Calling all budding cross stitch and counted thread designers

The New Designer Program, sponsored by the CTE group of TNNA, is offering new designers a chance to win exhibit space at a TNNA trade show

As a needlework designer, would you like to bring your original counted thread or embroidery designs to a trade show? You know how important it is to be visible and make new contacts, but may not know how to get started, or you may be concerned about the finances involved in going to a trade show. The Counted Thread & Embroidery Group (CTE) of The National Needlearts Association (TNNA) is giving you the chance of a lifetime: to WIN a trip to the 2013 Summer NeedleArts Trade Show.

TNNA is a membership-based trade organization for the needleart industry. This community of professional needleart businesses, which includes publishers, retailers, designers, distributors and manufacturers, works toward ensuring a successful industry now and for the future. The TNNA trade shows attract retailers who want to see trends, take classes, discover new products, and buy new designs that will excite their customers.

TNNA's CTE group will be awarding scholarships to up to five new counted thread/embroidery designers to exhibit at the 2013 Summer Needlearts 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. The Columbus trade show is an order-writing show, closed to the public, scheduled for June 22-24, 2013, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Scholarship includes exhibit space plus tables and chairs. Designers winning the scholarships 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.

You have the ideas and talent, now it’s time to attend a major industry trade show. Don't delay; your portfolio is due by May 1, 2013., with judges’ decisions by May 15; winners will be notified May 17, 2013. For details on the rules and application process, download the PDF below, or email newdesignerprogram@gmail.com.

INFO FOR APPLYING: Download this PDF

DEADLINE: May 1, 2013

SHOW DATES: June 22-24, 2013

 

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New Stitch-A-Pen designs

Spring and summer inspired the three new designs in Kreinik's Stitch-A-Pen kit series. Easter Basket, Strawberries, and Fireflies feature bright, cheerful colors of Kreinik silk and metallic threads. The Fireflies design uses glow-in-the-dark threads—of course!—and Easter Basket uses the new Kreinik color 9032 Easter Braid. Each design can be stitched in as little as two hours, making them perfect for gifts. You get stitching satisfaction with a quick project that's useful and self-finishing. Stitch-A-Pens are full kits including the pattern, thread, needle, perforated paper and the pen. Visit kreinik.com for more information.

Easter Basket Stitch-A-Pen

Strawberries Stitch-A-Pen

Fireflies Stitch-A-Pen

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To the UK and back with Kreinik thread

"No, we are not from Scotland." This was our response to the Pakistani cabbie during our recent trip to Birmingham, England. (I did not realize that my accent was so strange.) We shared a laugh about it, but the conversation epitomized how culturally diverse any trip abroad can be in our times. We were quite surprised that most people recognized West Virginia when we were asked, "Where are you from?"  While they couldn't place it on a map, they could sing a song about it (John Denver's reach is still far and wide…).

Traveling overseas can be an adventure, and traveling overseas for a trade show can offer incredible challenges.  Finding your way, eating the food, walking down the correct escalator, making sure that your product arrives on time and learning new words can add to the experience.  A favorite word was travelator, which means a moving sidewalk. Polite is how we found the Brits. I asked about a "flapjack" and the clerk pointed and said the fruit ones and the chocolate ones. Actually they were rolled oats with sweets. If we looked lost, everyone made sure that we knew the proper direction, and then we had to figure out what was said. 

Often we would head for the escalator and realize that everything is on the opposite side, down was up and up was down, right was left and left was right from that which we were accustomed.  We learned to watch for oncoming cars from a different direction and listened to the charming British lady (a recorded voice) reminding us that the lift doors would be opening or closing. Riding in autos was a little unnerving, especially sitting in the "driver's seat" without a steering wheel.

The food was quite good and diverse. We had Balti (Indian food originally from Punjab), piri piri in a Mozambique/Portuguese restaurant, fish and chips with mushy peas at a cute little English pub, plus sandwiches and crisps, and one night Italian food.  At the Italian restaurant, the food was great, but since we were very tired and not the most willing customers in ordering the full course (no wine, no salad, no after dinner drink, no coffee), the owners took a particularly lengthy time to bring the bill.  Basically we were told, when you come back to town, do not bother shopping here.  As a time traveler though, you sometimes feel like falling asleep during and after dinner, so we were watching what was consumed.

