And continuing on from yesterday...

I wondered... what is it that draws people to a particular shop. I know that there are a lot of shops struggling to stay afloat, even ones that have great prices and service, and yet there are others doing very well even in this economy, that overcharge like crazy.

So what is is that makes you want to shop at a particular shop? Is it price? Service? Selection?

What kinds of things are important to you as stitchers?

Before you ask, no I'm not thinking about opening a shop. But after speaking with my LNS owner, it's something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I know things like keeping updated stock are important - who wants to go to the shop and see the same old things on the shelves. And honestly, that's not the issue with the shops I know are having a tough time, they keep up to date with new releases, but that's getting more and more difficult to do when sales are declining every month.

Here are some things that I thought of, let me know if I'm way off base.

Newletters. Let people know what's new, what's coming and what's hot every few weeks. This also keeps your shop fresh in their minds so when they do need something, you're the first place they think of.

Online sales. Make it as easy as possible to get what you want in as many ways as possible. For people who work a lot or live far from shops and can't make the trip often, it makes it so easy to get what you need. Sure it might mean a bit of a wait, but it's worth it if you can't always go in person.

Specials. Nothing brings people in the door quicker than having something on special. And often, people will spend more when things are on sale than they would if they paid regular price, simply because it gives them an excuse to stock up. I KNOW I do.

Fresh Inventory. Keep up to date with what's new, what's hot, what's selling. Put old stock on sale to clear it out the door and make room for new stuff.

Know your products. Even if you don't carry it, it's worth knowing about it, because someone, somewhere will want it at some point. Sign up for every newletter, blog, facebook page you can think of for dyers, designers and wholesalers to get the latest news all the time. Like I said, it's not necessarily having the product on your shelf so much as knowing exactly how to get it.

Of course all of these things are dependent on people signing up for that newsletter, and coming into the shop or visiting the website. How do you get people in the door?

And a few things I wondered about. Is it important to you that a shop carries full lines of threads? Or is it better if they stock stuff that goes with the charts they sell. Are you likely to purchase random colours or do you stick with what you need more often than not? Is it helpful if shops can help you do conversions? Is it very important to you that a shop carries a wide range of fabrics, or are you happy to special order what you need? I know the best option would be for shops to have swatch books of every fabric and thread imaginable, but most companies just don't offer these. And keep in mind that all of these questions are kind of dependent on the size of the shop obviously as to how much they can actually keep in stock.

I suppose for me it's not necessary for a shop to have EVERYTHING in stock all the time. It's very rare for me to need anything right away, as my hubby tells everyone - I have enough stuff here that I COULD start a shop if I wanted to. I know I always have 20 or more things I can work on while I'm waiting for an order to arrive. What I want from a shop, either in person or online is the availability to get what I want. Heck, half of what I buy I special order, and I don't mind if I have to wait a month for a backordered piece of fabric, as long as I know it's coming (of course the exception is if I need it for model stitching!!). Keep me up to date about the status of my order. A quick email or phone call letting me know it might be another week or two is all I need to keep me happy. I know sometimes things are backordered and it's beyond the shop's control. These are the reasons I shop where I do. Because they do exactly these things. Just because it's not on the shelf or website doesn't mean it's not available to me.

So all that said, I go back to my original question. Everyone has a favourite shop or website that they visit for their stash fixes. What is it that makes you choose that one over the hundreds of others out there?

Something old, something new, something aggravating

First, the aggravating - the status of my back. I went to the Doctor on Tuesday morning. Stubborn me wasn't willing to admit defeat and tried to work over the weekend. NOT a good idea it seems. By Sunday noon I was in tears just trying to walk. Turns out that because of overcompensating for the bruised tailbone, I have definitely pinched my sciatic nerve. Doc gave me Percoset and Naproxen. I've been taking the Naproxen, but I avoid the Percs except at bedtime. I don't like how they make me all groggy and loopy. Sure they kill the pain, but I'm a drooling idiot for six hours after taking them. Not much fun. It's slowly improving. As far as I know (I have to call to get my schedule for next week) I'm off work until Monday. This time I'm making no guarantees, if it still aches on Sunday, I'll make other arrangements.

