Kathrin's Blog

Nominate your favourite LNS

2012-03-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

Last week I received an email from the Cross-stitch & Needlework magazine. They informed us that Gitta's was nominated in their facebook pole for stitchers to nominate their favourite LNS.

How exciting!!

I was asked to answer some questions about the shop and send some photos. These are some of the photos I sent

Thanks to everyone that nominated Gitta's.

Without you the shop would not be here, you are our best advertisement.

If you have not yet voted for your Gitta's,

log onto facebook and post your comments on the Cross-stitch & Needlework magazine facebook page.

A weekend away!

2012-02-18T21:34:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I surprised my husband with a weekend away. We drove up to " The Rousseau Marriott" on Friday. It was a beautiful drive, and about 1/2 hour before we arrived at the hotel the snow started to fall; soft and fluffy flakes. It was picturesque.

Our room overlooked the lake with a small private balcony.. It had a small kitchenette and lavish bathroom. It was like staying at a qaint country Inn, with all the necessary amenities.

We awoke Saturday to a sunny view of Lake Rousseau. After a filling breakfast we went on a hike around the Hotel grounds.

We had lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon in a cozy spot, with views of the frozen lake. I stitched and David edited the photos we had taken on our morning walk.

We then went for a swim and sat in the outdoor hot tub before getting ready for dinner.

We ended our day with a wonderful Valentine's dinner in their Teca Restaurant.

If you would like to see the full album of our weekend away, click on the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.364946370196293.90121.100000427987605&type=3&l=bb2bd5a312

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-10T00:01:00.007-05:00

I would recommend a variegated red thread

On the radio the other day, the hosts were discussing why women always expect their man to take charge and arrange something special for Valentine's Day. The callers, all men, were mixed in their opinions - one gentleman claimed that he loves Valentine's Day because it's a great opportunity to score points with his Mrs. I quite enjoyed the banter, mainly because it's SOOO true. Women, including myself, expect our significant other to make us feel loved and appreciated, but men have this desire as well (so I'm told). This got me thinking; this year I will take charge and do something special for him - well us.

And although Valentine's Day in the commercial media is sold to us as a day to spend money on our significant other, it can be so much more and why is it only for the one day. Make the time and take every opportunity to let all those, special in your life, know that they are loved and appreciated. Only those things that truely sooth our soul are free - family, friends and love.

My Hummingbird

2012-02-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

My hummingbird design, my contribution to the Designer Collaboration Sampler, had to be stitched twice before I was happy with the colours. The first time it was stitched, the colours in the flower and leaves were a little too dark. But by lightening the colours it now looks great. Having ripped it out once already from the sampler, I stitched it on a seperate piece of 36ct linen before restitching it onto the sampler; just in case the colours needing changing again.
So now I had an extra stitched piece of my design - what to do with it? At first I was thinking of finishing it off into an ornament, but I already have my share of those. It was Monika's brilliant idea to see if it would fit into the lid of one of the music boxes we have in the shop. We had been looking for a pattern that would fit the lid of the rectangular box for a while, and as it turned out, with the border of the sampler surrounding it, the design fit perfectly.
The chart is a free pattern you will receive when visiting my booth at the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, held at the Waterside Inn in Mississauga, Ontario on April 14th & 15th, 2012. The music boxes are available on the Gitta's website, in the store, and I will have some available at the Market, they are $24.95.
See you then!

Collaboration Sampler

2012-01-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I finished designing my contribution to the designer Collaboration Sampler for the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace. It is of a Hummingbird approaching a flower. Monika stitched it over the weekend and it looks great. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait until the Market. The finished sampler will be displayed at the entrance to the Market.

I was also thinking, how else can this sampler be made more memorable. I charted the words "Needleworkers MarketPlace" in the Tango font for ontop of the sampler and a little saying for at the bottom. Both are optional, and with a full alphabet will be included with the sampler layout.

Mark your calender and don't miss the market. All 13 designer charts will be your free gift for coming to the market, and will only be available at the Market.

This past week I had also received the last few workshop proposals for the Market. These are now posted on the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace website. There is something for everyone this year.

Happy New Year

2012-01-06T23:30:00.003-05:00

What is it about making resolutions for the beginning of a new year? Is it because at the beginning of a new year everything is possible, we can become renewed ourselves? But it never takes long before we seek our comforts and fall into old routines. So this year I made none, if I had -I probably would have broken them already.

I had a week off over Christmas, visiting with David's family in Ottawa and enjoying all the festivities of Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations. Now a week later I already find myself engrossed in the hecticness of the shop. Not that I don't enjoy the store, I do - but I always feel like there is so much to do and so little time.
And this year I am already overwhelmed with all that still needs to be done before Gitta's Getaway and the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace. The NWMP is a stitching show for all stitchers.

Similar to last year's Collaboration project at the NWMP, the designers are again offering a free chart to everyone attending the show. Last April, as you may recall, was a 15 sided biscornu (see my March 2011 posts) . This year's project is a Spring Sampler.
The border will be made available to everyone as they enter the show and then it is up to you to visit each designer and collect their free chart portion of the collaboration sampler. As a little sneek peek for this year's Collaboration Project, here is the layout of the sampler and the spots designated to each designer so far. There are still 2 designers missing, Northern Pine Designs and Sew Fancy. This year will be an awesome show with 13 wonderful designers exhibiting, teaching, and passing on their love and knowledge of needlearts.

Monika, one of Gitta's gang, is stitching the model to display at the Market. I am almost done designing mine. I also still have to complete my workshop for the show and the exclusive workshop that will be offered to Gitta's Getaway attendees.

All this plus much more has to be done in the next 3 months.

It will be a frantic 3 months, but all will be done.

'Tis the Season

2011-12-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas is one of the most wonderful and hectic times of the year. Every year we push ourselves to make Christmas magical for our family and friends. Loving this time of year, and wanting to make everyones Christmas perfect, I find it hard to say no to any stitcher bringing in their stitched pieces for finishing. This year I received a record number of pillows, Christmas stockings, ornaments, bell pulls and a box top to finish for Christmas. One of the bell pulls I finished is the one shown on the left in the photo. The one on the right is our shop model. We had stitched our model 1 over 1 on a 28ct linen banding. We stitched it over one, so all 13 flowers could be included without the bell pull being too long. If all 13 designs would have been stitched over 2 the bell pull would be over 8 feet long; too long for most homes. I was so taken with the bell pull, stitched 2 over 2, that I just had to share it with all of you. It arrived in the shop just a few days after I had told another stitcher that she didn't have to stitch all of the flowers for her bell pull to look just as beautiful. These designs are all in Gitta's leaflet G-236, it includes all 13 provincial and territorial flowers. The leaflet was named Wild Flowers, as many of these flowers are also State flowers.

Tonight I am just 3 stockings away from having everything done; I have been sewing steady since the Christmas Open House. With all of these finishing projects I have had very little time to decorate at home. But when I came home on Saturday I had a wonderful surprise. My kids had decorated the kitchen bay window with my Christmas village, and my husband strung Christmas lights on our apple tree in the backyard.

What a wonderfull Christmas gift.

I love sitting at the table and looking at my lighted village window.

Isn't Christmas magical. Wishing you all some magic over the holiday.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Open House

2011-12-09T23:22:00.003-05:00

From right to left are Margaret, Gitta, Ietje, Mary, Monika, and myself.

Gitta's annual Christmas Open House is an "all hands on deck" kind of event. It is the busiest Saturday of the year at the shop, with stitchers both locally and further away dropping in for some Christmas cheer, goodies, and shop specials. The Open House is our opportunity to say "Thank you" to all our customers.

In preparation for the Open House, the shop is decorated, with a touch of Christmas throughout the store. In the shop window, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and the Christmas tree is decorated with stitched ornaments of Christmas' past.

The front counter is decorated with ornaments of Christmas present. Every year there are great ornaments to be found in magazines, the Mill Hill collection, which we stitch them on fabric rather than perforated paper, and there aren't many that we can resist. We stitch as many as we can, with Mary stitching the most, and I then try to finish them into ornaments in time for the open house.

At the back of the shop was our goody table with lots of munchies. Back by popular demand from last year's favourites were my dad's hummus, and my sister's guacamole. There was also a selection of "can't resist" crackers, a spinach dip and Christmas squares and cookies.

To make this year's Christmas even more special I designed my own Christmas ornament. We then prepared kits that included the fabric, threads and charm. The kit, a few other Christmas Freebee charts, and a chocolate completed our Christmas gift to everyone that came to the Open House. As not everyone was able to drop by for whatever reason, I would still like to make this chart available to all of you. A small Christmas gift from one stitcher to another. Merry Christmas.

At the Open House we also revealed a Christams themed 15 sided Biscornu. This biscornu is designed by a local designer, Sam Calderone of Snow Dragon Designs. She will release it in April 2012, by making it her gift to all those retreaters attending Gitta's Getaway.

Many more photos were taken to remember the day, and if you would like to view the entire album here is the link to my facebook page. Enjoy!!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.302349976463482.75075.100000654471706&type=1&l=3bf31da6d6

Preparing for Gitta's Christmas Open House

2011-11-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend finishing Christmas ornaments for our Christmas Open House this coming Saturday, December 3rd. Every year at the Christmas Open House we take the opportunity to thank you, our customers - without you the shop would not be here.

As a special thank you this year, I designed a flying reindeer. Mary was kind enough to stitch it for me as I was busy putting together the thank you packages for the Open House. Ietje was so taken with the design that she also stitched him in her favourite colour - red.
.

Every year the shop is decorated for Christmas, goodies are baked, a thank you gift is prepared for our visitors, and shop discounts are marked. My sister even visited this year for a few days to help deocorate the shop. She did a fabulous job on the shop window, and she'll be back in time to help for the Open House.

I would like to invite all of you to join us this Saturday

December 3rd, to celebrate the Holiday Season

with shop specials, goodies and lots of Christmas Cheer.

Mystique

2011-11-18T00:01:00.003-05:00

During the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, this past April, Carolyn Mitchell and I discussed the possibility of her teaching a workshop at Gitta's.
Carolyn is a canvaswork and hardanger designer. Her original designs are filled with a creative use of various fibres and layered stitches. And "Mystique" is no exception. It is an absolutely stunning design.

This was a 2 two day workshop held this past weekend in our class room at the shop.

Carolyn teaches at guilds and shops both in Canada and the US, as well as mentoring new designer.
In the photo above she demonstrated the Twisted Bow stitch.

She is a wonderful and well respected designer and instructor.

The ladies had a great time and accomplished a lot in 2 days. This was the last "live" Mystique workshop for a number of years, as ANG, the American Needlepoint Guild, has reserved the rights to this design for their Cyber Class line-up. But for now the "Mystique" model and some of Carolyn's designs are on display at Gitta's. So if you are able to visit the shop, drop by and see for yourself.

I would like to thank Carolyn for a wonderful weekend - for sharing her knowledge and love of Needlework.

Don't forget that December 3rd is Gitta's Christmas Open House.

Drop by for some Christmas Cheer.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:18:00.005-04:00

On All-Hallow's Eve

the dreaded awake

Their solitary purpose

to make your knees quake

Witches soar across starry skies

Where the moon shines with grim intent.

to light the way for the luckless few

who'll see All Hallow's dark portent

Black as the night

with silent feet

This is one Hallow creature

You'll not want to meet

To cross his path on Hallow's Night

Could spell the last you'll ever know

For you'll be caught within the sight

of feline eyes yellow aglow

So if you see a shadowed form

streak across your wondering path

turn around and retrace your steps

Lest you see All Hallow's Wrath

Author: Sarah Ellison

This black cat pattern I had designed for a Make-it & Take-it class in Lancaster, PA last fall. I stitched it in the continental stitch with 6 strands of floss on 14 count mono canvas. I then finished it into a cell phone pouch.

While the kids are out enjoying their night of Trick or Treating, here's a little treat for you.

I headed home early to put some Halloween into my front door.

What an awesome night, filled with screams and treats. Many brave little superheros, dragons and princesses dared pass my skeleton crew to collect their treats. I had a blast from all the screams and shrieks from the kids that came to our door and were startled by my singing & dancing Pirate motion detector, spooky noise making Scream mask, eerie noise making door mat, and spiders. There were also quite a number of little kids that wouldn't approach the door without mummy. But the promise of a sugary treat always won out over fear. I had a blast.

Blast from the past.

2011-10-21T23:09:00.001-04:00

This past week I visit my oldest and dearest friend at her new home. My housewarming gift to her was one she had requested, a biscornu. Ever since she spied the bowl of biscornu's at Gitta's Getaway this past April, she just had to have one. Not being a cross stitcher herself, I stitched one for her in her favourite colour - purple.

To my surprise I was not the only one bearing a gift. While packing for her move she had come across a photo she had taken of me at Gitta's, the original shop.

She had taken this photo in 1995. What fascinates me with this photo, besides my polka-dotted top, is the size of our fabric corner, just 2 shelving units, and the collection of specialty fibres just to the right of the fabric shelves. Today our selection of linens, evenweaves, aidas, and canvases have their own "room" (about 1/3 of the shop), and our selection of specialty fibres has expanded greatly to the entire fibre collections from numerous silk and cotton floss dyers.
The floor space of the old shop was only about 1/4 of what we have today. In 1995 we would have been in this shop 9 years and already bursting at the seams. It was the following year that we moved just 10 shops down the road, to our current location.

Out Numbered

2011-10-02T21:28:00.000-04:00

Petit Point model

The newest design in our Inuit series is Out Numbered. Being a petit pointer at heart, we stitched our model in petit point, using the continental (tent) stitch on silk gauze. While visiting with David's family on the Canada Day long weekend, my mother-in-law had cross stitched these cute little playful Huskies and gave it to her granddaughter for her birthday. David & I loved it, so once we were home I arranged to have it cross stitched for the shop. The friend that stitched it, loved the design's title as much as the design. She wanted me to chart the title "Out Numbered" so she could stitch it as part of the finished piece. While we were away on holiday in Alaska she finished the stitching and my mother framed it. They wanted it done as a surprise on our return home. It looks fantastic, David was pleased with the finished piece, and here it is!


Cross stitched model

As the charted wording is not part of the original chart pack, I have added the chart for "Out Numbered" below. I will also add it to the Gitta's website as a free companion chart to G-139. Enjoy.

Remembering Alaska

2011-09-16T01:06:00.002-04:00

Whenever on holiday we always want something to remind us of the great time we had. Other than a few T-shirts I did not purchase much in Alaska. At our ports of call there were tons of jewelery stores, many made in China souveniers, and very expensive local artwork. In Skaguay we visited with the Rushin' Tailor, as she stocks the patterns from our Inuit series. Although she is primarily a quilt shop, she did have some very nice cross stitch kits. I only purchased some arctic motifed quilt fabrics, as the cross stitch kits she carried we also carry at Gitta's. Once home I still wanted a stitched piece to remember our holiday. The chart below I charted this past week from one of the many photos we took during our 2 weeks in Alaska.

This is a native symbol for the Orca, often seen in native artwork.

Alaskan Holiday

2011-09-09T01:03:00.003-04:00

I'm back home already a week and our fabulous Alaskan holiday is now only a memory. .
We boarded the cruise ship in Vancouver on Friday, August 19th and spent 7 days cruising up the Inside passage to Seward, Alaska. We had 4 ports of call, stopping in Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Straights, and Skagway.

The ports had tons of shopping opportunities, but we preferred strolling through the towns and hiking on the trails.

In Ketchikan we strolled along the Creek and viewed the original part of town. Before heading back to the ship we enjoyed a Lumberjack Show.

Icy Straight is a small Tlingit community on an island that can only be reached by sea or air. They operate the longest zip line in North America; it is 5600 feet long, dropping 1300 feet and reaches a top speed of 60 miles/hour. How could we resist.

The bus ride up the mountain took 45 minutes, and the ride down took only 90 seconds. It was foggy that day, so we slipped in and out of the fog to spectacular views.

What an awesome ride !!!!

In Juneau we took a tram up the mountain to hike along the trails. As well as a gift shop there was a cultural centre with a video and a few local artisans exhibiting some of their works. It was a rainy day, but we enjoyed the views and trails.

Skagway was my favourite town, with its wooden sidewalks and buildings. After walking through town and visiting with the Rushin' Tailor David and I hiked for about 2 hours to two lookouts over the town. The Rushin' Tailor is a quilt shop that sells David's Inuit designs - how cool is that - we just had to say hello.

On our last full day on the ship we spent the morning by the Hubbard Glacier. As you can well imagine we took a ton of photos over the 1 hour approach, and then a ton more over the hour we were there. We spent the entire time on deck. Everyone was complaining about the cold; I was just in awe of its colour and when a fishing boat approached the Glacier, we could appreciation it’s size.

For our final week in Alaska we rented a car and drove from Anchorage up into Denali National Park. In the morning of each day we joined an organized excursion and then hiked on the many Park trails in the afternoon.

On the first day we flew in a beaver airplane, seeing Denali from the air, with all it's glory. The tundra was already changing colour to magnificent reds and golds; even spotting a black bear on the run. We then landed on one of the larger glaciers and spent some time appreciating the surrounding mountain range and the crisp clean air.

On our second day we ATV'd off road into the Alaskan bush, over a dry glacial creek bed, and stopped at several overlooks providing breathtaking 360° views . This was the kid's favourite excursion, splashing through puddles and bouncing along the different trail conditions.

Our final excursion was white water rafting on the glacier-fed Nenana river. This was my excursion of choice. While traveling through the canyon we went through several rapids as well as more gently flowing sections. At the end of the 2 hour run we could even take a dip in the just above freezing river. We were in dry suites but could still feel the coldness of the water.

Our afternoons were spent either driving or hiking through Denali. It was along these trails that we managed to see some of the animals in the park.

A mother moose and her calf.

A busy beaver hauling wood down a 200 foot incline to a lake. We followed him from the trail to his clearing and then down to his den. He kept us entertained for over an hour.

On our last day, as we were heading out of the park, there were several cars pulled over along the side of the road - a good indicator that an animal is in sight. We pulled over and were able to see this black bear. He was walking along a creek bed and then crossed the road right in front of our car.

We had an absolutely memorable holiday. If you would like to see more photos of our Alaskan experience click here for photos of the first week on the Cruise Ship. Click here to see photos from our second week in Denali National Park.

Stash Treasures

2011-08-12T11:42:00.002-04:00

Not having much time to start something new this summer, I have been searching through my stash. I noticed something very interesting; I have so many UFO's that only need a few days to a few weeks to complete them. Why they were thrown into the closet for years, some for 10 or more, I will never know.

The first UFO I had decided to complete was a Rainbow Gallery design, "Hungarian Silk Garden". I had planned to run this as a beginner canvaswork workshop many years ago; to share some stitching tips on the specialty stitches and working with the various fibres. It took me only about 7 hours to finish the final border. Now all I have left to do is attach the beads. I promise it won't take years.

The next piece I rescued was Lavender & Lace's "Morning Song". This pattern was released in 1995 and I know I started it after Christopher, my son was born, so it must have found it's way into my UFO bin about 15 years ago. It's about time I finish it.

I am stitching it the continental stitch (petit point) using 3 strands of floss on a 23ct silk gauze. Petit point is my first love, and this was my third Lavender & Lace pattern in petit point. I had stitched "Sweet Dreams" after the birth of my daughter, and the "Guardian Angel" (minus the wings) for the birth of my son.

I wanted them both to have a Mother & Baby picture that I stitched for them in celebration of their birth. And this piece was going to be mine.

Over the past two weekends, while at my parent's cottage, I managed to stitch on it a bit every day, and this is how much I've completed. Except for the backstitching on the faces and hands, the mother, baby and little girl are finished. I also added about 6 yards of thread to the confetti style background.

Next week David, the kids and myself are heading to Alaska for a family vacation, and this piece will be too intricate for me to take with me. I'm planning on taking something less complicated with fewer colours, and something not so hard on the eyes such as cross stitch or needlepoint. I have quite a number of these in my UFO bin (or should I say bins). So I won't be going without something to stitch, but I'll have to see if I find some time.

If I don't manage to post a blog next week, I will try to post some photos of our trip on my facebook page, Kathrin Ellison.

Stitch & Pitch 2011

2011-07-22T22:35:00.002-04:00

This past Wednesday I, along with hundreds of other stitchers and knitters, attended the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners baseball game at the Toronto Sky Dome (now known as the Rogers Centre).

"Stitch & Pitch" is an annual event for Stitchers and Knitters. The tickets were only $20 for the 200 level. We all received a goody bag upon entering, and there were some wonderful prizes as well.

I met up with Darlene, Andy and Eileen before the game to grab a quick bite to eat. Eileen was camera shy, so she volunteered to take the photo.

We all stitched even though the seating was a little tight, the temperatures were at scorcher levels, and the game was quite exciting, with 5 home runs (one of the balls even ended up in our level just a few seats to the right of us).

During the bottom of the second inning, the Jays loaded that bases and the mariners headed to the pitcher's mound to decide what to do next. Needless to say they had 4 runs that inning. The Blue Jays were on fire that night, winning the game 11 to 6.

"Ace", the Blue Jays mascot also visited us to bring attention to the "Stitch & Pitch" event. The "Go Jays Go" banner behind him was knitted. How amazing is that.

We all had a fabulous time. Can't wait 'til next years!!!

Write a Review

2011-07-15T00:01:00.011-04:00

We are adding a new feature to our website, www.gittas.com, to give our stitchers a voice and make the website more informative, "Write a Review"

Have you ever wanted to post a comment about a pattern you've been working on? Good or Bad, it's all good!! Well here is your chance to advise, excite and even warn your fellow stitchers !!!!

We invite you to write a review on any kit or pattern posted on our website. Your comments can include your impressions of the presentation; ease or difficulty of following the chart/instructions and how you overcame & compensated; any changes you made to the original pattern; your impressions of the finished piece; and so on.

It's very easy, just write down your thoughts and email these with a photo of your stitched piece to our webmaster. The photo is optional, but if your piece is different from the original, we'd love to see it.

My first review is on " Garden Fair" by the Courtney Collection.
(I first blogged about this pattern on May 27th).

Hooked on Biscornus

2011-07-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

With my Canada Day biscornu all done, I had to figure out what to stitch on the long weekend. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm hooked on these quirky little pin cushions. So with all of you working on one over the weekend I wanted to stitch one as well.

Two years ago I had designed a Chair Necessaire set that was featured in "A Needle Pulling Thread" magazine. Over 2009 readers of the magazine were treated to all parts of the set; a biscornu, scissor fob, scissor pocket, and the finishing instructions to the stitching tool organizer that hangs over the arm of your chair. It is this biscornu that I took with me to stitch over the long weekend. I stitched it as a gift for one of oldest friends; not that she's the oldest - we are BF's since grade 5. With purple being her favourite colour, I used "Old Maid of the Aubergine" a hand dyed silk and cross stitched on 32ct Belfast Linen, "Lilac". For the beads I used Magnifica beads 10074.

For the top of the biscornu I stitched the entire design, and for the bottom half I only stitched a portion of the design for each corner. I absolutely love this silk colour; the colour variation has a subtle flow yet shows beautifully.

And here it is all finished, but my friend will have to wait until her birthday in September.

For those of you who do not have a copy of the magazine, I am working on printing the set into a chart pack that should be available within the next few weeks.

Happy Birthday Canada !!

2011-06-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

I have been wanting to post a 2 sided biscornu for quite some time, and have been playing with the idea of contrasting sides. I had also been thinking of posting the free bee I designed as a needlecase to accompany one of my Chair Necessaire designs, Graphite.
So all these ideas were thrown into the melting pot, and what you see is the result. I have added maple leaves and stitched it in red and white to give it a very Canadian appeal.
Below is the pattern. Stitch it twice, once with red on white and again with white on red. The fabric and threads are available in the shop; we have pre-cut 7" x 7" pieces of 28ct Lugana, for $2.00 a piece.

If red & white is not your colour choice, you could also stitch in autumn colours, such as rust and cream; it is a leaf after all.

Finishing Instructions:

With both squares stitched trim away the excess fabric.

Cut beyond backstitched line approximately 8-10 fabric threads or 1/4" to 1/2".

Match the corner of one fabric square to the middle of one side of the other fabric square. Secure your thread to the back, knotting it into the backstitched line. Then bring the needle up through the hole in the corner of the backstitched edge.

Slip under the first backstitch to the left of the corner you just came out of. Then pass beneath the centre backstitch on the other piece. Finger press the fabric edges along the backstitched line and match up the backstitch from one fabric square to the other.

Whip-stitch the sides together by slipping under the backstitches.

Do not pierce the fabric.

Continue until you reach the corner of the square, of which you started in the middle of the side.

Finger press and fold fabric around the corner. Match up the backstitches and continue whip-stitching the sides together by slipping under the backsitches.

Continue sewing around the biscornu in this zig-zag pattern until only one side remains open.

Carefully stuff the biscornu using pillow stuffing or fiberfill. Make sure the corners are well stuffed. Finger press the centre to preview the finished effect and if you like the fullness of the biscornu.

When satisfied with the fullness of the biscornu, whip-stitch the last side closed.

Thread your needle with Dental Floss. Dental floss is very strong and the knots will not slip when pulling the thread tight.

Bring your needle up through the centre of the Biscornu and then stitch through to the other side again. Stitch the same path again ensuring not to stitch through the same hole but close to the centre.

Pull tightly and knot using a square knot. Stitch both dental floss ends through to the other side again, pull tightly and knot again.

The dimple in the Biscornu is now secure.

Sewing on the shank button.

With one of the dental floss ends sew through the shank hole of your button. Tie the dental floss ends tightly under the head of the button with a square knot.

Thread both dental floss ends through your needle and pull these ends through the centre to the other side of the Biscornu.

Sew your second button into place with a square knot. Pull dental floss again through to the other side. Push button aside and carefully trim ends.

And there you have it, you're all done !!!!

Congratulations; it looks great

Happy Anniversary !!

2011-06-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

This past week, my husband and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary. On Tuesday I was surprised in the shop with the delivery of a beautiful bouquet of a dozen long stemmed red roses. How wonderful they look in my kitchen bay window. I will be enjoying them over the next week or so.

Wanting to share these wonderful roses with all of you, I have embedded a chart below of a dozen roses. I had originally designed this pattern for Gitta's 20th Anniversary 5 years ago. Gitta's is a fully stocked cross stitch / needlepoint shop I run with my mother, Gitta.

These roses will last forever! Enjoy, Kathrin

What's in a Sampler ?

2011-06-17T16:45:00.029-04:00

Take a closer look !!

Samplers have educated, influenced and inspired us through the ages.
During the 18th century and earlier, samplers were used to teach young girls the art of stitching and their ABC's. Parent's would hang these in the parlor, so prospective suitors could see that their daughters were educated and accomplished needlewomen. These were skills the girls would need for their married life. Each country and even different regions of a single country would have a limited number of fonts and motifs available for the girls to show their creativity and skill. These motifs were basically only those that their teacher would have collected throughout her life. During their married lives their sampler became a sample of motifs, borders, and stitches that could be copied onto clothing and household linens. They would also share these with other women in their community, and certain regions became known for their unique style of patterns.

With the industrial revolution it became less important for women to hand sew and embroider. Girls were still taught how to stitch, but as women would enter the work force embroidery became something only for the young or privileged.

Today it is the accomplished embroiderer that tackles these samplers of old, originally stitched by 8 to 11 year old girls. Some of these historical samplers are loved and treasured through the generations as a family heirloom, many are also found in museums and some even discarded in antique shops. Some have the motifs and specialty stitches beautifully arranged and on others they are scattered. My theory is that these pieces must have been a type of doodle cloth, onto which the embroiderer would have practiced or copied a new stitch or motif from other women she would have visited. It is thanks to these women that these patterns are available to us today.

We first came across Hannah Beeby's sampler in the shop. One of our customers, a descendant of Hannah's sister, Sarah, wanted to have the sampler re-framed, so it may be enjoyed for many more generations. We all fell in love with it, and were permitted to chart the sampler. Ietje, one of our instructors in the shop set out to chart and research the sampler. It was through her efforts that Hannah and the sampler's history can be appreciated by many. Ietje stitched her sampler in Splendor silk with colours that closely matched the original colours. Ietje's sampler hangs in the shop, and the pattern leaflet, Hannah Beeby 1816 Sampler (TD-8), is available through Gitta's.

A sampler is much more than a framed picture, it is a sample or collection of stitches, of alphabet fonts, of design motifs. It is a representation of the stitcher's family, many girls would add their name and age, as well as the names of their family members. Thus the sampler becomes a written history. It is a sample of a woman's worth, of her creativity and skill.

It is the samplers of old that we appreciate today, but it is our samplers that will become the heirlooms of tomorrow.

The Key's done!

2011-06-08T14:25:00.001-04:00

I had a hard time making up my mind if I should blend the gold with the variegated silk or not, as the variation within the silk was not that visible. But not wanting to ignore my own instructions I stitched it as directed on the pattern (posted in my June 3rd blog). And then it dawned on me, the key chain is clear, so rather than seeing the back of my stitching I decided to stitch it again using two strands of silk and omitting the gold. The handle is unchanged, but I flipped the teeth to the other side of the key shaft, and the initials I stitched in 1 strand of the gold on the other side. Now with both completed, I still can’t make up my mind which I like more.

Lay the key chain opening over the stitched piece to mark the cut line, by pulling out those linen threads.

Then run a bead of Fray Check along the track created by pulling out the linen thread. As a warning - be careful Fray Check does not dry clear. I cut off too much of the bottle tip, and too much liquid flowed out at once.

The Fray Check soaked into the linen beyond my cut line. So I dabbed Fray Check over the entire fabric. Fray Check, once dry stiffens the fabric so before it dries pull on the linen to straighten it.

Once dry, you can cut along the track that was created when you pulled out the linen thread, without the fabric fraying.

When all cut out, lay the two pieces back to back, insert into the key chain, and push cover into place.

And here it is all done.

P.S. At Stitch night this evening (Wednesday, June 8, 2011) we came up with a few suggestions regarding the key chain, and I wanted to share these with you :

1) Instead of Fray Check, white glue could be applied with a tooth pick. The white glue will dry clear.

2) I had thought about using perforated paper, as it can be cut to size without fraying. However, I had needed a 20 stitch count/ inch. Depending on the stitch count of your design it may fit into the key chain on 14ct Perforated paper

3) There are 4 different key chain shapes available at Gitta's. These can be viewed on Gitta's website and are $2.95 each.

A weekend of Stitching

2011-06-03T12:10:00.004-04:00

Heading up north for the weekend.
Of course the first thing I have to pack is my stitching bag.
This is our first Cottage weekend this year, so it will be a working weekend as well. All the garden furniture, and gazebo have to be set up. I'm hopeful that between all the Cottage chores I'll get some stitching done - I know I won't run out of projects to stitch.

I needlepoint in the car, and with my Coffee pillow finished I needed a new needlepoint project ( not that I don't have any at home). One of the shipments that arrived this week were silk screned double weave canvases from Europe. I loved them all, but the colours in this one will look great in my sitting area off of the kitchen. Another shipment that has recently arrived in the shop is of needleart tools and keychains. I searched through the shop for some cute little house or car design that would fit into one of the key chain openings. Then it hit me, the perfect motif would be a key. So why not design one quickly to take with me? The chart for the key is inserted below.
Of course the Garden Fair sampler has to be taken, and my final project I am taking is my little surprise for all of you on Canada Day. I had been working on this over the past week, but then the key chains arrived.
Other projects that I have been working on lately are the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace website for April 14-15, 2012, the new Designer Collaboration Sampler for the Market, my exclusive workshop for Gitta's Getaway 2012, and the mate for my Coffee design, Tea. But I decided to take this weekend off from all of that and stitch! How fun is that! Have a great weekend.

I'll post the photo of my key chain next week, with the finishing instructions.

Coffee anyone?

2011-05-29T23:17:00.004-04:00

Having received our Caron Collection order in the shop this past week, one of the Watercolors, Sable #196 was perfect for the coffee swirl in my coffee design. I released this design, Coffee, last year, having stitched it in petit point and finishing it as a fridge magnet. For the petit point model Dinky Dyes' #152 Kat's Cat perfectly created a creamy swirl in the coffee. On the 10 count canvas I felt the silk would not be thick enough over the canvas, but wanting to maintain a similar effect, I needed an over-dyed wool or a Caron Collection Watercolor.
I had started stitching it in needlepoint on the drive to exhibit at the Stitching Jubilee (my husband and I travel to various stitching shows in the US to display and sell our designs) last October and finished it shortly after our return. It then sat unfinished, until I could find THE hand-dyed fibre. Satisfied with this "Sable" colour I could finally finish my pillow. Last night I filled in the area stitching in a circular motion; always around the perimeter working my way into the center. Thus the changing tones in the hand-dyed fiber create the creamy swirl in the coffee. And today I sewed the pillow together. I love it !!!

2011-05-27T23:27:00.005-04:00

It's about time that I post something. It's not that I had nothing to post; much has happened during the past month. I just can't believe that it's been a month - where does the time go. In the shop new patterns and kits have been arriving steadily and one in particular I could not resist - "Garden Fair" by Courtney Collection.

On the chart pack the designer's model is cross stitched in black and red. Although I was completely smitten with the design I decided to substitute the red with a softly variegated blue, "Under Tow" by Hand-dyed Fibers. Also, due to it's size, I decided to petit point it in the tent/continental stitch with 2 strands on a 32ct silk gauze. I'm hooked, I've been stitching on it every possible moment at home.

During this past month Christopher's School held their annual Arts Menagerie. It's an evening that shines the spot light on all the drama, dance and art students. Christopher's drama class was the Master of Ceremonies, posing as their teachers. Christopher played a math teacher equipped with flow-chart. The flow chart was to show how over a students life his pant waist falls and rises. It was a wonderful evening and the kids all did a wonderful job.

Sarah has also kept me busy these past few weeks. This weekend she is making her annual trek to the Anime North Convention at the Toronto Congress Center with her friends. They go in costume; dressed as their favourite animation characters. This year,

Sarah wanted to go as the Cheshire Cat to pair up with the "White Rabbit" that one of her friends is going as. So over the past few weeks the two of us have hunted through charity shops for a top hat, vest and suit. We weren't successful regarding the vest and tie, so I had to sew these for her.

The vest has a velvet lapel, with matching velvet tie. The mask and ears she made herself. All this was coordinated to the purple tail we found on eBay.

This evening, we had to wave good-bye to my dad, as he is traveling to Germany to meet up with my mom. The two of them will spend the next two weeks visiting family and relaxing by my aunt's pool. The kids have missed their Oma, and Sarah drew a picture for my Dad to take and give her. It is a picture of my mom surrounded by all 4 of her grandchildren. Sarah has captured each of them perfectly, especially Alexander, my sister's son, with his smirk.

All done !!

2011-04-28T23:46:00.001-04:00

I stitched my fingers to the bones this week, but I'm all done. I attached my last beads this evening. My over-dyed fibre was a 5 yard skein by Threadworx, 01070 Rocky Mountain. By being extremely frugal with the 5 yard skein I managed to finish my sampler, but only just. My tails were miniscule, there was no playing with colour placement, no attaching beads with the overdyed thread, no changing my mind and repositioning any squares. I was a little careless at the beginning, but as the thought of possibly not having enough thread hit me, I started stitching on the diagonal to shorten my paths and altered my backstitching to minimize the travelling tread on the back. All I need to say is - I made!! I had 3 little strands remaining, two are about 2" long and the third is about 3" long. And even these I don't want to throw out until I know for sure that I won't need them any longer - maybe once it's framed I'll add them to my ort box.
For the backstitches within the design and the heart in the final square I used 3740 DMC, and the beads are 02080. For the square outlines and the year in the final square I used Rainbow Gallery's Spendor S940.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did.

Happy Easter

2011-04-22T14:08:00.000-04:00

Every year for Easter I love to pull out my stitched Easter ornaments, painted Easter eggs, and bunnies to decorate the house. We get together with family to celebrate Jesus, enjoy each others company and the joys of spring. My mom is in Germany this year and it's at these times I miss her the most. On Sunday we will get together with my Dad and my sister's family.

Here is a little Easter gift for all of you. It should look wonderful stitched in a variegated thread of fresh spring colours.

Wishing you all peace, joy, and love for Easter

Happy Easter !!

18 Square Sampler Part 17

2011-04-22T00:01:00.004-04:00

I didn't manage to stitch much this past week, but I did manage to finish sewing 4 pillows. In the shop we finally managed to get all the models, we had displayed at the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, back up on the walls, and place some much overdue orders. The shop was also very busy with many first time visitors to Gitta's. Some had already ordered through our website, and while visiting Toronto for Easter decided to make Gitta's one of their stops. We are always working on the Gitta's website, so stitchers unable to just drop in can see all that Gitta's has to offer, but nothing beats seeing all the hand dyed fibres and fabric first hand.
One of this week's visitors, Rose, even brought her finished 15-sided Biscornu in to show us. I was glad to have been in the shop to see it. Stitched on Aida and in my opinion, in a Bavarian colour scheme, was absolutely adorable. Rose was also thrilled to discover that we have stitched the little squares into a sampler. So here is the 17th motif. I love the way this one looks when stitched. Enjoy.

18 Square Sampler - Part 16

2011-04-15T22:39:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday my Mom headed off to Germany for 2 months. It was hard saying good-bye; I will miss her terribly. We are with each other always in the shop, and rely on each other for many things. When heading off to Germany, she always likes to take little "Stitcher's Care Packages" for 2 of my cousins that love to stitch. So, one of the items I included was a kit of my 18 Square Sampler. One of them loves blue and the other "Old Rose" (as she describes them) tones.


Fabric: 28ct Lugana, Ice Blue. Threads: Hand-dyed Fibre, Paua Abalone. 152 Anchor for the backstitching within motifs. 1064 Anchor for the outline. Beads: Mill Hill 00358


Fabric: 28 Lugana, Bone. Threads: Caron Collections Waterlilies Autumn Leaves, 3858 DMC for the backstitching within motifs. 1008 Anchor for the outline. Beads: Mill Hill 02037

I can't wait until they finish their samplers and send me a photo. I had so much fun choosing the colours that I just had to finalize the colours for my own sampler. I completely changed my colour choice again. I had trouble finding two solid colours, to match SNC 258, Sidewalk Chaulk, that I liked. So I went with a colour combination that I had originally wanted to use for my 2nd 15-Sided biscornu. The fabric is a 32ct hand-dyed Lugana, Porpourri. The hand-dyed fibre is by Threadworx, 01070 Rocky Mountain. The solid colour within the motifs is NPI silk 935, and the outlined border is Splendor Silk S940. The beads are Mill Hill 02080
Once I had my threads chosen, I couldn't resist and started stitching. I love the way the colours are working out. I'll post my progress next week. For those of you ready for square #16, here it is.

15 squares expand to 18

2011-04-07T23:20:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was Gitta's Getaway Retreat as well as the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace held at the Waterside Inn in Mississauga. It was great seeing everyone again at Gitta's Getaway. 18 of our 36 attendees were returning retreaters. The company, the hotel suites, and food were fabulous as usual. We all enjoyed a pampered and relaxing weekend. I posted a photo album on my facebook page to share with everyone. Click on photo album for the link, or cut and paste http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47854&id=100000654471706&l=25c36626af Over the weekend I will also post onto the Gitta's Getaway Blog regarding all the happenings from the weekend.

As promised here is the border pattern for the 15 sided biscornu motif sampler. Although I have not yet stitched my sampler, I am anxious to get started. Over the next few weeks, I will first have to finish sewing 7 pillows. I had put these on hold because of my 15-sided biscornu addiction as well as the final preparations for the Getaway and NeedleWorkers MarketPlace.
Once I do start my sampler I want to use Thread Gatherer's SNC 258, Sidewalk Chalk, for my hand-dyed silk, and although I have not yet decided on my solid DMC colours I do know, that I want to use 2 strands when backstitching the solid colour in the border.

This photo is of Monika's sampler. She cross-stitched hers 2 over 2 with Gloriana's hand-dyed silk #050, Blue Grass on 28ct Platinum Cashel Linen. She did all her backstitching using 1 strand. She also did not stitch her motifs in the exact order as indicated on the Motif Layout on the inserted chart below.

Over the next 3 weeks I will post the final two motifs as well as a full alphabet for the final square. Have a great weekend. See you next Friday.

TV Promo

2011-03-30T20:38:00.000-04:00

I was at Rogers Cable today, to promote the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace. I had Roxann Blazetich-Ozols of "A Beaddaddict" and Naomi Smith of "Black Tulip Designs" with me. We all got the opportunity to show off some of our own work as well as talk about the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, being held this weekend.
We were in the last 20 minutes of today's "Daytime Peel" segment, it aired on channel 10 at 11am and again at 3pm. It will also air this evening at 10pm. I googled Rogers Daytime Mississauga, and they post their segments the day after it aired. So if you can't get Rogers Mississauga in your area, you can always view it on-line.

It was fabulous to meet both Roxann and Naomi today and to see their beaded designs. Naomi is also the custodian of 100+ year old Native bead/embroidery pieces. They were spectacular, and in great condition considering their age. If you only come to the Market to see these pieces, you will not be disappointed.

And you thought we were done !!!

2011-03-25T22:57:00.006-04:00

Here is my finished Biscornu in my second colour choice. I finished it last Saturday while visiting with my sister. I figured that while chatting I could also sew my biscornu together. This being my third one, all my attention could be given to the conversation, and by the end of the evening my biscornu was done.

Third Biscornu? You're probably all wondering what was her second; did I miss a post? No you didn't, my second was the Collaboration project for the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, and here are some photos of the finished project.
Each designer exhibiting at the show has designed a motif 20 x 20 stitches. This will be

their free gift to everyone attending the show. Their "thank you" to you. Collect all 15 and you can have another fabulous biscornu.

The motifs visible here are by Brenda Franklin, Carolyn Mitchell, Joanne Gatenby, Laura Dickson, Britstitch, Christine Allen, Jeannette Douglas, Roxann Blazetich-Ozols, and me. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to visit with each designer at the show April 2nd and 3rd.

I have one last surprise for everyone this week. When I began designing the 15 patterns for my 15 sided Biscornu, I had them all nicely laid out on one sheet, and I loved the look of them all together. This got me thinking, why not stitch them all as one design. All they needed was a cute little border to connect them. These patterns have been a big hit in the shop, and even Monika has been bitten by the Biscornu bug. So even though she has already stitched them all twice, she loved the idea of a sampler and was anxious for me to design the border. I had wanted to wait until after Retreat, but she couldn't, so here it is. Her variegated silk is actually one of my favourite, Gloriana's #050 Blue Grass, and the fabric is Zweigart's 28ct Cashel Linen, Platinum.

After Retreat I will post the border. You may have also noticed that the sampler has 18 squares. I wanted to include an initials square, without omitting any of the squares. So I added another row of patterns. These will be posted in the weeks following the border.

Sorry to make you wait another two weeks, but next Friday I'll be busy setting up my booth at the NWMP, and starting all the festivities for Gitta's Getaway r etreat in the evening.

See you at the Market, or here in two weeks time.

Finishing Instructions

2011-03-18T00:01:00.005-04:00

Well this is it, all our squares are stitched, and there is only one thing left to do - stitch them all together. This 15 sided Biscornu was my first. After writing the instructions I had them tested, by 2 friends, who have also never finished a 15 sided Biscornu. They followed the instructions without any extra help. One of them had never even finished a 2 sided Bisconu! They did great! And you will too!

I didn't manage to work on my second biscornu this week, but I did finish stitching all 15 squares for the NWMP designer collaboration project. Each exhibiting designer has designed a 20 x 20 pattern to be sewn together into, " you guessed it", a 15 sided biscornu. Last night I even managed to slip stitch them all together. On April 2nd, at the Market, the finished project will be revealed - you'll love it. We all used the same threads, those shown in the photo on the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace website, to unify the designs. Visit each designer booth at the show and collect these wonderful designs for free, our thank you to you for visiting.

15 Sided Biscornu - Parts 14 & 15

2011-03-11T00:01:00.011-05:00

I cheated this week. Realizing I wouldn't manage to finish all 15 designs with my second colour choice, I skipped over patterns 10-13, and went straight to the last 2 designs. I wanted to post the same patterns in both

colour choice side by side.
Hopefully I'll manage to finish this second biscornu before Gitta's Getaway Retreat. I want to be able to display both in the Project Parade.

This week I have also received many of the patterns for the Collaboration 15 Sided Biscornu available from the designers exhibiting at the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace. Each designer has created an original design, which will be a free handout to every one attending the Market. A common colour pallet unites the designs and when completed will create a truly memorial souvenir. The variegated silk used, SNC 258 Sidewalk Chalk, can be seen in the NWMP photo on the www.needleworkersmarketplace.com website.

Here are the last two designs. I hope you enjoyed all of them; I, have had a great time designing and stitching these 15 designs, and I am glad you joined me on this journey.
Now that all 15 designs are stitched there is only one more thing to do - sewing them all together. See you next week for the finishing instructions.

15 Sided Biscornu - Parts 12 & 13

2011-03-04T00:01:00.010-05:00

I haven't had a chance all week to stitch on my second colour choice. I was hoping to post parts 12 & 13 in both colour ways, but I only managed to finish the first 8.

This week I finalized my part for the Round Robin workshop for Gitta's Getaway attendees, and sorted through all the contributions to the 15 sided biscornu for the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace. At the Market each designer exhibiting will have a free handout of a pattern, 20 x 20 stitches. Collect each one and together these fabulous designs can be finished into a 15 sided biscornu.

See you next week for the last 2 designs. Have a great weekend.

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 10 & 11

2011-02-25T15:11:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday I spent the day finishing my biscornu. It took me most of the day, but this was only because I was taking photos of each finishing stage and my photographer was not always right at hand.
I'm so thrilled with how it all turned out, and finishing it was easy -really!!!
When I first ventured down this path, of creating a 15 sided biscornu, I figured I had done so many regular 2 pieced biscornus that this shouldn't be any more difficult, but as I started sewing the pieces together I was surprised just how different it was. So don't fret, if you have never completed a Biscornu before, we are all on a level playing field.

Part 10, as part 9, is off centered by one thread. Since I had posted part 9, I have been made aware that some of you are stitching on aida. To read two possible solutions please read my comment for Part 9. I would recommend the first option; once sewn together it won't show.
Part 11 almost ended up on the cutting room floor. Then I added the corners and it is now my favourite design.

Being in the shop almost every day I get to see everyone's colour choices; I have enjoyed the photos some of you have sent to Darlene, craftkitten, to post onto the "Stitchers Gallery" at www.gittas.com, and I have even seen one posted on Facebook. I love them all !!!! So much so that I had to start another one myself. Quite a few of you are stitching multiple colour choices, and now I find myself doing the same. Go figure!!!!

Here is my second colour choice. Fabric: 28 ct. Cashel linen, Amsterdam Blue. Variegated Silk: Thread Gatherer's SNC 066. Backstitches within design: 829 DMC. Backstitched border square: 924 DMC. Beads: Mill Hill 00221

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 9

2011-02-18T16:38:00.001-05:00

This morning on Canada AM during their Travel Tips segment, they suggested an alternative Winter Outdoor activity for those who are not Skiers or Snowboarders. They chatted about Dog sledding and actually visited Winter Dance, the same organizing we dog sledded with this past weekend. I watched them mush along the same trail we traveled on; how cool is that!!

And now for Part 9, it is a little different from the earlier designs. The earlier patterns all had an even stitch count, whereas Part 9 has an odd number, 17 x 17 stitches. The border is 20 x 20 stitches. To position the design evenly within the square outline, you will have 1 1/2 stitches (or 3 fabric threads) between the design and border outline. There are two possible techniques when stitching this design. One is to stitch the pattern first and then the border outline. The other is described on the pattern embedded below. I found this later version less complicated. Take care and enjoy.

Dog Sledding

2011-02-16T14:13:00.001-05:00

As many of you already know, this past weekend I traveled 3 hours north to Haliburton with my family to go dogsledding. We headed out for our weekend getaway Saturday morning, and enjoyed the afternoon at the Pinestone Resort, just outside of Haliburton. On Sunday we had an enjoyable morning tobogganing, and after a lunch we drove another 45 minutes north to Winter Dance.

Upon our arrival we recieved a quick lesson on how to handle our sled and husky team. We were given 2 main rules to remember. Rule #1 - Keep your hands on the handle bar at all times; Rule #2 - Do not let go of the bar. Other instructions were on how to control our team. To get the dogs going, you gave the sled a small push and said "hike", to stop you put your foot on the brake bar and said "wooh", and if the dogs seemed distracted by something, such as another husky's "poop", you had to say "on by" and hopefully they would keep going.

After our lesson, we were told that the first part of the trail is a little tiring, so the stronger of our pair should mush first and the other should stand at the front of the ropes and welcome our lead dogs. Sarah's first Husky was Nuisance, and mine was Hawk.

I wasn't quite sure if Hawk loved the scratches he was getting from me, but once Robin joined us and I would divide my attention he quietly pushed his head in between me and Robin demanding more.

With our teams all harnessed in, we were almost ready to hit the trails.

The rest of David and my team were Miyu in the middle, and Granite with Prince in the rear.

In the beginning we had quite a number of stop and starts. Mainly because of the dogs pooing. We were told that the dogs do not stop to pee, but if they squat to poo we should stop. The huskies running the Iditarod in Alaska are actually trained to poo on the run.

Some of the teams were also readjusted to run better. Our Miyo (the little white husky in the middle) was switched out with Sarah and Christopher's dog, Bear.

The trails were amazing, we even mushed over a frozen lake.

Just before heading up the steepest hill on the trail, the guide behind us added one of his Huskies, "Mushu", to our team. He was the only one on his sled and we needed a little more power. After Mushu joined our team we just flew through the trail.

David & I took hundreds of trail photos, here are a few.

At the half way mark rider and musher switched; Sarah & I got to mush and the guys sat in the sled to enjoy the ride.

When we were back alongside the frozen lake, we had our final stop. To give "some loving to the dogs", letting them know how good they were. Don, our guide, also took a photo of the four of us with our team.

On the last leg of our tour, the dogs were great. I think they already knew they were close to home.

Back at camp, while saying good bye to our dogs we also had to take care of them until the guides could unhook each one. We were given water bowls for the dogs and one of the trainers gave each a piece of hot dog. Once back at the kennel they would get their dinner.

Good bye Robin and Hawk

Good bye Prince and Granite

Good bye Eagle and Mushu

What an awesome weekend. We generally take tour excursions when away on holiday but never close to home. We were told about Winter Dance, and I loved every minute. Ours was a 2 hour tour, and next year we're thinking of going again, but on the 4 hour tour.

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 7 + 8

2011-02-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

So much has happened this week.
I accomplished so much, and yet I didn't get to do some of the things I had actually set out to do. Aside from the weekly standards- cooking, working, and sleeping, I finished 3 pillows, finalized a new design entitled "Snow Day" (that I charted on last weeks snow day) and sent it off to be painted onto canvas, enjoyed stitch night on Wednesday, and sent off emails to the local news stations and newspapers to promote the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace show in April. Tomorrow David, the kids and I are heading up to Haliburton to go dog sledding. The weather is supposed to be perfect on Sunday; +1º C with a few flurries. We're all anxious and very excised. So, why not share a little excitement with all of you. I am posting 2 patterns again this week. Let me know what you think, after all 15 weeks is a long time.

Another reason for 2 patterns this week, is that I've been anxious to say "We're 1/2 way there", but 7 is not half of 15. So enjoy the 8th pattern, we're 1/2 way there!!

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 5 + Surprise

2011-02-04T09:07:00.001-05:00

Both my husband and son are anxiously awaiting Sunday. While the Super Bowl is on, I won't be able to budge them from the TV. This got me thinking, whether you'll be watching the game or needing something to keep you busy while the guys are watching, why not stitch for the 3-4 hours. Hence, this week I am posting 2 patterns, Patterns #5 and #6.

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 4

2011-01-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

Every week I have a hard time deciding which pattern to post. When I first started this project, I decided to post the squares in the order that I stitched them. But as I completed each one, there was always something I thought I like more than the previous. But now that I have stitched them all, and I sit here looking at them, I can't decide which I like more. So I'm back to my original plan, this weeks pattern is the fourth one that I stitched.

I have also tried to figure out a way for those of you, who want to share your colour choices on line, to do so. For now please email your photos to our Gitta's webmaster, craftkitten. She will post these on the Stitcher's Gallery at www.gittas.com

Important Gitta's Getaway News: This coming Monday is the deadline for the Gitta's Getaway Early Bird Draw. Tuesday morning we will draw 3 names from all those who are registered for the Getaway as of Midnight January 31st, 2011. These lucky winners will have their rooms upgraded to a 1 bedroom Penthouse Suite or a Deluxe King Suite. Good luck everyone. If you are not aware of our Getaway Retreat please visit the Getaway Blog or the Events page at www.gittas.com We have 17 spots remaining.

Gitta's Getaway

2011-01-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy promoting the NeedleWorkers MarketPlace, a stitching show for stitchers, that I have not been concentrating enough on our Retreat as well. I realized this yesterday, when both a returning Retreat attendee and someone still considering attending the Getaway wanting some clarifications on all the happenings that weekend, April 1-3, 2011. Although the MarketPlace and the Retreat are both interconnected and separate, I have been thinking on how to clarify and describe both. I will try, by tomorrow at the latest, to post these to the Gitta's Getaway Blogspot. If you have not yet visit there, here is the link http://gittasgetaway.blogspot.com/

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 3

2011-01-21T19:52:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week Gitta's Winter workshops were posted to www.gittas.com. Ietje is teaching The Heirloom Sampler in a Year; it is stunning and technique loaded. She has been busy stitching, unable to put her sampler down. And this is how I feel regarding my 15 sided Biscornu. Like a sampler, once I finish one square and I want to see how the next one will turn out.

As everyone has been anxious for this next installment, I had taken my laptop to the shop today in the hopes that I may find some time and post the 3rd part of the biscornu. Well given the time, I was unsuccessful. I never even managed to take my laptop out of my bag.

Below is the pdf for Part 3

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 2

2011-01-14T18:38:00.002-05:00

I can't believe were today has gone. I have spent the day at home, and my intended plans were to work on my part of the Collaboration Bellpull for Gitta's Getaway Round Robin Workshop. Instead I spent the day driving my kids around and finalizing a Winter Dogsledding Adventure David & I have planned for us and our kids. In February we'll be heading up to the Haliburton Highlands, alongside
Algonquin park, to learn how to drive a dog team through Haliburton's breathtaking wilderness. These Siberian Huskies are competitors in Alaska's Iditarod - I can't wait.

Well here is the second pattern of my 15 Sided Biscornu. It was a hit on Stitch Night, this past Wednesday. I was also told that the first pattern looks better than it did in the Blog photo.

Below is the Pdf for the second pattern.

15 Sided Biscornu - Part 1

2011-01-09T16:43:00.004-05:00

This is how my first square looks with my colour choices.

I started stitching my 15 squares this morning. Each being 20 x 20 backstitches with an inch between each one.
(8 of the 15 squares are shown in the photo).

I was originally going to do all my backstitching
with 370 DMC, but after I completed all my cross stitch with SNC 273, I didn't like the look of the 370 DMC. I choose an alternate, 3740 DMC, for the backstitching within the design, but will still use 370 DMC for my square outlines.

Print the pdf below.
It includes the first pattern and the Getting Started instructions.

15 sided Biscornu

2011-01-08T00:09:00.004-05:00

I have made my share of Biscornus, and ever since I first heard the term "15 sided Biscornu" I was fascinated with its construction. A fellow stitcher had mentioned the other day, that we should start a new project for the New Year. So I got to thinking why not have this new project also be something I have never done before. Having studied finishing techniques for these quirky cushions, I'm ready to jump in. I have designed 15 squares and will post one every week. The first will be uploaded this weekend, I still need to tweak it a little.
In the meantime you can choose your fabric, one hand-dyed and two solid coloured fibres, and beads.
My choices are :
-Zweigart's 28ct Cashel Linen, Summer Khaki
-Thread Gatherer's SNC 273 Faded Memories
-370 DMC & 3740 DMC
-Mill Hill 02080

To start you will need to backstitch 15 squares 20 x 20 backstitches using one of the DMC threads. Leave about an inch between each of the squares.

So join me on this venture. Go through your stash or visit your LNS and choose your colours.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-21T14:20:00.004-05:00

For the past 5 days I've been busy cleaning and decorating the house, sewing up 1 pillow and the final 5 needlepoint stockings for customers, and swedish weaving 4 Christmas Tablerunners. I had stitched one for myself for the beginner Huck weaving workshop I held on November 27th. Since then my tablerunner has been on the front counter in the store as part of a Christmas display. Every day as my mom would walk past it she would say "What a nice tablerunner, that would look great on my coffee table, but only if it's not too much trouble". Wanting something more to get my mom for Christmas, and seeing that one end of the tablerunner only took me 1 1/2 hours to stitch, I thought no problem - I'll manage to get it done. And then I thought, my mother-in-laws and sister would really like this as well. So for the last week, I've been stitching on the tablerunners every evening. By the time I got to the fourth one, I was glad it was the LAST one.

The pattern is from a Zweigart leaflet, and the fabric is 11count Stockholm, very much like Huck fabric, but available in a wonderful selection of colours. For the center tree I used Anchor perle cotton #5 7683, a dark green with blended gold. For the next two layers I used DMC perle cotton #5 367 and 368 respectively. For the last (outer) layer of the tree and the bottom 2 rows I used Cresta d'Oro, a metallic gold by Rainbow Gallery.

I'm ready for Christmas so early this year, as we're celebrating Christmas with David's mom, his sister and her kids today. They're visiting from Ottawa until Friday, and we'll celebrate with my family on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

I wish you all a wonderful celebration, enjoyable times with family and friends,

and some much cherished stitching time.

Stitching at Second Cup

2010-12-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

I spent my morning stitching in the Second Cup at York University, and had a wonderful time. It was 2 hours of uninterrupted stitching!!
My daughter had an exam - apparently weekend exams are not uncommon now - and a few weeks ago I had volunteered to drive her. At first I thought I'll do a bit of shopping, but as this day approached the idea of searching for a parking spot and then fighting the crowds, made me cringe at the thought. So what else to do? I have been wanting to continue my "Cottage Garden" sampler by Thea Dueck for quite a while, but never found the time. So I packed my portable light, bought myself a coffee, and stitched - thoroughly enjoying myself. Along with an electric fireplace, the Second Cup also had some wonderful music selections. One set was a Caribbean mix, making me think back to a wonderful vacation we spent in the Dominican Republic.
I never manage this at home, and maybe the "at home" is my mistake. So this is my advice for today - grab your stitching and leave home. Find yourself a nice spot in the local Second Cup, Starbucks, or McCafe and stitch. You may even meet other stitchers.

This is how far I got. I managed to finish the cottage roof, and another 3 and a bit rows. The hardanger I'm going to finish when I take my linen off the frame. I needle weave nicer when I'm holding it in hand.

Stitch Night

2010-12-08T20:13:00.002-05:00

Another full house for our last stitch night of the year. Everyone was busy with their stitching and sharing some of the great things they picked up at the Christmas Open House this past Saturday. One of the most popular patterns on Saturday was " Snow White" by Little House Needleworks. Someone started the craze by showing it at the fabric counter and stating that they are going to stitch it on a Victorian Red Lugana with Ecru DMC thread. I had to put in my two scents - "I love the fabric but stitch it with DMC variations 4160 ". That sold out the last few patterns and the last skeins of 4160 DMC. I 'll be ordering more patterns and threads.

Another item I had to show off tonight was my Petit Point pendant, before I send it off to A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine tomorrow.
It will appear in the "In the Loop" section of their Spring Issue, to be released January 2011, along with an article reviewing our first Getaway Retreat this past April (2010).
The pendant frames are hinged and you simply insert a photo or what ever you like. When I saw the frames I already know that my petit point flowers would look fabulous in the frame. I inserted a paper behind the floral, but you could also omit the backing so the petit point appears as if it's floating.
The frames are available in different sizes and I already have them in the shop.

Christmas Open House 2010

2010-12-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

Gitta's Annual Christmas Open House was this past Saturday, (always held on the 1st Saturday in December). It was lots of fun and busy from morning until closing. I generally take photos throughout the day, but it wasn't until around 12:30 that I remembered. And this was only because Carol, a long time family friend and fellow petit pointer, was taking her own photos. So I gave Carol my camera and asked her to snap some with my camera as well. Before she was off with my camera I had to snap a photo of Santas little reindeer, now Gitta's official photographer for the day.

Here are some photos from our day. My dad hung around for the whole day, mingling with everyone, he was the perfect host. Lady and her mom are a regular visitor every year.

Margaret was busy helping customers and Monika never managed to step away from the front counter. My mom, always making sure everyone is well take care of, kept on bringing her munchies all day.

The busiest place in the house was the fabric table. Or at least I thought so, because I never managed to get away from it for too long. Two of us were always cutting, my mom, Ietje and /or myself, all day, and Mary managed to serge every piece.

On every Saturday in December you'll see Santa strolling through Port Credit, and as Santa loves the ladies, he visits Gitta's every time he's in town. This particular Saturday he partied with the ladies at the fabric table for a while. And I heard him exclaim as he strode out of sight " Forget milk and cookies, Santa loves a Brandy on a cold winter's night "

This is my first post to my blogspot. Before this, I posted every once in a while to Kathrin's Blog page on the Gitta's website To read these please Click here.