We were treated well at the border, almost did not get my product through Customs for the show, and the attendees were again polite. We met people from all over the UK and from other countries. The stand next to us was a Ukranian company selling ribbon embroidery. Other vendors exhibited decoupage; maybe Mod Podge® will cycle back to the States.

Overall the trip to Birmingham was fun, interesting and added to our knowledge of British hospitality. This week we head to Nashville, Tennessee, for another trade show and another adventure no doubt. Have thread, will travel!

Cheers,

Doug

To see more photos from the Birmingham trip and show, visit the album on www.Facebook.com/Kreinik.Manufacturing.Company

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New Easter Braid™

There is a new thread in town, offering stitchers, crafters and fiber artists a new way to achieve prismatic color and optical effects in their projects. It's pearl on steroids, pearl hi lustre, Easter grass gone wild…it's color 9032 Easter Braid.

Last year, we introduced translucent Kreinik Easter Grass™ by specific request from one of the most talented and prolific needlepoint designers, Meredith Willet of M's Canvashouse (store) and Elizabeth Turner Designs (needlepoint canvases and finishing). We turned that Easter Grass into this year's new Easter Braid™.

Kreinik Easter Braid™ is a bolder version of our classic 032 Pearl color. It brings to mind the whimsical lightness of soap bubbles and the crystalline color of snow. At once purple, then green, then pink, then white...it dazzles in the light to create a color of depth and dimension, which gives you more visual interest in your handwork or machine embroidery. It’s a pretty pearl—and more.

One of the most versatile colors we've ever created, Easter Braid has the chameleon-quality to pick up color around or beneath it. Use it to intensify color on a painted needlepoint canvas, to blend subtly into colored cross-stitch fabric, or magnify print on quilt cottons. We have already heard that fly tyers are raving about the shimmery color for making irresistible lures. So don't let the name determine the use; it's not just for "Easter" designs. When we handed out samples at the recent TNNA needlearts trade show, needlepoint designers started using it in projects as diverse as winter, Halloween, Christmas, wedding, baby, Easter, and confection-themed designs.

Choose from a variety of thread sizes (thread weights) to match your particular creative technique: needlepoint, cross stitch, knitting, crochet, weaving, papercrafts, and more. It is available in Kreinik Blending Filament, Very Fine #4 Braid, Fine #8 Braid, Tapestry #12 Braid, Medium #16 Braid, plus 1/8" Ribbon and 1/16" Ribbon.

For more information on Easter Braid and other Kreinik threads, visit your local needlework shop or www.kreinik.com. We posted pictures of the new Easter Braid on our Flickr site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/kreinikgirl/

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Kreinik Color Cards

Kreinik Metallic Color Card

Actual threads wrapped on cards…swatches of every Kreinik color...have the whole thread selection at your fingertips…what a good idea! These fabulous tools are called color cards, and they are available from Kreinik for the silk, metallic, machine sewing, and iron-on thread lines. 

Whether you are a professional pattern designer, a store owner, a kit maker, a fiber artist, or a do-it-yourselfer designing custom projects, a color card puts a manufacturer's thread inventory in your hands. It is a design tool, an organizing tool, a reference tool.

There has been some online talk recently about color cards from thread manufacturers, and whether they consist of just photographs of colors or actual threads. We want to spread the word that the Kreinik color cards have actual threads on them. So if you are doing color matching or planning projects, you can see exactly what a color looks like — in your home, shop or studio, in various light sources, next to certain fabrics, etc. 

Kreinik Silk Color Card

For convenience, we offer digital photos of all Kreinik colors on our web site at www.kreinik.com. You can also download a PDF of a 'pocket' color chart for each thread line (silk, metallic, machine sewing, iron-on), featuring photos of all Kreinik colors here: Kreinik Color Charts. Until we can all afford 3-D printers, we can't have actual threads coming out of your computer screens, so in a pinch the photos give you a pretty good idea of a color.

It is ultimately the most helpful to flip and search, match and coordinate based on real colors rather than photo swatches, however. So the Kreinik Metallic Color Card has thread samples of 350+ Kreinik thread colors wrapped around panels. The Kreinik Silk Color Card has swatches of 200+ colors. When new colors are added, updated panels are created. For any creative person, these cards are an easy and economical way to have a thread palette on hand at all times. 