On the subject of work... I've come to a decision. I can't really go into a lot of details, but because of a situation at work I'm sinking further and further into a serious depression. I did talk to my Dr. about it, he wanted to put me on anti-depressants, but it's situational more than chemical. The depression would be gone if I didn't have to be in this situation. I know that for a fact, because the only time I feel it is when I'm either at work, getting ready for work or just home from work. I've been looking for something else for a few months now, but I was being pickier at the time because I could. Now because of this change in circumstances at work, I've decided that I need to find something else. NOW. I'm at that point where I don't even care if I find something else first - I'm giving my notice as soon as I'm able to go back. I can't keep going like this. I cry at the drop of a hat, I'm having panic attacks when I know I have to go in or even when I'm there, I don't sleep nights before I have to work and when I do I have nightmares. I wish that I could make enough designing to not have to worry about a job out of the house, but I don't see that happening any time soon. I don't want full time, just something 3 days a week. Even at that, there aren't a whole lot of options around here. But I'm looking.

Okay, on to something new. I was feeling inspired yesterday, so I did some charting. Jon was good enough to install all my design software onto the laptop so I didn't have to sit at the computer. :) I finished up one design and either started or worked on several others. Rose, the sixth floral design is ready to stitch - which poses a dilemma. Rose or Daisy first? Probably Daisy, it's been in the to do pile longer. Both of them are pink - though different pinks... hmmm....

And something old - I've also been stitching a bit when I feel up to it. Maybe it's because Valentine's day is coming, but I've been in the mood to stitch something red. So I worked on Rhapsody in Red for a few days. This is where it stands now. Love this design so much. I've moved on, but still on my red fixation, and am now working on Strawberry Sampler. No picture this time, but will have one when I get tired of red or when I start the next model. Likely the latter. Strawberry Sampler is so much fun!!

And some various, random things... Daffodil, Forget Me Not and Hearts Entwined have arrived safe and sound at my distributor. For you Canadian ladies, Purolator is the way to go if you have to get something there quick. I sent it Tuesday, it was in California on Wednesday. Okay, so it was $30 to send the three models, BUT, next day delivery is pretty great. Canada Post wanted $54 to guarantee five days.

Oooooh and one last thing, moreso for you Canadian ladies. I was, as I often do, surfing around needlework shops and I noticed something. The prices from a couple of shops here in Ontario are ridiculous!!! I can see why so many people shop online. I do about half and half. As much as possible I use my LNS. She's reasonably priced, and while it's a small shop, she's always happy to order anything she can for me. Brenda definitely knows customer service. When I shop online it's mostly from Karen at Wasatch Needlecraft, because she's always dependable, and she has great sales. Apart from those two, any money I spend is generally on wholesale items for designing. If there's something I can't get from one of those, I will shop around.

Anyway, back to my point. What do I think is reasonably priced for Canada? Well, I figure it should cost me the same amount to buy something here that it costs me to buy online from the US. So figure MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) plus a bit added on to cover shipping, customs and dollar exchange expenses. I usually figure about 20-25% is reasonable So for a chart that costs $15, I would expect to pay about $18 here. Sound about right??? I found out that it totally depends on where you shop here.

