I Will Be Back Soon, I Promise!

I've found it necessary to take a short hiatus from adding to my shops these days, but I do promise I will be back to regular additions very soon.

What have I been up to? Some of you know that I work with a charity stitching group, creating quilts for premature infants. The group I worked with has undergone some pretty serious changes lately, and we had a division of our members and a change of focus. I went with a new group that is forming - Canada Stitches. We will still be doing quilts for preemies, but that is not the only thing. We will be doing cushions for kids undergoing treatment in the hospitals, making cat toys for the no-kill shelters, and making all kinds of other projects that can be given to hospitalized patients, or donated to different foundations that can use them for fundraisers. We feel that we can sometimes do more good for a community by helping to raise the money to purchase needed hospital equipment than we can by making a quilt for a premature infant. Instead of putting our energies into this one project, we are now able to see how we can use our pooled talents to best help the community as a whole.

One other thing we wanted to do was showcase the shops and designers of Canada. Most stitchers don't even know they have so many wonderful designers in Canada, or that they can get almost everything they need to create their projects right there without shopping in the US. We do cover new releases, do shop reviews, and profile the designers on our blog as well as on our Facebook Page. It's  promises to be a really fun ride, so be sure to visit the new site or follow us on Facebook to watch the progress.

Also just in... if you were thinking of starting an Etsy shop, *this* is the time to do it. Right now... they will give you 40 free listings if you use THIS LINK. Opening your shop is free, and each listing normally costs you 20 cents each for 4 months. It is a fair amount of work, but it can also be so rewarding. Check out my shop, or look around, then come back to this link and set yourself up. Handmade does rule, but you can also sell your used craft supplies and charts. Hope to see you there....

And I will see you all again very soon. I promise!

A Shout-Out

It isn't often that I can give this kind of recommendation, so treasure this. Many many people are leery of dealing with online purchases, especially downloadable charts. I have three sites in particular that I am going to boast about.

The first one, and biggest one is PatternsOnline.Com. Sure, by now everyone has heard of them, haven't they? This is the place you can buy so many charts from so many designers. You get them loaded onto your account where you can retrieve them as you wish. I started dealing with them in 2003. Since then, I think I am on my 4th computer. Everything has worked for me.. usually. This last computer upgrade was probably the hardest for me. I moved to a different country and my carefully packed hard drives didn't let me have access to all of my stored information. I did a fresh install and hoped everything would work right.

Well, it didn't. There was a string of about 12 charts that I had purchased that would no longer open for me with PC Stitch. The program is used to open, view, and print these charts. I also use it when I design my charts. The program told me I didn't have access to these. They were on my computer, and I know I paid for them. I sent in a trouble ticket just a few days ago. I got an answer just a few hours ago. Everything is fixed and I once again have access to all of these charts purchased in 2003 and 2004! Thank you Jennifer for your kind help. And seriously how many companies go that far for their customers these days?

This is their online shop stocked full of everything you need to stitch the charts you just purchased. They are owned by the same company, and I know their attention to detail is just as good. You may well wish to check them out for your stitching needs.

The other two shops are on Etsy. I know you keep hearing about it, but you may not know what it is. I like to think of it as a virtual craft show. Yes, you find vintage and supplies on there, but for the most part, it is handmade. I've had so many bad experiences purchasing charts on eBay that I swore off of them. Many were computer generated charts that were just poorly done - a fast way to make a buck. The designs never look like what the cover image suggests. I gave up on any charts not generated by one of the big designers until I ran into Jody and Rinna on Facebook. 

Jody is Austitch, an Australian designer with a growing shop. She's an avid stitcher and designer who is bright and bubbly. Yes, she's a real person and she is very responsive to her customers. Her designs can be a bit on the cheeky side, but they are far from rude. I have purchased a chart from her and when I get a chance to stitch I will be posting updates. Her charts are large, well thought out, clear to read, and with excellent instructions. I can tell this will be a project I will truly enjoy. Please do drop by Austitch and see what new unconventional creations she has. I think you will enjoy!

The second Etsy shop that I love dearly is Cross Stitch by Rinna. Rinna is based in the Philippines and brings a solid Oriental touch to her work. Her work is bright, colorful, and fun not to mention gorgeous. I love the faces on her children and cherubs. You can almost guarantee that at least one of her designs is going to end up on a piece for Canada Stitches. Rinna is another lady that is very responsive to her customers, and a pure delight to talk to. 

Do check these shops out when you are in the need for new charts. I know you can find just about everything at PatternsOnline and their prices are very reasonable. What you don't find there, you may find at Austitch or Cross Stitch Rinna!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

A First For Me...

I was stitching along this morning, working on the last magnet on this piece of linen when I decided I really disliked the design I was working on. It's a grouping of peppers, and between the shaping of the peppers and the cartoon-y colors the designer chose (or their conversion from DMC to Anchor), I could not see wasting the time to finish it. Sigh... I guess I am too antsy to get started on something else. Now I am free to move on to other projects.

So, yes, finally, I have a start on ornaments. There are so very many cute ones that it is very hard to decide what to do first. I did manage to narrow the field down a little. As I finish these, I will be adding them to Storenvy first and then to Etsy after September 1st. Why the difference? I have to re-list my items every 4 months and pay a new listing fee with Etsy.

I have also become a lot more active with the Angel Quilt Project. They do so much good for families that are truly stressed. Stitching for them makes me feel good. My finished pieces will be heading to Canada for finishing and final delivery to a family. I will still be stitching for the US Division as well.

Don't forget -- there is only about 2 days left to enter the Summer Giveaway. I can't wait to see where my butterflys are going to go. I do hope they will end up with someone who appreciates them.

It is Midsummer's Day here in Finland. Time for good food, good friends, and family. I hope your summer goes well. I will post a picture of this next group very shortly.

Happy Stitching!

A HUGE step forward!!

Today is a huge day for this humble little shop. I finally purchased a domain name and started building a more permanent home. Soon, you will have just one spot to go to get the latest news, find the shop links, see what is going on, and enjoy pictures of Finland and my work. The new domain is My Needle's Song.

I also set up an internet panhandling account for my enterprise. It's not like I need a lot - I brought a good amount of stash (fabrics, floss, and charts) with me. It's more that I need a few things that dangle enticingly just out of my reach. I want to upgrade my chart design software, buy a used sewing machine, and invest in a few more fabric choices. Not a lot, like I said. Every dollar (or Euro) helps. I don't have a lot to offer right now, but I will give all donors a permanent 20% off in either store. That, and you will have our undying gratitude. The campaign is ongoing, so please do feel free to stop by anytime and donate securely via PayPal.

I will have more items coming for the shop next week, and then.. it is time to start getting ready for Christmas. Look for a Santas, Snowmen, and Angels. These will roll into Storenvy first, and then be listed at Etsy in September.

Until then, Happy Stitching!

FHT Summer Giveaway is HERE!!

I am really excited about this. I am one of the 11 Finnish handcrafters participating in this FREE Summer giveaway. Our team now has over 100 members, and to celebrate, we decided to pool our resources and create this lovely gift basket. The retail value is over 230 Euros (almost $300).  My lovely butterfly and frog magnets are part of this, and I don't even offer this particular grouping in my online shops which makes it even more special. So, here's how YOU get to take part... Between now and June 24th,

Rules of the Giveaway

1. Like the FHT page on facebook

2. Like all participating shops pages

3. Share the giveaway on your wall

Enter the Giveaway

It really isn't that difficult, and it should only take a few moments to do. I know you will find a lot of very cool things to like with these skilled artisans. I am always amazed myself when I see their latest creations. On behalf of everyone on the Finland Handcrafters Team, I wish you the absolute best of luck.

SPRING IS HERE!

The birch trees have finally begun to show their new leaves, and the fields are freshly plowed. The ice cream kiosk is open. I think I can safely say that Spring has officially come to this part of Finland. It is gorgeous!! I love watching the earth come back to life after the long winter under its soft white blanket of snow. We are going to be heading to eastern Finland for a couple days this week, and I will get some pictures to share.

I finished my quilt panels and sent them off to California last week. I am literally on pins and needles until I know they have arrived safely. I have one more to start but I need to go get more fabric first. With luck, I will be able to work on this while I am on the road. Not to worry, I do have PLENTY of other goodies to work on.

If you follow my shop, you know that I recently introduced several picture magnets on evenweave. I've been working on adding more. Personally, I prefer these to the ones worked on Aida.

Linen on the left, Aida on the right

As a refresher, I posted the lavender butterfly comparison above. The evenweave is on the left. Evenweave comes in lots of flavors -- this particular one is a lovely 32 count linen from Wichelt. 

So, I have been adding more. Here's a teaser...

The smaller piece of fabric on top is Aida, and the sheet underneath (with the squirrel) is linen. I get to keep working on this fabric while I am on the road, hopefully, and should have some of these pretty, springtime magnets ready to go into the shop shortly. 

I really want to encourage everyone to visit the Facebook page and LIKE it. I will announce sales and specials there more than anyplace else. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

More new goodies on the way!

So, it is almost spring here in Central Finland. The temperatures have been above freezing both night and day for a couple of days now, and our snow is rapidly melting.

I am part of a group of artisans from Finland called the Finland Handcrafters Team. We recently added our 100th member and decided we wanted to do a group giveaway. 10 of us have pooled our efforts and will be offering items. You don't have to buy anything, but of course, we love it when you do. Some of us are making special items just for this, while others have picked favorites from their stock. I will be posting pictures over the next few days on My Needle's Song Facebook Page. You can also follow the progress on the team's Facebook Page or Blog. Either way, I will keep you all informed on what is being offered, what you have to do, and by what date.

