Kreinik Thread Blog

Looking ahead to 2012!

2011-12-26T07:52:00.052-05:00

New Metallic Colors

Its been a great 2011 and Kreinik thanks you for your support. Looking ahead to 2012 we have some fun new products we are working on. This post will focus on some projects we are working on for 2012.

New Facets & Petite Facets colors. We have added Copper and Pearl. These colors are amazing.
New Metallic Thread Colors. We're not sure how many colors we will have but we have a sneak preview below of some colors tying to make the final cut.
Dyed Silk Gauze. Look for several colors of silk gauze dyed in colors like dark green and red.
New Stitch-A-Pen designs. We are working on several new designs for our popular Stitch-A-Pen Series.
Signature Series Assortments. Available in most metallic and silk threads, these color themed 4-packs will feature the top selling colors in each color family.
Piping. A product fly fishers/fly tyers will love. We can make our piping in just about any metallic thread color.
Glow In The Dark Dubbing. We will have 6 colors of dubbing for our fly fishing/fly tying customers.

New Facets

Glow Dubbing

Holiday Giving

2011-12-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

Years ago, we stopped giving each other gifts at the annual Christmas Party and began collecting different items to give to various agencies in the Parkersburg area. This year, the employees decided to collect for two different local organizations. Nearly seventy-five pounds of canned goods and pasta were donated to the Catholic Charities of West Virginia. As well as twenty-five sets of mittens and toboggans were donated to the Parkersburg Neighborhood Network.

Hope you all have a Happy Holiday and see you when we get back in January.

Pictured Left to Right: Cynthia Hudson of Catholic Charities of West Virginia, Beth Judy and Julie Boyce of Kreinik Manufacturing.

Hanukah or Chanukah or Hannukah

2011-12-13T15:28:00.002-05:00

Hanukah or Chanukah or Hannukah – there are many ways to spell the holiday. This is a fun time of eating greasy food like latkes and fried donuts, having family get-togethers, and of course exchanging gifts. As a special Hanukkah spotlight on the Kreinik web site this year, we partnered with Michele and Renee at the fabulous needlepoint shop Gone Stitching (www.gonestitching.com) to offer new projects featuring Menorah and dreidel designs. The first four projects are stitch guides for painted needlepoint canvases (available through Gone Stitching), brought to gorgeous life with Kreinik silk and metallic threads. Click on this link to see the models and download the stitch guides: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/home.php?cat=399 .

The 8 Projects of Hanukkah on www.kreinik.com also includes four Stitch-a-Pen projects. The designs are from Gone Stitching, one from Jonathan Siegel (the renowned graphic designer whose art appears on the redesigned movie poster for Sony’s Taxi Driver) and one from our own Dena Lenham. These projects stitch up so quickly, you have time to order the supplies and stitch them for gifts or for yourself for the holidays this year. My mom, who is in her 90s, stitched a pen project in one evening, She especially liked the pen because it is easy to hold and uses a Parker Pen refill. The pens are fast and easy projects, all using Kreinik Metallics and/or Kreinik silks on perforated paper. Watch for new and exciting designs this next year.

Have fun and enjoy the season.

Doug Kreinik

25 Days of Free Christmas Projects

2011-12-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, it is time for family, friends, food, and free Christmas projects from Kreinik!

Last year's calendar of 25 Days of Christmas Projects on www.kreinik.com was so popular, we brought it back to celebrate this year's season. Handmade gifts mean so much more than generic, mass-produced, mass-marketed, store-bought gifts — and they can save you money, too. With 25 fresh stitching, sewing and crafting ideas on www.kreinik.com, simply run, Rudolph, run to your local needlework store to get anything you may not have on hand. No local needlework store? Buy anything Kreinik from www.kreinikmall.com, or from many other online retailers.

Five new projects will be released each week until we get to 25, so check back often on www.kreinik.com. Merry Christmas! Click here to see them.

PS - Look for the 8 Days of Hanukkah Projects right here.

Karen Boutte: quilt designer and friend

2011-11-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

One of the best parts of attending a quilt market or festival is meeting designers, who, in our world, are celebrities. Karen Boutte is one such person — she is a fabulous designer who always carries a smile, hug and great idea. At the last show, she brought us a stunning butterfly quilt, made using our threads for surface embroidery (like ribbon, braid, 3/8" Trim). Read on to get to know Karen and discover her tips for using decorative threads.

Artist Profile: Karen Boutte (left in picture)
Specialty: Designer and Teacher, Quilts, Wearable Art
Web Site: http://www.karenboutte.com/
Blog: http://delightfuldiva.blogspot.com/

Q: How did you get started as a quilter?
A: I did begin sewing as a child. My mother made all of my clothes and she would let me play with her scraps. I made some doll sized accessories, but not doll clothes. This started when I was about 6 years old and then I was hooked. By Junior High, I was making dresses for myself. I didn't start quilting until much later. It was after a family reunion in 1989 that I got interested in quilts when I saw a Cathedral Window quilt that my Great Aunt Nora made. Another "oh my" moment; I was hooked on quilting.

Q: Tell us about the butterfly quilt you made for Kreinik. What was your inspiration?
A: Couching Butterfly was inspired by a Robert Kaufman fabric for the "Grandeur" collection. I guess you can call me the "Fabric Whisperer". When I walk into a quilt shop, some fabrics just talk to me. I am always on the lookout for exciting bold prints. To compliment these I search for tone on tones that offer texture and movement. The background for the Butterfly quilt is a Northcott "Stonhendge". I saw the Kaufman fabric and it just said ..."buy me, I am beautiful and you will find a way to make something out of me" so I bought 3 yards (my minimum for a beautiful print since I can make a jacket with that amount of fabric). The fan shapes in the fabric reminded me of butterfly wings, so I just started cutting and arranging. Most of my garments are fabric collage, so the more action in the print, the more holes it will have in the end.

Q: How did you use the various Kreinik threads on the quilt?
A: Embellishing with the Kreinik threads was the fun part! After cutting out the wings, I stitched them in place using the Kreinik High Speed metallic thread around the edges in Antique Gold. I then began playing with the 1/8" metallic ribbon to cover the edges of the wings. I then took the 3/8" Trim (a wired ribbon), wrapped it around a cuticle stick, slid off the coil, laid it on the butterfly wing and flattened it to look like rick-rack. I sewed this down with a decorative stitch using Kreinik's silver high speed metallic thread.

I used the gold wired 3/8" Trim and wrapped it around a flat ribbon and stitched it down with Kreinik's gold high speed metallic thread. The antenna, body and tail of the butterfly are 3/8" wired Trim in Hot Chocolate color. I twisted the top wire, stitched in place and hand stitched beads in the centers. I wrapped the center body thread around a pencil and gently stretched it over the center seam. I added drop crystal beads for accent. The end of the tail in strung through a 1/2" copper bead. I added several rows of hot fix crystals to enhance the print of the fabric and add balance to the wings.

I used free motion stitching on the background to tie the piece together. I used an echo stitch near the sides of the wings, followed by what I call my small ballon stitch. Around the antenna I added my "rock" stitch and used my "wondering meander" stitch around the tail.

Q: As quilters, we often focus on the piecing of the quilt, rather than the top-stitching or embellishing part. But your quilts and wearable art designs show people how much fun the thread play can be. Do you have any advice for people who may be intimidated by picking embellishment threads, or don’t know where to start? (Would it help to have a “quilt diva” attitude? How can we become quilt divas?)
A: We all have an inner Diva that is struggling to get out and play! When I teach my classes, I request that my students leave the "rules" outside the door and just play with their thread and decorative stitches. We buy sewing machines for several thousand dollars and for the most part use only the straight stitch and zig zag and maybe some free motion thrown in. My mission is to show students how exciting the most mundane stitch can look when combined with decorative thread, like Kreinik's Fine Twist, Fashion Twist and Metallic High Speed thread.

If you are a little timid about using glitzy thread or decorative stitches, pick one fun stitch (example, a scallop satin stitch), pick a print fabric and some contrasting thread. This could be a 4" square to test. Cut two 4" squares and set one aside. Iron a stabilizer or use batting on the back of one square and stitch a line of scallops across the fabric. Go back to the beginning and stitch another line of scallops, right next to the first or mirror image the first line of stitches. After that, maybe run a straight stitch on the outside of each row of scallops. You have just created a ribbon stitch that no one else will have! Look at this 4" square and compare it to the plane square, I bet you will like the outcome.

The worst that can happen is that you don't like the combination. You've only used a 4" square of scrap fabric and a little thread. Toss it out and try another combination or keep it as a reminder of what you don't like. I keep a notebook of my stitch combinations and samples of the ones I like noting the stitch number, length, wide and thread used. It's fun, easy and a good way to play with the wonderful threads and all those lovely stitches on our machine.

Q: Is there a rule of thumb, or advice for how to pick fabric prints that will “embellish well” with decorative threads?
A: There are no hard and fast rules for fabric that will embellish. If you tend to like a hint of glitz, use thread that blends with your fabric. If you are like me, you go for the highest contrast you can find. I love bling! When a fabric is talking to me, I will look for areas that will "pop" with the addition of decorative stitches and threads. Large prints are a blast to play with. You can outline a motif, cut it out and collage it to a tone-on-tone fabric or pick one element of the design and repeat the stitch whenever it appears. Again, there are no rules.

Q: What are your suggestions or tips for using a metallic thread in the needle of your sewing machine?
A: When using metallics I always use a new needle suited for metallic thread (Metafile, Metallica Sharp, Jeans Denim, Top Stitch). They need a sharp tip and a deep shaft for smooth sewing. I place my thread on a vertical spool pin so it glides through the tension discs without twisting. I admit, I have to slow down a bit for my normal racing speed, but not that much!

Q: Do you have any tips or a top technique for couching thicker threads like Kreinik 3/8” Trim or Kreinik Braids?
A: I love to couch threads and fibers. If your machine has a couching foot, this is the time to play with it. If not, use your open toe embroidery foot so you can see where you are going on your piece. I like to couch with a decorative stitch (of course) and not just a zig zag. I'm not saying never use a zig zag because sometimes it is the best stitch for that project. But try some of the other stitches like the feather stitch. It makes a fun pattern and you can see the Kreinik braids peaking through the couched thread. When using a wired thread, I will use a blanket stitch so the I can curve the wired ribbon and only catch a small "bite" when couching it down.

Q: We all just returned from the big quilt industry trade show, International Quilt Market in Houston, Texas. Did you see any trends at the show, anything we can look forward to - or dabble in - in coming months?
A: There were so many tools out there, I almost didn't have time to see them all. Going to Schoolhouse helped a lot so I could zone in on the vendors that had new items that fit my needs. I make quilts and garments using raw edged applique and specialize in embellishing. There were a lot of tools for making dimensional flowers and leaves. I played with an updated tool for making custom buttons and another for adding snaps. Sparkle and bling are still in (Yeah!) with thread, beads, crystals and fiber.

I fell in love with several lines of paint and stencils. Now I must use my holiday break to learn to add these new elements to my designs. Just think, you can take a stencil, paint a flower and embellish it with Kreinik metallic thread, creating your own fabric. This would be great for a handbag or tablet cover. That was another hugh item, new bag patterns featuring cell phone, tablet (Nook, IPad,Kindle), laptops and cute little dressy bags.

Q: What’s next on your schedule? Or what’s on your sewing table now?
A: I am currently working on Jacket patterns for 2012. My book, Delightful Diva Designs, Wonderful Whimsical Wearables has been out for awhile and I though it would be helpful to have instructions for the newer jackets that I have designed. These include a bolero, knee length and mid-calf versions.

Q: Where can we find out more about your designs, books, and classes?
A: Visit my website www.karenboutte.com for my schedule. I do fall behind every so often, but you can check me out on Facebook or my blog, delightfuldiva.blogspot.com.

Note: Karen will be teaching at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in February 2012. Check out this web page to see Karen's classes: http://www.quiltfest.com/workshop_detail.asp?id=1076

Mom's Tea Party

2011-11-11T08:00:00.015-05:00

Side note: after the death of Jerry Kreinik earlier this year, his wife Estelle decided it was time to move out of their historic Victorian-era home into smaller quarters out of state. Estelle, a long-time Parkersburg resident, will be missed by everyone in the community, including the staff at the Kreinik thread factory.

My mom came to visit the plant before she moved out of town to her new place. The employees wanted to honor her with an afternoon tea. Work tables were covered with linens, tea pots were brought in, we served an assortment of cakes (angel food, apple and banana) along with fresh fruit, and then added lots of stories and laughter. My mom told about the epic struggle of the first years, and of the hows and the whys of getting into the business. She told them that the banks had no concept about working with small businesses back then, and especially something so strange as the craft and needlework industry. Their first year, they made $75 in total sales. It was dismal in the beginning.

She reminisced about making golf club covers with needlepoint faces, needlework backgammon boards and early stitchery kits. Their first trade show was in Cincinnati were they had to fight to be recognized as a resource. Back then, the "manufacturing" was done by hand, and it was a very labor intensive industry: from the manual winders, to applying the gummy labels and handwriting shipping tickets and invoices to all of the bookkeeping. It was a very different business then. We had no computers, no internet, no faxes and no cell phones. The employees wrote down their work times on cards, everyone worked in my parents' house and my mom would watch soap operas at lunchtime.

Those were exciting early days for Kreinik Manufacturing Company. People working for us were all parts of families, and they would bring in their kids, cousins and friends. My parents would leave the factory in the hands of the employees for a month at a time and travel to Europe looking for products. They would come back and things would be on task. Our employees have always been very dependable and we could not be where we are today if it hadn't been for that loyalty and good feeling of working together.

We will miss mom's smiling face here at the plant, but her traditions of business, family, and friendship will always be a part of Kreinik.

by Doug Kreinik

Quilt Market report: Absolutely fabulous!

2011-11-08T10:44:00.002-05:00

This year's Quilt Market (trade show for the quilt/sewing industry) went by quickly. We set up the booth, sold at Sample Spree, then spent the next three days so busy that we never got to walk the show. Dena and I did get to see the quilt exhibit one evening. For a thread maker, it is so exciting to see your threads used in designs. We saw many things stitched with Kreinik threads; there was even a piece with the rings of Saturn where the Kreinik Iron-On Ribbon was used. Side note: I had given a talk a few weeks ago to the judges from the National Quilt Association, and they were amazed with what could be done with the iron-on thread on fabric. In fact, one of the judges related a story where she had judged a piece and could not figure out how the metallic ribbon had been stitched on to the fabric. Now she knows: the "magic" of iron-on thread.

I always like to look at the dolls at the quilt exhibit, and this year's selections were outstanding. Kreinik again sponsored the Gypsy Doll exhibit. Those designers are so creative, their little critters really are life-like and fun to view.

Our demo teacher for this event was the inimitable Louis Carney - a showman extraordinaire, highly technically skilled and knowledgeable. The ladies love him, he is funny, truthful, and he will not accept whining. He assisted us in giving our class on Creative Trims. It was very successful, the participants did not want to leave and our class ran over by half an hour. We covered cording, creating trim from bits, creating tassels, playing with the iron-on threads for trimming, and just having a lot of fun. We recorded several segments from class to post on our YouTube channel so all can share in some of the ideas.

Louis created some unbelievable effects with the Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille, the Kreinik high-speed sewing threads and Kreinik braids. We will post two of his project ideas on our web site in December. I learned many new tips from him. He pointed out, for instance, that on the Baby Loc serger, you can use almost all of our braids, chenille and trims because of the jet threading system. Soon we will start posting videos from the show on our YouTube channel, so stay tuned: www.YouTube.com/Kreinikchannel.

Many designers stopped by to show us their latest creations, and we met many new people that we hope to work with in the near future. It was the best show that have I attended all year. The shops were enthusiastic, their customers were happy, kit manufacturers that we spoke with were looking forward to producing new products, and this all led to a very upbeat market.

by Doug Kreinik

Doug's Good Friend Lamb Stew

2011-10-24T13:37:00.003-04:00

Doug Kreinik created this stew one day when the family got bored with spaghetti and needed a special meal for a good friend who was leaving town. It also makes a cozy meal on a cool autumn evening.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lamb shoulder cubed
4 tbsp. Olive Oil
16 oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. can tomato paste
16 oz. can garbonzo beans
1 cup frozen peas
2 medium onions diced
1 cup sliced onions
5 cloves fresh garlic
1 large potato diced into 1" pieces
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. tarragon
1/4 tsp. thyme
3 cups water
2 green peppers chopped/diced
2 Hungarian peppers chopped (optional) diced
2 tbsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. coriander

In a large pan heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Before searing the cubed lamb, flavor the oil with coriander and 1 clove of minced garlic. This flavoring give the lamb a pleasing taste.
Sear the lamb until lightly brown, then remove.
In a large pot add 3 tbsp. of olive oil and saute the onions, mushrooms and peppers. Add remaining cloves of garlic. When all is nicely sauteed, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and water.
Add all of the spices, garbonzo beans, peas, meat and potatoes. Cover and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.
Cool and place in the refrigerator for the 24 hours, heat and server over rice.

Serve with 3 cups of rice. My favorite is Basmati rice. It has great aroma.

New Christmas Ornament Designs

2011-10-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

New from Kreinik: Starlight Ornaments, a series of six counted thread designs by Kathy Holicky. Stitched in beautiful, easy-to-use Kreinik Silk Mori with sparkles of Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid and Blending Filament, the ornaments look high-end but can be stitched in no time. We would consider these an intermediate skill level - but if you can count, you can make these ornaments. Very detailed stitch diagrams and close-up photos are included.

Our favorite part about the ornaments: no extra finishing costs and no 'extra time' needed to send them out to a finisher. The pillow-style finishing can be done at home, easily; simply turn fabric edges to the back and stitch together. Kreinik featured a series of pillow-style ornament designs from Kathy Holicky many years ago, and we constantly get requests to do them again. With this new series, Kathy is back designing and we have brand new ornaments to share with you.

