spending less time in the kitchen and enjoying delicious, homemade meals everyday.” I was skeptical until I tried it, but it truly saves my family time during the weekday, when meals are often fast food or less nutritious. The ingredients are all fresh, not processed, and thus healthy, and the meals don’t taste any less delicious because they’ve been frozen.

This book is a great way to try the technique. They offer a two-week plan if cooking for a whole month intimidates you. I suggest following their lists and schedule step-by-step for the basic two-week menu plan, and you’ll discover how this method works. Try it; let me know what you think. I have enjoyed having meals on hand for sick neighbors, unscheduled company, and weekday rushes. Your cooking day is a long day, sometimes 7 or 8 hours, but it is worth it.

You can make the patties from this recipe and freeze them right along with the buns to store for a later meal. Just thaw and grill when you’re ready.

• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1-tablespoon chili powder
• 1-tablespoon chili sauce
• 1/4-teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2-teaspoon salt
• 4 hamburger buns

Thoroughly mix all ingredients except hamburger buns. Shape into 4 hamburger patties. Grill to desired pinkness and serve on hamburger buns.

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TNNA Columbus Summer 2010 Preview

Weary road warriors Doug Kreinik & Dena Lenham, fresh off a great Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis will be in Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the TNNA Columbus Summer Show. Here's a sneak preview of what to look for from the Kreinik booth.

• Sample It: We will be offering the new Holographic ECE's and assortment packs of the new Holographic Threads in Medium #16 Braid. These will not last so act fast!
• SCHOOLHOUSE SERIES, TIPS program - Our program will be on holographics — Make Mine 3-D: 10 Hot Ways, 9:30 a.m to 10 a.m. on Friday June 11
• New Products to look for: Holographic threads in Medium #16 Braid and Tree Jewels Needlepoint Ornament Kits in Vintage and Urban color themes.

Looking for a class using Kreinik threads? Here's a list of a few of them...

TT201 Two Koi needlepoint class by Adrienne Spencer: Capture the serenity and graceful movement of HP'S "Two Koi". We will honor the exquisite painting and shading of this canvas by using a variety of stitches in the light or shadow stitching method.

ST120 Kreinik With A New Twist with Beth Robertson and Suzanne Howren: New to Kreinik threads, or want to learn new tricks and techniques for using threads to embellish needlepoint? Beth and Suzanne have fabulously fun ideas that will get your creative juices going.

TT214 Graphic Girls needlepoint with Sharon G: Embellish a trio of brightly colored "girls" with fabulous fibers and stitches - including Kreinik holographics.

TT301 Counted Canvas 101 with Debbie Rowley: The easiest and fastest way to learn more about counted canvas.

FT211 The Flakes: Snowman with a Broom needlepoint with Cynthia Thomas: Embellish a fun winter-themed canvas with fibers and stitches. Would make a great class in your shop, or project for an ornament club.

ST104 Flowers from The Heart needlepoint with Robin King: A bright, cheery, fun Needle Deeva canvas is brought to life in this class. - includes Kreinik holographics

ST105 Sew Many Threads, Sew Much Fun with June McKnight: How do you choose, how do you use...questions answered!

ST117 Candy Corn needlepoint with Cynthia Thomas: Too-cool candy corn canvas by A Bradley Needlearts, made dazzliing and dimension in this class.

NT107 Needlepoint Store Cottage needlepoint by Associated Talents: Learn multiple techniques for stitching, embellishing and making this 3-D village store.

Click here to see more information about these classes.

See you in Columbus! We will be in booth #1019/1118.

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Our Schoolhouse Rocked!

Special guest blogger Dena "Kreinikgirl" Lenham talks about our 2010 Spring Quilt Market Schoolhouse.

You never know what to expect when going to a new school. As we walked to the Kreinik classroom for Spring Quilt Market's Schoolhouse sessions, we wondered who would be there, would they like us? We were so excited to discover a room filled to capacity with shop owners, teachers and designers wanting to learn about embellishing in 3-D. We left energized by the ideas around Kreinik's holographic threads for fabric arts. It was a fun way to start the trade show.

At Schoolhouse, you have 15 minutes to show and tell. Doug Kreinik began by introducing Kreinik's new holographic threads as the "Avatar" of threads — the latest in hip, 3-D tech that is just downright fun. Then Dena Lenham showed models made with the holographics: a handmade felt bird, a machine-couched 'galaxy' quilt, a cross-stitched bookmark, and about 10 other creative projects made by hand or sewing machine. The lighting in a convention center is notoriously bad, but even in this classroom the holographics stood out, with flecks of color showing the unique 3-D effect. "Wows" were heard over and over from the students.

We had time for Q&A: "Are the holographic threads washable?" (yes) "What do you use for the couching thread?" (a clear monofilament works best) "Can you use these in a machine?" (yes; the thinner Blending Filament and #4 Braid sizes can go through a needle, the other sizes can be used in the bobbin or couched). "What do you use for the bobbin thread?" (a 60-weight cotton works well). The models were passed around the room and ideas started popping up: "You can use this for..." "This would be good in..."

We loved meeting everyone at Schoolhouse, most of whom came to our table at Sample Spree later that night or to the Kreinik booth during the show, bringing even more ideas they had thought of for using the holographic threads in quilting and sewing projects. At a trade show full of grand fabric companies, huge sewing machine companies, and renown pattern designers, Kreinik became The Little Thread That Could — that could embellish these fabrics, be used on those machines, and bring the patterns to life.

We can't wait to show and tell again as we host another schoolhouse session, this time in TIPS at the June 11, 2010 TNNA trade show in Columbus, Ohio. If you will be at the show, come to class.

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