Christmas - goodwill and stitching to all men (and women of course!) I know I go on every month about how quickly the year is going, but is it really December? The first frost of the year on the first of December reminded me that winter had arrived and I hadn't sent you this month's newsletter.....or even written it yet! So here we are, better late than never. I promise my new year's resolution will definitely be to get every single newsletter out on time. I've finished the stitching of my 3 Harley Davidson artwork designs now, I had a bumper October for stitching, although November was not so good. December is quite good for me stitching-wise and a lot of you out there, although I know many people are busy preparing for Christmas. Don't forget that many people are lonely over Christmas and find stitching to be a fantastic way to pass what can otherwise be a rather tedious holiday. So, perhaps it's time to order a new kit and treat yourself to some relaxing winter stitching. After all, in January it would be lovely to have achieved a completed design that wasn't Christmas related - trust me, you will be sick of Christmas by then! If, however, if you are busy running after the kids / grandkids / big kids (you know who you are!), then make a bit of time for yourself over the holiday season. Sit down, put your feet up, get someone else on the washing up (or put the dishwasher on) and stitch for all you're worth. Ask someone special to buy you a kit for yourself, not to stitch for a friend but one for your own wall. You deserve it.     Harley Davidson Electra Glide, just finished, not even ironed yet. Colourful, charismatic caricatures This month's newsletter is another countdown newsletter. We're counting down our most popular design series, our transport caricatures. The range numbers around 100 and covers a massive selection of transport designs, with a couple of famous racing stars thrown in. Planes, trains and automobiles are all covered, and don't forget the QE2, a few diggers and other construction vehicles. We even have a refuse truck! All the designs are available as kits or charts. The charts are all priced at £10.95 and kits range from £22.95 to £33.95. Have a look at http://www.stitchtastic.com/catalog/caricature-kits.aspx . In at number 10 in our countdown of the top ten best selling caricature designs is a very popular car in real life as well as in stitches, the Porsche 911 GT. It's available in red and grey. Number 9 is a vehicle from one of my favourite 80s TV shows, the A Team van. You'd be a crazy fool not to have a go at stitching this one! In at number 8, one of my favourite designs that I stitched last year, the Union Jack Roof Mini Cooper, available in blue, green, grey, red and pink. Number 7 is another TV show based vehicle which always raises a laugh at stitching shows, it's Del Boy's Reliant Robin. By the way, purists never call it a Robin Reliant, the Reliant is the brand, not the model! Number 6 was featured in last month's newsletter, Valentino Rossi pictured on his championship winning motorbike. Good luck for next season Valentino. TV makes another appearance at number 5 but this time it's a popular cartoon series from most of our childhoods, Scooby Doo's mystery machine. You'll have seen the real version of number 4 on the motorway (if you're in the UK), it's the famous Eddie Stobart lorry. Tractor fans will love the John Deere tractor design at number 3, he obviously comes in green. Number 2 is part of our most popular range, it's a VW design (more of those in the new year). The 'splitty' camper van comes in blue, green and orange (blue's my favourite). In at number 1, and hopefully number 1 in the next F1 season, is Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes F1 car. He's very distinctive in his yellow helmet, and I can't wait to see him racing again in March with Jensen Button as his team mate. In the meantime, why not stitch him?     Number 10 - the Porsche 911 GT   The Mystery Machine is number 5   Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren is still number 1 for us PETZ Our PETZ range of animal caricatures is always a great seller at the stitching shows we attend. If you can make it to Stitch and Craft 2010 in March, come and have a look at the kooky cats, crazy dogs and fitness-mad hamsters, to name but a few! The best seller in this range has to be our scuba diving goldfish. It's been stitched by some scuba divers already, but not by any goldfish.......... Also watch out for the bright and colourful chameleon and the karaoke cockatoo.   Next Month January is VW month. We showcase many of our VW range (and there are a lot), both standard and caricature designs. A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers.   Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

