Always happy for a chance to celebrate Canada and our neighbours to the south, designer Joanne Gatenby has created two more designs in her Favourite Holidays series for A Needle Pulling Thread. The variegated Kreinik braid adds lots of colour … Continued
Every once in a while a designer gets an idea that takes on a life of its own. It was like that for me when I came up with my FAVOURITE THINGS idea. There were so many ways to go … Continued
Carolyn Mitchell has devoted the past thirty-five years to sharing her love of textiles, thread and creative stitchery with all those she meets. A National Standard Council of American Embroiderers (NSCAE) certified teacher and talented designer, Carolyn has also owned … Continued
Every living thing wakes up in the spring! Nature renews herself, and I’m opening the windows to let the warm and fresh air in! The sun is warmer on my face and that puts an extra bounce in my step! … Continued
Working with over-dyed floss is always fun – the trick is to complete both legs of each stitch as you go, so the colour changes flow through the design. The direction you stitch (horizontal or vertical) can change the entire … Continued
You will have noticed that the last two International Santas have contained a good injection of humour, and this Canadian Santa continues the trend. During their design process I was going through some major personal challenges. Thankfully, designing cross stitch … Continued
This design owes its inspiration to Carla, the publisher of A Needle Pulling Thread! She took this wonderful photograph of some flowers she had purchased at the Farmers Market, and asked me if I would use my talent to convert … Continued
During the summer of 2010, my wife and I took a driving trip to New Orleans. Staying in the French Quarter at the corner of Canal and Bourbon, we had a wonderful taste of New Orleans sites, sounds, and smells. … Continued
Grandfather Frost is not really a ‘Santa’. In Belarusan culture his name is Ded Maroz, which means ‘grandpa frost’ or ‘elder frost’. He lives somewhere far in the northern forest and his job is to ‘make’ winter. He has a … Continued
Designer Jo Gatenby loves to collect sayings – and they often inspire designs such as this one! One of the first homes Jo and her husband Bill owned had a row of holly hocks along the back wall, which bloomed … Continued