They are perfect hostess gifts, to make as an ornament set for newlyweds, or simply to add another stitched heirloom to your family tree. Click here to see all of the designs: www.kreinik.com/kshop/home.php?cat=395

Look for the Starlight Ornament series in your local needlework store, or buy online at www.kreinikmall.com. With each design available as a full kit including threads, fabric, needle and instructions, you can stitch one or more right away for holiday gift giving.

What's in a name? The story behind Two's Company

2011-09-29T11:41:00.003-04:00

If you have driven through South Carolina, you know the charm of just about every city. Well, in a charming 1927 red brick building, in the charming historic district of Rock Hill (just off 1-77), you will find a delightful world of colorful threads, creative designs, and — yes — charming people ready to help you with your needlepoint projects. Two's Company Needlepoint has been in business somewhere for 30+ years, so they know a thing or two about needlework. But what do we know about their name? Who, or what, are the TWO in Two's Company? Read on…

SHOP NAME: Two's Company Needlepoint
OWNER: Jane Hardy Hudson
LOCATION: 351 East Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29730
PHONE: (803)327-2967
WEB SITE: www.twoscompanyneedlepoint.com

Q: How long have you owned the shop?
A: I have been in business since 1976. I opened and operated in Lexington, Ky from 1976 to 2001. I moved the shop to South Carolina in 2004. I had to move here for family reasons.

Q: How did the store get its unique name? What does the "Two" represent?
A: I named the store Two's Company because the number two had many associations for me. I have a twin, I had 2 brothers, I had 2 daughters, and at the time I had 2 cats and 2 dogs.

Q: What is your shop specialty?
A: Our specialty is and always has been custom canvases. I had my wholesale line for almost as long as the shop - JHL and Company - now being distributed through Julia's Needleworks. We are strictly a needlepoint shop.

Q: Tell us about your staff. Who would we meet at the store?
A: The most loyal employee is Doodles - the 16-year-old cat. She takes her job as greeter very very seriously. She is worn out by closing time. Four others work here part-time: Linda (she taught chemistry for years at Tulane), Karen (native from here - a very rare species), Randi (new to the area from Texas), and my step-granddaughter Tasha.

Q: Which Kreinik threads do you carry?
A: We carry all sizes of Kreinik Braid, blending filament, Japan thread, 1/16th and1/18th ribbon. The displays take up 2 walls.

Q: Do you sell online, or by mail order too?
A: People buy through our store, by phone for mail-order and on-line.

Q: Do you have classes?
A: We not only teach here, we have every year an ongoing mail-order class - all my own original designs. Last year we did nutcrackers - this year is a Nativity set. Every month, my customers get a package containing the canvas for that month, all the threads needed, and a stitch guide with a picture.

Q: Has anyone famous ever visited your store?
A: I have had several famous people that I meet after hours. They prefer to keep it our secret - I will comply.

Q: Here at Kreinik, we love good food. Are there good restaurants near the shop?
A: There are 5 restaurants on East Main within 3 blocks. They range from Thai food to New Orleans cuisine, a Greek restaurant, an Irish pub, and Kinch's (down-home country food).

Q: What is the best part about being involved in the needlework market?
A: My favorite part of being in this business - what keeps me in this business after so many years - MY CUSTOMERS. I love them.

Check out the Two's Company web site for more information on this fabulous shop. Click on "About" and you will see that they can design a custom needlepoint canvas for you. Another notice on that page caught our eye: "We will be happy to ship to you any order of fibres - no matter how small the order. If you have a canvas and need fiber and stitch suggestions, send it to us and we will kit and return it to you." That's great service! Check out at www.twoscompanyneedlepoint.com.

New Designer Program coming to TNNA, sponsored by the CTE group

2011-09-21T09:28:00.003-04:00

Kreinik has worked with professional designers all over the world for 40+ years. We are always amazed at how they use Kreinik threads in their design work. Their creativity inspires you as consumers, provides retailers with business, and inspires us to come up with new colors and products. In continued support of designers, we want to spread the word about an opportunity for counted thread and embroidery designers to bring their innovative ideas to a TNNA trade show. Read on for details.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TNNA/CTE:

Win exhibit space at a TNNA trade show

As a needlework designer, have you debated about bringing your counted thread or embroidery designs to a trade show? You know how important it is to be visible, but aren't sure how to get started. Well, the Counted Thread & Embroidery Group (CTE) of The National Needlearts Association (TNNA) is giving you a chance to WIN a trip to the Winter 2012 Needlearts Trade Show.

TNNA's CTE group will be awarding scholarships to five new counted thread/embroidery designers to exhibit at the January 2012 Phoenix trade show. This New Designer Program is a way to help new counted thread and embroidery designers with creative ideas and irresistible excitement reach national and international retailers.

Scholarship includes exhibit space, plus electricity, carpet, material handling, basic booth furniture (if needed). Designers winning the scholarship will share this exhibit space. This scholarship does not include transportation or lodging. However, a stipend to help defray expenses will be provided to each recipient. Winners will be determined by a juried process: a committee of TNNA/CTE members will be looking for quality design, presentation, and originality.

Don't delay; your portfolio is due by November 1, 2011. You have the ideas and talent, now let's get you to a major industry trade show. For a complete list of rules and application process, email CTE.TNNA@gmail.com.

How to spend less and give more

2011-09-13T14:29:00.004-04:00

The headlines are up already: "Holiday shoppers plan to spend less this year." (msnbc.com, 9/12/11) Some say online sales will boom, others are too uncertain to predict. Nevertheless, consumer spending is a hot topic right now.

When the holidays roll around, it is tempting to overspend on gifts for family and friends. We want to show people how much we love them, and often think that gift after gift will make them happiest. However, the realities are: 1. many people simply don't have money to overspend, 2. our loved ones would rather have us than things.

The holidays are really about making connections — spending time together (face to face or Skyping), making memories, and celebrating traditions. We still want to give presents, but we can be more thoughtful about them. One way to spend less and give more this holiday is with handmade gifts. Crafted ornaments, cards, and presents are as much a part of holiday traditions as, well, Santa Claus himself. Now more than ever they can show how much you love and care without breaking your bank account.

Here at Kreinik we have created new projects for you to make meaningful yet inexpensive gifts this holiday season. Check in with www.kreinik.com each week as we debut the new kits and products. If you have a local needlework store, look for (ask for) the new items. If you prefer online shopping, www.kreinikmall.com will have everything.

First up: Stitch-A-Pen kits that include a cross stitch chart, threads, perforated paper, needle and the pen to stitch a useful, beautiful, fun gift. Priced right, four designs are available. Easily stitch one in an evening. The pens write beautifully and use standard Parker™ refills. Check it out: www.kreinik.com/feature.htm

What's in a name — Sign of the Arrow

2011-09-01T16:01:00.005-04:00

In this case, the name does not say it all. In fact, you may not know that Sign of the Arrow in St. Louis, Missouri, is a needlework store. Check out the main photo on their web site, however, and there is no doubt (visit www.signofthearrow.com). We just had to ask the shop how they got their name. Read on to discover the people and mission behind this fabulous store that not only donates all shop proceeds to charity, but also has "belted" some people you've seen on TV.

Shop Name: Sign of the Arrow
Owner: St. Louis Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity
Address: 9740 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63124 USA
Phone: 877-869-7356 or 314-994-0606
Web Site: www.signofthearrow.com
Email: contact@signofthearrow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sign.of.the.Arrow

Q: What is the story behind your store's name?
A: Established in 1966 by the St. Louis Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi, Sign of the Arrow is a philanthropic retail needlepoint and gift shop that donates ALL shop proceeds to area charitable organizations. “Sign of the Arrow” refers to the fraternity’s symbol, the arrow. Since its inception, Sign of the Arrow has donated more than $3.3 million to 150+ local charities. Shoppers truly impact the lives of St. Louisans by shopping at Sign of the Arrow.

Q: Wow, the shop has been around a long time!
A: 45 years

Q: Do you have a shop specialty? (like cross stitch only, or cross stitch/needlepoint, etc)
A: Sign of the Arrow, is a premier destination for needlepoint shoppers. We are widely known for an extensive selection of designer needlepoint, including hand-painted canvases, custom designs, custom finishing, furniture, fibers, trunk shows, and classes for all ages. Knowledgeable staff and volunteers assist both novice and experienced needlepointers. In addition, Sign of the Arrow offers unique gifts, including decorative accessories, holiday decorations, sorority gifts, baby gifts, picture frames, stationary, and more.

Q: Tell us about some of your staff. Who would we meet when we visit the shop?
A: Julie Filean, General Manager; Randi Hanpeter, Assistant Manager – Needlepoint; and Beth Hendzlik, Needlepoint Specialist, make up Sign of the Arrow’s management team. In addition to the management team, the shop is staffed by 90+ community volunteers who give 18,000+ hours annually to help run Sign of the Arrow.

Q: Which Kreinik threads do you carry?
A: Sign of the Arrow carries Hot-Wire, New Japan Thread Colors, and Metallic Threads.

Q: Can people buy from your store online or through mail order?
A: Shoppers can visit www.signofthearrow.com to shop online, or contact the shop directly to place an order. Sign of the Arrow provides an extensive and thorough mail order business to individuals and needlepoint shops country-wide. Services include finishing, stitching, choosing fibers and fabric for canvases, monogramming, blocking, and custom painting.

Q: Do you have in-store classes, special events, online classes, or offer one-on-one teaching?
A: We have a variety of classes for stitchers of all ages and abilities, including specialty stitching classes, such as turkey work and other decorative stitches, as well as children’s classes, specialty fiber classes, and one-on-one classes. Classes are offered in person at Sign of the Arrow. In addition, expert stitchers are available to help with a specific question.

Q: Has anyone famous ever visited your store?
A: As the “needlepoint belt capital of the world,” Sign of the Arrow’s custom artists paint a variety of belts for customers all of the country, including a variety of sports-themed belts. As a result, a number of St. Louis Cardinals trainers frequent the shop and sport a variety of these custom-painted Cardinals belts at every game. In addition, a variety of St. Louis news media have frequented the shop and wear their belts and other needlepoint items on set. Sign of the Arrow has also designed a number of pieces for important people, including the Prie Dieu (prayer kneeler) for the Pope’s visit to St. Louis; a variety of custom needlepoint items for celebrities, including Beverly Sills, Barry Manilow, and a prominent Hollywood producer; and some items for politicos, including eight belts for Karl Rove; many items for the Bush family; and for Ohio’s Governor Harry Ott.

Q: Here at Kreinik we love to talk about food. What's the name of a good place to eat near your store?
A: Directly across Clayton Road is locally-owned and award-winning Red L pizza, with the famous meatloaf pizza; and Companion Bakery for breakfast or lunch. Lester’s is also right down the street.

Q: What is your favorite part about being in this business?
A: Sign of the Arrow is a fun, relaxing, and creative place to work at and visit. At the same time, all proceeds benefit deserving charitable organizations, with more than $3.3 million donated to 150+ agencies. Sign of the Arrow truly impacts the lives of St. Louisans by providing high quality specialty needlepoint and supplies, as well as gifts. Who could ask for more?

The Wedding of Danielle and Jon

2011-08-24T09:34:00.014-04:00

Weddings can be traumatic especially marrying off your first and only daughter. Danielle planned and executed this event culminating 16 months planning period from the time of engagement. It was perfect. Santa Barbara was a great destination; cool nights, cool days, sun, no rain, ocean breeze, good food and great venue.

The colors for the wedding were orange and green and my son-in-law, a graphic artist, themed the affair with seagulls, a play-on-words of his last name. The bridesmaids were all in green, the mother’s were decked out in gold and magenta; the Dad’s wore black tuxes and groomsmen grey and the grandmothers were elegant.

After the service, there were pictures, appetizers, champagne and many congratulatory greetings. My Mom got to see relatives who live in California for the first time in ten years. That was truly terrific.

The dinner was salad and salmon. The salad had red and white beets along with cranberries, lettuce and other greens and a citron vinaigrette dressing. The Salmon was served with parboiled green beans with salmon covered in a delicate sauce. Very tasty served with French bread to sop up the sauce.

Just before the Father/Daughter dance, I gave my “three minutes of fame” speech roasting my daughter, as a good Dad should. She loved the barbs and the references to her love of being in charge.

Danielle knows that I enjoy a good surprise, so she and my son plotted together. Charles is very musical, plays guitar, banjo, ukulele and other stringed instruments. She knows that I have always enjoyed the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole ukulele rendition of “Over the Rainbow”. Charles soloed playing the ‘uke’, the singer sang the tune, and I danced with my daughter. Wow, what a wonderful moment.

Danielle and my wife, Myla, used a lot of Kreinik 1/8” braid to decorate the hang tags on the welcome bags and the wedding program handed out to those attending. They both love the holographic colors and used the colors 026L and 008L. Myla also set up the table numbers using the 6250 orange and 6425 green Iron-On threads. by outlining each number-front and back in the wedding colors of green and orange. Finally, Myla handmade 100 Thank You cards and gave them as a gift to Danielle. Some of these also used the Iron-On threads to give a little “bling” to the cards without having to mess with glue or glitter.

Finally, My Mom made the ring bearers pillow by taking two monogrammed handkerchiefs that she had from her Mother with a “D” (Dorothy) for Danielle and from my Dad with a “J” (Jerry) for Jon-Something old, something new and something wonderful.

Tree of life-like stitches

2011-08-11T09:38:00.003-04:00

The Embroiderers' Guild of America will meet this September in Naples, Florida, to embrace embroidery of all kinds - goldwork, beading, ribbon embroidery, mixed media, Hardanger, blackwork, counted thread, applique, needlepoint, doll making, stumpwork. Take a look at the event brochure to see the range of incredible designs that will be at seminar: www.egausa.org/files/seminar/2011/Sem2011_brochure.pdf. If you want to learn a new technique or perfect your skills in embroidery, the EGA national seminar will be a perfect opportunity.

At least one classroom will have students planting roots and branches on a Congress Cloth ground in the "Tree of Life" project from talented designer and teacher Lynn Payette. It's a beautiful blend of different types of Kreinik metallic threads, from Braids to Ribbons, from basic to Hi Lustre and Holographic, from light to dark shades. Here Lynn gives us a sneak peek of this stunning design and tells us a bit about how it comes together.

Lynn says: "The base (root system) of the tree is padded first with felt in single and double layers, as are some of the branches, and the initials (on the left side of the tree – each student will have their own initials formed in the branches of the tree). Some of the branches are not padded but are stitched directly on the (Congress Cloth) ground. Most of the metallics are couched down using either a fine matching color cord or invisible (waxed to make it more user friendly) invisible thread (monofilament type as used for the sewing machine). Some of the metallics are actually stitched in back stitch or, in the cases of thinner (Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid) metallic, they are stitched using an outline or stem type stitch."

Lynn used all of the Kreinik Braid and Ribbon sizes to create texture, shadow, and dimension in the design: Very Fine #4 Braid, Fine #8 Braid, Tapestry #12 Braid, Medium #16 Braid, Canvas #24 Braid, Heavy #32 Braid, 1/8" Ribbon, and 1/16" Ribbon. (Note about our numbers: the smaller the number, the thinner the thread; ie, #4 Braid is half the size of #8 Braid.) "The threads are laid out with the darker colors first to form a meandering type line on the branches, roots, etc., and then are ‘filled’ in using a variety of sizes and types of metallics," Lynn says.

The design is also a wonderful example of how to use the various degrees of metallic to create a realistic design. Some of the threads are Kreinik High Lustre colors (meaning they have a bolder metallic look), some are basic metallic colors (with a softer metallic gleam). She also used some of the new holographic Kreinik colors. "It was necessary to balance the shiny's with the not so shiny's, so that the piece was more interesting," she notes.

Whether you are a beginner to embroidery or a seasoned stitcher, designs like this can inspire you to play with different thread thicknesses and colors. If you want to make this particular design, take the class from Lynn at the EGA national seminar, or when Lynn teaches it in various places next year. Email us at info@kreinik.com and we will get you in touch with the designer for more information.

One side note: don't be intimidated by a "guild" like EGA. With talented teachers, in a setting like the EGA get-together, you will be lovingly taught, inspired, and encouraged. There's nothing like being in the midst of people who have a passion for your passion. For more information on EGA or the national seminar, visit www.egausa.org.

What's in a name - Amy's Golden Strand

2011-08-02T08:57:00.004-04:00

Read the inspiration and story behind Amy's Golden Strand in Memphis, Tennessee

Amy Bunger is a talented needlework designer, author, and teacher both on and off screen (check out her DVDs). We don't know how she fits it into her schedule, but she is also a needlework shop owner. Check out our interview with Amy and learn about her "Golden Strand."

STORE SPOTLIGHT:
Amy's Golden Strand
Location: 3808 Summer Avenue, Memphis, TN 38122
Phone: (901) 458-6109
Web site: www.amybunger.com
Email: amys3808@aol.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Amys-Golden-Strand/
Twitter: www.amybunger.com/twitter.html
Fax: (901) 323-4701
Amy Bunger, owner

Q: What is the story behind your store's name (what does it mean)?
AMY: The first store that I owned was named "A Stitch in Time." There were problems with identification since there were other shops with the same name around the country. My customers would refer to the shop as "Amy's" when they talked about us with their friends, so new customers couldn't find me in the phone book. When I opened a shop in a different area of the country I knew that "Amy" needed to be in the name of the title. I was down to the wire on time to order business cards and signage when I saw a book on my parent's shelves: "The Golden Strand." Although the book was about the Gold Coast of Africa I thought the name would work well for my new shop...Amy's Golden Strand.