November 09 Newsletter

	Oops - what happened to October? Sorry. It just didn't happen! We spent a huge amount of time preparing for the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, and then time sorting out afterwards, and we just didn't produce an October newsletter. That's the last time that will happen…..I'm pretty sure!! I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate Valentino Rossi on his fantastic ninth World Championship crown, won during October with a race still to go. Valentino is the subject of one of our most popular caricature designs, which you can see here. This month's newsletter is all about accessories. What do you use when stitching? What do you like to use to mount your stitching?  Hopefully I can provide you with a few Christmas present ideas (sorry, but it is time now), but obviously they are for people to buy for you!     Valentino Rossi - World Champion again! What do you need to stitch?  Accessories are vital to stitchers. There aren't many of us who are happy to sit with a needle and nothing else, we all have our favourite scissors, our favourite type of needle threader. Don't even get me started on the hoop dilemma - do you need a hoop? What size....it's a minefield! I use an 18cm plastic hoop, and I make sure I move it every hour or so that I'm not leaving too much of a mark on the aida. I use pretty little embroidery scissors and a small highlighter pen, so that everything fits into my little stitching box, where I keep all my threads on cardboard bobbins, which I reuse as many times as I can fit a new label onto them! Now a non-stitcher would not understand the vital importance of all of these accessories, not forgetting a magnet to keep my needle on so that  it doesn't disappear down the side of the sofa every time I stop stitching. A non-stitcher wouldn't take such pleasure in the ritual of laying out all my bits and pieces on the arm of the sofa, switching on my daylight lamp and feeling myself relax as I settle in for a couple of hours of me time. But we understand, don't we........ Have a look at our full cross stitch accessories range, including bulk packs of needles and threadcards for those who don't use bobbins but like to organise their threads.   My very own stitching set up Accessories for display Now and again, when you've stitched a huge wall displayed design for everyone in the family and your own walls are full, it's great to stitch something small. But where to display it? Here at Stitchtastic we can provide a range of smaller display options, as well as some fun and unique designs to put in them. Our bargain acrylic range is proving to be very popular. Coasters are a big hit, either square of round. They come in 2 pieces, you simply insert your stitching  (or photograph, or kid's drawing, or whatever you like) and press on the acrylic back section. Et voila! The coaster is ready for use. Square are slightly more popular than round, but there's not much in it. We also provide an number of other acrylic products. Our fridge magnets take a similar size of stitched design to the coasters and are a slightly more unusual gift.  We also stock 2 sizes of keyring, a luggage tag for larger designs (trust me, they'll never lose their keys with one of these!!)  and a smaller rectangular key ring for fun miniature designs. Have a look at our acrylic keyrings for the full range. Special Bulk pack prices are available for larger orders so have a good luck - it could solve all of your Christmas present problems in one stroke! Have a look at our acrylic coaster and keyring kits to see some of our smaller designs for keyrings, coasters and fridge magnets. If you like to stitch and display in 3 fold aperture cards, they'll fit there too.  Next Month Next month we're focusing on our hugely popular caricature range. I think another countdown may be in order.............. If you'd like to be featured in our newsletter, please e-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.co.uk, preferably with a picture of your stitching!    Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

