Stitch & Chat Thursday Night

It was a small group of stitchers on Thursday. But it gave me a chance to get to know Merry Sue and to catch up with Nancy and Helen. The latter has just returned from her sojourn at the beach and her 10 day hike of the Appalachian trail. While at the beach, she finished David McCaskill's Potting Shed. It looks great and she can't wait to teach it.

Helen and Nancy were admiring two new Asian Designs that just came in from Danji. Jill of Danji rewrote the stitch guides for these two beautiful pieces by Janice. They are line-drawn canvases of a fan and kimono. They will make absolutely stunning pieces!

They both also admired my new satchel purse that just came back from Elizabeth Turner. IT's a gorgeous needlepointed purse of a jungle scene. I'm taking it to ANG.

Going to ANG Seminar

I'm in a panic since I leave on Sunday for the ANG seminar in Palm Desert, California. I'm still not packed and also have to pack the items I'm bringing for EXPO night. Ridgewood Needlepoint has a table where we will be selling: scissors fobs, chatelaines, bags and other accessories for stitchers.

My assignment for NAN is overdue. I've finished the first draft of the Student Booklet but I still have several hours to go on the piece itself. I had hoped to finish it before I left but it's looking doubtful.

We are waiting for the next shipment of paper dolls. I'm hoping that we will be shipping them the week of September 14th.

Dewey Beach

Nancy finished this piece in time for it to be enjoyed this summer. This fun piece was designed to be the base of a beach tag holder -- a very important item for Jersey beaches that require beach tags.


But this one is just a fabulous decoration for Nancy's sister.

Klimt Purse

Barbara has stitched and finished this beautiful purse. When it came in, a number of customers ooohed and ahhhh over it. I just wanted to share the finished product.

We will be placing an order for them in the next week. I know that Cathryn guided Barbara in her choice of threads so we can duplicate what she stitched.

September

I know it's not September yet but we are only two days away. If you go to an office supply store, it's packed these days because everyone is getting ready for school.

At the store, we are getting ready for the fall season. We have decorated the walls with wonderful canvases of fall subjects or colors. Gretchen and Gail worked all day doing this. It looks fantastic.

We are putting together our fall classes and I have to update the web site. Cathryn starts the next Section of Stars of the Millenium. Helen will be teaching David McCaskill's Potting Shed on four Sundays in October and November.

Gretchen is ready to start teaching Carole Lake's straight stitches (we're just putting together the details now.) The Background Sampler is being offered again and Sally is putting together on class on Bargello. And of course, Deborah Wilson will be teaching her Tussie Mussie in October and her Jacobean Fruits and Flowers in November.

We hope you will be in soon to see the new canvases or to take our classes.

New York City Scenes

Recently, we've had a lot of interest in New York City scenes. Today the large Amanda Lawford New York Scene (20"x20") arrived. As soon as we unrolled the canvas, we all stopped and stood around to admire this beautiful canvas. I would really love to do this as a canvas embellishment workshop over a period of time (the same way we did the Rockefeller Center Stocking). The canvas is just stunning with beautiful colors and incredible opportunities for great stitches. You can see this fabulous canvas by going to her web site. We'll try to get a picture up soon!

There is also a great Maggie New York City -- it's a little less traditional. Needlepoint Broad also has a wonderful canvas of the George Washington bridge with the cars going up toward it. And of course, there is the bell pull by Trubey and the Rockefeller Center Stocking and panel (also know as Midtown Manhattan stocking).

Labor Day Weekend

We will be open on saturday, August 31 from 10am to 4pm.

The End of Summer/Start of the the School Year

I can't believe that today is August 28th. I always know the summer is waning to an end when I see the farm stands advertising chrysanthmums at 4 for $10.99. But it you are in the mood for fall flowers, we have two beautiful Sunflowers to choose from. We also have some beautiful realistic flowers from Lani. Finally, we received some fun pink flowers from Fleur de Paris.

Lots of customers are back from vacation and getting their kids ready for school. It's fun to see people we haven't seen for a while. We do have lots of new things for you to look at.

I should be updating the web site this week. In the next few weeks, we will be finalizing our fall schedule. We have Deborah Wilson coming for two classes. Helen Haydon will be teaching. I'm ready to do another background sampler and Rockefeller Center Christmas Stocking.

Gretchen is ready to teach the Carole Lake Straight Stitch class.

New Canvases Arriving Daily

As many of you know, I've been away from the store a lot this summer. So it was a delight to come back and browse through the new drawer. (Alright, I know I ordered them but when you order so many, you forget what you ordered until they arrive.)