Q: How long have you had the shop?
AMY: I started my first shop (Owensboro, KY) in 1979 and the Memphis, TN location was opened in 1986.

Q: Do you have a shop specialty? (like cross stitch only, or cross stitch/needlepoint, etc)
AMY: The shop is all needlepoint supplies, services, and classes.

Q: Tell us about some of your staff. Who would we meet when we visit the shop?
AMY: Our shop team includes me (Amy), Candy (my sister), Eileen, Judy, Peggy, Jill, and Karen. Bob (my husband) runs our wholesale business situated across the driveway in a separate building.

Q: Which Kreinik threads do you carry?
AMY: Kreinik Braids in size 4, 8, 12, 16, 32, Kreinik Metallic Ribbon, Facets, Ombre, Embellishment Trim, Japan Threads, Cord, Beadlets, Treasure Tape (red liner tape), and more. If we don't have it in stock we are happy to order it for you.

Q: Can people buy from your store online or through mail order?
AMY: Yes, we offer online ordering, and customers can feel free to E-mail, call, or FAX orders to us. We make every effort to get orders for in-stock items out the same day we received the order. (NOTE: Amy's web site is www.amybunger.com.)

Q: Do you have in-store classes, special events, online classes, or offer one-on-one teaching?
AMY: Each week we have group classes (2 - 3 hours each) taught by various teachers. We offer private classes by the hour, half-day, or full day. Six to eight times a year we offer 3-Day group classes on canvas enhancement and once or twice a year Tony Minieri comes to teach either a project or technique class. We have mail order classes called "Home Study" that are on painted canvases by different designers. These classes are part project and part technique classes that range from 3 months (1 kit per month) to 12 month classes depending on the size and complexity of the project.

Q: Has anyone famous ever visited your store? (athlete, celebrity, politician, of local or national fame)
AMY: The cute, petite, blonde actress that plays the ballistics expert on CSI Miami came in with her mother one day - - wow that was fun. Barbara Bush called and ordered some thread from us and Jill practically passed out while holding the phone. She also sent us the nicest thank-you note and we have saved it carefully. I swear I've "seen" Elvis in the store, but I might be mistaken about that.

Q: Here at Kreinik we love to talk about food. What's the name of a good place to eat near your store?
AMY: Memphis is chock-a-block full of fabulous places to eat from the "heart stopping" Gus's Fried Chicken for casual dining to Iris or Erling Jensen's on the fancy end of the food chain. The closest restaurant to us is Cheffie's Deli which is a great place for sandwich, salad, or Gelato. If you don't like their menu, just pop next door to the local pizza parlor for a great pizza. Of course, Memphis is world famous for BBQ and we must have 100 BBQ restaurants and even the worst of them is still good.

Q: What is your favorite part about being in this business?
AMY: Hands down it has to be the people. We become a part of our customer's lives when we are involved with their hobby. Everyone that works in the shop is a member of the family and it shows in their interest in the customers. I think that we have a reputation for being as friendly as we are helpful and efficient.

What's In A Name?

2011-07-25T08:30:00.015-04:00

The scoop on needlework shops with unique names

On the outskirts of Houston, Texas, there is a needlework store called 3 Stitches. We love seeing store owner Pamela Brazell at the TNNA trade shows every year; she is friendly, fun, red-haired, southern-talking, and a smart business owner. After all of these years, we finally asked her, "What are the three stitches in the name?" See the interview below for the answer. Get to know this well-stocked needlework store with a fabulous mission: "We want everyone to know all they can about the needlework world." If you are in Spring, Texas, stop by to pick up your Kreinik threads, embellishments, and other needlework goodies. Live elsewhere? They also do mail order, sell on their web site, and on www.kreinikmall.com.

STORE SPOTLIGHT:

3 Stitches

Location 7822 Louetta Road, Spring, TX 77379 USA

Phone: 281-320-0133

Web site: www.3stitches.com

Email: 3stitches@3stitches.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/3-Stitches/126656676956

Pamela Brazell, owner

Q: What is the story behind your store’s name?

PAM: "3 Stitches" refers to 1. work, 2. hands, and 3. heart. You give of your hands and work with your heart to do needlework.

Q: How long have you had the shop?

PAM: 17 years.

Q: Do you have a shop specialty? The photos on your web site show lots of cross stitch and needlepoint designs.

PAM: We focus on needle arts including cross stitch, Hardanger, needlepoint, silk ribbon, pulled and drawn threads, and embellishment classes.

Q: Tell us about some of your staff. Who would we meet when we come into the store?

PAM: Come and meet the "SAPS" of 3 Stitches – that is, the Stitching Aide Problem Solvers. They will greet you with a friendly hello and welcome you into Stoneyville. Stoneyville is what the inside of the shop is called because Stoney (a grey mouse with big red ears) sits on the bench above the cabinets behind the 20-foot counter. He is the chief and boss of the store. Should you have any problems he is always here to talk to you as the SAPS are busy working.

Q: Which Kreinik threads do you carry?

PAM: Nearly all of them. The ones we don’t carry we will be happy to order for our customers.

Q: Do you also sell online, or through mail order for stitchers who may not be able to get to the shop, or don't live nearby?

PAM: People can buy from our shop online through our website, mail orders, phone calls, and emails. We also participate in Kreinik’s online mall, www.kreinikmall.com.

Q: Do you have classes or special events in your store?

PAM: We have in-store classes normally on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Special events include any event we can think of. We did an Olympic event in the shop with hoops for basketball goals with beads and threads. Saturday, October 1 we are having a Tucson Night. Buy a special glass that was made for the shop and receive a glass of wine. We will be learning how to stitch a Tucson theme chart which includes numerous colors of threads. Where do we start, what color comes next and why, etc. Great fun for all on a Saturday night! We always have one-on-one classes. We want everyone to know all they can about the needlework world.

Q: Has anyone famous ever visited your store?

PAM: One of our famous people who has been in the shop is Doug Kreinik. Unfortunately we did not take a picture of him and Rebecca Maron who won first prize in a Kreinik ornament contest. Rebecca (Becky) started working in the shop when she was 17 years old and in high school. Shondra Boring who is an actress with the Arts of Houston Shows is a stitcher. Numerous cross stitch designers have taught classes in the shop. The shop was also featured in the Houston Newsletter under the Sports Section asking my opinion of sports with needlework.

Q: Here at Kreinik, we love to talk about food and restaurants. Is there a good place to eat near the store?

PAM: A great Mexican restaurant near the shop is La Maria’s. It is a family-owned business with good food. If you are in the area, just call 281-376-3739 and order.

Q: What is the best part about being involved in the needlework world?

PAM: Being in the needlework business is a great opportunity to meet some of the kindest, most thoughtful people who enjoy the love of the industry. Playing in the threads and pretending to create the design is very rewarding too.

Tidbits about Spring, Texas: Jim Parsons, the actor who plays Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, graduated from high school in Spring. He is one of several actors from the town. MLB player Josh Beckett is also from Spring (source: wikipedia). The town got its name in the 1870s when railroad workers from the north arrived in the area; it was springtime and they were just so excited that winter was over (source: www.oldtownspring.com) they named the town Camp Spring.

Which needle should I use?

2011-07-19T10:42:00.005-04:00

Recently emailed question: “What needle I should use for hand embroidery on quilting cottons using a #4 Metallic Braid and #8 Metallic Braid?”

Needle selection is a major contributor to your happiness factor, whether you are hand or machine stitching. Using an incorrect needle will cause a thread to fray, knot, and otherwise misbehave. Many of the problems people have with thread can be solved by needle selection. The problem isn't necessarily the thread, but rather a too-thin needle, a needle with a bad eye, a needle with a too-small eye, or something similar. So "which needle should I use" is a great question.

The Education section on www.kreinik.com features an article about the best needle size for each Kreinik thread in cross stitch and needlepoint (click here for that chart: www.kreinik.com/articles/news.php?newsid=48), but we didn't have a chart for those of you doing embroidery, crazy quilting, or quilting on cotton fabrics. So we asked crazy quilt expert Allison Aller to list which needles she uses with Kreinik threads on cotton quilting fabric. Keep this chart handy:

Needle Sizes to use with Kreinik Metallic Threads

Allie says: As a rule, I use needles with eyes that are larger and shafts a bit thicker than might be needed for regular threads. Because these are metallics, I don’t want any tension to stretch the thread or too small an eye to cause them to fray as I am stitching with them. This also makes for easy threading — you don’t want a fight when you are threading up.

Kreinik Cord—is very fine, but still I use a #8 Embroidery needle. I don’t want any tension to stretch the thread or cause it to fray, so I use a slightly bigger needle than I normally would for this weight of thread.
Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid: #22 Chenille. Again, the eye is larger than needed but the shaft of the needle makes a large enough hole that there is no resistance to the thread. This size needle is easy to thread as well—you don’t want to fight that.
Kreinik Fine #8 Braid: #20 Chenille is good for this size.
Kreinik Tapestry #12 Braid: 18 Chenille
Kreinik Medium #16 Braid: #18 Chenille
Kreinik 1/16” ribbon: I like a #18 Chenille or Darner.
Kreinik 1/8” ribbon: #14 Chenille or Darner

Your goal is to have a clean (not rusty), fully operational (no burrs in the eye) needle with an eye large enough to accommodate the thread, but not too large that it creates too big of a hole in your fabric. Experiment on your own pairing Crewel needles, Tapestry needles, Chenille needles, and Darner needles with Kreinik threads and your chosen fabrics to find the perfect fit. For a helpful chart showing the difference between these needles, visit www.colonialneedle.com/html/about-needles.html

For more info on Allison Aller, visit her blog at http://alliesinstitches.blogspot.com/ or check out her new book from C&T Publishing "Allie Aller's Crazy Quilting: Modern Piecing & Embellishing Techniques for Joyful Stitching."

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2011-07-12T14:47:00.007-04:00

After my wife Myla came back from a quick California trip where she was helping with preparations for our daughter’s upcoming wedding, we took a little “spa-cation” to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. This spa town of 500 people is the oldest spa in the US. When folklore says George Washington slept somewhere, well, here he actually did. There is even a “George Washington bathtub” on the park property.

We enjoyed massage and acupuncture at a spa in Berkeley Springs. My back has hurt for years from an injury received during my retailing days. We went to Awakening where Lin Wang, a Chinese medicine doctor, needled me over a two-day period. This acupuncture, mixed with massage, made me feel like Jello. I was rather relaxed.

On this mini vacation, we took our dogs with us for the first time. Sophie and Tucker were well behaved, slept on the bed at night and walked more than they have ever walked. Tucker, the Shih Tzu, would simply stop and sit down while walking, for he tires easily. Apparently, he likes to be carried.

The next town we visited was Shepherdstown, West Virginia, which is along the Potomac River. We found it to be very dog friendly and charming. Shopowners invited us into their stores and even outdoor restaurants with the dogs. One of my favorite restaurants was the Blue Moon Café where we sat outside and listened to a very fast moving stream running through the center of the garden. Amazingly, the dogs did not bark at the other dogs and cats who were also visiting the garden. We were all very relaxed in the refreshing setting.

Every summer in Shepherdstown, which by the way is the home of the first steamboat, there is a theatre festival along with arts and craft exhibits with potters, jewelry makers, wood workers, painters and weavers. For history buffs, it is just a few miles from Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and the C & O canal. We plan to go back in the future to explore this Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. For now, it’s back to work for a few weeks, and then our daughter’s wedding in August. Summer certainly is for travel, fun and family.

By Doug Kreinik

What is a Japan Thread?

2011-07-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

We recently introduced four fabulous new colors in Kreinik Japan #7 thread. That prompted a few questions, such as: What is a Japan Thread, and how do you use it?

A Japan Thread is a gimp, meaning a wrapped thread. Historically, Japan Threads began with gold, silver and copper pounded down to a thin leaf, then wrapped around a core fiber and couched on fabric for surface embroidery embellishment. Today Kreinik makes Japan Threads that have a percentage of real metal in them, but are primarily synthetic so that they are long-lasting, non-tarnishing, inexpensive, and easy to use. They have a beautiful, bold, bright finish that resembles real metal.

How do you use a Japan Thread? Since it is a wrapped thread, needleworkers couch it onto a fabric or canvas rather than stitch in and out of the ground material. Couch with a coordinating color of very thin Cord, filament, or Japan #1 size. For interest, couch with a contrasting color of silk thread; just think of the beautiful patterns you can create.

You can also use Japan Threads for other techniques as well, such as cord making, tassel making, crochet and knitting (as a carry along thread), temari, Japanese embroidery, and crazy quilting. We asked our friends on the Kreinik Facebook page what they would do with Japan thread, and here are their creative ideas:

Barbara V: I love adding Japan thread to my crochet yarn for that subtle sparkle. Though other times I do a surface crocheted slip stitch to add some glitz when the piece is almost finished.
Beth V: I love these colors for my canvas work!
Suzanne W: I think these would be awesome in a halloween needlepoint!
Cindy W: Love adding color and sparkle to my cross stitch pieces.
Carleen M: They would make spring flowers sparkle in an embroidery project!
DeAnn C: Ribbon Candy Stripes!!!!
Heather S: use it for sparkle in my fantasy cross stitch of my dragon
Erica K: I've got a Japanese kimono needlepoint canvas that is just dying for a fibre like that.....
Terri P: Definitely would use in a modern-styled personal sampler -- to add both drama and light to the story of my life!
Robin B: accents in crazy quilting embroidery!
Julie O: I'd like to use it as an accent in both my crochet and cross stitch. It would be gorgeous used to accent a pair of my daughter's capri's too!
Linda K: Beautiful colors...look delicious, would use in canvas embroidery. Am designing my own these days and would love to try them in my newest floral design.
Jane W: I would use some of the colors in a border. Wouldn't that be a marvelous finishing touch?
Carol Y: I've got an abstract needlepoint canvas awaiting just this type of thread! Love them! Want to stitch with them!
Lynn M: I would use it to enhance my stitching
Alessandra D: I would use it to illuminate my embroidery
Doris D: I would blend floss and/or replace floss with Japan Threads to make my stitching projects stand out!!
Connie T: I would use it with my cross stitching to give the piece some dazzel.
Cheryl S: I would use these threads on my Christmas ornaments that I needlepoint to give them that extra pizzazz. I have in fact already used the Kreinik Japan Gold in several of my ornaments and would really enjoy using other Kreinik Japan's bright colors in my needle pointing.
Bev F: My family calls my using Kreinik threads in all my cross stitch -- "bev-ing it" --Cause I like sparkle and shine.
Laura B: I would couch these threads to show off their true beauty, simply anchor them down in an ornate monogram for gifts to family and friends.
Dee C: I would highlight my stitches enhancing my project! I love using Kreinik!!!!!!!

We love the word "illuminate" to describe why you would use a metallic like Japan Thread in needlework; the beautiful color and metallic sheen adds so much interest to a project. Have fun and experiment with these threads.

To buy Japan Threads, visit your local needlework store, your favorite online store, or www.kreinikmall.com. Join us on Facebook to share ideas, photos, thread give-aways, and behind-the-scenes news from Kreinik. Click here to friend us on Facebook.

Summer Vacay & Recipes

2011-06-30T14:55:00.019-04:00

Beginning July 2, 2011 Kreinik will be closing its offices and manufacturing plant for a little summer rest and relaxation. We will re-open on July 11, 2011. Here's a couple of Doug Kreinik's favorite recipes to try during your 4th of July holiday.

Marconi and Cheese

I do not eat milk products anymore, but my kids, and they are grown, love this when they visit. They now even make it in their homes. I begin with a basic white sauce using a double boiler.

You will need the following ingredients:

Unsalted Butter (3 tbsp)
Flour (2 tbsp)
Half and Half (2 cups)
Sharp Cheddar (8. 0z)
Paprika
Macaroni ( 8-10 .ozs)

Melt - 3 tbsp unsalted butter
Stir in - 2 level tbsp of flour
Blend well over low heat
Stir in slowly 2 cups of half and half and stir constantly
Bring to a slow boil and continue to boil constantly stirring. This creamy white sauce should be thick and smooth.
Add 1 chopped up brick of Sharp Cheddar ( My kids like the sharpest possible selection)
Add a dash of paprika
Cook Marconi noodles & drain
Pour cheese sauce over noodles

Eat and totally enjoy.

Tangerine Meringue Pie

I love to experiment. I had heard that you could take any citrus and make a pie. I use premade pie crusts.

Pie Crust:

Bake a 9", premade pie crust and bake it until it is done

Pie filling (Mix in a double boiler):

4 tbsp cornstarch
1 ½ cups sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp clarified butter (I cook out the milk solids)
2 tbsp tangerine zest
½ cup fresh tangerine juice
1 ½ cups boiling water

Meringue

3 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
6 cup sugar
¼ tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.
Beat in sugar, 1 tbsp at a time until stiff and glossy.
Beat in vanilla. Do not under beat
Pre-heat oven to 400F.

In Medium sauce pan:

Mix sugar and cornstarch and gradually stir in water.
Cook over medium heat, stir constantly until it thickens and boils for 1 min.
Gradually stir in half of the hot mixture into egg yolks.
Blend into hot mixture in pan
Boil and stir 1 minute
Remove from heat
Stir thoroughly: Clarified butter, tangerine zest, tangerine juice and pour into baked pie shell
Cover the pie with heaps of meringue making sure to carefully seal the edges.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until a light brown then cool.

Eat and enjoy.

From stash to schools

2011-06-22T09:18:00.009-04:00

With my dad’s passing, my mom has decided to look through her massive stashes of “stuff” and give things away. With a career in textiles, you can imagine the treasure trove she has collected. She used to teach clothing and couturier design at different universities, for example, so over the years she has purchased many different types of fabrics and trims.

Recently, I attended a meeting at the fashion school at West Virginia University. One of the professors mentioned that the students often have difficulty creating their projects due to the cost of fabrics. That comment sparked an idea, so I went home and told my mom about the conversation. We both agreed that mom’s textile treasures could find a new home with the university. Here was a win-win situation where my mom could give her stash of 70 years of wools, velvets, and even the first thermal fabrics developed by the Navy in the 1950s plus her collection of Vogue patterns to a place where they would be loved, treasured and used.

So we set up a meeting for the dean of the school to visit my mom and see her collection. After a lot of oohs and ahs, we filled up the van with bolts and pieces of fabric, a large box of patterns which would go into the school’s pattern library, and original issues of American Fabric Magazine which contain actual fabric swatches.

My mom felt great about this project. It was a big move for her to take, but felt that instead of fabric just being placed in a plastic bag and given away to a charity, this meant that students would be able to benefit from the wealth of information that she could still offer young people. An additional outcome was that the dean asked my mom if she would consider visiting the campus and having a conversation with the students on her history working in the textile industry during the 20th century. She is considering the idea.

If you have a family member who has a fabric, trim, or textile stash, or you have a stash that you are no longer using, think about universities or school programs that could use these items to help build skills for our children and young people, helping them grow into the future.

By Doug Kreinik

2011 West Virginia Quilt Festival

2011-06-21T09:41:00.003-04:00

The 8th annual West Virginia Quilt Festival will be taking place this week June 23-25, in Summersville West Virginia at the Summersville Arena and Conference Center. The festival is chocked full of fun, quilting related stuff like...

Taking Classes
Participating in the Little Quilt Auction
Special Exhibits & Events
Shopping

Kreinik will be there as one of the vendors you can shop with! Look for Kreinik along with the Sewing Bee in booth #C-4,5 to shop for Kreinik threads. Click here to see our new video using Kreinik Ombre Metallic™ in the Bobbin.

West Virginia Quilters, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote quilting in West Virginia and...

to encourage learning, understanding, and appreciation of the art of quilting
to provide education about the art of quilting to its members
to provide statewide communication and resource sharing through the publication of a newsletter, sponsorship of workshops, seminars and meetings

This organization continues the recording of the tradition, culture, and history of quiltmaking in West Virginia that began with the West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search, Inc. and will encourage the care and preservation of quilts, both old and new.

For more information about the West Virginia Quilt Festival visit www.wvquilters.org

Something for everyone

2011-06-13T10:32:00.012-04:00

“Something for everyone” is the phrase to describe the two new exhibitions opening Friday, June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Parkersburg Art Center. The works in both exhibits are by members of the Innovative Arts Alliance, a group of artists from Ohio and West Virginia. It is a “creative convergence,” with sculptures, drawings, paintings, carvings and textile arts in all forms on display.

“We are really thrilled to be welcoming back members of the IA,” says Abby Hayhurst, Art Center director. “Their exhibit in 2009 was one of our most popular shows, because of both the broad variety of works, and also the great skill level of the various artists.” Alliance members include Vern Allen and Ele Rumen-Allen of Amanda, Ohio; June Baker of Ellenboro, WV, Lynda Berman and Lanna Galloway of Athens, Ohio; Susan Nash and Susan Stubbins of Zanesville, Ohio; Thaddeus Brejwo of Whipple, Anna Prince of Marietta, Ohio; and Andi Stern of Chauncey, Ohio.

In the Main Gallery will be an exhibit called “Full Spectrum: a Tribute to Diane Eyerman,” which will feature works by all the Alliance members. “Diane Eyerman, of Chillicothe, Ohio, is an amazing textile artist and a member of the Alliance, who is ill and unable to work,” according to Hayhurst. “Each of the other members is doing a special piece in her honor, and many of them are using her textiles in their own works. We will also have some of her own works on display, so Diane will be very well represented at this showing.”

The exhibit will in the Art Center’s Main, South, and Whitlatch galleries. Opening at the same time, in the Esbenshade Gallery, will be works by Thaddeus Brejwo, a member of the Innovative Arts Alliance. “Thaddeus is a colorful guy, who is at home in many different mediums. He paints, he sculpts, he can do it all, including designing for the stage,” says Hayhurst.

The opening reception is open to the public, with an admission charge of $10 per person. There is no charge for Art Center members. The exhibit is open for viewing Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through July 16. Daily admission to the Art Center is $2 for adults, with no charge for children under age 12.

A Note From Doug Kreinik...

Being in the textile business and the craft business, textile art is one of my all-time favorites. Every few years, the Parkersburg Art Center has a supurb collection of work created by the Innovative Arts Alliance , a group of artists from West Virginia and Ohio. I was able to get a sneak preview of much of the exhibit when the director Abby Hayhurst called me and said, “Doug , you have to get over here right away.” To quote my son: “Awesome.” What a great collection of quilts, embroidery and other forms of textile arts and sculpture. I would really recommend the drive or visit, whether you are coming through Parkersburg or making a day trip.

One of the artisans, Andi Stern of Chauncey, Ohio has three pieces on exhibit: Octopus' Garden, Boogie Shoes and Twelve Step, using Kreinik braids and sewing threads. This is a very exciting set of work. The pieces are stunning and we are so excited to be represented in such a way. For more information on her textile art, her blog is http://andreasternart.blogspot.com.

The exhibit runs from June 10 through July 15. Check out http://www.parkersburgartcenter.org

Crochet me a story...

2011-06-03T15:22:00.004-04:00

As Kreinik prepares for the TNNA needlework trade show next week, we are looking forward to seeing wonderful needlepoint, counted thread, knit and crochet designs at market. Stay tuned for new product updates from Kreinik, as well as Facebook and Twitter feeds from the show.

One of our new product lines consists of crochet bookmark designs. Do you crochet? Whether you have picked up a hook and chained an afghan, scarf, sock, jewelry or accessory of your own, or even if you haven't, try to catch the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit that is currently traveling the world. I was able to see it earlier this year at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, and it was simply stunning.

According to the web site http://crochetcoralreef.org, the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is a "woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world." It began in 2005 as a project by Australian sisters Christine and Margaret Wertheim, who were actually living in Los Angeles at the time. It was an homage to the disappearing Great Barrier Reef, but today it has expanded to become so much more.

The current exhibit includes displays of the Great Barrier Reef plus "sub-reefs" such as a bleached reef, anemone garden, kelp garden, plus dramatic renditions of a toxic reef complete with trash worked into the yarn. The latter is a sad reminder of how our natural wonders are treated. With this unique perspective on coral reefs, you leave the exhibit awed by beauty and determined to pick up trash as you go along in this world.

So many artists have worked on the reef exhibit at this point. Kreinik is excited to have worked with some of them, including Shirley Waxman, Arlene Mintzer, Barbara Van Elsen and Lily Chin. I am pretty sure I saw some sparkling Kreinik threads woven into the reefs. You can use any Kreinik thread as a carry-along fiber in crochet, and some sizes are perfect for crochet on their own.

I have crocheted ever since my grandmother taught me how, as she could get me to sit still as an elementary-school-aged child. The 'hyperbolic' mathematics of the crochet process in this exhibit escaped me. It refers to a technique discovered by a Cornell University mathematician in the 1990s and involves algorithms, space, geometry, and other subjects I never mastered in school. However, if you would like more information, just click here: http://theiff.org/publications/index.html

At the reef exhibit in Washington DC, I loved hearing visitors' remarks (including non-crocheters seeing this age-old "woman's" art form used in such a scientific way). Teenagers loved the crochet, kids loved the colors and shapes, most thought it was a real reef until they walked up to it ("That's crochet?!"). The exhibit arrives at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California later this month. Check it out if you are in the area. Visit http://crochetcoralreef.org for more information.

by Dena Lenham
for more photos from the Coral Reef exhibit at the Smithsonian, visit the Kreinik Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Kreinik.Manufacturing.Company

A toast to metallics

2011-05-26T15:05:00.003-04:00

Guest Blog from Janet Perry

Note from Kreinik: We are so excited to have an article and needlepoint stitch guide from blogger and designer Janet Perry of Napa Needlework and http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com. Often we fall in love with a painted canvas needlepoint design, but don't know where to start when it comes to actually stitching it. Stitch guide writers like Janet tell you which threads and stitches can be used to bring a canvas to life. Thank you, Janet for sharing this project featuring Kreinik's new Easter Grass plus Kreinik Treasure Tape and Iron-on Thread. Like her, you can use a variety of materials on a needlepoint canvas. Don't be afraid to experiment and have fun!

Kreinik makes a wealth of items that can be used to give needlepoint a whole new look. Using this painted canvas of a glass of beer, I used Kreinik threads, embellishments, and some items from my stash to make a distinctive needlepoint design.

Foaming Beer Glass (CT145) Canvas from KS Designs
Stitch Guide by Janet M. Perry

Here’s what you need:
3 skeins Kreinik Silk Mori 5097 (blue)
1 skein brown paper packages Silk & Ivory 93 Red Hot (red)
1 spool Kreinik Silk Serica 7173 (cream)
1 spool each Kreinik 1/8” ribbon: 5555 (cream) and 100 (white)
1 spool Kreinik Easter grass 1/8" size
1 spool Kreinik Tapestry (#12) braid in 5720 (gold), 032 (white), 191 (cream)
1 spool Kreinik Iron-on Ribbon 003 (red)
1 Kreinik Teflon Press Cloth
1 tube Kreinik micro-beads in gold
1 package each Swarovski hot fix crystals crystal, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm
1 package Kreinik Treasure Tape stars
1/2-inch shank button from your stash
home iron or craft iron

Instructions:
1. Borders: Padded Gobelin using Silk & Ivory. Stop the padding stitches one thread before each corner.
2. Glass Base: Basketweave using Easter Grass. This thread is very stiff, so use short lengths and pull each stitch tightly.
3. Beer: Four-way Continental skipping occasional stitches in order to add in hot fix crystals
4. Head: Four-way Continental using Silk Serica
5. Foam: French Knots done in several passes; each pass covering more of the foam. The first and second passes are with the two 1/8” ribbons. These should cover almost all the foam. The last two passes should use the white and cream Tapestry (#12) braids. These fill in the remaining area in the foam and build up the foam by being on top of the existing knots. These knots do not have to be perfect; they can be loose, use different numbers of wraps, and face different ways. If you like, you can add more knots using other white and cream threads. If you want to add highlights use Kreinik Tapestry (#12) braid in white (100) to add a few on top of the other knots.
6. NOTE: Before stitching the background, place the smallest size star from the Treasure Tape sheet over the star on the canvas, you will be stitching around it.
Background: Double Trellis using six strands of Silk Mori. Stitch over the red streamers and over the white round. Leave the very center hole of the white round open and do not stitch the small white dots scattered over the background.
7. Button: Using a shank button about ½” in diameter, attach it to the open area of the white dot.
8. Star: Replace the star if needed, and peel off the protective red tape. Working over a paper towel to catch the excess, sprinkle gold micro-beads onto the star. Tip the canvas up and brush off the excess. Press star gently to be sure everything is secure.
9. Dots in Background: Using the 4mm crystals and the hot fix gun, attach these crystals to the small white dots on the background. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to attach.
10. Bubbles in beer: Use the 3mm and 2mm crystals and attach these to the stitches you skipped on the beer. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to attach. I found the 3mm crystals much easier to attach. If you like use all 3mm crystals.
11. Red Streamers: There is a red streamer on either side of the glass. These are applied after everything else using the Kreinik Iron-on ribbon. Use a dry iron and a Teflon press cloth. I cut the ribbon, then made the twists and ironed them on.

End note: We love how Janet used the metallic gold to make the beer look wet. Also note the opal ribbon Easter Grass used for the glass; it lets the canvas color (white) come through while giving a glassy look. Use metallics like these to recreate things in life that are naturally sparkly. Get more stitching tips, design ideas, and news from Janet's blog http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com and http://www.napaneedlepoint.com

Fashionista School

2011-05-23T08:53:00.005-04:00

One of the advisory boards on which I serve is the West Virginia University (WVU) Fashion Design and Merchandising School (FDM) Industrial Advisory Board. Through this position, I get to see the textile industry develop in my state and discover what students perceive as the newest styles and fashions. On a recent trip for an advisory board meeting, I witnessed exciting developments in both areas.

The day before the meeting, the Fashion and Merchandising school held its annual fashion show. At this juried event, students of all different levels entered their creations. There were feathers, fascinators and fedoras. There were mini skirts and very short shorts. It was the first time that I've seen pockets in mini skirts. Many of the outfits had pocket lining of different colored and patterned fabric, which I saw as being quite creative. Along with the feathered fascinators, fascinating head gear included black crocheted hat decorations with butterfly patterns. You could easily see that a lot of work, time, effort and fun went into this fashion show.

The future was also evident. WVU-FDM frequently works with a local middle school, and those students participated in the fashion show. Their mission was to design according to the theme of "recycle, reposition and reuse." Indie designers follow the same path - the "green" one - so perhaps this collaboration is the birth of the next generation of the "Handmade Nation."

At our meeting, we also learned about the WVU Tartan project. The design and creation of a university's official tartan is a high honor, often under the auspices of the apparel and design school. Tartans are submitted to the Scottish Register of Tartans, and the design becomes a part of the school's identity. I can't wait to see how the official tartan of WVU comes together under the students and staff of the Fashion School.

The Fashion School at WVU places emphasis on fashion and retailing, but since it is under the Agriculture School, there are also discussions on recycling, the use of animal fibers, plus the use of textiles in agriculture applications. As with any school, jobs are the goal. The students are learning draping, machine skills and merchandise knowledge. The challenges are out there. Time will tell if the program is a success, but from my perspective it is an exciting time for the textile industry in West Virginia. We are looking forward to growth both in and out of the state.

Eating on the Salt Flats

2011-05-16T14:53:00.008-04:00

Surprisingly, if you stick to ethnic food in Salt Lake City, your taste buds will enjoy many treats from Indian, Mexican, Italian, Nepalese, Japanese and more.

Quilt Market has been a tasty treat and a great eye full of exciting Batiks, color, more art quilting and lots of creative clothing accessories. Aprons are big, fun tote bags and hats along with lots of interesting notions and new and exciting fabric print. Hand and machine embellishing of quilts along of course with lots of uses for metallics and silks are coming to a store near you.

By Doug Kreinik

Spring Quilt Market Day 1

2011-05-13T15:43:00.006-04:00

Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City has begun in blooming color. From the purple exhibit hall carpet to the vibrant quilts lining the booths and the eclectic clothes worn by attendees, from the cherry trees in bloom along the wide streets to the snow-covered mountains surrounding the city, this place is FUN.

Sample Spree last night was a shopping frenzy, with women and men of all ages carrying around enormous tote bags filled with fabric, thread and notions. TV personality Eleanor Burns was there in a space costume, but Doug Kreinik stuck with his favorite Kreinik tshirt - don't want to distract attention from the threads. If you want color, get some Kreinik thread. We met lots of long-arm machine owners, embroidery companies, fiber artists, and quilt shop owners all looking for a little metallic to add to quilts. We sold out of red, copper, and purple machine sewing Gimp thread immediately.

We also sold our new Iron-On Bag o'Bits to the delight of people who have requested it for years. Top ideas for the bits include jewelry, gifts, ornaments, and other quick projects. It really doesn't get any faster than a fusible embellishment thread.

So far today, market has been busy. Hearing many shops say hand embroidery is becoming popular. We are next to the fun ladies of Moonthistle Designs with wool felt designs featuring Kreinik thread for stitch embellishments. The look is subtle but more eye-catching than the traditional somber wool look. Check out her "Party Crow" pattern (web site www.moonthistle.com).

We have a Bernina Artista sewing machine running in the booth. We will be decorating some pillows, making scarves, doing dome clicking and bobbin work. We love how versatile the new sewing machines are and the Kreinik threads sew smoothly and beautifully. We have one of our gold threads running on a Gammill long-arm right behind us and it looks stunning on black fabric.

This is just Day 1 of market and we are excited to talk with shop owners and designers, and are already inspired with new ideas. Wish you could see it! Stay tuned to Kreinik Facebook for more pictures.

Spring Quiltapalooza 2011

2011-05-11T08:50:00.006-04:00

This week we jet off to Salt Lake City for the Spring Quilt Market. We thought it would be fun to focus on quilting this week. Check back this week as we will be posting throughout the week with additional content.

wednesday, May 11...

Free Quilting Projects:

Quilting Blogroll:

Quilting & Sewing Videos:

Terri O Videos

2011-05-04T09:58:00.002-04:00

Kreinik has teamed up with Terri O to make two educational videos using Kreink's Bag 'o Bits and Iron-On Threads. See how easy and fun our threads are to use. Click on the links below to see these new videos.

5 Tips on Stitching with Silk Threads

2011-04-28T09:10:00.009-04:00

Silk threads are known simply as the most beautiful fibers you can use — in clothing, draperies, and needlework. This natural fiber gives a brighter sheen, offers richer colors, and transforms even a basic design into something more beautiful. Needleworkers have been using silk threads for centuries, and today you have the opportunity to experience this versatile fiber for your own projects. Here are a few tips and techniques to get you started happily stitching with silk.

1. Cover the rough edges of your canvas or fabric before you begin stitching.
It is a small step with huge dividends; your beautiful silk thread will be ruined if you snag it on jagged edges. Simply cover needlepoint canvas edges with tape, or turn fabric edges under with a running stitch. If you are also using wooden stretcher bars to hold your canvas, sand away any burrs or chipped spots.