September 09 Newsletter

	Car Special Right, first of all, this IS a car special. I just couldn't resist showing you my very recently completed Harley Fat Boy that I'm delighted to have completed in only a few weeks. In fact, I'm so excited I took the picture without even washing or ironing my stitching! So apologies that the photo is a bit creased. By the time we display it at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace in October, it will be pristine! If you're not sure about washing your stitching, visit our website at http://www.stitchtastic.com/useful/HowToWashCrossStitch.aspx . We have lots of useful articles on the site to help you get the best out of your stitching. If you'd like to come and see many of our designs in the flesh, visit http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=23 for tickets to  Knitting & Stitching, Alexandra Palace from 8th - 11th October.    Harley Davidson Fat Boy Caricature - it's finished!   Stitchtastic Cars In the second of our specials, we're highlighting some of the car designs that our stitchers have sent in. Stitched pictures are fantastic for giving you an idea of what your stitching will look like after all your hard work! In addition to the pictures shown here, we have lots of stitched examples, so make sure you visit our gallery at http://www.stitchtastic.com/Gallery/Default.aspx. Here we have pictures of, amongst others, a Citroen Saxo Rally Car,  a Ford Mustang, a Jaguar XK8 Roadster and  even a New York Taxi (Chevrolet Caprice actually!) If you'd like to send us a photo of your completed Stitchtastic work for our gallery, you'll find my e-mail address at the bottom of the newsletter, or feel free to use snail mail, the address is on the website.   Subaru WRC   Porsche 911 Car Countdown Our top ten best selling car designs - would you have guessed right? At number 10, there's a tie between  the Citroen Saxo Rally Car  and the Triumph TR6. Number 9 is the slightly kooky ForTwo Coupe Smart Car - always asked for at every show we attend. At number 8 is the Morgan old fashioned racing car, available in blue, green and silver. James Bond would be proud of number 7 -  the silver Aston Martin DB7. Number 6 is the classic Porsche 911  - a fantastically easy stitch that gives a great outcome. At Number 5 is a  Red Ferrari - plain and simple, does  what it says on the tin! Number 4 is a bit of a boy racer -  the Nissan Skyline in blue or white. Number 3 certainly isn't a road car but has proved very popular, it's the  Formula 1 F1 McLaren  racing car. An absolute classic at number 2 -  the Mini. We have a number of different mini designs, but this is far and away the most popular. Straight in at number 1 - the Subaru Impreza world rally car. This design is timeless and always causes a stir at stitching shows. You can see the stitched version above. By the way, we have missed out some of our most popular designs here, because they fit in an altogether different and very popular category - VWs! We're going to have a VW special in a couple of months, so I've deliberately left them out. If you'd like to see them now, have a look at http://www.stitchtastic.com/catalog/cars_volkswagen_audi_opal.aspx. Next Month Next month will feature something even more different than usual - our bargain accessories range! Many of our regulars tell us that they find it hard to pick up accessories at a good price now that many local craft shops have closed down. Never fear- look out for next month's newsletter!   If you'd like to be featured in our newsletter, please e-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.co.uk, preferably with a picture of your stitching. Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

August 09 Newsletter

	Motorbike Special Ask any motorbike enthusiast and they'll tell you there's nothing better than a long ride on a summer's day. A cool breeze, cruising along a country road..alright, as long as it isn't raining, which is not that likely with our wonderful British summer! Well, if long hot bike rides are out of the question, or if perhaps you just need a rest after your ride, it's a perfect opportunity for a spot of motorbike stitching. Even if you're not a rider yourself, they're a great stitch, something really different to the usual designs. We also have a number of scooter designs, which are very popular - see our bike countdown below. Here's our latest motorbike design, hot off the presses. It's a Harley Davidson Fat Boy caricature and I think it looks fantastic. In fact,  when I've finished my train design that I'm on with right now, I think I'll stitch this one!     Harley Davidson Fat Boy Caricature - a lovely looking design.   Stitchtastic Bikes  This month's newsletter is a little bit different, as I'd like to highlight a few of our stitched motorbike designs that our stitchers have sent in. We find that many of our stitchers are very proud of their completed designs, more so than with a lot of the designs that they have stitched in the past. Perhaps this is because many Stitchtastic stitchers stitch a motorbike or car for a friend or relative, or because the designs really are different from the usual. Anyway, why ever they send pictures in, we're just glad they do! If you'd like to send us a photo of your completed Stitchtastic work, you'll find my e-mail address at the bottom of the newsletter, or feel free to use snail mail, the address is on the website. You can see more of our stitched designs in our gallery on the website.   Suzuki TL 1000R Harley Davidson Ultra Glide Anniversary Edition   Bike Countdown Here it is! If you'd like to stitch as bike, but have no idea where to start, here's our top 10 best selling motorbike designs, in reverse order of course! At number 10, the Honda Blackbird CBR XX, also available in black and silver At number 9, the bike with possibly the longest name in the world, the 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide Cross Stitch Chart White with Gold Pinstripe   Number 8 is the Harley Davidson Fat Boy (not the caricature version, that's too new for our countdown!) At number 7, the Harley Davidson XL1200 L Sportster Number 6 is the Harley Anniversary Heritage 2003 Our run of Harleys is complete with number 5 - the Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide (with or without handlebar tassels!) Number 4 is the first scooter in our countdown - the Vespa PX 125, also available in purple and gold Back to the Harleys at  number 3 - the Harley Low Rider Straight in at number 2 - The Easy Rider Harley Chopper Our most popular motorbike design is actually a scooter! In at number 1, the Lambretta Scooter. Next Month Following our 'specials' theme, September's newsletter will be all about cars. Again, there'll be a top ten and some real life stitching to display! If you'd like to be featured in our newsletter, please e-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.co.uk, preferably with a picture of your stitching!    Subaru Impreza 2006 Cross Stitch Kit Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer