Christmas in July

It's July and that means the time has come for thinking about seasonal stitching!  We're celebrating "Christmas in July" this month and one of our favorite holiday gifts is an ornament for the Christmas tree. Creating a truly unique keepsake to celebrate life's precious moments is so much more personal when you select a special canvas and then stitch it with love. We have a large selection of canvases representing a wide variety of themes - from collegiate and greek life, to nature, hobbies, people, places and more! Let us help you create new keepsake treasures this summer with our wonderful selection of needlepoint canvases and the opportunity to have your ornament finished for free!

...and, speaking of a keepsake ornament - it's finally here!  Our exclusive limited edition University of Alabama 2012 NCAA National Football Championship ornament has arrived - and WE LOVE IT!!!  The design is painted on 18 mesh canvas and stitches up quickly.  (The ornament pictured above was stitched over the 4th of July weekend!)  We have a limited number of these little treasures in stock now and re-orders will not be available until after the 2013 Christmas finishing deadline, so get yours today.

Of course, we have a wonderful Christmas ornament project for our knitting friends, too.  Our Christmas in July class on July 20 is designed especially for you!  (A little bit of homework prior to class is required, but it's reaaalllllly easy!)  We'll spend our class time cutting out and embellishing felted gingerbread ornaments with wonderfully sweet embroidered details, so get out your apron and get ready to whip up a batch of these little gems!  Note:  space is limited and pre-registration is required.  

The Christmas finishing deadline is rolling around quickly.  All needlepoint to be sent off to our professional finishers must be in the shop by Friday, September 6 in order to guarantee having it back by Christmas. That may seem like a long way off, but actually it's only 9 weeks away!  Need some incentive to go ahead and get those ornaments into the shop?  Bring your stitched ornament (or ornaments) in during July and you'll have your name entered into our drawing for free finishing on a single ornament. Your name will be entered once for each ornament purchased from Serendipity Needleworks that you bring in, so the more ornaments you bring in, the better your chances are for having one of them finished for FREE. 

Merry Christmas in July!

Texturally Stitching

As spring begins to turn into summer, do you ever notice how the landscape around us changes? Leaves are fully opened up on the trees and flower petals are opening up in a variety of shapes and colors. Let your surroundings inspire you to add some visual impact and drama to your project by working with textured stitches.

When knitting or crocheting, this can be as easy as working a ribbed stitch pattern or as complicated as intricate lace or cables. Consider the edges as a great place to experiment with texture. This Baby Wrap Sweater is adorable in squishy garter stitch and a delicate (but not difficult) ruffle, as shown in this shop sample. This same sweater made with an applied i-cord edging is perfect if you are looking for a more masculine item. The pattern calls for Koigu yarn, a wonderful fingering weight merino wool that is hand-painted in small batches. Baby items are great fun to work on in the warmer summer months as they are tiny and generally do not take a lot of time to complete!

Decorative needlepoint stitches can make your piece really pop! Just as when you first learned how to stitch, keep in mind that each starts and ends in a specific hole. Take care to think through your textured stitches as they may be worked over different numbers of canvas intersections, to see if they will work as full or partial stitches, and when you should work them. The end result is sure to give your piece dimension. Here we're sharing Esther's London Phone Booth ornament. Notice the stitches at the bottom, all those French Knots! Looks like a chilly night in London, doesn't it? If you need a quick refresher on how to work a French Knot, here is a great stepwise tutorial!

Until next time, happy stitching!