2. To keep silk (or any thread) from snagging on rough skin, simply get into the habit of using a hand cream.
A natural, non-greasy cream is safer when handling fibers and will make handwork much more pleasurable. Doug Kreinik, owner of the Kreinik thread company, uses a homemade olive oil mixture to moisturize his hands. He loves to cook so there is always olive oil at home, and his hands stay smooth while working with all of those colorful Kreinik fibers all day. So just get into the moisturizing habit; your hands will look younger, feel soft, and your stitching will look better.

3. Don't just pick up any needle you find in your pincushion and start using it with your sublime silk fibers.
Needles - and needle size - matter more in making a thread "behave" than any other factor. A needle with too-small of an eye or a nick in the eye will cause a thread to fray. A rusty needle can discolor fabric and thread, and also cause abrasion on your ground material which will tear up your thread. A needle that is too thin won't open the hole in the canvas enough to let the thread pass through easily. When stitching with a smooth and lustrous fiber like silk, use a quality, clean needle that is large enough to accommodate the thread.

4. Maximize the natural luster of silk by avoiding short cuts.
That is, don't rush it. We all want to stitch quickly and get the instant gratification of a finished project. However, impatience never creates beautiful needlework. You spend money on the canvas, threads, finishing, not to mention give your time in placing each stitch, so slow down and enjoy the experience. For example, use short lengths (like 15 to 18 inches) to reduce the number of passes through the canvas and thus keep the thread from looking worn. Let your needle dangle every so often to undo the natural twisting that occurs during handwork and thus avoid knotting. Lay your stitches neatly and evenly to maximize coverage and thus offer more surface for the beautiful light reflection of silk.

5. Don't fear the cleaner.
We often think of silk as being delicate, but it is actually one of the strongest of all natural fibers. Silk also has a reputation for being high-maintenance, often due to a 'dry clean only' label. In reality, yes, you want to clean your silk (silk blouses, silk draperies, silk stitchery) carefully to maintain a long and lustrous life. Dry cleaning is recommended for optimum maintenance, but this care and cost factor shouldn't deter you from using silk. You know how disappointing it is when you wash a silk blouse and it loses its luster; it is worth the effort and money to care for your possessions and creations. Unless you have created a silk-needlepointed blouse, most likely you won't need to have your project dry cleaned often. Unless you stitched outside while gardening in the dirt, your needlework should start out clean. Simply interview your local dry cleaner on how they clean heirlooms to find someone you can trust. Can you wash silk? While dry cleaning is preferable, you can hand wash most silk in lukewarm water with a mild, natural soap. However, no thread on this earth is completely colorfast, so do a spot test. Also keep in mind that water, heat, agitation from a washing machine, wringing, or friction with other textiles can all dull the natural luster of your dreamy silk.

Silk is a natural fiber with a translucent cellular structure, which allows it to absorb dyes deeply and to reflect light to a high degree, giving the finished project a pure color and a beautiful luster. When worked in needlepoint, cross stitch, quilting, and embroidery, silk has a bright sheen unrivaled by other threads. Its loft provides voluminous coverage, and its softness spoils your fingers. Silk threads can be used in all stitches, in all types of needlework, to make all projects brighter, more colorful, richer-looking, and simply more beautiful. So relax, use these easy tips, and treat yourself to silk thread for your next project.

For more information:

Hot-Wire™ How-To: Make a Dragonfly Brooch

2011-04-15T07:48:00.007-04:00

Note: We thank Pat Winter for sharing this amazing project featuring Kreinik’s new wired Braid, Hot-Wire™. She designed the dragonfly to be a dimensional embellishment for a quilt project, but it makes a perfect stand-alone jewelry piece too. To learn more from this talented designer, follow Pat on her blog http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/

Gather these supplies: 
- spool of Kreinik Hot-Wire™ thread
- sheer fabric
- clear drying fabric glue
- matching fine metallic thread or Kreinik Blending Filament
- petite seed beads and tiny sequins are optional

Instructions:

1. Begin by choosing the Hot-Wire™ and sheer fabric of your color choice. The color list for Kreinik Hot-Wire™ can be found here: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17207&cat=20&page=1

2. Either use a wing pattern or free-form as I did to bend thread to form two lengths for longer front wing and two lengths a tad shorter for back wings without cutting thread (see photo #2).

3. As you can see in photo #3, the first two are just a bit longer. Twist one large and one small wing to the other side to form a set of four wings. Longer wings go on top. Take 1/2" of Hot-Wire™ and secure in center. This will be later hidden with beads.

4. Using small brush, apply clear drying fabric glue to one side of Hot-Wire™ form and place onto sheer fabric. Press with palm of hand to make sure all thread surfaces are touching fabric. Let dry. (Note Liquid Stitch only takes a couple of minutes to dry.)

5. When dry you may embellish each wing. I used a matching Kreinik Blending Filament to make feather stitches from tips of wings to body. I then used tiny matching flat sequins secured with size 15 petite beads for whimsy. (Note: Cartwright sequins have a wonderful selection of tiny sequins - I found these at Sally Beauty Supply in the nail art dept.)

6. After embellishing each wing, carefully cut along the outside of all wings keeping them as one connected unit. You can bend the wings or leave them flat.

I will be sewing beads on top of center joint when I am ready to add it to the finished project. Once again, Thank you Kreinik!!!!!! Something new to play with!

Order Kreinik Hot-Wire™ online at www.kreinikmall.com or from your local needlework store.

By Pat Winter

Thread advice from a crazy quilter

2011-04-05T09:59:00.030-04:00

Kreinik note: Guest blogger Barbara Blankenship is one of the most talented crazy quilters you will meet. She always inspires us with her creative use of stitches and threads, so we asked Barbara to share some of her top tips for using Kreinik threads in crazy quilt embellishment. Even if you aren’t a crazy quilter, use her suggestions as ideas for incorporating fun embellishments into your own art form.

As an avid crazy quilter, I’ve long been a fan of Kreinik threads. Whether I use it in a seam treatment or motif design, it’s the perfect thread to make the design “pop.”

I love the rich look the Kreinik metallic threads offer. They needle differently than finer threads but don’t let this discourage you. Here are several tips I’ve found helpful:

Use a shorter length of thread. As the metallic thread moves through the eye of the needle it will begin to fray. Shorter lengths will minimize this problem.
Use a larger shank needle when using the heavier threads. If the entry hole is larger the thread will glide through more easily and not tend to fray.
Use a ribbon embroidery needle when stitching with the 1/16 or 1/8” Kreinik ribbon.

I hope the following photos will better explain the beauty this thread lends to your needle and fiber art.

I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the possibilities of using Kreinik’s new Easter Grass ribbon. The most obvious use, of course, is the nest pictured here.

Every crazy quilt needs at least one spider web. In this photo I’ve used the Kreinik Tapestry #12 Braid.

I used the Kreinik machine sewing thread ZTIC0031 Golden Brown fine twist sewing thread on this acorn needle case. I love the brief glimpse of brown metallic around the outer edges. It’s a very fine thread yet has the strength and durability to stitch the two pieces of wool securely together. This thread is intended for sewing machine use but I’m so glad I tried it for hand embroidery. The blanket stitch around the leaf and bottom edge of the acorn cap is stitched with #8 braid.

I love this woven seam treatment using the Kreinik #16 Braid. Lynn Schoeffler introduced this stitch through www.CQMagOnline.com and it’s one of my favorites.

These stacked fly stitch pyramids are done using the Kreinik gold Blending Filament.

In this seam treatment I’ve couched the Kreinik 1/8” Ribbon. The herringbone and lazy daisies are done with #8 braid along with #4 lazy daisies.

In the final two photos I’ve woven cords using various Kreinik threads along with matching fibers. By choosing eight Kreinik threads along with coordinating fibers (and beads) I have created trees, branches and frames. I used the Diva Cord Maker distributed by the Fibergoddess.

What an amazing journey I’ve had discovering all the wonderful things available to the fabric and fiber artist. I am thrilled to be able to share my love of Kreinik threads.

By Barbara Blankenship

Follow Barbara Blankenship at HYPERLINK "http://www.rosesonthewater.blogspot.com/" http://www.rosesonthewater.blogspot.com/ and HYPERLINK "http://cqmagonline.com" http://cqmagonline.com

Thank you

2011-03-30T14:52:00.005-04:00

By Doug Kreinik

Jerry Kreinik: an icon, a master, an innovator, and my dad. He had intuition about products, amazing research abilities, and futuristic talents which he taught to me and my brothers as we grew up. He had a natural curiosity about all things; he would always ask “what if,” always try new things - especially foods - and always ask questions and listen. He encouraged us to be curious, be creative, to seek and to learn. When I chose to go into the family thread business, I learned from him about machinery, fibers, yarns, sales, product testing, inventing, developing - and was infected with his passion.

I will miss my dad. Even though he was 96, we would still talk about new ideas, new concepts and how to make products better. I am proud of what he did and how he affected the industry. Who would have thought that a simple textile chemist when passing would have condolences sent from around the world? I am so proud of this man whose ideas made a real difference.

Thank you all for honoring Jerry and my family with all your wonderful stories, thoughts and prayers. My mom, his wife of 66 years, is so proud that she met and married the right guy. They had a lifelong love affair with textiles, materials and each other.

Remembering Jerry Kreinik

2011-03-24T13:09:00.006-04:00

Jerry M Kreinik passed away at his home surrounded by his family on Wednesday March 23rd at the age of 96 years.

Jerry was born in 1915 in New York City to the late Isadore and Sarah Kreinik. He graduated from NYU and was a WWII veteran. Jerry studied textiles, chemistry, law, engineering, loved reading, classical music, being informed, and arguing points of interest.

Jerry was a blue sky thinker, an inventor, entrepreneur, lecturer, futurist, loving husband, father, and grandfather, living a full and eventful life. Jerry’s influence was felt by those he met.
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Using his imagination and creative juices and helped along by Estelle, his wife of 66 years, Jerry developed industrial standards of excellence within the needlepoint and cross stitch industry throughout the world. His moniker became a synonym for excellence.

During his unique life, he worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yards developing textiles used for submariners and polar explorers, advanced the science of zippers, fasteners and buttons working on the creative team developing the “D” ring used by millions today, and established sizing for woman’s clothing. He taught the first class in plastics in the 1950’s at Brooklyn College in NY, designed dustless charcoal used by millions today. Along with this, he advanced the innovation of foam plastics, structural plastics and laminates.

In 1971, after being released by Borg Warner, during the great firing, he and his wife Estelle began their trek into the hand-needlecraft industry during its infancy. Working with nothing but their knowledge of textiles, plastics, art, furniture, and materials, they developed a reputation for originality and superb products. Using materials that had never been contemplated, they developed lines of soft, usable craft yarn products in silks and metallics that felt good to the touch. With their little business, they were able to travel the world, see the beauty of this small planet, and influence the industry. Their business grew. They were recognized by The National Needlework Association for Excellence in the Industry in 1994. In 2012, Kreinik Mfg. Co, Inc., a Parkersburg business, will celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Literally millions of people around the globe have and continue to enjoy the results of Jerry’s efforts in creating the materials used in needlecrafts and other textile arts and fashion.

His family enjoyed his love of nature and learned how to recognize birds and trees, stars and cars; learned how to patiently use a variety of hand tools to create beautiful objects in wood, metal, and clay. He contributed his time and funds to a number of community groups including Temple B’nai Israel, the Friends of the Parkersburg Public Library, and Parkersburg Art Center.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Estelle, his sister Audrey and brother-in-law Toby Yospin (Boston), son Ted and Arlene Kreinik (NewTown, CT), son Doug and Myla Kreinik (Parkersburg), son Andrew and Jacqueline Kreinik (Baltimore, MD) along with four grandchildren Juliana (Brooklyn, NY), Danielle (Los Angeles CA), Charles (Baltimore, MD) and Zachary (Washington, D.C.)

He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Shirley, and brother in law Ted Gaynor.

Services will be at Vaughn’s Funeral home on Sunday March 27 at 2:00 P.M. There will be visitation an hour before the service. Internment will be at Mt. Olivet. Jerry loved education and libraries, if you would like to make a donation in his honor, please consider the following: Temple B’nai Israel Parkersburg, the Parkersburg Community Foundation, The Parkersburg Public Library, Parkersburg Art Center, and Amedisys Hospice Services of Parkersburg.

Jerry Kreinik

2011-03-23T14:09:00.003-04:00

Needlework friends and family, Mr. Jerry Kreinik has been in declining health and appears to be in his final days. Please keep the family in your thoughts at this time. Jerry and Estelle started Kreinik Manufacturing Company nearly 40 years ago, and their son Doug continues to run the family business. If you have any stories or thoughts to share about Jerry, please do so - we would love to hear from you. Email us at info@kreinik.com.

Stitching for Literacy 2011 Bookmark Challenge

2011-03-16T15:14:00.012-04:00

The official start of the 2011 Bookmark Challenge is Thursday, March 17. This community focused campaign runs until April 28. The program is an easy way to share a love of needlework and encourage people in literacy programs at schools, community centers and libraries. While the program culminates in April during Children’s Book Week, past recipients of stitched bookmarks include people of all ages, from children to seniors, many of whom want to learn how to stitch after receiving their handmade gift. Visit www.stitchingforliteracy.com for information on how to get involved.

Free bookmark patterns:

Quilting with Kreinik Threads

2011-03-11T15:19:00.005-05:00

This is a short and sweet blog post about a blog post. Designer Andrea Stern has been having fun doing some quilting with Kreinik threads. Click here to see her blog posting titled "Step-by-step". Andrea has several detailed images and describes how she put this together.

When you know it’s good

2011-02-24T16:43:00.005-05:00

Discovering what you have is a major reason to attend a trade show. That is just what happened to me recently; I learned from sewing experts exactly how durable and easy it is to use my sewing and embroidery threads. I knew they were quality threads in gorgeous colors, but this weekend I came away with tips and tricks, plus ideas and inspirations for using the colorful fibers in even more ways that I thought.

Last weekend, while Dena and Julie attended the cross stitch trade show in Nashville, I attended a Professional Machine Embroidery show in Columbus. Many attending this show came with strong feelings about working with metallics on a machine: breakage, shredding, the lack of color selection, and an overall “meanness” of the thread were constant irritants and complaints heard from the professional practitioners as to why they don’t and won’t use metallics.. When your livelihood depends on stitching logos, banners, clothing, blankets and other customized designs for important customers, your thread matters A LOT. It has to look good, but it also has to behave well. Time (and effort) is money for a professional machine embroiderer. My team - two ladies from the Sewing B store in Williamstown, WV, plus myself - attacked the problem with a simple solution: Kreinik machine embroidery and sewing thread.

Most of you are familiar with Kreinik metallic Blending Filament, Braids, Ribbons, real metals, and silk threads that are used in hand embroidery or couched by machine. At this show, we demonstrated and sold another part of our thread selection, Kreinik machine embroidery threads: 1. Silver Metallized Gimp, 2. Fine Twist, 3. Fashion Twist, 4. and a new metallic wrapped thread, all designed for use on long-arm quilt machines, sergers, digitized embroidery machines, home sewing machines, and industrial machines. We feature many videos on www.YouTube.com/Kreinikchannel using these threads, and also have information on our web site www.kreinik.com. The threads are sold in sewing/quilting stores, plus online at www.kreinikmall.com.

Going into the show, I knew I had metallics that were stronger (the metallized gimp and wrapped thread) and prettier (Fine Twist and Fashion Twist) than common metallics sold in sewing stores. At the show, I learned more from the experts, and I want to pass that along to you. Life is too short to deal with frustrations in your creative processes, so here are a few points that may make your machine embroidery life easier.

1. Often when running metallics through the machine there is a problem of shredding and breaking. At the show, we ran on a Janome MB-4, a four-needle professional embroidery machine. I always recommend a 14 or 16 topstitch needle, but Kathy, the operator and demonstrator, had zero problems with an 11 needle. She did not even change her tension when running the metallics. Kathy ran both the twisted and the traditional round metallics at 800 rpm or 800 stitches per minute without a problem. I have personally seen my threads run at 1200 and 1300 rpm on the Tin Lizzie and Tajima machines. When you hear the constant humming chatter with no stoppage from breaks, it is a joy. It was as smooth as silk.

2. There are two different kinds of metallics that give you two different looks. The twisted Kreinik thread is constructed with metallized polyester twisted with either nylon or a polyester fiber. Since what you see is not all metallic, it is possible to create various dimensional effects with high and low areas, creating loft depending upon which threads and which stitches are used. The traditional metallic threads are called gimps and they are constructed by wrapping metallic polyester around a core of nylon, thus adding to its strength. This product reflects light differently from the twisted thread; it is a bolder look, giving a more distinct outline for the design. Blending the twisted and wrapped metallics into a design enables you to play with light and gives your project or product exciting proportions that, for the professional, can also add value.

3. The wrapped threads have two categories: polyester with a laminate of aluminum, and rice paper backed with silver. Both types are very vibrant, and I am proud that the Kreinik selection often wows customers with the large number of color choices (not just the traditional gold, silver, red, green and black). The rice paper backed gimp is also very strong, can run at 1200 rpm, and is laminated with silver then twisted around a nylon core. It gives a very lush, very rich real-metal look, radiating a truly beautiful patina that is quite inspiring.

4. All of these Kreinik machine embroidery threads are washable and dry cleanable, can be ironed or placed in a hot-fix press without damage. Ultimately, the Kreinik machine embroidery and sewing threads are perfect for the design and production environment. All are available in 1000-meter cones (5000-meter cones are special order) in more 30 metallic colors. Look for new 2011 colors in the traditional array of wrapped threads, but with a sophisticated antique flair.

By Doug Kreinik

Easter Grass

2011-02-14T15:57:00.005-05:00

Valentine's Day is in the rear-view mirror and Easter is coming up...a little later this year on April 24, 2011. One of our newest products is called Easter Grass. Just imagine a basket of Easter grass in one continuous strand and then wound on a spool. That's Kreinik's Easter Grass. Just think how much fun it will add to Easter-themed designs.