Here's a real rough picture of the butterflies I am turning into magnets:

These will be ready later this week along with some other treats.... Thanks for stopping by!

Shhhh... Fingers Have Been Busy!

I know the silence between posts can be deafening, but.. there is always a good reason behind it. Most of the time it is because I am stitching or designing away. Lately, it has been stitching, though I do have a couple more of my own designs going into my shop this week.

I have had this small sheet of designs finished for about a week now, but I didn't want to go through the process of washing and ironing just this tiny sheet of designs. The smaller ones at the top will be made into Charmers, which are great for hanging on purses, backpacks, cellphones, or just about anyplace you need a bit of bling. Here's one of the US designs finished...

They either get attached to a lobster claw or directly to the mobile phone cord. I think I like the lobster claws better because you can clip them to more places.

The boots are an experiment, inspired by a dear friend back in Texas. Normally, I finish these tiny designs with a fabric background and a sealer. This time, I am going to try making a two-sided Charmer. It's a question of whether or not the sealer does a good enough job. I should know in just a day or so, and I will let you know how this goes. If it works well, then I will be doing more of them.

Since I didn't want to just do the one small sheet of designs, I stitched like a fiend and just barely finished 16 more message magnets, including one more Finnish design.

Other hot news.... I now have a 2nd shop open. I like Etsy as a marketplace because there is just so much there, and it is really geared towards the handcrafters. One downside is I need to relist (and pay) for the listings every 4 months. Plus, each magnet and charmer has to have its own listing. So.. I have a second shop open now at Storenvy. There is no listing fee, and I don't have to relist my items. You will see Christmas go up on Storenvy first, then on Etsy around September 1st. I will always have all of my listings up at Storenvy, where I will only have the most current ones at Etsy.

One other addition - I added storefronts right on my shop's Facebook page so that you can look and shop without ever leaving Facebook. When you decide to buy, you will be taken to the correct shop and can check out securely. Both sites take PayPal, which means you never give out your precious credit card and banking information to anyone but PayPal.

If there is a special design or message magnet you are looking for, or you want different colors than what I have done a sample in, by all means drop me a message and let me know. I can do most of the customizing for the same fee as the sample, and it should only take me 1 or 2 days to stitch your special request. I do love challenges...

And now, time to get these pieces into the wash so I can get them finished. Enjoy!!

Almost ready!!

I wanted to post a teaser picture. I completely redid the pictures for the shop this week, and am in the last stages of finishing several new additions. Here's a teaser...

The white angels will be part of Christmas. I had done them earlier while I was still in Texas and just went ahead and filled the fabric with the wizards and chubby angels. The tiny designs on the right will be turned into cellphone or bag charms. These should be online this week. Don't worry - Christmas designs won't be in the shop before September 1st. 

Until then, I am busy stitching away on a piece for my mother-in-law. I will post pictures as I have them. 

A slight change of focus...

This blog will always feature news about my Etsy Shop, but, it is also going to start being a whole lot more. I get questions from other stitchers about how to make their work better, or how to find this item or that chart. There are also a ton of websites out there that promise free charts but take your identity instead. I am also noticing a lot of needlework shops disappearing. So...

Shop news... I added a bunch of magnets about 10 days ago, and am finishing off the stitching for another group. This group will be a bit smaller, but will include one of my favorite designs - a wizard.

This is just a rough teaser of him. He still has to be washed, blocked and finished. He was originally a Christmas ornament, but he would be so cute hanging year round. Watch for him to make his shop debut very soon. While he can be finished as a magnet, he is best at his job of just hanging around from a golden cord. His wand will also be topped by a crystal.

My Etsy Shop is also now a part of the Finland Handcrafter's Team. This is a phenomenal group of artisans based in Finland that do a wide range of handwork - fine jewelry, knit goods, accessories for your home, and so very much more. I am amazed at these people, and will start showing off their shops in the next few posts. So that this blog doesn't get so cluttered (and off-topic), you can read about my finds at Handcrafted Joy

But first, why Etsy? From my standpoint (the crafter), it offers a nice platform to display my work for sale. They do take a small commission as well as a nominal listing fee, but I don't have to pay for my hosting. I get nice statistics as well. For you shoppers, you really win out on this. PayPal is the preferred method of payment, which means you shop securely without ever having to give out your payment information. I don't get your credit card or banking information ever. You also have PayPal's shopper's guarantees behind you- If you don't get your item or it isn't as I described it, you do have recourse and it is even better than using your bank card. Etsy has thousands of shops offering an incredible range of items - high fashion, accessories, home decor, craft supplies, gifts, and just about everything else you can possibly imagine. Items that say they are handmade are just that - handmade by me (or the artisan/shopowner) and not purchased from China. 

So, so yourself a favor and check out Etsy or my new blog. Easter is coming up, so you can always just search for Easter and enjoy the outstanding selection of goodies to tempt you.