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The Needlework Nutshell—December 1, 2006 Volume 2, Issue 12 December 1, 2006 <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL Needlework news, musings, tips, contests, and what’s happening now at FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> Editor: Jen Funk Weber Mail to: mailto:mail@funkandweber.com Web site: http://www.funkandweber.com Your privacy is important to us. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. *********************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE *********************************************************** 1. Needlework Musings 2. Tips and Tricks and Brilliant Ideas 3. What’s New at Funk & Weber Designs 4. Make It Yours! 5. Readers Ask 6. Puzzle Contest 7. Contact/Subscribe/Unsubscribe *********************************************************** 1. NEEDLEWORK MUSINGS *********************************************************** Anyone out there in Nutshellville familiar with NaNoWriMo? http://www.nanowrimo.org That's short and silly for National Novel Writing Month, and that is the month of November. It's a time when thousands of Joe and Jane (Would-Be) Writers all over the world buckle down and write 50,000-word novels in 30 days. Madness, you say? Absolutely! No one who participates will argue that point, because, you see, that *is* the point. See, when most of us sit down to write something more significant than an email, we feel some pressure to write well. In fact, there are these things called "inner editors" that demand we produce Shakespeare-quality prose right out of the starting gate, and prevent us from writing anything less. The result being that we don't write anything. Except emails. Because NaNoWriMo is all about quantity and speed, and not about quality, our inner editors all go on vacation. They figure if we want to write crap, they don't want any part of it. That's a great thing. We're better off without them. The trick is getting them to go on vacation. Interesting things happen when you undertake such an adventure. Surprises pop up, seemingly from nowhere (the muses at work). It's like getting on a carny ride that enters a dark tunnel. Lights flash, images appear, creatures reach out and grab you. You don't necessarily know what's coming until it's right there front of you. Even if I didn't wind up with a decent story, the ride was terrific! That alone was worth the price of admission: sore shoulders from hours hunched over my keyboard, and a backlog of work put on hold for the month. Well, this newsletter comes to you from a 2006 NaNoWriMo Winner! I did it! I wrote 50,000 words of a new novel in 28 days. Believe me when I say the text awful. But there's a story in there that has potential, and I wouldn't see that potential if I hadn't written those 50,000 awful words. Now I can go back, dig through the mess, pull out the good stuff, paste it together, and polish it up. And that's how it's done. There's a lot to be said for throwing caution (and inner critics) to the wind, and powering through a creative pursuit. I have concluded that art doesn't come from neatness and order, nor does it always come promptly when bidden. It comes from chaos, and sometimes only when you drag it by the hair. So do it: Throw caution to the wind and start creating. No plan? No problem! Just *start* and see where the project takes you. Whether you're putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, needle and thread to fabric, or yarn to sticks or hooks, hop on board and enjoy the ride. *********************************************************** 2. TIPS AND TRICKS AND BRILLIANT IDEAS *********************************************************** Remember last month when I talked about using our needlework to perhaps raise funds for literacy programs or libraries? Well, I've been asked by fellow designers (and subscribers) to remind Everyone that it is *not okay* to sell finished items that use published designs, even if the profits go to charity. I spoke specifically of bookmarks. Many designers sell patterns for bookmarks. While anyone who purchases a bookmark pattern is welcome (and encouraged!) to stitch as many bookmarks as she wants and *give* them away, it is illegal to *sell* bookmarks that you've crafted from copyrighted designs, and all published designs are copyrighted. It's like this: Imagine Big Tote Bag Manufacturer wants to use Funk & Weber Designs' WHAT IN THE WORLD? pattern on a tote bag. The manufacturer can't just purchase one of our patterns, make totes, and sell them. They must *license* the design from us, which allows us to profit from the further use of our work. Now, I realize none of you are Big Manufacturers. It doesn't matter. Anyone who wants to earn a profit from someone else's creative property must have permission--license--to do it. *If* we decide to try to raise money by selling bookmarks, we must do so respecting copyrights. Please don't sell bookmarks that use copyrighted designs in an effort to raise money for the Needle & Th*READ* program. If this is something we decide we want to do, Mike and I will design patterns for this purpose. Of course, you can always design your own bookmark patterns...hmmm! ~~~~~~~~~~ In the spirit of the season, and in the spirit of my recent NaNoWriMo experience, I want to give you a gift that I hope you will accept. It is a challenge. No, it's not a challenge to *give* it to you; the *gift* is a challenge. I have been playing with crescent stitches. They are typically counted canvas stitches, but I'm stitching them on my beloved soft evenweaves, linens, and aidas. I'm using fun fibers and arranging the crescents in different configurations. They're so interesting and versatile that I'm using them for this year's holiday ornaments for my nephews and niece, all of which will be different. The link below will take you to a .pdf with diagrams of the basic crescent stitch and a braided variation. Your challenge is to create your an original holiday ornament that utilizes these stitches or a variation of them. Beyond that, anything goes: any fiber, any fabric, any embellishments, any finishing technique, any other stitches. My wish is that you'll sit down with fabric, fiber, and needle, but no plan and no pattern beyond the stitch diagrams. Just stitch. Make a mess. Have fun. And let's see if you can't create some art while you're at it. Of course I want to see and hear about your experiences, but you knew that, right? You show me yours, and I'll show you mine! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/nutshell/crescents.pdf *********************************************************** 3. WHAT’S NEW AT FUNK & WEBER *********************************************************** The Needle & Th*READ* project is a go! It seems I'm not alone in my love for both needlework and books. The very first step taken in the Needle & Th*READ* program was a donation made to NaNoWriMo. So what if we haven't actually raised any money yet? I'm calling it part of *anticipated* profits! (There will be profits, right? Right?!) NaNoWriMo supports a Young Writers Program and this year is raising money for libraries in Vietnam. It makes me happy to support them. Donations there are low this year, so if any of you are looking for causes to support, check them out: http://www.nanowrimo.org ~~~~~~~~~~ I sent a project to The Cross Stitcher. It's scheduled for the August issue. More on that next summer. ~~~~~~~~~~ TheArmchairChef blog is hosting a Holiday Bake-Along with Needlework and Quilting designers. Way fun! I sent recipes for 2 of my favorite holiday treats. No, I'm not telling what they are, but they are *yummy!* You'll have to watch for them over at TheArmchairChef: http://thearmchairchef.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ Registration is open for our two bracelet classes. BRACELET BASICS & BEYOND is scheduled for Jan. 22-27, 2007, and the follow-up class, DECORATE YOUR LIFE, is scheduled for Feb. 19-24, 2007. These will be the only bracelet classes offered before next fall, so if you've thought about taking them, now's the time. If you'd like to give one (or both!) of our classes as a gift, just register in your own name, then send me an e-mail indicating that this is a gift. I'll need the e-mail address of the gift recipient so that I can invite him/her to join the Yahoo! group for class. If you want to give the class as a gift, I'll send a PDF gift certificate that you can print out and give to the recipient. ~~~~~~~~~~ Due to exceptional busy-ness next summer, we have decided that the next Alaska Stitch-N-Safari will be scheduled for the summer of 2008. Information about these special stitching tours is available on our web site http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/tour.html *********************************************************** 4. MAKE IT YOURS! *********************************************************** Ooo-WEE! We are flush with Make It Yours projects this month. (Yay, for you!) But since some months have been less productive, I've decided to ration them. Because Ellen, from Tampa, FL, jumped on last month's Brilliant Idea, she's getting first go. Remember the needlework-on-the-back-of-a-jacket idea? Well check it out! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/make_it_yours_ellencl.html ~~~~~~~~~~ Have you adapted a pattern to Make It Yours? Tell us about it! mail@funkandweber.com *********************************************************** 5. READERS ASK *********************************************************** Please e-mail me with questions for this section. mail@funkandweber.com BarneyCat asks if puzzle contest entries are disqualified for not following instructions to a tee. For instance, the subject line is supposed to say "PUZZLE CONTEST" (all caps). If an entry comes in with "Puzzle contest" in the subject line, is it disqualified? No. I'm not looking for reasons to disqualify people. In fact, I'd say I'm pretty liberal in keeping people in the contest. A solution that isn't exactly what I'm looking for, but that is technically correct, or at least makes as much sense as mine, will be accepted and entered into the drawing. All that said, the decision of the judge (ME!) is final. No point arguing. But speaking of subject line content, when writing to us, please make this relevant. I don't use rigid spam filters because I don't want to block business emails. That means I get a lot of spam. When I sort through emails, I'm quick with the delete key, wiping out anything that remotely resembles spam. The point? Make sure your subject line doesn't look like spam. Using pattern names, "Needlework Nutshell," "Make It Yours," and other relevant words in the subject line of your email will make it stand out from the garbage. After a few e-mails, I'll recognize the name in the "From" column, too. Knowing this, if you contact us and don't get a reply in a reasonable period of time, please resend. I like to think I'm more accurate than a spam filter, but I guarantee I'm not perfect! *********************************************************** 6. PUZZLE CONTEST *********************************************************** Play with me! Solve this puzzle, and be entered to win a free Funk & Weber Designs pattern! Winners will be randomly selected from all correct entries. E-mail your answer, with “PUZZLE CONTEST” in the subject line. The deadline for this month’s puzzle is midnight (Alaska time, of course) December 7, 2006. The winner will be selected on December 8, 2006, notified by e-mail, and announced on our web site and in the next NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To avoid sending e-mail attachments, contest puzzles will be uploaded to our web site. I will provide a link to the puzzle in THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To the puzzle! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/nutshell/dec06.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~ NOVEMBER PUZZLE CONTEST WINNER: Christene, from Rexford, NY The answer: CELEBRATE (or CELEBR8, as some of you preferred) *********************************************************** 7. CONTACT FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS *********************************************************** SUBSCRIBE: 57410-subscribe@zinester.com UNSUBSCRIBE: 57410-unsubscribe@zinester.com ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/57410 Jen Funk Weber mail@funkandweber.com http://www.funkandweber.com Copyright 2006, Funk & Weber Designs |
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