The thread is 1/8" wide and has an iridescent, mother-of-pearl look that shows a spectrum of colors depending on your viewing angle. This makes it versatile for many applications, besides Easter themes. Imagine laying a strand of Easter Grass on the surface of your fabric or canvas, then making decorative couching stitches such as Herringbone or Ladder Stitch on top with a gold, silver, or other color of Kreinik Metallic Cord - the look will be stunning.

Kreinik Easter Grass can be playful and fun, realistic in mimicking natural elements, or subtle and classy, all depending on your design and how you use it in your needlework and crafts. It can be used in needlework, crochet/knitting (as a carry-along thread), machine embroidery (couch it), jewelry, paper crafts, and more.

What can you do with Easter Grass? Use the iridescence to your advantage in Longstitch, background, and specialty stitches. For instance, use it to mimic...

Easter Grass for an Easter project (sorry, that was too easy)
Sea Shells
Butterfly Wings
Windows
Bubbles
Hummingbirds
Insect Wings
Shimmering water
Iridescent clouds
Jewelry

Got any other ideas to share? Post your ideas and comments here, and look for Kreinik's new Easter Grass in needlework stores near you.

A word is worth a thousand stitches

2011-01-21T15:57:00.006-05:00

While in Long Beach, California, for the recent National Needleart Association trade show, I discovered a gem of a boutique next to our gem of a hotel: a $1 bookstore on Pine Avenue. All books (all used books, but bestsellers, vintage, classics, and fluff in good shape) were just $1 each. I spent $12 and hauled home a carry-on bag full of treasures. Then last weekend, my sister and I trekked to the Book Thing of Baltimore, a free book warehouse. I have always been a fan of reading, and now I have A Year In Books planned out, along with a keepsake bookmark chosen for each tome. (Do you coordinate a bookmark with a book's theme too? Pick a special one for historical fiction, and another bookmark design for true crime... Of course bookmarks have "personalities," right?).

Like words on a page, I am equally enthralled by words on linen or canvas (even words in graffiti can be an art form). From the very first sampler exhibit I saw, to the gallery of story quilts from Southern slaves, and the Flickr photos of text messages in embroidery, I love how we express our words in our particular art form: needle and thread. Doug Kreinik's long-time motto has been "Threads visualize thoughts," and I believe the wide variety of Kreinik thread types and colors has helped people do that in the most colorful, original, exciting ways. (Seriously, for happy words, is there any color better than 092 Star Yellow? Well the new candy colors are happy too... Love has so many choices I can't list them all here (visit the metallic color chart on www.kreinik.com) And for angst, check out the new 4204 Storm Cloud, or 4205 Ironwood, not to mention 060 Midnight - all Kreinik braid colors.)

The stitchery on the wall in my foyer says "Welcome." In my kitchen: "The Early Bird Gets the Worm." Next to my window: "Le Jardin." My back door: "Peace." Do you write your words in stitches? Or have you stitched someone else's words that inspire you or make you laugh? You are part of a long tradition of self-expression. Keep stitching and, better yet, stitch some words for someone else. Be a global ambassador of The Right Words that will resonate with someone and help their daily challenges. Here is one idea: we are heading into the 2011 Stitching For Literacy Bookmark Challenge, a world-wide campaign to share stitched bookmarks and promote literacy programs. Simply stitch the word "Read" or a quote from a book and donate it to the challenge. It is quick and easy and fun and meaningful.

Let's get started stitching and helping others learn to read. On my word...."Go!"

For information on the Stitching for Literacy program, visit http://jenfunkweber.com/

Friday Fun:
If you're participating in the http://jenfunkweber.com/needle-thread/new-blogger-puzzle-contest.php Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy New Blogger Puzzle Contest, here's line 6:

C S N ' Z Z U Y W F L M X M J M U S X M C S N,

by Dena Lenham

Out of the box: Adding dimension with Hot-Wire

2011-01-18T10:35:00.005-05:00

"Your company is out of the box," someone told us at the recent TNNA needlework trade show for needlework businesses, designers, retailers, and teachers. "You just don't fit in a box!" We took that as a compliment. It is true that Kreinik threads can be used in all techniques, can be used as is or modified to create new effects, and can be used in ways we've never even considered. It is the creative thinkers of the world that inspire us as thread makers.

A wired Kreinik thread has been requested by some of those creative thinkers for at least 15 years. Some innovators on their own inserted wire into our heavier braids to create dimensional effects (and still do), but they kept asking us to make a wired thread, year after year. We played around with it, but since we manufacture our own threads in our West Virginia factory, we couldn't get the production down to a good process. When DMC came out with their wired thread last year, the requests really amped up. Back to the drawing board—and machines—and we figured it out. We are so excited to debut nine colors in a wired Kreinik braid we call "Hot-Wire." Judging from the positive response at the show, this thread is going to be another valuable tool to bring your creative ideas to life through color, texture and dimension no matter what medium or technique you use.

What can you do with this new thread? Thanks to some of our Facebook friends, here are some ideas for using the new Kreinik Hot-Wire wired metallic braid:

"I'd make Valentines!!!!! Id mix it up, id cross stitch, embroider, outline!" - Amy K.
"I'd use Hot-Wire wired braid to embellish cross stitch projects, greeting cards, frame photos, so many ideas --- so little time!" - Doris D.
"Soooooo many ideas! Create shapes to dangle from mobiles, stumpwork foundations, jewelry..." - Karen C.
"Definitely the invites I'd be sending out for all the birthdays coming up over here!" - Amanda R.
"I would use it for my fiber art for 3D additions to the pieces. Also I could see incorporating it into some of the coiled wire items I create" - Barb B.
"I need to make a cork screw for one of my needlepoint projects. This looks like it would do the trick!" - Carol V.
"I have a couple of WIP's that could really benefit from sparkly definition...and one in particular that I wanted to add a word to and this wire would be just spectacular!!!" - Lisa L.
"I would use it for the wings of my beaded angels. Definitely use it for mystical cross stitch outlining/couching." - Rowie M.
"I would use it to embellish my cross-stitching and other needlework projects." - Kim R.

At the TNNA show, one common question was "How does this differ from DMC's Memory Thread?" To be honest, we haven't used Memory Thread so we can't really compare. However, some designers told us that DMC's is wrapped, whereas with the Kreinik thread, the wire is braided in. This makes it curve and shape nicely. Ours is metallic, of course, and comes in some of your favorite Kreinik colors (like 002, 001, 015, 009). It is available on the tidy classic Kreinik black spool, or on cones in larger amounts (by special order).

If you are couching Hot-Wire onto your needlework, there are a few handy tips. As with any thick thread that you couch, we recommend that you tape the ends to make it easier to plunge to the back of your work. As Sue Jennings recommended, "Make the tape pointy and the end will act just like a needle." Then couch it with a coordinating color of thin Kreinik Blending Filament, Cord, or Very Fine #4 Braid, or use a clear monofilament sewing thread.

Look for the new Hot-Wire wired metallic braid in needlework stores (Hot-Wire colors carry a "W" after the color number). Look for it to "pop up" (pun intended) in designs and stitch guides coming out this year. Visit www.kreinik.com/hot-wire.htm for a color chart and more information. And most of all: have fun with this new dimensional embellishment thread.

Doug Kreinik Makes Acting Debut!

2011-01-07T14:45:00.003-05:00

We all know Doug is a fine lecturer, salesman and thread maker...but an actor? Read about the multi-talented Doug Kreinik in his acting debut for his local Rotary Club. Click here to read the article about it in the News & Sentinel.

Doug is 2nd from the left.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2010-12-16T10:29:00.004-05:00

...IN your needlework, that is! Recently we polled our Facebook friends to see which Kreinik thread they liked to use to replicate snow in their needlework. Hands-down Kreinik color 032 Pearl is the favorite, but some add a touch of blue to their snow with colors like Kreinik 194 Pale Blue, 9400 Baby Blue, 1432 Blue Ice, 094 Star Blue. How do you like to capture that cool crystalline coating in your needlework?

Snow is sparkly in real life, and the easiest way to make it sparkly in projects is with metallic threads. If you would like to try blending shades to create a snow scene, look for the Kreinik Metallic Gift Collection: Snowflake, available online at www.kreinikmall.com (in Kits & Collections), which has several different "snowy" shades in one boxed set. Want something really different and fun? We recommend Kreinik Ombre 3200 Pearl in the Satin Stitch for snow drifts.

Here are some responses from our Facebook poll.

Blending filament in pearl (sometimes with white thread) makes a sparkly snow .... and for that morning sun hitting the snow look blending filament in Starburst (over white or alone) mixed in with some plain white stitches seems to do the trick! - Loretta O.
032 - in all sizes - sometimes with #4 or #8 when I really want shading in the painting to show through - sometimes #12 when I want full coverage - and #16 when I am using 13 mesh. It is the "best" snow !!! - Betsy H.
Pearl Blending Filament (032) I love the twinkle it adds! - Maggie M.
032 blending filament looks most realistic. I'm looking forward to trying the new hologram threads. I think a scattered stitch of silver might be interesting. - Karen C.
I use 032 and 100 on needlepoint canvas. I use a lot of your 1/8 and 1/16 ribbon for projects too. I use 4005 what a great metallic thread. It amazes me how this color can change depending on what color is next to it in a design. - Diana M.
032 bf looks the best for getting the sun glittering on the snow look - Margaret S.
I like the 032 #4 braid. - Deborah K.
Love the sparkle of 032! - Diane S.
Have to agree, Pearl Blending Filament (032)! - Niina K.
That's funny cos I have to agree with the others, blending filament 032. Just adds enough sparkle without hiding the white I use underneath. So pretty for a subtle sparkle. - Mandy F.
My favourite for sparkly snowflakes on white fabric is 094 Blending Filament. But I'll use 032 on all colours. I love the shimmer and sparkle of Kreinik! - Doris D.
When I was a kid, I always colored snowflakes/snow with a light blue crayon (as white never showed up on white paper!). I still like to add a hint of blue in my stitching. :) 094 is pretty and I like the look when added to white floss. - Diane Z.
I use 032 Blending Filament when I'm doing a winter scene. I like the idea of trying 094 on white floss though, so maybe I'll try it on my next project. - Sharon T.
An 032 fan - have in #4, #8, 16 braid - must try the blending filament! - Melita G.

No need to shovel embroidered snow. Just stitch and enjoy the pretty effects of metallic thread sparkle on your project.

Unusual Gifts For Him

2010-12-07T15:08:00.005-05:00

What do you get for the guy who has everything? Gift cards? Too impersonal! How about a football jersey? He's already got 10 of 'em (yes, I have 10!). Does he tie his own flies for fly fishing? Wait a minute...now we are talking. Kreinik's Metallic and Silk Threads are perfect items for the fly tyer on your list.

Yessiree, Kreinik threads are perfect for fly tying. There's just something about those metallic threads that fish just love. Maybe its because in nature, bugs, baitfish, etc have a metallic look. Ever take a close look at a Japanese beetle? Sometimes the metallic look just irritates the fish into biting.

For not-so-shiny stuff, Kreinik silk threads and dubbing also do the trick. It might interest you to know that silk threads have been used in fly tying for centuries. It's as old school as it gets. We are also the only manufacturer in the world to make silk dubbing, the ultimate dry fly dubbing that is almost like tying a life preserver onto a fly. The material floats all by itself. Click here to learn more about our Silk Dubbing.

Kreinik has a holiday specials page where you can find deals on some fly tying assortments they probably don't have. Click here to see these deals.

Looking for a cool project to make for that guy who has everything? Try this laptop sleeve man-gift idea. It uses Kreinik Hi-Speed Machine Sewing Threads. Just imaging making this cool gift in your guy's favorite team colors and using team printed fabrics. Click here to visit PrudentBaby.com to see how to make it.

Wait, there's a fly in my shop...

2010-11-23T11:14:00.007-05:00

Wait, there's a fly in my shop...

by Dena Lenham

You know that an independent needlework shop is a mecca for cross stitch and needlepoint, but do you know it is also a fly fishing Dream Scene? (The stitchers out there whose fishermen husbands periodically raid their thread stash are all nodding yes.) The eyes of fly tyers "bug out" when they see Kreinik metallic threads because of the realistic, naturalistic color range and durability of the material. The thread colors and textures that make Mirabilia angels and Strictly Christmas stockings also make woolly buggers, bass bugs, poppers, eels, wings, streamers, nymphs and midges. Super alluring to striped bass, crappie, trout, salmon, steelhead, pike and muskie, Kreinik Blending Filament catches as much action in the water as it does in cross stitch.

Did you know, for instance, that new Kreinik Blending Filament color 003L Robot Red also makes a fabulous Disco Midge? Pretty Kreinik 1/8" Ribbon in color 009 Emerald could easily be called Japanese Beetle. See your favorite Kreinik Christmas color 015 Chartreuse? It's a beautiful Caddis Larva in the eyes of another beholder. Here is a little story about one needlework shop that accidentally discovered fly fishing as a fun, creative, thread-collecting, loyal customer, just like needleworkers.

Stitch-A-Cross in San Diego is a thread haven to needleworkers in Southern California. Owner Elizabeth Braun carries all brands, including a large selection of Kreinik threads. Now 83 years young, Elizabeth started stitching back in the 1970s and early 80s. "My husband and I had a hardware store," Elizabeth recounts, "and we had the stitching section in the back of the store." When the hardware business closed, Elizabeth moved needlework to its own spot on Mission Gorge Road.

One day fly tyer Richard DeBusk walked into the store, looking for the Kreinik thread he heard about from the San Diego Fly Fishers club president. This club has 300+ members, offers free fly fishing and casting classes to the general public, and publishes a newsletter with "recipes" for tying specific flies. In Stitch-A-Cross, Richard found a source for products to tie flies for bass fishing in San Diego bay and lake fishing out in the mountains. He told some friends about the store, Elizabeth ordered some fly-specific items from Kreinik (like our pattern book, starter kit, and Flash-In-A-Tube), and a local fly tyers paradise was born.

Fly tying is an amazing, creative process for many, whether they actually use the flies or tie them for art's sake. One person in the San Diego Fly Fishers club has over 6000 flies ("He catches a lot of fish."). Tying his own flies was "interesting at first," Richard said. "Once I started catching fish, that made a big difference." Now he sees fly tying as a valuable tool for his hobby. "I've tied up some new ones and we are anxious to try them," he added.

Will Elizabeth pick up fly tying now that she has expanded her store stock to include books, Flash-in-A-Tube, and other Kreinik fly fishing supplies? Maybe it is too soon to tell, but we do know she has the stash ready for fly tyers out there making lures to catch a big one. Visit the store in San Diego or give them a call for more informaiton. The next time you shop your own local needlework store, bring a fly-fishing friend and share the thread love.

Visit Stitch-A-Cross or contact them for mail order:
7435A Mission Gorge Rd.  San Diego, CA 92120 
Phone: 619.287.4788
Web: www.stitchacross.com/
Email:  stitchacross@att.net

Information about the San Diego Fly Fishers club:
http://www.sandiegoflyfishers.com/
Membership $35/year, Monthly meetings held first Monday of each month in Clairemont Mesa
Free casting lessons on Sundays, 9 a.m. at Lake Murray Casting Shelter

From Houston, with Love by Doug Kreinik

2010-11-15T11:47:00.012-05:00

Now that I have rested a bit after working the International Quilt Market in Houston, Texas week before last, and gotten acclimated to Daylight Savings Time, I need to say: I love Quilt Market. There is such a variety of creative options to see, from hand work to machine work. The art work is great and the imagination is overflowing. My favorite moment was the exhibition where there are more than a 1000 quilts to view. The quilts range from the very traditional to fantastic art quilts, plus clothing, dolls and this year a fantasy bra exhibit. The art quilts were big and used all sorts of medium. Landscape quilts played with experiences and scenes, making incredible eye candy. Being a bicycle rider, one of my favorite pieces was from Finland picturing a bicycle race. It showed depth, speed and perspective all at one time - very exciting. We are seeing more surface embellishing on quilts and, surprisingly, surface embellishing using the long-arm machines. We worked with several long arm companies at this show, using Kreinik metallic and silk threads for quilting and embellishing.

In our booth, we had a professional Janome educator, Carol McKinney, who used our product as I have never seen before. She also made a scarf from the Kreinik Bag O’Bits. It is so easy that even I could do it. She used a water-soluble material (preferably one sheet of the sticky type and one plain), added lots of metallic bits, a free-motion foot for the machine, Kreinik embroidery thread for the top stitches and a regular bobbin thread. Carol encased the bits by stitching around the outside, then creating an up and down grid, followed with lots of free motion embroidery. After about two hours, presto: a great-looking scarf. Our instructor made a sweater jacket with coordinating colors by creating fabric and cutting it out. The whole process blew my mind.

I really enjoy visiting with the doll makers. The dolls builders used Kreinik metallic and silk threads as embroidery and embellishments on clothing and also for the hair. They even used the Kreinik iron-ons in the clothing. This years theme for one doll challenge centered on Gypsies. The faces, clothing and fantasy adventures around the dolls described many stories. I will always be a fan of doll making.

Oh yeah, and the favorite eating places... I always eat at Whole Foods and Central Market in Houston. BBQ was at Goodes off of Kirby and 45, and my cousin took me to a terrific Dim Sum restaurant in the new Chinatown area near the Police Department at Bellaire and Ranchester. Also, I was treated to a 1-hour foot massage across the way. Very reasonable and relaxing.

What are those things?

2010-11-05T14:50:00.005-04:00

You may or may not have noticed these funny little codes showing up on posters and brochures recently. Well these codes are a cool way to quickly and easily send someone to a web page or video. Kreinik has recently begun including these "QR" codes on all marketing materials.

