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Mouse TalesVol 2 July 2003Contents
President's Message:Hello Everyone, As the 4th of July is tomorrow, and my animals can't stand the loudness of the firecrackers and cherry bombs that will abound in my neighborhood I start to think about how each of us can hear the same thing and due to our own filters we hear it "differently". When I hear the firecrackers, I hear the sound of kids from days gone by when I would love to light the sparklers and enjoy the thrill of setting off the firecrackers behind our house in the home where I grew up. My dogs though just hear loud noises and get scared and try to climb into my skin for me to protect them. With this example in mind I hope that everyone can suspend their "filters" and fears and hear the next statement from me:
The chapter has been run by a few volunteers, of which I am one, for the past 4 years. We have elections for all offices at the November meeting and the nominees need to be presented at the September Meeting. Please, everyone, consider helping to make CyberStitchers great by volunteering for office for the elections. It will help everyone if we can have a strong base for the offices. With that said, I hope that everyone had a great 4th and that this summer proves to be one of joy and hope for everyone in the chapter and your families. May we have a stitching good time for all our days. Sincerely, A note from Sue Sherburne, Nominating Committee: Anyone who is interested in running for an office, please look at our files to read job descriptions, and email me to express your interests. Region News:From Cynthia Welch, Region Representative: The regional seminar was great. Our basket was a success, and was won by a nice lady from Huntsville, Alabama, Marie Sexton, who was thrilled to get it. Many thanks to all those CyberStitchers members who sent items to make up our unique basket - it was impressive. Education Committee:From Aurita and the Education Committee There are new polls open asking members whch GCCs you might be interested in. Please go and sign for the GCC(s) that you would like to take in the future. As always, this does not bind you to take the course; it just expresses your desire that if this course is offered, you would like to take it. You also have a preference over a member that has not signed up in the poll for that course. As of this moment we don't know what courses will be retiring this year, but we will let you know. There are 3 new courses that you can see at http://www.egausa.org/GCC/gcc.htm. As you can see by the results from the poll, the winner of our second stitch along contest is the person that did "Help I can't stop". Her prize was being donated by Kathy Eaves, and it consists of: a 15" x 18" piece of "tea dyed" color linen from Charles Craft, and two skeins of Splendor (strandable 12 ply silk. One skein is dark purple (color S1003) and the other is hunter green (color S907). I would also like to remind everybody that the next contest is for our nametag logo that Cameo's committee worked so diligently, so get cracking. Go to this link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cyberstitchers_ega/files/Logos/. That will show you all the different files for the nametag and some of the ones that the committee did. Choose the file called Cyberstitchers Nametag.pdf. Hope to see lots of wonderful entries. A Little Internet TipFrom your Internet Committee Have you ever wanted a step-by-step description of how to do an Algerian Eye stitch? Or maybe wondered if your Outline Stitch has somehow migrated into a Stem Stitch? There are many sources on the internet for finding the answer to your question. Some sites call them Stitch Dictionaries, some call them Stitch Glossaries, and I'm sure there are many other names as well, but the important point is that they are an online resource for getting the information you want - right at your fingertips. Here are three: Classic Stitches - A popular UK stitching magazine that's gone the extra
mile to provide you with online content as well. They call theirs
a Stitching Glossary. Here's the address: About.com - If you ever want information about just about anything, About.com can provide it. They're a bit like an online encyclopedia of articles covering a huge number of topics. They call their stitch directory a Stitch Dictionary. Here's the address: http://needlepoint.about.com/library/index/blstitchguide.htm . Victoria Sampler - Although you have to sign up as a "club member" (free) to have access to their stitch directory, it's well worth the extra effort. It's animated! Here's the link: http://www.victoriasampler.com/ (click on VS Club & Freebies to get started). For many of us, embroidery would not be embroidery if we didn't have a variety of stitches to use. I hope these online stitch directories help you to grow your craft into something extraordinary, one stitch at a time. My Favorite Needlework ShopFrom Sue Sherburne - A new online needlework shop has just come on line in the past month: Stitching Bits and Bobs. It is a very user friendly website, and you had better hide your credit cards. It has opened up with a great selection of patterns and an abundance of beautiful fibers. New items are being added continuously as the business builds. In the first month many things were added. You'll find old favorites like Marilyn Levitt-Inblum, Theresa Wentzler, Caron fibers, and Gentle Art fibers, but I also found a number of designers I was not aware of yet, such as Alabama Needlearts and Pinn-Stitch Designs, and some great fibers that were new to me such as Dinky Dyes (hand dyed cotton threads from Australia that come in stranded cotton floss, Perle 5 and Perle 8), or Six Strand Sweets (a cotton floss overdyed). I was drooling over a number of the overdyeds and the fabulous colors available. I had so much fun shopping on this site since a number of items were 25% off for the grand opening sale. You know you are not building stash, but "collecting" when you are buying fibers because you like the name of the color. Anything with a name like Blueberry Chessecake (a blue overdyed) or Grape Slushy (a purple overdyed) had to go in the shopping cart! Treat yourself to check out the overdyeds because there are a LOT of different brands available. My initial impression of this shop is a good one. Bobbie, the owner, was super friendly. She emailed