To give you a couple of examples, I recently purchased Ink Circles Turkish Delight at Country Accents and I paid $16.99. For me to buy that same chart online, with shipping, would cost me about $16 with the current exchange rate, though the exchange rate is unusually high, so normally it would be about $17. So Brenda's price is just what you'd expect. For the exact same chart at another shop in Ontario was $21.50. When I saw that, my jaw dropped, so I investigated further. Given I work in the industry and know what the wholesale price of everything is, I was shocked. Yes, in Canada shops pay a little more for shipping and customs and exchange so prices here will always be slightly higher, but that was ridiculous. I was appalled. Just to give you a couple more examples... Sampler Cove's Spanish Rouge has an MSRP of $22USD. So you'd expect to pay about $27CDN. Wrong. This shop is charging $34. Rosewood Manor's Family Reunion - MSRP $28. Brenda carries this at $31.99. Sounds about right, no? Nope. The retail at this other shop is $42. $42!!!!!! It's just as bad with threads and fabric. I'll give you a couple more examples. Hand Dyed Fibers threads... order them directly from the HDF website and you get 8 meters of any solid colour on a micro spool for $1.65USD or a 25 yard mini spool for $4.95. This shop carries 5 yard skeins, and they're $2.55CDN - I didn't see the 25 yard spool option on their website. Same goes for variegated colours - from the Hand Dyed Fibers website, an 8m spool is $2.00, a 25 yard spool is $6.00. This shop is charging $3.00 for a 5 yard skein. Confused yet? Fabric is the same thing. A fat eighth of cashel hand dyed linen from Picture This Plus is $13.25 if you order from Picture This Plus. If you buy from this shop, it's $20 for the same piece of fabric.

I'm not saying all shops here are THAT bad. There are a few that are honest and not looking to rip off consumers. The best thing to do when you're looking to buy something here? Before you trek to the shop, look around at prices at various shops online, both here and the US. That way when you get there, you know what you should be paying rather than what THEY say you should be paying. The needlework market is struggling enough without price gouging.

Okay, vent over. Actually I kind of got sidetracked there, but it irks me. Going to stitch now and try to cheer up a bit.

And finally some pictures!

Admittedly, not great ones. :( I borrowed a camera and have played with seemingly every setting but I can't seem to get them right. But there is a degree of urgency with Nashville coming so I'll have to make due. Saving my pennies now for a new camera!

So first of all we have Daffodil. :) I have a few errors in the chart to correct, and then will be sending her along to ECS for the Nashville show. She's stitched on 40ct Lakeside Magnolia Linen, with Gloriana Narcissus and Summer Foliage. The chart will include a DMC conversion, as always, though you could use any yellow/green combo you like and I'm sure it will be beautiful. The design is all full cross stitches, so it can be stitched on ANY fabric you choose. I'll tell you this - natural light, flash... doesn't matter. Yellow doesn't photograph well.

And Sabrina. I've talked enough about her, I figured it was time to finally show her off. I replaced the two waterlilies colours with threads I had on hand - the green is Belle Soie Beanstalk, and the deep pink is Carrie's Colonial Red Silk. She's stitched on a 32 ct Jobelan solo from Silkweaver. It's mostly pink, but has touches of yellow and blue as well, though the picture doesn't seem to capture those. I've got a lot of white to finish, and a whole lot of beads, but she's coming along. :)

I decided to put her aside for a little while and have been working on Rhapsody in Red for the last couple days - when I've been able to stitch. Long story short - snow/ice storm, large drifts hiding the porch steps, and I fell down them. I've bruised my tailbone and my sciatic nerve is pinched. I don't work again until Saturday, hopefully I have a bit more mobility back by then!!

I went to see Brenda on Tuesday - she's working on Hearts Entwined. I LOVE the fabric colour she's chosen for it. She's doing it on Rue Green Belfast - the silvery green looks perfect with the green and pink she's chosen to stitch it in. It's really lovely. And I FINALLY got a copy of the American Sampler. I don't know what fabric I'll use, but I'm pretty much set on using the AVAS for it. I might change a few colours, but I probably have most of what I need already. Won't be starting it for ages and ages, I'm kind of in the mood to finish some stuff - or at least work towards finishing some stuff.

And since sitting at the computer is a bit rough at the moment, I'll make this a relatively short post. :)

Is it April yet?

I like snow. I like it when I can sit inside and watch it fall, maybe take a walk or build a snowman. What I don't like about it is driving in it, and Norfolk County is terrible at keeping roads clear. My road is always last to get plowed, and usually they come just as I finish shovelling the driveway. :/ It's been snowing pretty much steady since Thursday, with no end in sight. I'm about ready for spring now. We haven't had terrible amounts of accumulation, but apparently we're supposed to get lots more before it stops.

I would have some pictures to share with you today, but because of the "glorious" snow, I decided a trip into Brantford wasn't the best idea yesterday. It wasn't terribly bad, but I was already tired by the time I got off work, I'd been up since 4:30, so I thought it best to wait. So now the plan is Tuesday. I have to go visit mom at work, so she can show off the new piece and because one of her co-workers wants to see Sabrina (though she's not finished yet). Then I have to deliver some charts to Brenda and pick up some things and visit for a while. Then I have to stop at mom's house to borrow her camera so I can take pictures for the cover of Daffodil, and some pictures of my other WIPs to post.

Yes, I did finish Daffodil. I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday... can't remember now. lol I'm very happy with how it turned out.

What's next? Well I'm back to working on Sabrina, filling in all the white on the bottom half. I wanted something I didn't have to think too much about, and there are a lot of large areas I can just stitch without much counting. I've been itching to work on Rhapsody in Red though, so maybe I'll pull that out after I get back home Tuesday. :) After a short break from models, I'll be starting on Daisy, the third piece in the flower series. I've been informed by my model stitcher that she is progressing well on Tulip, so hopefully I'll have two to release at the Spring Online Needlework show. Then I'll probably take a break from the flower designs for a few months, I'm getting kinda flowered out. I've got a couple more almost ready to stitch, but I think I want another specialty stitch piece first.

I'm thinking it's time to do the last Celtic piece. I took a break from them since I was getting a bit tired of knotwork, but it seems I've got the bug back, I'm actually dreaming about it. So that will probably be next. I've got the fabric, which is a deep blue, but I haven't decided on threads yet. I know I want really light pastels in very wintry tones - light pink, light blue, light purple, light green... I went through my thread sets and pulled a couple of possibilities, will have to do some test stitching to decide for sure. There are some lovely pale colours in the Gloriana set that would work wonderfully for what I have in mind. Dinky Dyes has some great pale wintry colours too, though they're not quite as pale as what I have in my head. That said, it will greatly depend on how they stitch up. When looking at a whole skein, colours always appear darker than they stitch up, so the Dinky Dyes might be just what I'm looking for. I kind of hope they are - Jo is such a lovely lady to work with and I feel awful that I haven't used her threads yet. I love the colours, I just haven't had the perfect piece to use them on yet, so I'm hoping that this will be the one! The plan is to release it at the Fall Online show, so I've got lots of time to decide. :) Knowing me, I'll end up doing something completely different instead. Lots of ideas in my head swirling around like the snow outside, so who knows which one will pop out first.

A little of this and that

First, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who let me know I was not being selfish in speaking to my parents about dinner at their house. Just to let you know, I spoke to my mother about it, and she has always understood. We've come to an arrangement. If we're invited for dinner and my father makes anything that has onions in it, then she will personally call and order me a panzerotti from my favourite pizza place (which I miss so much now living an hour away!), and if my dad doesn't like it he can sulk all he wants. After a couple visits, she's pretty sure he'll get the idea. So it's a win win. I still get to visit every few weeks, if my needs are not met, I get the bonus of my favourite panzerotti thrown in. Can't say that's a bad deal.

Second, you'll have to excuse my rambling today. I've got loads of things popping into my head as I type and will probably be all over the place in my posts!

Excitement is growing. February fast approaches, and with that comes the release of My Mother's Garden II. If you haven't read my previous rambling about it (because there have been quite a few rambles!) I'll explain. This design will be the next mystery design in The Gift of Stitching Magazine, and will run for six consecutive issues. I'm not going to spoil the mystery, but I will say it's big. :)

February also means Nashville, where Daffodil will be making it's debut. Daffodil, Forget Me Not and Hearts Entwined will all be making a visit to the show, the models will be on display in the European Cross Stitch suite. :) Man, I wish I got to travel as much as my needlework does!