Some of my favorites is the Fenway Park Needlepoint Belt featuring the green wall. I also love Dede's Herb Garden and Maggie's canvas of a women's legs and her dog!

Ebbet's Field is going to be available in #13 mesh for those of you who asked.

The customers have reserved some lovely canvases from Canvasworks Traditions line. They are beautiful and traditional flowers that were designed by Betty Smith. I'll try to get some pictures for the web site.

Newsletter #1-Get to the Point

I have copied the text of our first newsletter. I'm not sure how to get the pictures in, too. But at least you can read it!

If we have your email, you should have received a newsletter by email. If you didn't get one, you can go to our website and sign up to be a subscriber. We plan to send our more timely information through email and newsletters now that we have an effective mechanism.

I want to thank Amy Burger for her excellent work on this project.
August 2008 Vol 1, Issue 1



...get to the point!





National Needlepoint Teachers Coming Soon


Deborah Wilson will be back- twice! October 19th & 20th "Summer Tussie Mussie", very colorful with a variety of stitching techniques and threads, including couching, padded satin stitches and Silken Ribbons. When she returns Nov. 9th and 10th, the project is "Jacobean Fruits and Flowers", which combines gold work with crewel stitches - quite elegant. Call the shop for more details , 201-612-7770.
David McAskill will be returning in the spring of 2009. Several people have already signed up for his class!
Keep checking for information on other national teachers.
In This Issue
National Needlepoint Teachers
Road Trip
Coming Soon...
Quick Links
our website
our blog
email us
Join our Mailing List!


Road Trip
ROAD TRIP!! On Saturday April 5th Eileen and Helen traveled 250 miles north to attend an Embroidery Guild of America workshop at Thistle Needleworks in Glastonbury, CT led by Carole Lake, the nationally known needlepoint artist and teacher. The topic was "How to Write Your Own Stitch Guide" and women from five states came together to learn from Carole during six hours of instruction and not a lick of stitching! Carole teaches other types of classes and continues to design new needlepoint projects. She is currently involved in the Shining Needle Society.com, a cyberspace interactive class that involves other national teachers and designers. Ridgewood Needlepoint customers are already benefiting from Eileen's and Helen's newly gained expertise.
Come September, Eileen and Amy will be attending the ANG National Seminar in Indian Wells, California.




Coming Soon

Beginners (and others who are interested) class for learning the basics of the continental and basket weave stitches, how to stitch "curved" lines and compensate, and how to stitch leftie.
And look for the Old World Santa class. Eileen fell in love with this Kelly Clark canvas and stitch guide. Check with us for further information.
Would you be interested in devoting a Stitch & Chat to a particular project/class you started and have not finished? We have several customers who are interested in a class for the Background Sampler. Any other suggestions?





Please note--
After September 1st, Ridgewood Needlepoint will no longer accept returns for threads.
Dye lots change for every thread. We have observed significant variations of the same colors with different dye lots. When we have threads returned from discontinued dye lots, customers will be unable to buy what they need.
This is even more of an issue with threads that have no dye lot printed on the label. When we intermingle new and returned threads, we are selling them from different dye lots.
We have also received threads that have been used and returned in poor condition.
We realize this is a change in policy so we want to give you as much notice as we can.

We hope you've enjoyed our first newsletter.

Eileen Aird
201-612-7770

Stitching Blogs

If you are a regular reader, you know that I'm not as consistent a blogger as some. It just takes more time than I think it will.

We are still working on our newsletter. We had technical difficulties. We created it in Publisher and then realized that many people don't have Publisher. But we are planning on sending it out this week with a new email program. So if we don't have your email or if you are not sure, please signup for now. Also, make sure your internet provider won't block emails from: stitches@ridgewoodneedlepoint.com

Occasionally, I take time to look at other people's blogs. Recently,two customers started their own blog. Check it out at:nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com.

Both Denise and Linda have already signed up for David McCaskill's class in April! There is a picture of the piece that Denise did with David.

The Dog Days of Summer

I've always thought it would be fun to have a window on the Dog Days of Summer. Of course, given the fact that I love dogs, I planned on having a window filled with dog canvases. Of course, another option would be to have a window filled with baseball canvases.

I didn't know where the saying came from. Today, I learned that the phrase comes from the ancient Romans who believed that the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major, contributed to the sun's heat, thus making the dogs hot and stagnant. It refers to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major.
the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major. The Romans thought that
Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, contributed to the suns heat
making the dog days hot and stagnant.

I've spent much of my time off working on stitch samples. I had planned to get much more stitching done but I have enjoyed my time off.

I'm back at the store full-time on Tuesday. I might still sneak two long weekends at Shelter Island but my summer is coming to an end.

