Ornament Contest!

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.

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Q&A with needlework mystery writer Monica Ferris

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

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Possibly odd question regarding your metallic threads...

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.

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Blog Talk Radio with Doug Kreinik

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

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Doug's Caesar Salad

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.

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Silk gauze and Patricia Parra

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.

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I stitch because...

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.

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