And a little off topic... February also brings my baby's birthday. My baby will be turning 18 this year. :') As this milestone in my son's life approaches, I'm full of mixed emotions. My son will be an adult. Okay, well he'll legally be an adult. Metally... well... not so much. lol He's come so far in the past year. He's decided on a career and is actively pursuing it, he's buckled down at school (though he's decided and I agree that he'll return for one more semester of high school next year to boost his chances at getting the college he wants), he's gotten himself a job, and he's mostly dumped the attitude. He stood up to his alcoholic, absentee, on again, off again father and told him how he feels - and btw, the jubilation I felt when he did that was very difficult to contain, but I really didn't want his father hearing me hoot and holler in the background when he did so. He's grown up a lot in the past year, there's no denying it. And there's no denying how proud I am of him.

Okay, soppy crap out of the way now before the tears start streaming again. lol

A little announcement for those of you reading in the Southern Ontario area (or anywhere I suppose if you want to pay shipping) - if you are looking for the March 2011 issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework, containing the reprint of the American Sampler by Sandy Orten - Brenda at Country Accents in Brantford has just ordered it in. If you would like one set aside, call or drop her an email. I know a lot of places are selling out fast.

And something I read on a message board prompts this next comment. A tutorial of sorts....

Silk threads and fraying. Why do certain brands fray badly, etc. etc. If you're having this problem with the silk you're using, (or cotton for that matter) there are simple and effective ways to overcome it. First, check the needles you're using. If you're using John James or DMC - get rid of them. They almost always have burrs in the eyes which will catch on the thread and cause it to fray. Look into getting some Bohins or Piecemakers. The eyes of these are much, much smoother as well as slightly larger, which will lessen the friction on the thread. They're a little pricier, but not much. Plus they don't break and they take a lot longer to tarnish, so the price evens out as you can use them much longer. Second, check the size of needle you are using. The needle should be large enough to open up the hole in the fabric so the thread glides through effortlessly. If you're finding a lot of drag against the fabric, try going to a larger needle. I tend to use a 28 needle for 40 count plus, a 26 needle for 32-36 count and a 24 needle for 28 count (unless I'm stitching over one). It makes a great deal of difference in making the thread behave better. This also applies to different thicknesses of threads - for perles and metallics, definitely stick with larger needles - it will save you a lot of aggravation. These two simple things will make a world of difference. A couple other things you can try, though I don't find I need to if I use the right needle - dampen the thread before stitching. A slightly damp washcloth or sponge does the trick. However, wait for the thread to dry before using it especially with overdyed threads!! There is always the chance it will bleed onto your fabric. Use short lengths. I don't go terribly short - I pretty much always use an 18" strand. That seems to work fine. I wouldn't recommend going longer. And finally, I hear recommendations for Thread Heaven a fair bit. I won't endorse it as I've never used it personally. I should probably try it on a test piece to see the result. I don't want to take the chance that it will ruin the work or leave a residue on the thread. If anyone has any feedback on the stuff, I'd love to know before I test it out.

Oh, and on the subject of thread - and Nashville for that matter - I'm also excited about all the new colours coming out! Will have to update my thread collections again. Oh darn. More stash. Good thing I've got new designs to sell to pay for it. :D

And onto stitching A.D.D. It is inevitable with me, as I near the end of a project, I always, always stall. I don't know why. It's not that I've lost my stitching mojo, because I daydream about all the things I want to stitch - just not the project I'm trying to finish. And it's not that I don't want to finish it, because I really do. In fact, I'd be stitching right now, but was up for the diversion of blogging. In the past few days I actually find myself looking for things to do other than stitch - which is strange, I know. I do this every single time. WHY????? I'm bloody well almost there, and if I could just concentrate on it for a couple more days it would be done. Finished. Over. Finite. Then I wouldn't have to daydream I could just stitch something else. Honestly, if it wasn't a model, I'd have switched already. Maybe that's the problem - I know I HAVE to finish it. Not because I want to, but because it's necessary. Hmmm.... food for thought.

