French General Goodies

Here are more of the goodies I have been working on this week - twelve more pincushion tuffets....and a new item for my Etsy shop - a Stitch Starter Ruler with Pocket Sleeve. The pincushions shown and four of the Stitch Starter Ruler Pocket Sleeves are made from the fabric line Maison de Garance by French General for Moda. The pincushion tuffets have a pieced top and a wool felt fabric bottom...each has a coordinating wool felt heart embellishment pinned in place with a decorative button pin and two decorative pins (one dark red heart, one white heart). After completing the pincushions, I decided to work on a new item....pocket sleeves for my Stitch Starter Rulers. These pocket sleeves measure 3.5" x 3.5" and hold the 3" square ruler perfectly - they are fully lined with no raw seams...and they use fusible fleece to give them a bit of padding and stability. I have listed the six ruler pocket sleeves shown in my Etsy shop...and I have plans to add quite a few more in the near future...each ruler pocket sleeve purchase will include the Stitch Starter Ruler.

For those of you unfamiliar with my Stitch Starter Ruler:

• It is 2 mil acrylic plastic, making it durable.
• It has marking lines for 1", 2", and 3" seam allowances, so you only need one tool.
• It is clear, making it easy to see your fabric placement.
• It has 1/4" and 1/2" markings on three sides.It has complete 3" ruler markings down the left side - these can be used for: finishing work measurements, measuring between stitched designs, counting threads to figure fabric count
• A stitch Starter Ruler is included in the following Blue Ribbon Designs with charting and instructions to make your own cross stitch sleeve: BRD-100 Holiday Helpings and BRD-097 Blessed Beyond Measure - these two design charts can be purchased at your favorite needlework shop.
• Directions for using the Stitch Starter Ruler

My June "Just Because" Giveaway is still open until Friday at midnight, so if you haven't entered already, visit Tuesday's post for details...

Leprechaun Lodge

Today I have a gift for you...a new complimentary Cross Stitch chart titled "Leprechaun Lodge".

This fun little St. Patrick's Day chart is the perfect addition to "Holiday Helpings", should you decide to stitch the holiday Stitch Starter Sleeves (my latest chart release)...or it would work perfectly in a small frame or finished how you see fit!

The model in the photo was stitched with four colors of Weeks Dye Works cotton floss on 32-count Lakeside Linens Chantilly Creme (to match Holiday Helpings)...but use the fabric and threads of your choice!

Note: if you purchase Holiday Helpings and the needed supplies - you will have plenty of thread left to stitch Leprechaun Lodge - you will use the same fabric and back stitching dimensions (just replace one of the other designs in the chartpack with this one). Leprechaun Lodge is 2 stitches wider than the other sleeve designs, but will fit inside the Back Stitching area to make the same size sleeve.

To obtain a copy of this new complimentary pattern, simply visit my website: http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/ and click on "Freebie" in the left-hand menu - you will see a photo of this new design at the top of the webpage - click on the statement "CLICK HERE FOR CHART" (directly under the photo) - a new window will open containing the design in PDF form (you will need Adobe Reader to view/print the chart). Please remember, this design is protected by copyright law - thank you for respecting my copyright. I hope you enjoy this special design - my gift to you for your continued support, friendship, and encouragement...and if you haven't stitched any of my designs before, I hope this chart will entice you to purchase some of the larger designs in my catalog from your favorite needlework shop...

"Celebrating 100" Giveaway Recipients

I must admit, I had plans to do several blog updates this week - seems I have a lot to share lately...however, someone had different plans for me. I have once again been down and out with a terrible case of the flu virus - sheesh, it's been a rough winter for me. The last several days have found the girl that is busy 24/7 in bed and completely miserable - I guess I am being forced to "slow down". This is the first morning I have been "close to functional" in 4 days...and what a better way to start my day then by announcing my latest giveaway recipients!

There were eighty individual comments (WOW!), so I have decided to award 2 prizes. The random number generator helped me pick comment #46 and comment #20....so congratulations to Karen and Jan - I have sent you both emails requesting your mailing information....you will both be receiving a copy of my latest design (#100) - Holiday Helpings!

Karen said...
I couldn't choose a favourite, but if I had to narrow it down, it would be all the Christmas ornament designs from the Just Cross Stitch Ornaments issues!

Jan said...
Happy 100! Favorite eek! Well, all the Halloween ones, Creepy Crawly (I think that is the first one I got), Behind the Gate, Black Cats & Flying Bats, and, of course, Schoolgirl Samplings.



I really must thank each and every one you who took the time to comment - it was fun for me to read your responses and hear about your favorite designs...and for those of you who continually follow and leave me encouraging comments - thank you so very much - I read each and every one of them! I do my best to keep up with your blogs...and although I rarely comment, I really do read them....I need more hours in each day.

This weekend, I will be doing everything in my power to get over the flu - and as soon as I feel up to it, I will be disinfecting my home. I have a lot of charting and model stitching to do, so I will be nursing myself back to health in hopes to get back to work. I did finish a new complimentary chart last week...so look for it soon...I will post it here first...a little hint - it is titled "Leprechaun Lodge"....

