Spring silk colors in bloom

Spring is coming, along with blooms and colors galore. We celebrate nature's spring shades with a spotlight on pink colors in Kreinik Silk Threads. See below for color families you can use in samplers, embroidery, cross stitch, needlepoint, and more.

Kreinik Silk Mori® is a 6-strand spun silk with a creamy luster. Silk takes dyes deeper than cotton, so the colors are richer, deeper. Silk feels dreamy to your fingers too, soft but strong. Use Silk Mori in any stitch, combining the number of strands you need depending on the stitch or fabric. Silk Mori comes in the same colors as Kreinik Silk Serica, the filament (shiny) version, plus a group of sampler-specific tones we call "Milkpaint." 

Kreinik Silk Serica® is a 3-ply twisted filament silk most often used in needlepoint, Hardanger, embroidery, crazy quilting and samplers. The natural high sheen of a filament silk looks best in specialty stitches that show off the lustre. If you use Silk Serica as it comes, straight off the reel, it's similar in weight to a pearl cotton. You can also separate it, moisten it and use it as a flat silk for Japanese-style embroidery.

Kreinik Silk Bella™ is a super thin filament silk. Even though it is tiny, you can still see the gorgeous natural sheen of silk. It is most often used for detailed work like stitching on silk gauze, or couching thicker threads, or fine details on designs (think veins in bug wings, etc). Silk Bella comes in a smaller range of colors, but still in matching shades to Silk Mori and Silk Serica.

For more information, visit http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Silk-Threads/

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Make 2020 your year of beauty and inspiration with this calendar

The 2020 Crazy Quilt Calendar is now available, and it's an easy way to grace your refrigerator, craft room, or office space with beautiful needlework. 

Popular cross stitch designer Pam Kellogg is a long-time crazy quilter as well. She owns and publishes Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine which is devoted entirely to the art of contemporary crazy quilting and textile art. It's published four times a year and to go along with that, she publishes a yearly Crazy Quilt Calendar. "Although the calendar isn't cross stitch," Pam says, "it's a beautiful publication perfect for anyone who enjoys any type of needlework or quilting." We agree! It also makes a lovely Christmas present for any quilter or needleworker in your life. 

Pam has designed free cross stitch patterns for Kreinik over the years, and often uses our sparkly threads in her crazy quilt designs featured on her blog. Metallics have long been used in both needlework techniques to offer light, texture, dimension...to make a design more visually appealing and interesting. The 2020 calendar features Kreinik in several of the designs. Take a close look at the photos and be inspired to try different threads and stitches to liven up your own embroidery designs.

A quick interview with this inspiring designer

Q: Did you use any Kreinik threads in the projects?

A: Yes, I adore Kreinik threads!  The large roses on the cover design is done in Broiderie Purse. It's outlined entirely in Kreinik #8 Braid using the chain stitch. Some of the other designs include #4 or #8 Braids as well.

Q: Which Kreinik threads are your favorites for crazy quilting?

A: My favorites are #4 and #8 Braids but I also enjoy using the ribbons.  And I always use Blending Filament for spider webs. They're fine and delicate like a real spider web and give a hint of sparkle. They make the web look like there's dew on it!

Q: How did you get into crazy quilting?

A: I started in 2000 when a friend of mine sent me a magazine that featured some contemporary crazy quilt blocks. I was so taken with it and immediately saw how I could include some cross stitch and charted work into crazy quilt pieces. I had no idea what I was doing when I started. But as with anything, the more I did it, the more it all made sense to me. I was never good at "free handing" my fancy stitches so I started using waste canvas and my own charted borders to create my seam treatments. This gave me perfectly spaced stitches every time! I've put 3 books together on using waste canvas for seam treatments.

What I enjoy most about crazy quilting is the freedom to use every needlework technique that I know how to do! There are no limits and since I have an affinity for anything sparkly and glittery, it's the perfect canvas for Kreinik metallic threads and lots of beads, sequins, vintage jewelry pieces and anything else I can sew on!

Q: How can people purchase the 2020 Crazy Quilt Calendar?

A:  http://www.magcloud.com/user/kitty-and-me  and in my Etsy store: http://www.kittyandme.etsy.com/

Q:. How can people purchase your cross stitch designs?