How does it work? You need a smart phone such like the IPhone or an Android based phone like the Droid, Samsung, LG Ally, etc. You will then need to download an app for your phone that will read the codes. Luckily there are free apps to do this. For the IPhone you can try the QR2D Code reader and for Android based phones try using the Barcode Scanner. Once you have downloaded and installed these apps on your phone, start the app. The scanner will use your phone's digital camera to scan the code. Simply hold your phone up in front of the code and the scanner will scan the code and instantly take you to the web page that code is programmed to link to. Try scanning the code in this post and see where it takes you. You should be able to scan it right off of your monitor.

Blackberry users we want to hear from you. Tell us about apps that work for you.

Canada's crown jewel of needlepoint

2010-10-25T09:57:00.006-04:00

She is quiet, petite, elegant — and one of the most talented designers you will ever meet. Canadian needlework artist Anna-Marie Winter creates stunning embroidery out beads, silk, metallic and real metal threads, makes greeting cards you want to preserve and frame, and shares her expertise with students all over the world. She is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet, one who makes you feel like an instant friend.

We want you to meet this talented designer, creator of the Tree Jewels line of charted needlepoint ornaments, available through Kreinik. These stunning designs look like a million dollars, but the kit is economical, they stitch up easily and finish even more easily, thanks to Anna-Marie's clever directions for molding the canvas on a Styrofoam ball. So we asked Anna-Marie...

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for the Tree Jewels design?
A: The idea for the Tree Jewels came from a guild workshop. My friend was working on a needlepoint ornament that had a narrow band of Blackwork along the center and pulled thread stitches on either side, all worked in perle cotton. I was fascinated by the way in which the halves seemed to mold so easily over the Styrofoam ball but less enthralled by the way in which the color from the perle cotton bled into the surrounding canvas when wet. The technique also reminded me of the stretchy smocked tops I saw in children’s clothes at the time so I started playing with various fibers and stitches to try to create a similar effect. When I combined the Kreinik metallics with a simple pulled Upright Cross stitch for the first time the effect was amazing and that experiment became the first of many Tree Jewels.

Q: You have taught the Tree Jewels in various places and in fact the instructions are written as if you were right there with the stitcher, teaching and guiding them. Can you share any classroom stories?
A: Most students love the project because it can be stitched and finished in the workshop. There is one story that stands out above the rest. During the first day of class the students all work at completing the two halves of the ornament, so that the next day they can complete the ornament by blocking the halves, beading and applying the trim. I usually announce that if a student had completed an ornament by the next day of class, I would finish it for them in class. One student lost her reel of red metallic thread on the way home with only three rows of stitches remaining to complete the ornament. She found a length of red wool that matched the metallic thread and used it to complete her remaining rows. She was very proud of her accomplishment, being first in class to have the work completed and commented that she would put the "wool side" facing the tree and display the good side "out". I used her ornament in class to demonstrate the finishing techniques and effectively hid the wool behind the trim.

Q: Your instructions say, “This is one of the few canvaswork designs where it is recommended that you have fun with your stitching while you break all the rules.” That sounds fun! But what do you mean?
A: When stitching a Tree Jewel, many of the rules in canvaswork are broken mainly to make the work more enjoyable and to allow the form to mold properly over the canvas. The canvas is worked in hand, not on rigid stretcher bars. Working on stretcher bars will not allow the canvas to mold properly. The knots and tails are not worked neatly on the reverse side of the canvas, but are left on the right side of the canvas as they are cut off during the finishing process. The canvas can be rolled and kept in a plastic bag in your purse or pocket, so the project is always on the go in a waiting room or taking the bus to work and where you would never submerse your traditional needlepoint in water, a Tree Jewel is "born" under a running faucet.

Q: Is there a frequently asked question about the Tree Jewels?
A: The most frequently asked question is whether the size of the ornament can be reduced or enlarged. It can be reduced to mold over a smaller Styrofoam ball or enlarged to make a much larger "kissing ball". The design is easily adaptable to variations in size.

Q: We love the portability of the project. It would be fun to know the various places where a Tree Jewel has been stitched.
A: I'm not sure where other people have stitched their Tree Jewels, but I've worked many at soccer games, in airport waiting rooms, on airplanes using plastic needles, at the doctor's office and on long car trips. I found that the zip lock bag was an invaluable tool in completing many projects.

Q: The finishing is fabulous - in part because it can be done at home, inexpensively. Any tips or suggestions on doing the finishing part?
A: One tip that I would like to pass on is to choose the finishing materials carefully. The stitcher has put a lot of time and effort into the stitching, but using the wrong ribbon or trim can take away from the elegance of the ornament. Using a high quality velvet ribbon for example, rather than a cheaper flocked craft ribbon, makes a huge difference in how the ornament will look when completed.

Q: Are you working on any new designs right now or currently teaching? Where can stitchers buy some of your other designs?
A: I am currently working on two projects, a small Christmas stocking that is a continuation of the Women of Government House project and a larger design called Summer's End, which is a design of a butterfly on grass that was created from a number of photo images and transferred onto canvas. I do teach a number of online classes through my website and www.BedeckedandBeadazzled.com. My teaching pieces and classes are listed on my website www.annamariewinter.com.

Small, is the new big

2010-10-13T10:25:00.006-04:00

Friday, October 8, 2010, I spent the day at West Virginia University’s School for Fashion and Merchandizing in Morgantown, WV. I am on an industrial advisory board that is designed to help the department in rewriting and orienting the curriculum so that students have a greater opportunity to get a job in their field. In one year, the school has made great strides. They recently acquired a computerized sizing device which takes hundreds of quantitative photos and measures the body for fitting. They now have professional sewing machines from Juki including a buttonhole machine, button attaching machine, overlock, serger and more. Also, the school recently set up a master and a doctorate program.

On Friday, we discussed the future of the students and what they need when they graduate. This advisory board is made up of manufacturers, retailers, educators and engineers. Our goal is to enable the school to create a niche in an ever-changing global economy and become more competitive. We feel that it is important to give them a corporate view and an entrepreneurial slant. In the US right now the apparel industry is sort of disappearing. Big companies are becoming rarer, so it is the small company that is becoming more important. A small business that is niche-based and flexible can be a big influence and survive. As noted by Kenneth King, the couture designer and one of the board members, “Small, is the new big.”

Doug Kreinik

Save The Pumpkins!

2010-10-08T16:01:00.006-04:00

Save The Pumpkins!

I don't particularly care for pumpkin carving. It's just too darn messy. Sure you can try to roasting the seeds and making a pie, but at the end of the day you end up with a "one-and-done" decoration. Toss in the fact that in colder climates these darn things are apt to rot on your front step before Ole Hallows Eve even gets here.

What if you can "SAVE" that pumpkin from such invasive carving procedures and use it for both Halloween and Thanksgiving without the colossal mess? Now you have my attention. The following project needs only a few simple items to let you save your pumpkin from unnecessary invasive carving procedures. Oh, and my Jack is waterproof!

You will need:
- A computer to print out a template from the web
- Pen or Magic Marker
- Scissors
- One, 10m spool of Kreinik 1/8" Ribbon in color #054F
- One, 8" x 10" sheet of Kreinik Treasure Tape
- Black-light bulb
- Medium size pumpkin

Directions:
Click here to view and print the instructions for this project. You will need the FREE program Adobe Reader to view and print this document.

What would you do with a holographic thread?

2010-10-05T16:09:00.005-04:00

The colors are cool, the possibilities are endless. So let's get down to specific suggestions for where to use Kreinik holographic metallic thread colors. The threads come in 16 colors in Kreinik Blending Filament, Very Fine #4 Braid, Fine #8 Braid, Tapestry #12 Braid, Medium #16 Braid, 1/16" Ribbon and 1/8" Ribbon — which means you can use these colors in any way, from needlepoint and cross stitch to crochet, knitting, fly fishing, paper crafts, quilting... Check out the holographic color range here: www.kreinik.com/holographic.htm.

Here are some suggestions from a few of our Facebook friends for using Kreinik holographic threads (www.facebook.com/Kreinik.Manufacturing.Company):

• I am using the black on the Witches Checklist - looks so cool. Might use more before it is done. My hubby calls it " Bev-ing it" Because I add sparkle with your threads to most of my cross stitch projects. - Bev
• Used several on my grandson's first Halloween costume, a lion. Also used them on 7 Christmas cross stitch and needlepoint projects this year. Haven't tried them on knitting but have all intentions on using them for a charity scarf project for foster children in colleges across America for Valentine's Day gifts. Thanks for creating such a wonderful product. - Susan
• Green for dragons, gold for goldfish, blue to make lakes look realistic, bits of silver among the ice and snow.... - Karen
• I love them in regular, joe-average cross stitch projects. I love the effect of the light on the thread. - Katrina
ª Halloween crafts, including making an actual web! — Lianna
• I use it to give that extra bling that is needed on a piece. Also to make flames and sparks for a fire. — Deborah
• I use it for animal eyes and people eyes in cross stitch and stitchery. When blended with other Kreinik in such cases, it customizes the eyes, adds expression and depth otherwise not realized. Of course, its addition also gives the shimmer ... — Debra
• Seems it would give depth to water and dimension to snow. — Pat
• I use the holographic metallic in my Halloween cross stitch — Beth
• I haven't had a chance to use the holographic threads. However, I would use them in one of my needlepoint or cross stitch projects. — Tara
• I haven't used them yet, but am currently working on a cross-stitched enchantress design and totally want to use them for the starry skies. — Lisa
• Kreinik threads are what give my dragons their magic and sparkle. I, being like them, would welcome any chance to hoard new threads and colours! — Jennifer
• I have a dual demand household here. I would look for any opportunity to include some sparkle and shine to my cross stitch, Hardanger, and blackwork. Blackwork would demonstrate some interesting effects with holographic threads! In the meantime, my boyfriend poaches my stash for making fishing lures... — Connie
• I've never used them but can see myself using them for highlighting my cross stitch designs. — Barbara
• I have started using some of my 70+ spools of Kreinik blending filaments and cords to embellish my homemade greeting cards. I'll never use them all up in my cross stitching! I haven't found any holographic threads in Canada yet, but I'd love to try them! I love water and have a few charts of ocean, stream and waterfall views. I'll bet they would bring the water to life!!! — Doris
• I have used them in my freeform crochet projects--they really add pizazz and dimension. — Barbara
• I have used it to make Friendship Cords for embellishment on needlepoint projects. It really is precious! — Julia
• For cross stitch & paper craft! I make awesome cards for every occasion! — Amy
• I like to use them in my needlepoint projects. Stars, sun, moon look great with long stitches to really see the effects of your holographic metallic threads. Also stripes on a flag and to dress up anything that needs to be highlighted beyond using Kreinik braids. — Janet
• I would use them to produce highlights in embroidered pictures. My husband raids my stash for fly tying supplies. Solar silver has lots of possibilities for both our hobbies. — Stasha
• As an embellishment to fantasy cross stitch projects! What dragon wouldn't look truly mystical with a strand of holographic metallic thread adding sparkle to his scales?! — Valerie
• I love Kreinik Holographic Threads!! I used them on my new Polar Bear Design. Both the hat & present were stitched with Kreinik Holographic Threads! http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2010/09/needlepoint-polar-bear-present-ornament-completed.html — Barbara
• I am a bobbin lace maker and use Kreinik threads as accent colors in ornaments and other projects. The holographic colors would look great in the Christmas lights! — Holly

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! If you have created something with the Kreinik holographic threads, send us photos. We would love to see your work. Email info@kreinik.com. The holographic threads are available in needlework stores; visit www.kreinik.com/locator to find one near you, or visit www.kreinikmall.com.

Here are links to some online projects featuring the holographic threads:
1. Needlepoint Pumpkin: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17156&cat=366&page=3
2. Salt and Pepper Shakers: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17130&cat=0&page=1
3. Holographic Headband: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17128&cat=0&page=1
4. Holographic Cross-Stitched Star: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17127&cat=0&page=1
5. Renaissance Napkin Rings: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17129&cat=0&page=1
6. Robot Read cross stitched bookmark: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17132&cat=0&page=1

WARNING: teaching embroidery to children will warm your heart

2010-09-21T13:59:00.003-04:00

by Dena Lenham

It was Grandparents' Day recently, and while I no longer have my grandparents here, I fondly thought of them and how much they taught me, and loved me, over the years. My grandfathers taught me about the outdoors and baseball, for instance. My grandmothers taught me how to sew, embroider, and crochet. I love them for it — I celebrate all of these passions to this very day.

Charles and Danielle's grandparents (Mr. and Mrs. Kreinik senior) taught them about needlework. You probably have a grandmother or friend that taught you how to use a needle and thread, or maybe you just watched them as they stitched. These impressions add up, and they keep the age-old passion of needlework alive. Just think how many people have this wonderful hobby, creativity, and stress relief in their lives because of you...

At Kreinik we get to hear about many stitchers sharing their knowledge by teaching others. When Claudette Osterreicher sent us photos of her young students stitching with Kreinik threads in an embroidery class, we asked her if we could share the story with others. The smiles on the girls' faces should encourage all of us to keep sharing our time and talents with others. Thank you to Claudette and the parents for letting us share the photos.

Claudette, who is a member of the Embroiderer's Association of Canada (http://www.eac.ca) and has won an award for her own needlework, teaches a group of Hutterite ladies and girls in Canada. She shared some of the different Kreinik threads with her students and they wanted to learn more. The colors and textures and variety in the Kreinik line is visually exciting and the threads can be used by all ages. "I am amazed at how fast these girls caught on," Claudette told us. If you are thinking of teaching youngsters in your community, take a note from Claudette about types of projects her students prefer: "They like to make more practical things. They don't do alot of pictures on the wall. Right now the little ones are doing needle books and the older girls are doing pincushions."

A message to Claudette's students: Your work is excellent, Lisa, Helen, Jessica, Maryanne, Niomi and Dorothy! We hope this begins a life-long love of needlework and creativity. You have inspired us to take time and teach others too.

New Gingher Sonia Scissors

2010-09-15T10:36:00.006-04:00

Looking for a great gift idea? Gingher has just released their latest series of designer scissors. The series called "Sonia" features white flowers on a firecracker red background. These scissors are produced in very limited quantities. Each series has become instant collectors items. Once these scissors are gone, there will be no more in this series so act fast. Each pair comes with a blade sheath and reusable gift tin.

Kreinik offers the "Sonia" scissors in 4" Embroidery, 5" Knife Edge Sewing and 8" Dressmaker Shears. Click here to see these lovely new scissors.

Ornament Contest!

2010-09-03T15:55:00.004-04:00

Stitcher’s Workshop and Kreinik have teamed up to bring you a challenge! Design a piece (think ornament) that, when stitched on 40ct silk gauze, will fit in a 2″ round area. Don’t forget to include the great Kreinik threads in your design. Silk Mori and the finer metallics will be perfect for this piece! Designs are due in to us by October 1.

Grand Prize is $100.00 of Kreinik products. First Prize is $75.00 Gift Certificate*, Second Prize is $50.00 Gift Certificate*, and Third Prize is a $25.00 Gift Certificate*. *Gift certificates are to Stitcher’s Workshop to be used in the shop or online.

For more details about this contest visit The Stitchers Workshop.

Q&A with needlework mystery writer Monica Ferris

2010-08-23T14:50:00.006-04:00

Love to read AND stitch? Monica Ferris has the perfect page-turner to stroke those passions: "Blackwork" is the latest book from this popular fiction writer whose colorful story lines always feature needleworking super sleuths following mystery threads around stitchery shops. We have been delighted to be characters in previous books, and this one features a design using Kreinik threads—included a new Kreinik Fine #8 Braid color, Fly By Night. We sat down with Monica to hear about the latest book and her next project.

KREINIK: Where did you get the idea of the "Blackwork" story?

MONICA: This one started with the title. Blackwork is a very attractive kind of needlework. It took me a little while to think how best to use the title as a mystery theme, however. But I have two friends who practice Wicca, so I had two sources for the practices of that religion. I know there are people who think only of the "dark side" of Wicca -- that it practices cursing and other black arts, but neither of my Wiccan friends would dream of doing something so dreadful (and dangerous, they say). So there was my conflict, and the story grew out of that.

KREINIK: Your books are grounded in the needlework community and are very popular. How did you get involved with needlework? Where does your interest in needlework come from?

MONICA: Oddly enough, I was asked to write a series with needlework as a theme. My then-editor at Berkley was herself a counted cross-stitcher and saw how well a quilting series was doing, so she looked around for someone willing to write a needlework series. I had just ended my work on a medieval mystery series, so she contacted my agent who contacted me. I was so flattered at being asked -- instead of the usual process of coming up with an idea, writing the novel, and then getting my agent to try to find a publisher -- that I accepted at once. I was very much a novice at needlework, and so that's why my amateur sleuth starts out so ignorant. As I learn things, so does she. And now I find that I enjoy exploring the many, many sides of needlework.

KREINIK: Writers and needleworkers both create, putting together something out of scraps, bringing the fabric or page to life, with “threads” running through the "story". What is your favorite part about writing a book?

MONICA: That's a very difficult question. When things are working, it's all a joy: Getting the idea, setting up the plot, watching the story come to life as I write it, finishing it (whew!), editing it, getting a sample of the cover art (that's when it becomes real), holding the copy of the actual book in my hands. Every one of those steps is a pleasure! The only part that isn't fun is getting a writer's block, and I can generally work around that.

KREINIK: What is the hardest part about writing a book?

MONICA: The middle. The opening scenes are intriguing and the grand finale is exciting, but there's that long, complicated middle part, where I'm trying to get all the scenes to work together, sneak in the clues, advance the characters realistically, and move the story briskly along. It's fun, usually, but it's real work.