Celebrating 100 Giveaway

It's a happy day....this weekend marks the release of my 100th design (not including magazine and teaching pieces); I am so proud to be a part of the needlework community and I truly thank all the supporters and fans of Blue Ribbon Designs...you keep me encouraged, enlightened, and inspired! To mark this big release milestone, I have decided to host a new giveaway...it is just a little way to say thank you for keeping my dream of Blue Ribbon Designs alive and thriving.

This time, I will be giving away copies of my brand new 100th design titled "Holiday Helpings" (a stitch starter ruler and holiday sleeve designs)...you will get the chart and the ruler...and never fear, if you have already pre-ordered this design, you may choose to receive "Blessed Beyond Measure" (the original starter design with ruler) in it's place.

How to enter:

Simply leave one comment (to this posting) telling me your favorite Blue Ribbon Design and why - for example: it could be the verse, or the colors, or a personal meaning behind the motifs - just tell me a little bit about why it is special to you. Make certain you leave an email address in your comment or it must be visible in your profile - entries without a valid email will be not be eligible...and if you enter anonymously, please also include your first name so I have a way of identifying you, should you win. Please leave only one comment - multiple comments will be deleted/disqualified.

I will choose one recipient for every 50 entries (comments) received....so the more entries, the more winners! For example, if there are 101 entries - I will pick two recipients....if there are 260 entries, I will pick five recipients. Feel free to tell your friends and have them join in on the fun!

The deadline to enter will be 11:59 pm CST, Friday, February 25th. Recipients will be chosen by random draw and posted on my blog on Saturday, February 26th. I will contact the recipients via email - you will have 48 hours to respond, if I do not hear from you in that time, I will choose a replacement recipient. So, there you have it....all the "details" - good luck to each and every one of you...and again, thank you supporting Blue Ribbon Designs - I hope to bring you quality designs for years to come...

Stitch Into Spring...

If you are looking for a new "springy" cross stitch project, check out the latest issue of Just CrossStitch magazine (March/April 2011) where you will find an exclusive Blue Ribbon Designs project! This cheerful, springtime design is titled "Berries, Birds, and Blooms". It is mainly Cross Stitch...but does have Smyrna Cross Stitch and Back Stitch....making it a fun, quick stitch. The model was worked on 32-count Chantilly Creme from Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss (DMC conversions are provided). This magazine is currently arriving in mailboxes, at needlework shops, and on newsstands...so keep an eye out if you are interested in stitching this sunny new release.

Today is the opening of the TNNA Nashville Needlework Market; a wholesale trade show for industry professionals. I have two new designs being released today "Turn The Page" and "Holiday Helpings". "Holiday Helpings" marks the release of my 100th design (not including teaching or magazine pieces)...can you believe it?!...so, to celebrate, I am working on details for a new giveaway! Be sure to check back in the next day or two, when I will have all the information posted...there will also be a fun, new complimentary chart available for March (think St. Patrick's Day)...and be sure to look for my new releases at your favorite needlework shop starting next week...

I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather in your location this weekend (it is still nice and sunny here). I will definitely be doing some model stitching and finishing, along with bagging/packaging more charts - but I do plan to take a little time off today to have a nice evening out with my husband...and Simba will definitely be enjoying his walk to the park. Take a little time to savor the sunshine...

"Holiday Helpings" - NEW Stitch Starter Sleeves

As the Nashville Needlework Market quickly approaches, I have been busy finishing up the details for my two new releases. This one is called "Holiday Helpings"...it is a new set of Stitch Starter Sleeves all with holiday themes. The chartpack (being released in February at the Nashville Market) will contain: one stitch starter ruler tool (seen right), charting for all six holiday "Stitch Starter Sleeves" (seen below), stitching instructions, complete finishing instructions, and an alphabet/numbers for personalization....it will also contain instructions for using the Stitch Starter Ruler tool. The model sleeves were stitched on 32-count Lakeside Linen (Chantilly Creme) with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss. As you can see from the photo below, I chose Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas....and as an added bonus, a St. Patrick's Day complimentary chart will be posted on my website after market release. I had a lot of fun charting these seasonal "pockets" for the Stitch Starter Ruler - I can envision each of these designs being stitched as an ornament or the cover of a needlebook - maybe even a floss ring tag...wouldn't they be cute for holiday stitching exchanges?! More information will be posted soon - but until then, visit my website for information on the first set of Stitch Starter Sleeves, details about the ruler and instructions for use...

Quiet Quilting

I finally made time to do a little quilting this evening. With my husband away on a hunting trip and my head spinning from Blue Ribbon Designs deadlines, I needed a few quiet hours in my sewing studio. I have a GIANT pile of sewing projects I *really* want to work on, so it was hard to choose only one...I decided to finish piecing and quilting this Double Dutch mini quilt. I have to admit, I was a little worried about the very small flying geese units, but was thrilled when they fit together rather nicely....a definite improvement for me! I have really been enjoying this series of mini quilts and finally purchased a 12" standing frame to display them...it will be fun to change the quilt each month and I look forward to having each one on display.

I have a couple really adorable Valentine sewing projects I would love to machine embroider and sew up, so I will be working extra hard to meet all my deadlines...I definitely *need* more play time!

As far as needlework, I am still working on the "Holiday Helpings" Stitch Starter Sleeves...they are stitching up just as I envisioned and I can't wait to share them with you! I am stitching as fast as my little fingers can handle...and since I have a quiet house tonight, I should be getting quite a bit more accomplished...