Strawberry Sampler

I was in the neighborhood of Strawberry Sampler this week, so I stopped in for a look around.  I've been there before, but it's been probably two or three years.  

I think I'm destined to be disappointed in cross stitch stores because my tastes are very specific.   I miss Countryside Stitchery which used to be open in Newtown, PA - always tons and tons of patterns, and that's what I'm really interested in if I'm not shopping for materials for a specific project.  

And honestly....patterns are where it's at for me - it's the ONLY thing I collect, and I'm specific about the ones that I want.   Right now, it's mostly Silver Lining ones, some old Mirabilias that I don't already have, and a few others.   But there's no pressure because I won't be kitting up anything new soon.

They did have a couple Long Dog Samplers which were nice to see, but they're very pricey for "recreational shopping".  I picked up Celtic Christmas, which I'm surprised that I don't have - it's a piece I've long enjoyed and I'm not ashamed to admit that somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd like to do the four Celtic seasonal pieces. 

So, I think that if there's some specific threads/materials you want or you're looking for stitching goodies other than patterns...might be worth a trip.   I'm probably too roped into my specific tastes and it's easier for me to shop online.

Fireside Stitchery

I was out and about yesterday, and came across Fireside Stichery, a needlepoint shop in Frazer, PA.  I couldn't resist stopping in to see what they had to offer.

They had an outstandingly impressive selection of threads/fibers/beads that show up regularly in my stitching - Kreiniks, Waterlillies, Mill Hill beads.  They also carry all of the Anchor flosses, so that will be convenient when I want to work on a Silver Lining pattern as many of the newer ones combine Anchor and DMC floss.  There was a huge selection of silk flosses that I've certainly heard of, but have not yet had the opportunity to see in person. 

I didn't get anything this time, but I'm sure I'll head back with a small shopping list to complete some of the projects I need to finish kitting up. 

I visiting Salty Yarns yesterday, since summer is on it's way and I usually won't go down to Ocean City during the tourist season. I wanted some of the specialty threads for Mermaid of Atlantis, by Mirabilia, which I am slowly but surely kitting up. There's quite a bit of specialty threads & beads for her, and I picked up the Caron Waterlilies hand dyed silk threads that I'll need for her.

And....I've fallen in love. Again. I've seen Chatelaine Designs mentioned in some of the online needlework groups that I belong to, but hadn't really seen any of their designs up close. Salty Yarns had two of the Mandalas.

I'm not sure what it is, but the designs utterly fascinate me. I've always liked Celtic knotwork, and from a distance, they remind me of that which is what caught my attention. The whole kaleidoscope effect is mesmerizing. However, when you look closer, there's SO much going on within the patterns. Really, really interesting. I ended up getting The Knotgarden, and am going to have to order The Watergarden sometime soon, because I'm not sure which one I like better.

The Mandalas are mostly cross stitch, but incorporate some other stitching methods - for example, Knotgarden has algerian eyes, rhodes stitches, and a few others. It also incorporates variegated hand dyed silk threads, seed beads, bugle beads, metallics, glass treasures, and DMC floss, so there will be a considerable investment in this piece (plus the pattern is pricey, plus linen). Ack! I'll have to just buy a few things at one time, so I can pretend it's not as expensive ;-).

For those who like instant gratification, you can buy patterns online through Chatelaine as pdf files via Paypal. Alternatively, Nordic Needle and ABC Stitch both carry some of the patterns.

Store Review: Salty Yarns

I visited Salty Yarns for the first time. It's located on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, between 8th and 9th Streets.

It's much bigger than I expected, and is it ever packed with stuff! And you all know the way to my heart - yes, they had tons of Mirabilias. It's been such a long time since I got to physically leaf through a big stack of Mirabilia patterns, which was great. I can always buy them online, but it's not quite the same, eh? They had a ton of patterns overall. They also had: a ton of fabrics, specialty threads, Sudberry boxes, scissors - just about everything to do with stitching you could think of.

If you look at their website (http://www.saltyyarns.com/), they also host stitching events and classes a couple of times a year. The upcoming stitcher's retreat is VERY tempting!

Predictably, I got a couple of Mirabilia patterns: Royal Holiday, Lilly of the Woods, and Mermaid of Atlantis. If I were someone who liked keeping a lot of stash, I could have gone nuts in there :-)

Overall I really liked Salty Yarns, and would recommend a visit if you're ever in the area or feel like a day trip to the beach.

Assorted Stuff

If you're a Mystic Stitch fan, there's a really great sale at their website right now - 4 patterns for $34; they're usually $15 each. Their addy is http://www.mysticstitch.com/; click on special offers.

I'm up in PA visiting my boyfriend this week (spring break at school), and am continuing my quest to check out local cross stitch stores. I visited Just Cross Stitch in Limerick, PA this week. It's a small store, with primarily sampler/country/small stuff type patterns in stock. They did have a nice selection of Mill Hills and threads, and some hand dyed fabrics. Unfortunately they don't carry much of the style of cross stitch that I do, so I ended up leaving without a purchase.




Still plugging away at Summer Queen. Mind you, most of what I've been doing is filling in the grey shading, as well as getting some of the white filled in on the teal skirt. Whew, there's a lot of white on this one!! For now, getting Summer finished is my priority as far as stiching goes - no new projects until she's finished (hahaha).