 A: My cross stitch designs are available in many needlework retail stores as well as at the above links. Both professionally printed pattern leaflets as well as Instant Digtial PDF Download files.

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Fuzzy metallic fibers add more fun to Halloween designs

Halloween is the fun holiday, isn't it? Oh we love the traditions of Christmas with all of its classics in tv shows, movies, songs, clothing, cards, food and such. But Halloween is a free-for-all, a no-stress, let-your-hair-down holiday. And, it has become the second biggest stitching holiday in the needlework world. This year, let your Halloween projects reflect some of that spooktacular silliness by adding fun fibers and wacky stitches. Why not?!

We recommend adding some of ThreadWorx' fuzzy fiber, which is actually Kreinik's Micro Ice Chenille, just artisan dyed by this California company. We're spotlighting the Halloween colors here, but they have many other colors for just about any design, mood, holiday, or theme. 

Micro Ice Chenille is a fuzzy metallic thread that you could on the surface of your design. So whether you are needlepointing, cross stitching, doing embroidery or crazy quilting, you can use this fun fiber. Lay it on top of your design or your stitching and tack down in the desired position with a matching color of cotton floss, silk thread, Kreinik #4 Braid, or even a clear monofilament thread. Plunge the ends to the back of your work and hide or secure under other stitches. 

Where would you use a fuzzy metallic? Anywhere! Think bugs, bats, cats, goblins, witches...anywhere. The point is fun. 

For more information:

• on Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille visit the Kreinik website or needlework stores
• on ThreadWorx artisan dyed Chenille visit the ThreadWorx website or needlework stores
• Chenille tip sheet on the Kreinik site

The colors shown in our photos:

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Kreinik is coming to see you!

Kreinik is hitting the road for the rest of the year, bringing threads and inspiration to the streets. Check the list below to see if we will be near you, or take a road trip and visit us at the Kreinik Factory Outlet Store. We are open during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. 

• MARCH 30-April 1 — Orlando Needlepoint Market (closed trade show) March 30-April 1. 
• MAY 4—Doug Kreinik thread talk at Homestead Needlearts in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
• MAY 30—Doug Kreinik thread talk at The Needle Bug in Montgomery, Alabama (2 classes).
• JUNE 21-23 — Summer TNNA trade show (closed to the public) is 21-23.   
• JULY — June 29-July 7 Kreinik factory, outlet and offices are closed for summer break
• SEPTEMBER 14-16—Destination Dallas Needlepoint Market (closed trade show) Sept 14-16
• SEPTEMBER 28—Doug Kreinik thread talk at Labors Of Love shop in Atlanta, GA
• OCTOBER 3-5—Factory Outlet Store Sale at the Kreinik factory, Parkersburg, WV
• OCTOBER 16-18— International Fly Tackle Dealer IFTD show in Denver, (closed to public) October 16-18. 
• DECEMBER — Kreinik factory, outlet and offices closed for holiday Dec 23 -Jan 1

More dates/events to be added. 

Is your shop or fiber group interested in hosting a Doug Kreinik thread seminar? Contact us at info@kreinik.com for pricing and scheduling info.

Photos from Doug's visit to Needlepoints West

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Meet the newest Kreinik color Sea Glass

By designer demand (aka, Associated Talents!) this gorgeous blue-green metallic thread color is debuting at Kreinik. Meet 096 Sea Glass, and we are making it 'round the clock right now.

We are making it in Fine #8 Braid first, which will be followed by production in your other favorite Kreinik metallic thread sizes: Tapestry #12 Braid, Very Fine #4 Braid, Medium #16 Braid, and 1/16" Ribbon. Give us a few months for full production, as we actually do make our own threads, but look for the new colors in needlework stores starting now. Retailers who attended the Destination Dallas trade show were first on the list. Help us spread the word now to other retailers and stitchers that there's a gorgeous new metallic color from Kreinik.

Speaking of Destination Dallas, the wholesale needlepoint trade show held in September of every year: we held the new color next to painted canvas designs and found it matches perfectly to something in just about every design line. Don at Associated Talents knew what we all needed when he suggested this color. Now we wonder how we ever lived this long without it!

A big thank-you to Needlepoint In Paradise in Florida who came up with the winning name.

Welcome Kreinik color 096 Sea Glass to your needlework fiber stash.

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