December 10 Newsletter

	I'll mention it just once..... I did promise not to mention Christmas last month, didn't I? Well, I promise I will just mention it the once, in this paragraph only, so skip onto the next one if the spirit of Scrooge is upon you at the moment! I hope you're all sorted for the big day (or weekend this year, isn't it?), whether you're having a quiet one or looking after the whole family. Just make sure you give yourself some stitching time. No more Christmas cards or banners to stitch, just your own stitching for you. Enjoy, and happy new year.   The Harley Bike Keyring Kit is a great last minute present, or just a fun stitch for you! Crazy Designs Many of our customers love to stitch their own car or bike. If that's what you've done, good for you. Others stitch for a relative - Dad's old Norton bike, or Mum's first mini, maybe Grandad's old Fiat (perhaps the 1915 Fiat is pushing it a bit!) However, many of our stitchers want to fulfil our tagline - 'Fancy stitching something a bit different?' and choose a tank or a plane. I've got 4 unusual designs to show you this month, that might just appeal to you or one of your stitching recipients - lucky things! Firstly, if your son, granddaughter or nephew (avoiding gender stereotyping!) would like to go quad biking, why not give them the next best thing with a stitched quad bike? Measuring 14.3" by 9.6", this design uses 19 DMC colours and is a vision in yellow. If Grandad or Auntie's birthday is coming up and they're a keen golfer, why not stitch them their very own golf cart? This design uses 28 DMC colours and measures 14.3" by 10.4". It even contains an encouraging 'Hole in One' message for extra moral support! Have you got a ship fan in the family? The why not commemorate the greatest ocean liner of modern times and stitch them the QE2? Measuring 14.3" by 9.6", this design uses 20 DMC colours and costs £27.95 for the kit. Finally, a design that I originally did on request but which has proved very popular - the Tesco fuel tanker! Screeching to a halt, this design uses only 11 DMC colours and measures 13.9" by 8.7". There's no better present if your husband / daughter / son drives one, or even if they don't, it would be a great surprise! All of these designs go down particularly well with kids, so visit http://www.stitchtastic.com/catalog/caricature-kits.aspx for more info and gift ideas.   Dangerous to ride, not so dangerous to stitch!   The inspiration for many holes in one?   A fun take on the QE2.   A surprisingly popular design! Stitchtastic Stitchers This month, we have a repeat stitcher! Pam has already appeared in our newsletter in September, and she's here again! Hot on the heels of the Kawasaki ZXR6 which we featured last time, Pam has just completed our caricature Land Rover Series II. Pam says this design took her 4 weeks to complete and has really impressed her husband, who is a 4 x 4 enthusiast. Well done indeed Pam, I can't wait to see what you come up with next!   Another fantastic stitched piece from Pam - the Land Rover Series II. Facebook update Did you know that Facebook usage is at its peak 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday? So who is on Facebook at work, come on, admit it? If you are, the best place to be is on our Stitchtastic facebook page, www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic. Come and 'Like' us, make a comment or simply browse through some of the lovely photos of stitched designs our brilliant stitchers have published.     Join us on Facebook! Next Month TV & Film designs will be our focus next month, so if you're a fan of iconic 80s TV, cool brit-flicks or Scooby Doo, don't miss it! We'll also have some great stitched work again. See you then!   Just a couple of our many TV and Film designs, featured next month. Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

November Newsletter 2010

	Special Offer Extended! Thanks to all our customers who came to see us at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace a couple of weeks ago. It was an incredibly busy show, and despite what I said in the last newsletter about summer being over, the weather was beautiful! Behind our stand it was boiling hot, and so I popped out for 5 minutes to find dozens of people sitting on the steps eating ice cream, didn't expect to see that in October! So the hot weather really brought people out, and a particular thanks must go to our newsletter readers who mentioned the newsletter and received a free gift. This applies to all shows that we attend, so advance notice-if you're at the Stitch & Craft show at Olympia or Sewing for Pleasure at the NEC, both in March 2011, don't forget to come & see us and mention the newsletter! That's a long way off, so in the meantime if you'd like to take advantage of a special offer, we've extended our offer of 'buy 2 kits or charts and receive a free chart'. Simply visit the website and click on the link at the top of the homepage.   Our stand at Ally Pally, near the beautiful Rose Window. New designs - sneak preview! Over the last few months, as most of you know if you have received previous newsletters, we have been building up a following on facebook. Recently, several facebook friends have suggested some new designs we might want to produce, and their wish has been my command! So I thought I would show you these in the newsletter, before anywhere else. All of the new designs are modern cars, and all have our usual caricature flair. First of all, the Vauxhall Corsa. Measuring 13.8" by 9.3", this design has a real 'drawn' feel about it, perhaps because of the grey colourscheme, which works brilliantly. The kit uses only 10 colours, so is quite an easy stitch for an inexperienced stitcher. Have a look at http://www.stitchtastic.com/product/vauxhall-corsa-cross-stitch-kit.aspx . Next, the Fiat Punto. This is a very striking stitch, using a number of beautiful blue shades. I think the DMC range excels in terms of its blue shades, so I really went to town on them here. It's slightly smaller than the Corsa, measuring 12.6" x 7.4" but uses 21 DMC colours. Have a look at http://www.stitchtastic.com/product/fiat-punto-caricature-cross-stitch-kit.aspx . Hi to Karla, the facebook friend who suggested these 2 designs and waited patiently for them to be completed. Hopefully, her pictures of these when completed will feature in an upcoming newsletter and with the product at http://www.stitchtastic.com/product/fiat-punto-caricature-cross-stitch-kit.aspx . Finally, the most recent addition to the Stitchtastic range is the fantastic Alfa Romeo Mito, the cutest design I think I've ever done! It was suggested by a show regular (in fact, she's suggested it as previous shows as well!) and reminded me on facebook (thanks for that Tracey!) It measures 13.4" by 7.5" and uses 22 DMC colours to create that striking beautiful red effect.  Can't wait to see this one stitched! Visit http://www.stitchtastic.com/product/alfa-romeo-mita-caricature-cross-stitch-kit.aspx for more info.   border="0" />  Vauxhall Corsa border="0" />  Fiat Punto border="0" />  Alfa Romeo Mito Exciting New Accessories Another exciting development from the world of Stitchtastic is happening in our accessories department. As many of you know, our acrylic range is really popular, particularly our round and square coasters. We have had quite a few customers ask us for glass coasters, so we investigated and we're delighted to introduce our new range of glass coasters and placemats to display your stitching in style. Both the coasters and placemats have felt backing and so stay in place on the smartest of dining tables. The felt is sticky on the inside and so once your stitching (or photo, lacework, papercraft, the list goes on........) is inside and sealed, it won't move about and looks fantastic. Turn the coaster or placemat over and you'll see a beautiful silver or black frame, which not only looks great but also hides any wavy or frayed edges! All in all, these new glass products make personalised, stylish presents for friends and family. We gave them their debut at Alexandra Palace and they went down a treat, so why not give them a go?   Our new glassware range, shown with some of our smaller designs inside   The foam back of the placemat Facebook update As you have probably gathered from reading the articles above, our facebook page is fast becoming the place to be for Stitchtastic fans. Have a look at www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic . Come and click 'Like' to become a Fan, and keep up with all our stitching antics! You can put your own pictures of our designs that you've stitched up on the page, or just make a comment on the wonderful work of our brilliant stitchers.     Next Month  I shouldn't mention it, should I.....but I'm going to........Christmas! In December's newsletter we'll look at some more of our unusual designs and I might try not to mention Christmas at all........yeah, right! Don't forget to send in your completed stitching pictures.     Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

October Newsletter

	New Autumn Stitches Summer is over. Official. Despite a week of rather lovely weather towards the end of September, it's now turned decidedly chilly and the heating is on, I'm afraid. But let's not be downhearted! Autumn means it's time for the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. If you haven't been to a stitching show before, now's your chance to bag some bargains and have a good look round at some of the amazing textile work going on in the UK and elsewhere. We're right in the middle of preparing for the show, for us the set up day is one of the hardest-working days of the year! However, it's great to meet lots of our customers and greet many new ones too. So if you can make it down to London, come and see us at stand F15. As a special treat, if you mention this newsletter, we'll give you a free gift!   Come and see our designs in the flesh! Move away from the norm.... Most Stitchtastic customers know we have a huge range of car and motorbike designs. They know that if they ask for a certain model from a certain year, chances are we'll have it. However, what many people don't realise is that we have a large number of more unusual designs, which range from tractors to quad bikes, from petrol tankers to refuse trucks, and from milk floats to taxis. So I'm just going to highlight a few for you, just in case you'd like to stitch a present for your neighbour who just happens to be a go kart champion (we all have to start somewhere!). Firstly, the milk float design. With less and less milk being delivered to doorsteps nowadays, milkmen and hghly values by their customers. So surely yours is worth £27.95 (+ p+p)? Or perhaps your cabbie husband is impossible to buy for at Christmas? Plenty of time to stitch our London Cab design for him at £27.95 (+ p+p). It's a substantial design, measuring 14.2" by 9.7", but uses only 11 colours so it's a lovely straightforward stitch. The Go Cart design is fantastic for kids, big or small. It measures 35cm by 27cm and is also priced at £27.95 (+ p+p). Finally, we mustn't forget about bus drivers? Ever cheerful, they plough through the dodgy weather to take us pretty much wherever we want to go. Now it might be a bit much to stitch this for just any bus driver, but if you know one in particular, I'm sure he'd appreciate the Routemaster bus design. Or perhaps stitch it for a bus fan? Whatever your unusual request, have a look at our caricature designs as we may well surprise you. www.stitchtastic.com/catalog/caricature-miscellaneous.aspx  is a good place to start, or have a look at the lorries and vans section.   Super Fresh Milk   Taxi!   Did you know most Formula 1 drivers start in Go Carts?   The Routemaster bus, sadly missed in London Featured Stitchers This month, Karen contacted me by e-mail to show off her stitching, which is brilliant! She has stitched our Splitty camper van design for her cousin, who was very appreciative being the owner of this exact colour of van. Karen is stitching for her husband next, she's completing a Caterham 7, which I've customised for her in their own car's colours. Hopefully I can show this to you when Karen has finished it! Thanks Karen, it's great to be able to show your lovely stitching to everybody. If you'd like to show off your designs, please contact me at sarah@stitchtastic.com and I'll show off your work next! Alternatively, have a look at our facebook page, www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic.   Karen's personalized, signed Splitty camper van. Facebook Update Our number of followers on facebook is steadily rising. If you'd like to join us, have a look at www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic . Come and click 'Like' to become a Fan, and keep up with all our stitching antics! You can put your own pictures of our designs that you've stitched up on the page, or just admire the wonderful work of our brilliant stitchers.     Next Month November's newsletter will feature new designs and brand new accessories, including our exclusive glass coaster range. Maybe it will also feature you…...send in your stitched design photos.     Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer

September Newsletter

	Summer Special Offer—Hurry, Ends Soon! If you're preparing for Autumn now, you might have been protecting the tomatoes from blight (if anyone knows how to do this, please let me know!), covering the garden furniture and getting the cat in a bit earlier, because the nights are definitely getting chillier already. Don't overlook the most important Autumn preparation—your next stitching project! If you're organised enough to be preparing for Christmas already, why not stitch a fun design as a present for a niece or nephew or a grandchild? Or perhaps your brother, sister, son or daughter would love to have a stitched version of their first car? Or maybe you'd like to forget about presents for other people and stitch for yourself for once. Whatever you choose to stitch next, you can still take advantage of our fantastic summer offer. Buy 2 charts or kits (excluding minitastics) from Stitchtastic and receive a chart worth £10.95 absolutely free! Even if you're not in the UK (and probably not so obsessed with the weather!) you can receive our special offer. Just click on the offer on the front page of our website to add it to your basket then get shopping!   Buy 2, get a chart free! Accessories As we head towards October, I start to think about the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, 7th—10th October. It's always a great show, in a huge, beautiful venue. It seems like 5 minutes since we were last loading all of our stock into the car (packing the car is a feat of engineering—not an inch of space is wasted!) and displaying our 500+ designs in all their glory. However, that's not all we sell. Many people are not aware that we stock a large range of accessories too. It's easy to show these at a retail show, a bit more difficult on a website so please indulge me! All of these accessories are available on our website and are easy to receive, they'll fit through your letterbox so no need to wait in for a parcel! One of our most popular accessories, and something I couldn't stitch without, is our range of hoops. From a small 15cm hoop all the way up to a roomy 25cm, hoops are simple and easy to use. They range in price from £1.70 to £2.20. Another of our most popular accessories has to be our range of card and plastic bobbins. Which to use is an individual preference. I use card, reuse them 4 or 5 times then recycle them. For those plastic fans, who can reuse them for longer, the price is ever so slightly higher. Have a look on the website for more details. Also in stock, you'll find thimbles, needles and 5 different types of needle threaders, fabric marker pens that can magically vanish (or, if you prefer, there's a wipe off one). The picture shows our bulk pack of needles (available in 50s or 100s), but we also stock small packs of 6 needles. Oh, and don't forget our range of acrylic coasters, keyrings and fridge magnets plus thread cards and aperture cards. Finally, to put all these wonderful bits in, we stock 4 different sizes of organiser boxes. So, next time you need some stitchy bits and pieces, don't wait for a show or visit an expensive store, have a look at http://www.stitchtastic.com/catalog/accessories.aspx, delivery usually only takes a couple of days and we're pretty sure you'll find a bargain!   Hoops, in a range of sizes   Bobbins, another staple for me as a stitcher   Accessories galore!   Now get organized... Facebook Featured Stitchers This month, we're featuring Pam, who got in touch on facebook after I appealed for stitchers who would like to display their stitching. Pam stitched the Kawasaki ZXR6, as you can see from this fantastic picture. What impressed me the most was her speedy stitching. This took Pam 3 weeks to stitch, which I am very impressed with! You can't really see the size of the stitching here, but I can tell you that this is not a small design so Pam's stitching rate is even more impressive than you might first think! Pam taught herself how to stitch and has spoilt her male relatives with the results. This bike was stitched for her stepson who loves motorbikes, but she's also stitched for her Dad too. I hope all these men are grateful for all your hard work Pam! Pam says she found this to be a great design to stitch, so I'm delighted to give her the opportunity to show it off to all of you. If you'd like to show off your designs, please contact me at sarah@stitchtastic.com and I'll show off your work next! Alternatively, have a look at our facebook page, www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic.     Pam's stitched Kawasaki ZXR6—brilliant. Facebook update Our number of followers on facebook is steadily rising. If you'd like to join us, have a look at www.facebook.com/Stitchtastic . Come and click 'Like' to become a Fan, and keep up with all our stitching antics! You can put your own pictures of our designs that you've stitched up on the page, or just admire the wonderful work of our brilliant stitchers. Next Month October's newsletter will feature some of our more unusual designs, and hopefully some more stitchers! See you soon. Questions or comments? E-mail me at sarah@stitchtastic.com or call +44 (0) 114 2353958 Until next time Sarah Designer