KREINIK: Technology has affected both the needlework industry and the book industry. With the advent of electronic readers, do you think that printed books will become obsolete? Will your books be available for Kindles or other e-book readers?

MONICA: Some of my books are already available in an electronic format. I don't think paper books will entirely disappear -- they are, unlike electronic devices, not made unreadable when the science advances to a new generation of device -- but I think publishing is riding a new and powerful wave into the future. I don't think anyone really knows what strange and new shore they will end up on.

KREINIK: Can you give us a hint for what's in store for the next book, and when it may be released?

MONICA: The next book, due out in December, is Buttons and Bones. Jill and Lars Larson buy an old log cabin up in a northern part of the state, and while renovating it, find a hidden trap door leading to a root cellar. On the dirt floor of it lies a human skeleton that appears to belong to a World War II-era German soldier. Meanwhile I am at work on Threadbare, about the murder of two homeless women.

**

WANT MORE MONICA FERRIS? She shares a blog with five other "crafty" mystery authors -- http://killerhobbies.blogspot.com/. Her day to write an entry is every Wednesday. Check out Monica's web site at http://monica-ferris.com/ for info on all of her books plus her schedule of book signings.

WANT TO STITCH THE DESIGN FROM THE BOOK? Visit http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17134&cat=0&page=1

Possibly odd question regarding your metallic threads...

2010-08-10T14:41:00.008-04:00

by Dena Lenham

It began as an email to Kreinik from model plane builder Rob Stewart. He wrote, "I just bought four rolls of your metallic threads "cord" size. I build scale plastic models of WW1 era aircraft and I thought the threads would be perfect for some detailing in engine wires, cockpit parts, and rigging wires, etc. In order to recommend these to fellow WW1 model enthusiasts, I would like to know roughly what diameter these threads come in..."

When we emailed the information to Rob, it started a wonderful conversation about model aircraft, the tiny threads you need to accurately replicate details, and a needlework connection.

"There is quite a large community of modellers, building in different scales, and different thread sizes would have different applications for many people," Rob told us. Colors like 011C Nickel, 021C Copper, and 001C Silver in Kreinik Cord realistically replicate certain wires and cables.

Rob ended up making a WWI "Eduard 1/48 Fokker EV Weekend Edition" model airplane with a little help from Kreinik metallic Cord (for aileron and rudder cables), and wrote about it here: http://www.internetmodeler.com/artman/publish/aviation/Fokker-E-V-Weekend-Edition.php. He also made a "Fokker Eindekker" with the threads and shared photos here: http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/StewartR/CP/index.html

So we found out metallic threads are perfect for replicating aileron and rudder cables, plug wires and rigging, among other various parts. Since we didn't know a lot about model airplane making, but were extremely impressed at the detailed work and use of our threads, Rob volunteered to make us a model. We contacted Jeff at Rare-Plane Detective who had an EDUARD 8036 Albatros D.III Weekend Edition model plane kit. Rob built the model for us and we are excited to share photos here. See if you can spot the Kreinik threads — threads so familiar in stitching techniques are marvelous micro-threads to model makers.

And the needlework connection? Turns out Rob's mother-in-law works in a needlepoint shop and we got to meet her at a TNNA trade show. Looks like threads are woven into the tapestry of this creative family.

Blog Talk Radio with Doug Kreinik

2010-08-06T09:33:00.008-04:00

Our very own Doug Kreinik was a guest on Gone Stitching's Blog Talk Radio. His interview aired on August 9, 2010. This marks Doug's second appearance on the show and will be a lively and fun show about needlepoint and embroidery. Don't worry if you missed it. Its available on demand.

Click here to listen to the 8/9/10 interview.

Click here to listen to his previous interview with Gone Stitching on 9/14/09

Gone Stitching is a needlepoint store located in Bergenfield, NJ. They are a full service shop that sells threads, canvases and offers classes, stitch guides, finishing & framing services and much, much more. Did we mention they are one of the stores in our Kreinik Mall? Click here to visit their Kreinik Mall home page.

Gone Stitching
31 South Washington Ave,
Bergenfield, NJ 07621
(201) 385-2100

Doug's Caesar Salad

2010-08-03T11:11:00.005-04:00

When I go to friends homes for dinner I am often asked to bring my salad bowl and fixings. Here is my favorite.

In a blender mix the following ingredients: (This will give you a smooth and even dressing and hide the little bones in the anchovies that some find disconcerting.)

5 cloves garlic (Before putting garlic into the blender, slice in half removing the center core. This reduces the after taste of the garlic to a large extent. )
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 can anchovies
1 tsp Worcestershire
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3 shakes of Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix until you have a very smooth consistency.

Rinse and dry:

1 large head of romaine
1 head of bib lettuce
1 head of red leaf lettuce

Break into small pieces bite size pieces. Place in a very very large bowl. This makes it easier to mix and toss.

Add:

2 grated carrots
1/2 c black olives with out pits
1 large tomato chopped

Remove all seeds. This prevents salad from becoming too watery. Mix all vegetables well. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

Add garlic croutons

I prefer mine made from French bread covered with a olive oil and garlic sauce. Sauce is made from 2 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 a cup of olive oil with a dash of oregano and basil. Spread this on with a pastry brush and cut into little cubes. I brown this in the oven for 10 minutes until crisp at 400 F.

Grind freshly ground pepper over salad.

I always put the freshly grated parmesan cheese in a bowl on the side. Some people like a lot and some people ,like me, are lactose intolerant..

I never use an egg in my sauce. Again some people do not like the thought of the raw egg and I personally do not like to take chances with salmonella..

Things to add to enhance this hearty salad:

Canned Salmon
Canned Tuna
Grilled Chicken
Sliced Grapes
Mandarin Oranges
Avocado
Olives (Black, Green or Greek)
Nuts-walnuts or pecans

Place salad on chilled plates and dig in.

Serves 5.

Silk gauze and Patricia Parra

2010-07-26T11:21:00.018-04:00

Once upon a time, a young girl stitched a sampler on gauze. It must have been meaningful gauze — the placard on the museum wall next to this framed needlework said it was gauze leftover from her family's care of a wounded Civil War solder. Romance makes me wonder if she was in love with this boy, and stitched her sampler on something that would remind her of him. Or maybe, she just wanted the medium, the finely woven canvas mesh on which she could achieve amazing detail for her palette of stitches.

If so, she wouldn't be the first or the last to stitch on gauze. Silk gauze — canvas mesh made of 100% pure silk thread — has been used in clothing, jewelry, embroideries and other textile work for centuries. Today it is common for miniaturists to use silk gauze for to-scale reproductions like rugs, miniature pillows and samplers. Silk gauze comes in different holes-per-inch sizes, so with 40-count silk gauze, for instance, you get 40 holes per inch, and a perfect 1-foot to 1-inch scale.

Other needle artists use silk gauze as an alternative medium and for creating intricate needlework. One silk gauze embroidery designer we are excited about is Patricia Parra. She has taken Kreinik silk gauze kits and added stunning specialty-stitch borders. Her particular use of decorative stitches creates more three-dimensional looks on silk gauze. When she uses Kreinik's holographic threads on silk gauze, her designs look simply magical.

A native of South America, she has had an interest in needlework since she was a child. Her mother was a clothing designer so she has always been exposed to color and design. Patricia opened a San Francisco needlepoint store in 2005 and started teaching and creating stitch guides. In 2007 she discovered silk gauze and fell in love with the delicate work. Her silk gauze patterns include traditional themes as well as contemporary geometrics using specialty stitches and lots of color. Patricia often loans us her silk gauze models to take to shows, and we are excited to share photos here.

Where to get more information on silk gauze:
• For more photos of the designs shown here, visit http://flickr.com/photos/kreinikgirl

• Patricia Parra, visit http://www.sfstitch.net/
• For Kreinik silk gauze, available in framed ready-to-stitch pieces or yard increments, visit http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/home.php?cat=44
• Kreinik silk gauze is available in needlework stores (visit http://www.kreinik.com/locator) or through stores in http://www.kreinikmall.com
• Check with your needlework store for other artists creating silk gauze designs. Erica Michaels Designs, for instance, has a new line of "Petites" silk gauze kits, http://www.ericamichaels.com.

I stitch because...

2010-07-19T10:55:00.017-04:00

by Dena Lenham

I was "summer cleaning" this weekend, going through organizers full of quilt, cross stitch, crochet, sewing magazines and patterns that I've collected over the last 20 years of serious crafting. My intent was to get rid of a large portion of them: I don't have enough house-space to display all of the projects even if I could actually finish them; I haven't been able to finish anything or invest time in these lately; and those "hoarding" shows on TV would want me to move these things.

Well, I am too embarrassed to admit how little I managed to hand over to my Frugal Self. Unfortunately, I fell in love with making things all over again. So next on my to-do list is dedicating time for actually making these wonderful patterns I've collected (and get more projects/fabrics/notions when I attend Quilt Odyssey with a friend this coming weekend).

Now I remember why I love stitching and sewing: it's relaxing and stimulating at the same time. The focus and process of needlework is an escape (the health benefits have even been documented). It's my meditation (I never could master the sitting-still "om" version). It's also liberating and creative. The threads and designs are so pretty and colorful, it's like they are bringing life to the fabric. It is making something out of nothing, or out of scraps. None of these benefits are a waste of time.

One of the magazines unearthed in my pile was "Old Time Needlework Patterns and Designs, January 1977" (sixty cents?!) passed to me from a great aunt. Editor Barbara Hall Pedersen posed a question in her column: "We cannot look thoughtfully at the needlework produced by the women of past generations without asking ourselves a question. What force in their lives was so powerful that it could motivate them to invest the countless hours of their time necessary to produce such exquisite examples of needle art?"

She went on to write, "Was it essentially a quest for beauty? Did they do it out of pride, or possibly an excess of leisure? Did virtue demand that every idle moment be occupied? It may have been all of these things, but I believe that it was also something much more. Each of us, deep down, yearns to leave some sort of mark upon the world, as proof that we have passed this way. In a time when a woman did not even have the vote, when she was forced to transact business behind her husband's name, when her opinions counted for little and her authority extended only to the home, women refused, even then, to see themselves as insignificant. They seized whatever avenues were open to them as a means of self-expression."

Ah, self-expression. Yes, I stitch because of that, and I bet you do too. Stitch your sayings, make your mark, don't stop working your projects. The threads, the designs, the fabrics...it's a beautiful world out there, and we are all making it happen.

How I spent my summer vacation

2010-07-14T14:43:00.021-04:00

By Doug Kreinik

My wife, Myla, and I decide to hit the road and travel north. Neither one of us had ever been to Lake Superior, so to us it would be an adventure. We are both interested in history and food, so we wanted to see why people settled in the "UP" (Upper Peninsula) and the type of foods they find to consume.

First, let me tell you about the food. Pastys (rhymes with “nastys”) are a popular food. We tried pastys made with beef and chicken. Myla barely dipped hers in ketchup but swathed it with butter, as recommended. She also tried the beef with gravy. I prefer chicken. To me, it tasted like chicken pot pie the size of a large empanada. The delicacy comes from Wales where there was a lot of mining. The miner would take the food into the mine, and at meal time, place on a shovel or in a helmet and heat it with his candle. It is now available in beef, chicken or vegetarian. There is also a lot of fishing in that area, and the Ojibwa have the fishing rights and supply much of the coast with fish. We imagined that we would eat broiled or barbequed fish, but fried fish with tartar sauce was the main course. Desserts were plentiful with a variety of fruit or nut pies.

Along the way, we took in a lot of sites. We visited with friends in Toledo and Detroit. We even had a personal tour of the Episcopal Cathedral in Detroit — a real gothic classic. In the Lower Peninsula we went to the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City. We enjoyed tasting all sorts of jams, salsas and barbeque sauces made with cherries including a cherry pizza.

I stopped to visit two Kreinik thread customers along the way. Lost Art Yarn and Needlepoint is in Traverse City, and Chipmunk Cove is in Cadillac. The shop in Traverse City is right downtown and is filled with knitting and needlepoint. They had a steady flow of stitchers and knitters going through this destination. Gerhild gave me clues as to where to get the best price on dried cherries in the area (Michigan grows more cherries than any other state). Chipmunk Cove is more of a mail order shop. She has classes and has quite a following. Judy cut fresh broccoli from her garden for us to chomp on during our trip. We also visited with Paula Schwenke at Knit-N-Purl in Marquette. She has a really nice little shop that has a long history. She services knitting and cross stitch with lots of classes for adults and kids.

We plowed through the Sault Ste. Marie locks museum and did have a broiled fish dinner at the Lockview. Sault Ste. Marie is the third oldest city in North America. We traveled through Paradise to get to Tahquamenon Falls near Newberry. The water is brown from the tannic acid from the piney woods. It was loud and beautiful. In Munsing we took the boat tour and saw the Picture Rocks, a 12-mile stretch of cliffs and waterfalls carved out by the ferocious seas. Many ships have gone down along the coast. This city butted up against the Hiawatha Forest. I found out that Lake Gitchee Gumee is Lake Superior. The water is so pristine that you see the bottom. We traveled up through Marquette to the Keweenaw Peninsula and ate muffins and purchased Thimbleberry Jam at the Jam Pot. This place is owned and run by the monks. They built a large church right on the water near Eagle Harbor — very peaceful. The muffins were incredible. We stayed in Copper Harbor on the coast in a 50’s style motel. In the morning we were serenaded by the loons and song birds. We went to the top of Brockway Mountain four miles from Copper Harbor, named for the massive reserves of copper that used to exist here. The mountaintop gives you a 360-degree vista of the surrounding mountains and the Lake. It is breathtaking.

Calumet is still large. It originally was to be the capital of Michigan, but the politicians rethought the proposal. There are lots of mining activities all through the area. In Gladstone, we toured a pet casket company. My son is going to mortuary school and asked us to pick up some brochures. Myla’s Iphone Apps were always giving us strange places to visit or view including "Paul Bunyan" who was visible everywhere, built out of paper-mâché, some being 30 feet tall.

After crossing the Northern shore of Lake Michigan, we found the best pastys on the trip in St. Ignace at Bessie’s, and then the next morning at the Mackinac Pasty and Cookie Company in Mackinaw City. Smoked fish also found our palettes, and it was delicious. The white fish was superb.

Following the blue waters of Lake Huron, we drove along the coast to Port Huron. This city has many nice eateries. One notable place is the Raven Café with its walls of books, fine foods, folk singers, and hearty coffee and desserts.

In the morning we swept through the corn fields of Windsor Canada, and then homeward bound to West Virginia, first stopping at my favorite Greek restaurant in Columbus, the “Happy Greek”, and then to Jeni’s for sorbet.

We drove over 2000 miles, saw an amazing landscape, learned new expressions like “Yooper” (someone from the UP), ate thimbleberry jam and pasties, and had a wonderful adventure.

Philly Style Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-07-02T09:57:00.002-04:00

By Jim Cargo

Kreinik will be shutting down all of our sales/marketing/manufacturing operations to enjoy a week of vacation following July 4th and will re-open July 10. For 4th of July weekend my mother-in-law reminded me to bring my ice cream maker with me. I have an "off the hook" recipe for Philadelphia Style Vanilla Ice cream. The recipe is ridiculously simple to follow and the results are downright sinful. I have friends who refer to this as "Silk" (we never stray too far from threads) as it is so smooth and creamy. I got this recipe from the book "The Ultimate Ice Cream Book" by Bruce Weinstein. Its been a family favorite ever since.

To make about 1 quart you need:
An ice cream maker and rock/kosher salt
3 cups of heavy cream
3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

The directions:
Place heavy cream in a sauce pan and heat (do not boil) until you start to see small bubbles appearing around the edge of the pan. You only need to get the cream hot enough to dilute the sugar. When hot enough, turn off stove, and stir in the sugar. Allow the cream/sugar mixture to cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the vanilla. Place mixture in the fridge for a few hours to cool completely.

Add the chilled mixture to your ice cream maker. Back in the old days we used to have to hand crank this stuff out. Not anymore. I use a Rival electric ice cream maker but any machine will do. Follow the makers instructions for setting up your machine. After about an hour, the ice cream is done. My son gets first dibs on the beater when I'm done.

Fresh out of the maker, a good bit of the ice cream is just like soft serve making it easy to make some ice cream sandwiches. I like to put this on top of some freshly baked brownies to make brownie sundaes. (Sorry, no calorie counting here.) Perfect for get-togethers, holidays or really hot summer days.

Doug Kreinik EGA Talk

2010-06-29T07:14:00.013-04:00

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.

Buying local

2010-06-22T07:15:00.008-04:00

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.

Chili Hamburgers

2010-06-08T09:51:00.019-04:00

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.

TNNA Columbus Summer 2010 Preview

2010-06-07T16:18:00.020-04:00

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.

Our Schoolhouse Rocked!

2010-06-01T15:45:00.009-04:00

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.

Sweet Sixteen

2010-05-26T07:39:00.005-04:00

Welcome to our brand new blog! We hope to share our thoughts, give tips and ideas, announce new stuff and just have lots of fun. For our very first posting we are announcing that the final installment of Kreinik's Holographic Threads are now in stores. Kreinik is proud to announce that the Holographic Threads will now be available in Medium (#16) Braid.

Use Medium (#16) Braid in Cross Stitch (10 & 11ct), Needlepoint (14-18ct), Plastic Canvas, Scrapbooking & Card Making.

Kreinik's Holographic Threads have been all the rage since their introduction in January 2010. The holographic threads, available in sixteen brilliant, 3-D colors, will now be available in most Kreinik thread sizes including Blending Filament, Very Fine #4, Fine #8, Tapestry #12 and Medium #16 Braids, as well as 1/16" and 1/8" Ribbons.

Visit www.kreinik.com for FREE projects and information.