me promptly to let me know she had received my order. A few items were still awaiting arrival, and she wanted to know if I needed my partial order right away, or could a wait a week until she could ship it in total. She followed with a email the afternoon that she mailed my shipment to let me know. The site itself is easily navigated, and well organized. Payment can be made by check, credit card, or Paypal. I found the prices to be quite fair, and of course already made a second order after drolling over the first bunch of goodies. I can already see I will be back often, since there are a number of designers, kits, and fibers that I haven't seen in my local shops. All the fibers have a full listing of colors with thumbnails to show you their colors. For those of you that don't have a good shop near you, you're gonna love this site! Contact information: Greetings from All Stitched Up: Greetings Guild Members! As a fellow needleworker, I am writing to you to introduce you to All Stitched Up. I realize you may not be familiar with our website, so I'd like to tell you a little about us. All Stitched Up is the world's largest online cross stitch shop with more than 20,000 products. We opened in 1997, making us the oldest cross stitch shop online. In that time, we have helped thousands of crafters all over the world find just the right thing for their next stitching project. While we carry mostly counted cross stitch, we also offer stamped cross stitch, needlepoint, embroidery, and other craft supplies. You can browse through any of our items by visiting our site at http://www.allstitchedup.com. We have been working hard to update our images and have just recently added several thousand new ones to our site. We send out a free monthly newsletter. When you sign up you can get free scissors with your next purchase. Visit http://www.allstitchedup.com/main/newsletter.html to sign up. You will receive information about upcoming sales and the newest items available at our shop. (Please note that we do not sell, give or otherwise distribute our mailing lists. Your email address is retained for internal use only. Also, this email is a one-time mailing and your address will not be added to our mailing list unless you choose to subscribe to our newsletter through the above link). As our way of supporting your wonderful stitching Guild, we are offering a free gift with your purchase if you put your Guild's name and your membership number (if applicable) in the comments field when you place an order with us. Please also indicate if you would prefer a free cross stitch chart not a freebie design sent as promotional materials by designers, but an actual chart chosen by us) or a free needle threader. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Happy Stitching! P.S. I also wanted to let you know that we are in the middle of our 6th annual Super Sale! It is our largest sale ever. We have put nearly 1000 items on sale. You can browse through all the sale items at: http://www.allstitchedup.com/cbin/ Stitching With PurposeBy: Dennise Cardona
Today, we stitch not because we have to, but because we want to -- because we choose to. We stitch because of the pure enjoyment of the whole experience of it. Right? Does that reason make you feel guilty? If it does, you're not alone. There are many stitchers who admit to feeling consumed with guilt because they spend their free time enjoying this great activity rather than scratching items off their to-do lists. However, stitching has a purpose far beyond simply being an indulgence. To overcome this sense of guilt and instead approach stitching with a purposeful spirit, it is important to understand the real reason stitchers indulge in this great activity. It is important when searching for this purpose to consider what stitching does for you emotionally. How does it make you feel? Some say it makes them feel happy, relaxed, more in touch with their senses. Others stitch to pass time, to relax at the end of a long day, to experience a sense of accomplishment, to tap into their creative sides, to share laughs and good times with other stitchers, or to share themselves through their creations. What is your reason to take a blank canvas and add color and design until a finished piece emerges? Some admit that it is to experience that wonderful sense of accomplishment - being proud of the way a design captures the moment after they breathe life into it. Most would agree that the self-fulfillment experienced after accomplishing such hard work is significant and serves as good reason to pursue needlework. The joy that comes from accomplishing is wonderful. Emotions are contagious and joy is one that people surely don't mind catching. When you stitch, do you ever find yourself asking, "Shouldn't I be doing something else?" Why do we impose guilt on ourselves when we indulge in something that has such positive effects? Perhaps we need to step back and ask ourselves just how much has our work touched the lives of people around us. Needlework is an intimate activity, one that gives us the profound ability to place our love directly in the hands of those for whom we care most deeply. When we poke that needle in and out of our canvases, a part of ourselves is imbedded in every stitch. We can create beautiful fights, ones that carry a value beyond any store-bought item because of the emotions that go into creating them. The sweet reward that comes from giving someone special a project into which you poured your heart and seeing the reaction when she realizes - hey, she took all this time to create this for me - should make you feel proud, not guilty. A gift of this caliber has the potential to be one of the most relish! So, whether you stitch for simple joy, to touch people's lives, or to share a part of yourself with others, take solace in knowing your reason serves a great purpose. Don't feel guilty for taking time out for yourself to enjoy your stitching, rather keep in mind, your indulgences become someone else's treasures, ones that last a lifetime and act as a constant reminder of the love you hold for them. Most important, be proud of your creations and continue to stitch your heart out! ©Copyright 2003 Kreinik Mfg. Co., Inc. This article may be reproduced for distribution. Calendar:October 19 through October 25, 2003 EGA National
Seminar 2003
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