Where Has the Summer Gone?

I can't believe it's July 29th! I thought I would get so much stitching done while I was away last week but sadly, my aunt died. I spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to the wake and the funeral and then I was too exhausted to stitch.

This week I should be able to stitch. I have my Rockefeller Center Stocking with me. (Yes, I will be ready to start a new class in the fall. I'm aiming for October since I'm at the ANG seminar for a week in September and then I have Parent's weekend at Alfred University.) I am also working on my Kansas Rooftops for my NAN certification class.

At the store, we are starting to plan for our fall classes. We have Deborah Wilson coming for two classes(Oct. 19-20th and again November 9th & 10th). Helen will be back from the shore and is ready to teach David McCaskill's Gardening Shed.

We have a group of small projects out if you need to find a perfect travel project. There is still time to get your canvases finished before the Christmas finishing deadlines.

Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium

I spent last night with my cousins who are big Mets Fans. They travel all over to see the Mets play.

But they explained to me (a non Fan) that they follow baseball, not just a team. So if you have a baseball follower or have baseball follower's in your life, look at doing a stadium. We either have or can get you the stadium canvas for the following teams:
Orioles-Camden Yards, White Sox- Kominsky Park, Chicao Cubs - Wrigley Field, San Diego Padres-Petco Park, Red Sox -Fenway Park. For the baseball historians, there is also a canvas of Ebbetts Field, the Brooklyn Stadium that the Dodgers played in.

We also have some adorable ornaments for baseball teams.

Think about doing the Sehea the Shea Stadium or Yankee Stadium canvase in the Stadiums final seaons. The all-star game was played in Yankee Stadium this past week and Billy Joel gave the last concert at Shea Stadium.

New Threads

I promised I would be communicate more this month. But I just looked at my last blog, and it was over two weeks ago!

We just received our new silk threads - Baroque Silk. These are beautiful silk threads that are meant for #13 mesh although stranded down they can be sued for #18. Currently, there are 91 beautiful colors. I'm sure we will be using these threads.

Stitching Away

I've been away from the store for a week and have spent much of my downtime stitching. I am working on my Kansas City Rooftops which is part of my NAN Certification. I've learned some new stitches and also feel much more comfortable changing the design as I go along.

It's fun to see something you designed come together. Imagine how Melissa Shirley must feel with so many designs to her name!

I'll be at the store most of this week and hope to get more done on this project. Needless to say, part of the assignment is due July 15th - I need to have stitch samples done for all the stitches. I've only completed about half of those.

I promise to blog more this month!

Threads & More Threads

This month at the TNNA show, I got to see the new Threadworx threads. They are lovely. In addition, there is a new silk for 13/14 mesh canvas that doesn't require stranding. I also ordered all the new colors of Silk Lame - for when you want just a little sparkle. So in order to make room for the new, we have put some of our other threads on sale. We have the following threads at 50% off: Trio, Sparkle Braid, Felicity's Garden, Ultrasprinkles, Shepherd's Silk. At this point, we still have a good selection but not all colors. We are also selling the Gutterman Beads at 50%. We are more than willing to do mail order so let us know what you need.

I know that once they are gone, I will miss some of these threads -- but there just isn't enough room for everything.

Summer Stitching

Although I'm way beyond school age, I can't help being excited about the prospect of summer. Of course, I do have to work most weeks but somehow there is the promise of extra time. I'm planning on catching up on my stitching. This past week, I've spent several evenings working on Bruce's Rockefeller Center Stocking. Tonight I finished the white of the skating rink. One of my summer goals is to finish the stocking before the end of summer.

I'm also working on two projects for my NAN certification. Consequently, I did lots of doodle stitching this weekend to determine what stitches I really want to use. Sometimes, although I think a stitch will work, it really doesn't.

If you are traveling this summer, you can take small projects with you. The Painted Pony trunk show has lots of choices.

Another option would be to work on the Old World Santa. We will be stitching the basket and the shawl as a class early this fall.

The Ridgewood Needlepoint Paper Doll Outfit

I am so close to completing the Ridgewood Needlepoint Paper Doll Outfit. The doll is carrying a purse. Following Kelly Clark's lead, I've stitched the bag using dimensional stitching. The bag is now 3 dimensional and can actually hold things!
I'll try to do a picture when I have finally finished it. I just have one or two more things to finish and it's done.

We are now working on selecting the paper doll outfits for the next year.

Teresa's Finished Pieces

Teresa finished both Neptune's Sentry and Siren's Refuge Mermaid kit. On the seahorse, the bargello background was a real challenge for some of us but she managed to finish both. I've included pictures of the finished needlepoints for you to enjoy.