And finally, way off the topic of stitching. I've discovered a terrible diversion and time waster that I've fallen head over heels in love with. Cityville on Facebook. Anyone tried it? I can't stop myself. I'm addicted and I fully admit it. ARGH!

Okay. Now I have to stitch. After I check my city of course.

To Err is Human...

...and I'm only human.

I was notified by Brenda at Country Accents that there is an error in the instructions for Hearts Entwined. OOOPS.

To view and print the corrections, please click here.

A big thanks to Brenda - who, by the way, has just started Hearts Entwined along with two of the regulars from her shop. Can't wait for the next opportunity to visit. :D

In other news.... lol. I'm back to work on Daffodil as of yesterday. I got a bit of beading done on Sabrina, but deadlines are creeping up. Work, work, work.

So what did I buy with my GCs/Christmas money? Well I got beads for Sabrina (obviously), and I picked up the chart, beads, fabric and metallics for Petal Fairy. I also ordered Bliss Fairy and will pick up the materials for it when it arrives. AND I got beads and metallics for Bluebell, she's the first of the Pixie Couture Collection I'll be stitching. AND (promise not to laugh and roll your eyes!) I ordered fabric for all of the pixies that I plan on stitching. So far I think there are 24 in total, but there are a few I just don't like. So I ordered 11 fat quarters of Belfast in various colours. That will do the 18 I plan on stitching with a bit to spare where I just couldn't decide between two colours. :) Went with solids, as I'm finding that the beading on Sabrina is a little tight on the hand dyed. Plus, I wanted super ultra light colours, nothing too drastic. So, yes, I went on a Mirabilia rampage. lol I almost had heart failure when I started figuring out what I'll need for beads and metallics for all of those!! I think I'll be getting the materials for each one as I start it rather than all at once like the fabric. The list was very long and very scary. I went cross-eyed more than once while listing them all out.

I've also been doing some "business planning" over the last couple weeks, scheduling release dates for designs I have either ready to stitch or in the works. I've got the next 3 years booked up already more or less, but I think after Daisy (the design which will follow Daffodil), I'll go on to something different before doing the next flower. Either the final Celtic, the lace sampler I'm playing with, or a Christmas geometric I've been tossing around in my head. Just for a change, you know?

And finally, a little rant, which is not at all stitching related, but is bugging me.

I'll start the story off by saying that I am allergic to onions. Not deathly allergic, but the reactions seem to be getting more severe as time goes on. Hives, itching, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and lately difficulty breathing/coughing until the inhaler and antihistamines kick in. Anyway....

Saturday was dad's 65th birthday. We were going to take him out to dinner, but he decided he wanted to just have us over there and he'd cook. Now he's well aware of my allergies, but for some reason he insists on using onions in everything, even when I am there. It's gotten to where we only go for dinner once every few months anymore because I'm sick for days after. Saturday he cooked duck. Two of them to be exact. He stuffed them with oranges and onions. Not one, but both of them. He also put slices of onion on the skin. I didn't know this until after I'd eaten the first bite and tasted it. I decided quickly that rather than cause a scene that I'd just eat it and then go home quickly before I started getting sick. The stomach cramps started before I'd even finished dinner, by the time we got home a couple hours later I was breaking out in hives all over my body. I noticed today I even have lumps on my tongue!!! My whole body itches, I feel like I have chicken pox, I still can't eat properly and I feel as though I have hay fever. All so I wouldn't hurt his feelings on his birthday. This is the second time in as many weeks - Christmas dinner wasn't much better. However, from now on, I won't be eating at my parents anymore. If we HAVE to go for dinner, I'll order something in for myself. If it hurts his feelings, too bad. I'm not going to risk being hospitalized for the sake of his feelings anymore. And I'm not going to make excuses anymore either - I usually say I have to work or something when we're invited unless it's a special occasion we can't get out of. It's not that I don't want to visit, I just don't want to eat there. From now on when asked, I'll say I'm sorry but I won't come for dinner anymore. Period. It's not fair to me, selfish or not.