For more information or to purchase the Kreinik silk and metallic color cards:

• Ask your local needlework store to special order a color card for you
• If you have a wholesale account with Kreinik, add updated color cards to your next order
• Check online stores for color cards (such as Nordicneedle.com, everythingcrossstitch.com etc)
• Click here for Kreinik metallic color card
• Click here for Kreinik silk color card

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Kreinik Colors In Shading Order

We received this letter from a stitcher, regarding our collection of gold and silver thread colors:

Hello,

   I looked up your color chart for metallics.  It is enormous!  I found your color family cards, but they are only for purchase, and I could not view this on-line. 

   Could you please give me the progression of color from light to dark (or visa versa) of your golds and your silvers.  I have some from a variety of projects and need to organize them for a new project, by light to dark or visa versa.  I have a hard time differentiating between some with subtle differences.

   Thank you very much.

   Regards, Mrs. N.

What a great idea! We have compiled lists of Kreinik gold and silver colors in shading progression order, based on our observations. Keep in mind that dye lots can vary, and people see color differently. However the lists below should make an organized starting point for planning your own projects.

Silvers (light to dark):

100HL White Hi Lustre

100 White

032 Pearl

032C Pearl Cord

9032 Easter Braid (this is a new color, debuting February 2013)

5760 Marshmallow

101 Platinum

3231 Moonstone

001L Solar Silver

001 Silver

001C Silver Cord

001HL Silver Hi Lustre

001J Japan Silver

001V Vintage Silver

4205 Ironwood

105C Antique Silver Cord

5010 Knight

019 Pewter

025 Grey

Golds (light to dark):

102 Vatican

102C Vatican Gold Cord

3232 Brazilianite

104C Colonial Gold Cord

3221 Heliodor

3260 Gold Tourmaline

002 Gold

3228 Topaz

002L Chromo Gold

002C Gold Cord

002J Japan Gold

002HL Gold HIi Lustre

002V Vintage Gold

3202 Cat's Eye

5720 Gum Drop Gold

3250 Aventurine

3280 Citrine

202HL Aztec Gold Hi Lustre

221 Antique Gold

5520 Ginger

205C Antique Gold Cord

5005 Gold Coin

**

LIGHT VALUES, GOLDS:

102 Vatican

102C Vatican Gold Cord

3232 Brazilianite

104C Colonial Gold Cord

3221 Heliodor

MEDIUM VALUES, GOLDS:

002 Gold

3228 Topaz

002L Chromo Gold

002C Gold Cord

002J Japan Gold

002HL Gold HIi Lustre

002V Vintage Gold

3202 Cat's Eye

5720 Gum Drop Gold

3250 Aventurine

3280 Citrine

202HL Aztec Gold Hi Lustre

221 Antique Gold

5520 Ginger

DARK VALUES, GOLDS:

205C Antique Gold Cord

5005 Gold Coin

**

See these colors:

• Click here to get a free, online, downloadable metallic color chart
• Click here to purchase a Kreinik Metallic Thread Color Card (consists of actual thread swatches).
• Visit your local needlework store to see and purchase Kreinik metallics. Store Locator: http://www.kreinik.com/store_locator.htm

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Free knitting projects using Kreinik Reflective Yarn

 Free knitting projects using Kreinik Reflective Yarn

Designed by Lisa M. Barnes, LMB Designs

Oh the weather outside is frightful, at least throughout most of the US, where a cold front is keeping temperatures below freezing. What we all need is a good, warm knitted hat. This one features Kreinik's Reflective Yarn, making it visible at night when caught in car headlights or camera flash (oh the paparazzi!).

The designer, Lisa Barnes, had a little fun with placement of the reflective accents. By day, this hat and matching wristers appear to be a harmless fair isle pattern. But by night, glowing eyes appear, as if by magic! Well, ok, it's the Reflective Yarn worked into the pattern, but how cool is that twist-on-the-usual.

Have fun knitting these warm and cozy projects!

Download the PDF with the materials list and pattern instructions.

PATTERN NOTES

This hat is worked in the round from the brim to the crown, using double-pointed needles, two circular needles, or one long circular needle (for the “magic loop” method). The reflective “eyes” are created using duplicate stitch.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Lisa founded LMB Designs to design knitwear for people and pets. Her creations have included felted purses, wire jewelry, and shrugs and wraps. Her pet designs have included a formal gown for a German Shepherd and a tuxedo for a Chihuahua. www.LMBDesigns.com.

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