Phew. Rant over. Time to make dinner. Without onions.

Daffodil is halfway there!

Seems like I just started it!

Since the camera is defunct and the camera on the phone sucks badly, I scanned it instead. So you'll have to excuse the scan, it's a bit... erm... squished/skewed. But you get the idea. :)

Sabrina doesn't fit on the scanner, she's just too big. So she'll have to wait until I have a camera again to be shown off.

While I try to decide what to start for New Year's Day, I decided to work on Romantic Rose Garden for a couple days. I'm a little over half done it, I figure I'll at least get a little more done before then.

I really don't know what I want to start - I thought about starting Growth Rings, and that's a definite maybe, just not sure what colours I want to use yet. And I thought about starting Midnight in the Garden, but again, not totally sure what colours I like for it. Or maybe another Mirabilia... but which one? Just too much to ponder.

Ooooh, I almost forgot, I had a lovely large envelope arrive, just before Christmas!! I had treated myself to some stash - well not really treated, it's work related, but still fun!! All the threads arrived for the rest of the flower designs (save the last one as I'm still not decided on what it will be!!), all the newest colours of silks from Dinky Dyes, Gloriana and Belle Soie (lots of ooohing and ahhhing going on) and some 40 ct Weeks Dye Works linen. Gorgeous colours, excellent for samplers - and it's not a bad linen. Not nearly as flimsy as the 30 and 35 ct they do. It's not as heavy as say, Graziano, but it's on par for thickness with Zweigart. Not as slubby as Zweigart though and a bit more even. Maybe my New Year's start should be on one of those? Then I can really review it better. :) For colours, I got Angel Hair, Parchment and Linen, and all are wonderful.

And a review... Bohin Needles. One word - wonderful. They're no more expensive than any other brand, just a little more difficult to find. I got mine from Anita's Little Stitches and they work out to be about the same price as what I like to call the "crappy brands" like John James and/or DMC. I call those crappy because they are. They eyes break and have burrs that shred your floss, etc. I got some of each of the 24, 26 and 28. The 28's are a bit longer than the 28 in Piecemakers, and I do prefer the length of the Piecemaker. However, these needles do feel really nice. Not the slightest bit of tarnish and I've used the same needle to do half of Daffodil so a couple weeks of use. Even Piecemakers tarnish a little in that time. The eyes are large and easy to thread, and very smooth. No shredding here. Will I trade in my Piecemakers and switch to Bohin exclusively? Probably not. I'd be happy with either or. They're both really wonderful to use. If I see Piecemakers on sale, I always pick up a few, but I do like that I can get Bohin's in bulk. Given that I just bought 150 needles though, I think I'm pretty well set for a year (or two, or three). lol For anyone still using John James or DMC needles, I really urge you to try one of these (Bohin or Piecemaker). You really don't know what you're missing.

Today, I'm labeling "stash enhancement day" as I'm taking a trip into Brantford to get Nate's contacts and I just have to spend my GC from Country Accents. Need beads for Sabrina, not sure what else I'll get today, but I don't think it will be a problem. I can ALWAYS find something I need!! I might kit up one of the Pixie Couture designs - I have them all and I've been wanting to start one. Or maybe the Bliss Fairy, or Petal Fairy... though I have fabric for those already. Hmmmm.... I'll definitely report back on what I bought. :) I'm so excited!! I haven't been to visit Brenda in a month!!!

Ooooh, and just a little addendum... I have the absolute greatest boyfriend on the planet. He got me all the Dexter series on DVD for Christmas. Does he know me or what??? :D